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NGD: Yamaha SA2000 - 1980 - Burgundy

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Luckbad
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NGD: Yamaha SA2000 - 1980 - Burgundy

Unread post by Luckbad »

Picked this up recently and it arrived today. Structurally in outstanding shape.

The neck is still pretty much perfect, no major dings or dents.

The finish is pretty cloudy, which I assume can't really be fixed without stripping it.

The rear pickup is stock with a removed cover and the front is a rather old Seymour Duncan Jazz that is quite loose and needs fixing.

Tuners appear to have been replaced twice due to some extra screw holes. The knobs are replacements.

40 years separate the Yamaha SA2200 on the right from the SA2000 on the left, but the quality really is comparable.

Image
Image

TO-DO
  • Fix the loose pickup. Probably with some foam behind it.
  • Put some gold pickup covers back on.
  • Get some reflective gold bell knobs on there.
  • Swap the tuners. I have some Yamaha-branded Gotohs that I took off the SA2200 (replaced with very nice locking Gotohs).
  • TBD: Electronics swap. They function and aren't scratchy, but it goes quiet very quickly on the volume knob and the tone drops down to super dark quickly as well.
  • TBD: Would love to find a way to fix the cloudy finish. It'll bother me.
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larrydonohoe
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Re: NGD: Yamaha SA2000 - 1980 - Burgundy

Unread post by larrydonohoe »

Congratulations on your new Yamaha SA2000!.smash karts Regarding the cloudy finish, you are correct that it may be difficult to fix without stripping it. However, you can try using a guitar polish to see if it helps to restore the shine of the finish. If you want.
Last edited by larrydonohoe on Mon Jan 08, 2024 1:09 am, edited 1 time in total.
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balston11
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Re: NGD: Yamaha SA2000 - 1980 - Burgundy

Unread post by balston11 »

Beautiful congrats enjoy it welcome to the forum. You may be interested in my SA pages here
https://www.alston-family.co.uk/SA/indexsa.php
Bill
Web http://www.alston-family.co.uk for lots of Yamaha and other guitar information
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Mimasu
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Re: NGD: Yamaha SA2000 - 1980 - Burgundy

Unread post by Mimasu »

Great guitars these SA2000's. Congratulations!

I prefer them over the SA2200. But I have a crush for 'vintage' so could be I'm biassed.

The cloudiness is a known problem with Yamaha guitars. You can search the internet for days finding all kind of tips but till now I've never heard of one that works.

Weird problem and also the cause is unknown till now. I've seen guitars from the early 80íes (like yours) having the problem. But also guitars from 2000. I've seen a lot of Yamaha's pass by over the years and can't proof it but I think the hign end guitars are more affected by this than the lower end guitars. Some suggest production problems in some factories, but both Japanese and Taiwan made guitars suffer from this problem.

Some "statistics" (not a big sample but to give an idea): Yamaha guitars I own or have owned are over 80. Till now I've had to guitars with this problem: a SG3000 (black with some cloudiness) and a APX20 (more cloudiness than original colour :( )

I'm almost sure the problem is not in the topcoat of the guitar so you can't buff it out. It's often suggested it's between the wood and the first coat. Also that seems not always be the case.

And yes, I don't like it too. Looks bad. But I've never had any reason to think it affects sound or playability.

Leon
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TheSupposedStringMeister
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Re: NGD: Yamaha SA2000 - 1980 - Burgundy

Unread post by TheSupposedStringMeister »

Very nice, don't worry about the cloudiness, just play it.

Always wanted an SA2000 but never bought one. I do have two sets of SA2000 pickups though which I am happily using in an SA-90 and in a guitar I built myself.
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Luckbad
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Re: NGD: Yamaha SA2000 - 1980 - Burgundy

Unread post by Luckbad »

I ultimately decided that I loved the SA2000 enough to pay for a full refinish.

Looks beautiful now!
20240826_221404.jpg
20240826_221329.jpg
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balston11
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Re: NGD: Yamaha SA2000 - 1980 - Burgundy

Unread post by balston11 »

Looks great
Bill
Web http://www.alston-family.co.uk for lots of Yamaha and other guitar information
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TheSupposedStringMeister
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Re: NGD: Yamaha SA2000 - 1980 - Burgundy

Unread post by TheSupposedStringMeister »

Looks beautiful, so it went from burgundy to red?

More photos would be nice.
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Luckbad
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Re: NGD: Yamaha SA2000 - 1980 - Burgundy

Unread post by Luckbad »

Yeah it's more like Gibson red now. He finished it in what's essentially a gun stock finish and could make it darker pretty easily, but I kinda like the cherry.
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GRI57
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Re: NGD: Yamaha SA2000 - 1980 - Burgundy

Unread post by GRI57 »

Hi there - after several years of searching I finally have my hands on a 1980 SA700. It is love at first sight/sound/play!
It does suffer from some clouding, worse in certain lights than others. Your refinish looks fantastic ould you mind me asking about the cost of your refinish, or an 'in the region of' ? Fully understand if you prefer not to comment!
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balston11
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Re: NGD: Yamaha SA2000 - 1980 - Burgundy

Unread post by balston11 »

I have 3 SAs including a 700 2 of them have "filming" its really common with older Yamahas it doesn't bother me in fact its an extra sign of authenticity
Bill
Web http://www.alston-family.co.uk for lots of Yamaha and other guitar information
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Luckbad
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Re: NGD: Yamaha SA2000 - 1980 - Burgundy

Unread post by Luckbad »

The refinish price will vary greatly depending on where you live I imagine. I think I paid $450.
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GRI57
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Re: NGD: Yamaha SA2000 - 1980 - Burgundy

Unread post by GRI57 »

Thanks very much for the response. The clouding is mostly on the back, love the guitar, think I will leave as is
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