I need help to identify a vintage Yamaha SG

[fuzztone63]

Hello to everybody ,
I just found a vintage Yamaha SG at a used guitars shop and I'd like to help me identifying that and estimate a logical price to buy that.
The guitar seems to be a modified SG2000 with some strange characteristics .
The truss rod cover says GBS 3000 but I doubt it , it has three pickups and I've never seen an SG with 3 pups and the worst of all someone remooved the the plugin jack to the down side of the body ( unfortunately drilling an xtra hole ) and putted an xtra probably phase selector switch in the left open hole where the input jack used to be.
The two not original knobs are push pull and the serial number is 002721.
It also has a Kahler vibrato similar to the Super Vibrola that used to have the Gibson LP's of that time that seems to be installed from the factory over the famous Santana brass sustain bridge.
Unfortunately I didn't had a camera so the pics were taken with my cellphone .
Any thought would be much appreciated

 

[Mole Man]

Hi There,

Well I'm no authority on these Yamaha SG's but I've picked up a thing or two or the last couple years so here goes:

The guitar you are interested in looks to be a Yamaha SG2000 (and not an SBG 3000, as the truss rod cover legend says - SBG was/is the Yamaha designation for the SG series Stateside - so as not to be confused with the Gibson SG, as if)!

As you say, the guitar has undergone a series of modifications:

Added middle pickup
Kahler post mounted tremolo system with locking top nut (very unlikely to have been installed by Yamaha as they had their own design locking trem on certain SG models in the 1980's)
Replacement switch installed where original input socket was located and
A right old mess of wiring in the control cavity!
2 non original knobs

Verdict: avoid - unless the store is virtually giving it away. I think that they will find it very hard to sell in it's current sorry state. That guitar will cost you a lot of money to put anywhere near back to it's former stock state. You should be able to find a nice condition, original secondhand SG2000 (or SG1000) elsewhere. They are also still made by Yamaha and can be bought new from your local Yamaha Dealer.

You also don't mention what asking price the store has put on the guitar? I assume that you have already tried asking the store owner whether he knows anything of the guitar's history?

Also your profile doesn't state there you are based so it is impossible for me to help you with a logical price for the guitar. There are other forum members with much Yamaha knowledge so I will hand over to their expertise at this point.

Best regards,
Darren

 

[fuzztone63]

Here is the only Yamaha SG ( propably a custom order ) that I found with with 3 pickups fitted from the factory hanging from the wall of the Yamaha lab and one beautifully modified SG2000 with a kahler Vibrola.

So my main question still exists
how much would you pay for the one in the pics that I post before ?

 

[Anonymous]

So my main question still exists
how much would you pay for the one in the pics that I post before ?

And Mole Man's main question still exists - where are you?

http://www.tokaiforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=13896

How is anyone supposed to answer your question without knowing that?

 

[fuzztone63]

OK stratman323 I live in Greece so the prices for example in England or in West Europe are similar like those we have here.

I took some more photos from the guitar and now I'm 100% sure for the identification.
It is indeed a 1978 Yamaha SG2000 on which somebody dig some holes to put an extra Yamaha SG2000 original pickup , a Kahler Super Vibrola vibrato , removed the input jack to the bottom side of the guitar and putted an extra phase switch in the open hole of the original input jack and last he made some messy wiring tricks in the cavity cave and changed two of the original pots with two push-pull.
Here are the extra pics and you will see that the holes although are not in a bad shape , it is obvious that somebody made them by hand and not with a router.
Having all that in mind and looking at the pics now tell me ,
how much would you pay for that guitar ?
Unfortunately I don't know the real owner , it is at a retailer who doesn't make bazaar and he's asking 800 euro cash !

 

[Anonymous]

OK stratman323 I live in Greece so the prices for example in England or in West Europe are similar like those we have here.

Cool, so why not add it to your profile, like this

<

so that anyone who chats with you knows where you are? As suggested by the list owner.

http://www.tokaiforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=13896

 

[fuzztone63]

So Mr Stratman how much would you pay in London For that guitar ?

You know London is just 49 euro away from Athens :wink:

 

[Anonymous]

I'm afraid I have no idea. Personally I think it's really ugly with 3 exposed coil pickups & the trem, so I wouldn't go near it. If I was considering buying a Yamaha SG, the person whose advice I would ask first is Mole Man. And since his advice was to avoid it, personally i would take that advice.

Sorry I can't be more help than this.

 

[Mick51]

I wouldn't pay over $600 (USD) for it. Way too hacked up. Looks like it was modified by a Congressional committee...

 

[fuzztone63]

OK stratman but don't bother if a guitar looks ugly at first.
Look here with a pair of gold metal rings , two gold covers some knobs a fancy pickguard and a little piece of wood putty and paint what an imaginary guy can do !!!!!!!!
So with the use of some inexpensive parts , an ugly at first part like the Kahler Vibrola can show like a charm later. :lol:

In Britain you use a Greek word for such a miracle
The world is Metamorphosis ( Μεταμόρφωσις )

Voil?

 

[Anonymous]

Good luck fuzztone - rather you than me!

 

[Mole Man]

how much would you pay for that guitar ?

As I have already stated in my earlier response, I personally would choose to avoid that guitar but if it was the only example available to me then I might pay no more than ?400 (equivalent to roughly 500 Euro) for that guitar in it's current state. However if the guitar was in good, original/stock condition together with it's original Yamaha shaped hard case then I might be prepared to pay anywhere between ?800-?1000 for it. If the seller doesn't understand the negative effect that the aftermarket modifications have had on the value of the guitar then you would be better off looking elsewhere. In the UK I am seeing many original series SG1000's & SG2000's for sale in good, original condition currently in the price range of ?700-?1000 or so. So there is no reason to buy the guitar unless you are able to negotiate a far more realistic price from the seller and you are prepared to indulge in some guitar renovation/repair. Judging by the images you have posted it looks like you are!

 

[fuzztone63]

After all I lost my interest for that guitar.
Thank you all for your replies 8)