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RE: Old Yamaha axe

lespaul57 — Tue, 30 Nov 2004 05:43:12 GMT

ok guys,,,glad we made it clear ..........till next time.......lp57n and my pick would be my 74 delux lp ,but i haven;t played her in some time since i got my sg in last nov..........luven it ,the sg that is..........lp57

RE: Old Yamaha axe

SG — Mon, 29 Nov 2004 10:51:49 GMT

Bill,

Wow - she's a beaut! Now if only we could find a way to get that 22 lb sustain out of an 8 lb guitar. Oh, my achin' back!

Relli - you're obviously a very dedicated fan, as well as a obsessive planner. I figure with my, ahem, monk-like lifestyle, I must have at least 100 years (?) left to make these plans - give or take...

RE: Old Yamaha axe

Bill Christy — Mon, 29 Nov 2004 09:21:39 GMT

For favorite axe it would have to be Amber my quilt top Chafin. Bartolini / Chafin Custom wound pickups (coil tapped)Mahogany body, AAAAA maple quilt top, ebony fingerboard with real MOP (not mother of toilet) Grover mini locking tuners, Tone Pros locking bridge and tail piece. She is the catagory of a Les Paul Custom weight wise, but the sustain is to die for with this guitar. She just wants to sing, the action is set at the lowest of any of my guitars .09 neck relief at the 8th fret, and 4/64 string height at the 17th fret low E and high E. She is like playing a Les Paul fretless wonder with the capability of quacking like only a Strat can also.

As far as automotive polish for your guitars, I use Merguiers Automotive car care products on all my guitars. I have used them for years and they are safe for Nitro finishes (I have 5 Nitro finish guitars) For the fretboards I use Weimans lemon oil (100% natural no petroleum distillates) plus it has a sunscreen additive that helps to prevent fading.

Blzmman

RE: Old Yamaha axe

relli3 — Sun, 28 Nov 2004 22:39:55 GMT

Awsome SG! every other song i do is a Beatle song or one of thier "individual" songs. find myself gravitating more towards George since i took up guitar. what a genious. such simplicity.working on What Is Life at the moment.love the intro riff.

ok. not to be morbid but in my life is my burial song, i got a Yellow Submarine cookie jar for an urn, and im trying to find a contact in London that is willing to sprinkle a small packet of my ashes on the famous crosswalk at Abbey road. .........not that ive thought about it or anything...LOL later man

RE: Old Yamaha axe

SG — Sun, 28 Nov 2004 22:18:37 GMT

What an appropriate use of that particular tune! That being said, I hope they're not playing it for either of us any time soon. I haven't really thought that far ahead, yet. I decided at the last funeral I attended that a fat girl singing Amazing Grace wasn't it, but didn't carry the thought process much further.

With live music in the state it's in around here (very sad) we're picking up lots of Beatle-type stuff and other 'boomer music'. It's fun to do, especially when all 4 of us are singing harmonies, and the crowds we're drawing just love it. It's so much easier to do what we do when we can see that the crowd is lovin it too!

RE: Old Yamaha axe

relli3 — Fri, 26 Nov 2004 21:20:55 GMT

great choice. "in my life" is my burial song and a personal fave of mine. //o-o\\

RE: Old Yamaha axe

SG — Fri, 26 Nov 2004 19:52:52 GMT

Hey Relli - good to CU2! Thought of you at last practise - we were trying to decide which Beatles tune to pick up next. Guess it's gonna be 'In My Life'.

I have read in several places that auto paste wax was fine for guitars, with the caveat about silicone. I have also heard tell of folks using rubbing compound to get minor scratches out. Now, if I had a big $$ axe that I spent more time admiring than playing I might steer away from car products in favor of something else. Maybe someone more knowledgeable than myself will post next and tell me what I'm full of, but until then...

RE: Old Yamaha axe

relli3 — Fri, 26 Nov 2004 19:32:45 GMT

really. auto products? ive been in auto industry for 40 years. i cringe at the thought of auto products on a high end axe. am i just uninformed?

BTW helloooooooooo SG good to see ya agin//o-o\\

RE: Old Yamaha axe

SG — Fri, 26 Nov 2004 19:23:36 GMT

I'm looking into which auto product to try next. I suspect that one of the high-end car waxes would stand up to the gigging environment. Currently using a paste floor wax (it was what was on hand) that looks great but doesn't last the whole gig.

The only problem with most new waxes is that they contain silicone, which I understand can make wood hard to re-finish. I bring that to your attention because it might affect your ability to 'go natural' with your LP. BTW, natural mahogany is my absoute favorite finish for LPs and SGs.

RE: Old Yamaha axe

HarryM — Fri, 26 Nov 2004 13:48:35 GMT

I just polished it.

It looks 98% better.

I used to have this special polish that came in two jars, one for getting rid of scratches and the other for surface dirt. It was auto compound almost. But it went bad so I through it out.

I heard auto wax is ok for guitars, but I am afraid to use it. Even though on the LP Special, the mahogony under the black is cool. So if I did ruin the Black finish, I could live with the natural look.

RE: Old Yamaha axe

SG — Fri, 26 Nov 2004 13:41:25 GMT

Yep - that's the same spot that I just can't keep wax on for more than half a gig.

Do you mean that your finish is permanently dull in that area, or is this something you can wipe off?

RE: Old Yamaha axe

HarryM — Fri, 26 Nov 2004 12:22:58 GMT

SG,

Finger prints are not a real problem. I am just careful when I touch or pick it up.

The problem is with the "DULL" areas that happen from sweat. Especialy when I play with short sleeve shirts. My forearm leaves a dull spot on the body where it touches when I play.

RE: Old Yamaha axe

SG — Fri, 26 Nov 2004 09:06:02 GMT

I really like the look of that lil black Special. I think an LP might be next, although at the rate I'm able to find money for musical purchases (about 1 per decade!), that'll be an antique by the time I'm ready

What do you do about fingerprints on that axe, Harry? My black SG starts looking like hell about 2 minutes after I stop polishing it.

RE: Old Yamaha axe

HarryM — Fri, 26 Nov 2004 08:58:02 GMT

I can only get it down to three favorites:

1971 Les Paul Custom (bought new, right out of the box)

2001? Les Paul Special (bought used, ebay)

1970 Guild 12 String (F312)(bought new, right out of the box)

RE: Old Yamaha axe

SG — Fri, 26 Nov 2004 08:16:25 GMT

The reply was originally sought after because when I made the original post I hadn't heard from Yamaha yet & didn't know anything about the axe. When I signed up to the old board, I always said I'd post pictures & see if anybody knew anything about it, but never got around to it.

It plays surprisingly well, considering all it's wear. I've done a lot of work to it over the years, including shimming the neck for the right angle, countless truss rod adjustments, bridge height/intonation of course, and replacing all the saddle pieces - the bridge is like a cheap tune-o-matic knock off, but all the 'knives' or whatever you call them are made of bone.

Maybe we can turn this post into this: People with multiple axes, is there one that you're way more attached to than all the rest? Do you have an instrument that you consider irreplaceable? Or one that you grab over all the others when your really feeling down? Tell us about it...

RE: Old Yamaha axe

lespaul57 — Fri, 26 Nov 2004 07:06:55 GMT

well first off ,not sure what u want in a reply bro....sounds like u got a keeper for sure tho.......i had one of those old flat tops back in the day......was nice old axe to just screw around on,,,u know campfires,playen outside for the folks,ect...mine was hard to finger when u started to go up the frett borad,,,,,,was cool on basic stuff like open chords ,,,,,,,,,u no the basic ,g c d a dm,,,,f ect.........seems the neck was worn as well as the head stock seemed little out as well....could be alot of things to check out dude,,,,,but the fretts do show signs of ware when u have bronze coated strings,could see them real easy from the string worn off on frett board..and how check the rod ajuster in the neck if it has one ,,,twick it one way or other,,,,,,plus the fretts could be filed down to even them out as well.......u can see where it has been played the most on the frett board ..hold it up to a black light it it will show big time ...any how .i would put it in the shop let a pro look at it ,if the price is worth it ,get it done right ,,if not ,keep it as a bang around flat top........your call dude ,,,wish u luck,,,,,,,,,,,,,,hope i helped ........lp57

RE: Old Yamaha axe

SG — Tue, 23 Nov 2004 16:11:35 GMT

Not only are the folks at Yamaha Canada helpful, but they're quick as well - this was sent to me today by e-mail after some consultation with Japan -

Model Name : SG35A

Made in : Japan

Production Year : 1975

Material (body & neck) : Mahogany

Material : (fingerboard) : Rosewood

Original Price in Japan : JP\43,000"

Old Yamaha axe

SG — Mon, 22 Nov 2004 08:57:45 GMT

I've just sent some pix off to the folks at Yamaha, but I thought I'd try here as well. This axe was bought very used in about 1980. Today I introduce it to others as 'my oldest and truest friend'. I'm using another axe as my #1 these days cuz this one has extensive fret wear, but I still use it as a backup and will sometimes grab it when nothing's wrong with the SG - kinda like a security blanket

I'll ask the same thing here that I asked at Yamaha - what do you suppose it is, and when was it made. The only markings on it are the Yamaha logo on the head, and a 5 digit serial no. stamped between the two highest frets.

Anyone got a clue? If I hear anything from Yamaha, I'll be sure to share.