EXTENSION CHORDS

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YAMAHA SA-2000: SWEET SOULFUL AXE

by

Allen Hester

Guitar players from Chuck Berry to Larry Carlton have long favored the semi-acoustic electric guitar for its tone, sustain and versatility. The classic model that comes immediately to mind is the cherry-red Gibson ES-335 with vibrola tailpiece. This guitar was a favorite in the early rock ’n’ roll days and the early models are considered collector’s items today. The 50’s models are readily recognized by the small dot inlay on the fretboard, and “dot-inlay” 335’s are in great demand among collectors and top players. Gibson also made (and still makes) an ES-345 and ES-355 stereo model. The stereo model is B.B. King’s favorite. Among the rarest of the 1950’s models is the blond-finished dot-inlay 335. Relatively few of these were made, and they bring the top dollar among collectors today.

There are several reasons why this guitar was and still is very popular. They are attractive in a traditional sense in that they have the symmetrical look of an acoustic guitar. They are comfortable, lighter them a Les Paul, and ride easy on the body. The necks on these guitars, particularly on the older ones, are wide and thin, making playing easy for both the string-bender and the finger-picker. Most importantly, though, these guitars have a sweet sustaining quality and a wide variation in tone. A guitarist can get any number of sounds out of a good 335, and the sustain is good even at a low volume because of the'hollow body. For club work and recording they are ideal because these kinds of guitars will deliver everything from a Telecaster-type sound to a big jazz guitar sound: James Burton meets George Benson.

In recent years several other guitar manufacturers have taken the basic design of the 335 and tried to improve upon it. One such company is Yamaha, whose model SA-20000 guitar is an updated, improved version of the old design. At first glance it might look like just another semi-acoustic, but there are several differences.

First of all, the SA-2000 body and sustain block are made up of laminations of different types of Wood than were used in the older, Americanmade models. The top and back of the guitar is laminated beech and birch. The sustain block, a very important structural element of any semiacoustic guitar, is made up of a center piece of maple sandwiched between two pieces of spruce. The American-guitars had a sustain blpck made entirely of maple. According to Yamaha, the reason for this difference is that the spruce tends to mellow out the sustain sound of the maple.

Another ingredient in the sustain quality of the SA-2000 is the “stud” or “stop” tailpiece. The early 335’s had either a vibrola or a “trapeze” tailpiece. It has become common practice to remove these and replace them with a straight bar tailpiece that bolts into the bo,dy just behind the bridge. The stud type tailpiece is more stable, ind provides better sustain since it is bolted right into the sustain block. Yamaha incorporated this repair-bench improvement into their design, so that the placer doesn’t have to spend extra dollars to get the guitar to sustain and stay in tune as it should.

Another difference between the SA-2000 and the 335 is that the SA-2000 has an ebony fretboard instead of a rosewood one. Ebony is much harder wood, so the fretboard feels smoother and offers less resistance to string bending. Of course, some players prefer rosewood because they can sort of “dig in” to it and get a better grip; it all comes down to a matter of personal preference. Another thing that Yamaha has done is extend the frets of the SA-2000 out over the edge of the neck binding. Some players prefer this because it gives them just a little more fret to work with on the outer strings, where a left-hand vibrato can sometimes shake the string off the end of the fret on guitars that have an overlapping binding. Again, a matter of personal preference, but in any case, the frets on the Yamaha are very hard and highly polished, so that there is less friction on the fretboard and longer string wear.

There are some other subtle differences in the SA-2000 that bear mentioning. The adjustable bridge pieces have a slightly longer throw for more accurate tuning adjustment. The thumb screws underneath tuning adjustment. The thumb screws underneath the bridge are bigger, making adjustment easier. The height adjustment of the pickups is a three-way adjustment instead of a two-way, so that the pole pieces can be aligned under the strings without the pickup covers themselves being too close to the strings, which can cause rattling when the guitar is fretted up in the high register. The controls are fully shielded to prevent RF interference from CB radios, house lights and such. The volume and tone controls have a smooth even taper from zero to ten. Finally, the tuning pegs are fully enclosed, pre-lubricated, 14:1 ratio gears that are springloaded so that they automatically take up wear.

The SA-2000 has a high-gloss polyurethane finish, and is available in two colors, brown sunburst or burgundy. The guitar comes with a plush-lined hardshell case and polishing cloth. The SA-2000 is a top-notch professional instrument, and Yamaha has done a good job of improving ^classic design without going overboard. I suggest you try one before buying any semi-acoustic electric guitar.