Up for sale, a 1974 Yamaha SA-60 "Super Axe" in exceptional, 100% original condition and in perfect working order, complete with the original hardshell case and warranty card. Introduced in 1973 and produced at the Nippon Gakki factory in Japan, the SA-60 was the second highest tiered offering in the early Super Axe lineup, with features and specifications mirroring an ES-335.
The semi-hollow maple body features a full maple centerblock, and acoustically the instrument has a bright, articulate quality balanced by an overarching warmth and airiness. The humbuckers are rich and detailed, with tight lows and sweet, singing trebles that result in vocal-like lead passages and well-defined chording. This SA-60 weighs 8lbs 7oz, benefitting from a professional setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with 10-46 strings, low action, and accurate intonation.
The maple neck has a slender C-shaped profile carve at the nut with well-rounded shoulders, achieving a gentle increase in overall heft in the upper registers, measuring .810” deep at the 1st fret and .950” at the 12th. The bound rosewood fretboard has rounded parallelogram inlay, and the slender fretwire benefits from a level and crown, exhibiting no wear and falling just shy of “fretless wonder” territory. This guitar plays cleanly up the 24 3/4“ scale with a straight neck and a responsive, optimally-adjusted truss rod, and the bone nut measures 1.650” (42mm) in width. On the headstock, the Yamaha-branded tuning machines function as intended.
Electronics include the humbucker pair governed by dedicated pairs of Volume and Tone controls. The original quartet of chrome-plated knobs have ridged rubber grips for easy swells and on-the-fly adjustments, and the pickups retain the stamped dates on their baseplates, which translate to the 49th year of the Showa period (1974). Hardware includes the bridge with unique individually adjustable plastic saddles, and the clean chrome-plated tailpiece has a leather wrap embossed with a lyre graphic. There are two small mounting holes just forward of the bridge from a non-original (previously removed) MIDI pickup.
Cosmetic wear on the gloss Natural finish is limited to a scant few tiny dings and faint scratches on the body as a whole, largely relegated to the body perimeter. The smooth gloss finish on the neck profile is flawless, highlighting subtle figuring in the treble-side half of the two-piece maple neck.
The original Yamaha-branded hardshell case is included, along with the original Japanese warranty card with matching serial.