Members P-M-P Posted February 12, 2005 Members Share Posted February 12, 2005 a few days ago i played that guitar in a local music store.... It sounded not bad at all, the neck is awsome, and the craftmenship is flawless... now here is the thing - when i A/B'ed it with a 335 i was a little disapointed... the 335 tone was fatter and deeper... later, i'v noticed that there was a big difference in the pickup hight between the two... (the Yamaha were lower...) I really liked the yamaha and i think the main difference is because of the hight and the differences between the classic 57's and the stock Yamaha pups... i'm really considering buying it... Any opinions/expiriences with the Yamaha? Thanks a lot.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jkater Posted February 12, 2005 Members Share Posted February 12, 2005 The first time that I ever took my time to really shop smartly for a guitar was when I decided to find and buy the best 335 style semi-acoustic that I could afford (up to 3000 bucks if needed). I won't bore you naming all the guitars I tried during this search but I'll mention that the two Gibson 335's I tried had dissapointing finish flaws and not the most comfortable neck (for my taste). The two guitars that I liked the most were the Ibanez John Scofield Model and, to my surprise, the Yamaha SA2200. These two had the best quality of all the instruments I considered. I chose the Yamaha because of the feel of the neck which played incredibly nice and the beauty and quality of the SA2200. In regards to the pick-ups, I adjusted both the height and the single poles until I liked the balance and the tone. The pups are OK for me but I can well imagine that there are better pick-ups than the stock ones. The instrument itself is an absolutely unbeatable value IMHO. This guitar has been mentionned a few times on this forum (by people who own one). You could use the search button to look for those threads. And the user's reviews at HC is another place to look for feed-back on this guitar. http://www.harmony-central.com/Guitar/Data4/Yamaha/SA2200-01.html Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LaXu Posted February 12, 2005 Members Share Posted February 12, 2005 It's been a while since I played the SA-2200, but the pickups in my SA-1200 are excellent, as good as anything. I think the SA-2200 is a totally gorgeus instrument with nice tone and feel. The push/push pots (coil splits) add versatility. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zenbu Posted February 13, 2005 Members Share Posted February 13, 2005 a few years ago the Yamaha catalogs listed the p`ups for the SA-2200 as MIA, but they don`t anymore. I like my SA so much I sold the Gibson Chet Tennessean I had...and I later bought the SAS-1500...similar but has a smaller body. I am a real big fan of Yamaha... I have a USA II, a Mike Stern, a pacifica 10th anniversary limited edition from a few yaers ago and a LL 33 J all solid acoustic. Hard to beat their quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LaXu Posted February 13, 2005 Members Share Posted February 13, 2005 Originally posted by zenbu a few years ago the Yamaha catalogs listed the p`ups for the SA-2200 as MIA, but they don`t anymore. I like my SA so much I sold the Gibson Chet Tennessean I had...and I later bought the SAS-1500...similar but has a smaller body. I am a real big fan of Yamaha... I have a USA II, a Mike Strern, a pacifica 10th anniversary limited edition from a few yaers ago and a LL 33 J all solid acoustic. Hard to beat their quality. I think I've asked this before, but could you post pics? I'd especially like to see the SAS-1500 and the Pacifica 10th Anniversary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zenbu Posted February 14, 2005 Members Share Posted February 14, 2005 I was just looking through my 2001 Yamaha catalog and on page 32 it reads for both the SA and the SAS...PICKUPS: " SAH-SA II G [Alnico V / USA ] X 2. Pics?... OK I`ll get around to it soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zenbu Posted February 15, 2005 Members Share Posted February 15, 2005 SA-2200all pics taken without a tripod. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zenbu Posted February 15, 2005 Members Share Posted February 15, 2005 SAS-1500 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Europa760 Posted February 15, 2005 Members Share Posted February 15, 2005 Originally posted by P-M-P a few days ago i played that guitar in a local music store.... It sounded not bad at all, the neck is awsome, and the craftmenship is flawless... now here is the thing - when i A/B'ed it with a 335 i was a little disapointed... the 335 tone was fatter and deeper... later, i'v noticed that there was a big difference in the pickup hight between the two... (the Yamaha were lower...) I really liked the yamaha and i think the main difference is because of the hight and the differences between the classic 57's and the stock Yamaha pups... i'm really considering buying it... Any opinions/expiriences with the Yamaha? Thanks a lot.... How about unplugged? thats how i test guitars. Most 335s floor me, especially the ones with little finish. Im sure the same can be said for Yamaha, because yamaha is the only maker to give gibson a run for its money back in the day. If the pick ups arent your bag, thats no big deal. The real test is unplugged. Does that son of a bitch ring out like its life depended on it? If it does, its just as good as a 335. Cuz 335s ring like its their job, most of em. Some are old and crusty and insulting to hear. You can stick whatever pup in there later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zenbu Posted February 15, 2005 Members Share Posted February 15, 2005 10th anniversary strat type...Duncan p`ups, Warmoth body and neck, Schaller locking tuners, Wilkinson bridge. Figured maple pickguard, quilted maple top over American basswood body. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zenbu Posted February 15, 2005 Members Share Posted February 15, 2005 anniversary headstock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zenbu Posted February 15, 2005 Members Share Posted February 15, 2005 Warmoth birdseye neck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jkater Posted February 15, 2005 Members Share Posted February 15, 2005 Zenbu, thanks for the pictures! It was great to see another SA2200. After I posted a picture of mine in another thread, you told me that yours looked just the same. I can see that it is indeed the case.I wouldn't mind owning one of those SAS-1500 also but we can't get them here in Germany as far as I know (why on earth ?!?). P-M-P, Europa has a real good advice there: Pick-ups are easy to change (even on a 335) so you may decide to judge this guitar based on things like the acoustic natural sound (that's what's being amplified in the first place) and the feel and playability of the neck (if you find a 335 that beats the SA2200 in this regard please let me know!!!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zenbu Posted February 16, 2005 Members Share Posted February 16, 2005 never played a 335 nor am I tempted to. I am quite happy with the Yamaha but if I were to consider buying another 335 type, it would be one of the new Edwards solid top and bak model. Lacquer finish, Duncan p`ups and they have a brand new version flame maple top...but the plain one I saw was a beauty. I`d only buy one used though...no more new guitars for me, I`ve been bitten by the used guitar bug...let somebody else take the 50% or more drop in value once they leave the shop. In Japan when you trade in a guitar they give you 10%... thats 10% of the original retail price. No...I`ll stick to the SA and the SAS...they make me very happy. Don`t think I`d find a better made instrument by anybody...let the flaming begin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LaXu Posted February 16, 2005 Members Share Posted February 16, 2005 Thanks for the pictures, lovely guitars! Might have to pick up a SAS-1500 one day. What kind of difference does the hollowed mahogany body make to the tone compared to the SA-2200? I'm currently having an awful time refretting my SA-1200S. It seems the original fretwire had barbs that are bigger than anything on currently made fretwire. Just noticed that some frets have started springing up from the board, need to bang them down and press and glue them to place or remove them and try to widen the fret tang. Now I understand why guitar techs ask over 200 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zenbu Posted February 16, 2005 Members Share Posted February 16, 2005 thank you.if I were a better player I`d probably be able to answer that question but I`m just a sofa player who likes nice guitars. Guess my ears aren`t refined enough to hear... or it just may take more time. I`d really love to hear my guitars played by a very good player just to hear them at their full potential. I generally play my acoustics in the daytime and switch to electrics through headphones after the wife goes to bed, sometimes I just play unplugged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jkater Posted February 16, 2005 Members Share Posted February 16, 2005 I don't know who Geoff Farina is but here is what he had to say about a good alternative to a Gibson 335 : This is a long page but you'll find easily the relevant information if you look down the page to the red title " better guitars for the studio" and then to the paragraphe " Gibson alternative". http://www.geofffarina.com/tapeop.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members drivedistorsion Posted February 16, 2005 Members Share Posted February 16, 2005 Here's my Ibanez AS120. I've just received it yesterday and I love it. http://img239.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img239?=as1200kr.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitar_god Posted February 16, 2005 Members Share Posted February 16, 2005 Get the real stuff if you want the best Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members HamsterSandwich Posted February 16, 2005 Members Share Posted February 16, 2005 Originally posted by zenbu SA-2200all pics taken without a tripod. Man that's a pretty finish! Very uncommon color... kind of a dark amber burst. Very nice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zenbu Posted February 17, 2005 Members Share Posted February 17, 2005 thanks...I couldn`t be happier with my Yamahas. My Mike Stern 1511 is in Canada...brother in law is playing it and my USA II is just as beautiful...in natural the quilt is gorgeous... but it`s a warmoth body. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jkater Posted February 17, 2005 Members Share Posted February 17, 2005 Originally posted by guitar_god Get the real stuff if you want the best That's an interesting blanket statement Speaking of the "best", I think I might simply quote Mr. Farina (whoever he is) instead of putting that link to his long article. In this article, he shared this opinion of his: "Arguably the best 335-style guitar on the market is the Yamaha SA2200. This mass-produced Japanese guitar boasts an ebony fingerboard, Alnico pickups, and impeccable "craftsmanship" that is uncannily consistent with each guitar. The tone is clear and thick, and not muddy or hollow as some 335 copies tend to be. Although these guitars retail for about $1,500, they don't hold their value and often go for half as much used. They are a great choice for their utility and quality. " Then he speaks further mentionning the Heritage H-535 as also a very good alternative to Gibson 335. He did not put down Gibson 335's, on the contrary, saying that "most" are fine guitars but that they are 700 dollars more expensive than they are worth. Frank Gambale, Bireli Lagrene, Tommy Tedesco play the Yamaha SA's. I'm sure those guys could afford whatever else they deemed "best"... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jkater Posted February 19, 2005 Members Share Posted February 19, 2005 Yamaha SA's in the hands of pretty formidable guitarists : Frank Gambale Bireli Lagrene Does anyone know of other SA2200 players? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Think & Creamy Posted June 8, 2005 Members Share Posted June 8, 2005 Sorry to renew a old thread but does anyone know what albums Bireli Lagrene uses his SA2200 on? or what guitar he uses on the "Standards" album? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RockNote Posted April 6, 2007 Members Share Posted April 6, 2007 Thanks for the pictures, lovely guitars! Might have to pick up a SAS-1500 one day. What kind of difference does the hollowed mahogany body make to the tone compared to the SA-2200? Bump for that question! Also, is it really hollowed mahogany? Awesome concept! From the Japanese price info, it should be the same as an SA-2200. Price info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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