Any information about their specs? - wood, pickups, bridge, neck?
I badly need the information - thanks!
I need Information about Yamaha Studio Lord 1974
I need some information regarding Yamaha Studio Lord 1974 guitar. (Lawsuit Les Paul Copy) - Do they come with serial number or are they the ones manufactured without the serial numbers?
Any information about their specs? - wood, pickups, bridge, neck?
I badly need the information - thanks!
Any information about their specs? - wood, pickups, bridge, neck?
I badly need the information - thanks!
# 1
lordathestrings is your man with yamaha :cool:
"Dammit Jim!! I'm a guitarist not a roadie...so haul my gear"
# 2
# 3
I have never held one of these in my hands, because I prefer the double-cutaway profile of the SG & SBG series.
That said, there are reasons that these are referred to as 'lawsuit' guitars. Gibson found that it was easier to sic their lawyers on Yamaha than to try to compete with the quality/price ratio being offerred by their competitors. You will find that these guitars were made by people who care, and it shows in the construction, fit, and finish. Gibson at that time was not delivering quality that justified the prices they were charging. Some will tell you that that is still the case. :p
The pickups on the lower-numbered Yamaha models were good, but not great. A lot of them had a 3-point mounting system that allowed you to keep the face of the pup parallel to the strings as you adjusted the height. My own SBG1000 guitars have this feature, and I like it enough that I modified the DiMarzio pickups to retain this feature. Bear in mind that the stock pups are good. When I bought a second 1984 SBG1000, I kept it completely stock for years before I did any mods on it. The stock pups were a bit more clear and trebly than the stock Gibson pups of the same vintage. Any Gibson LP I compared at the time sounded dark and muddy relative to the SBGs. The Studio Lords would have the same electronics as the SBGs as far as I know.
The switches and pots are usually good, but seem to have been inconsistent in quality. The SBG1000 that I bought new in 1984 still has the original controls. No issues. An identical 1984 SBG1000 guitar (even the same black colour) is now a candidate for new pots due to some apparent weakness in the push-push switches built into the pots. The push-push action of the coil-tap switches (like a ball-point pen) was one of the features that helped me to choose an SBG over a LP on that day in 1984 when I went shopping. I still find that I have to be careful not to throw the knob of a push-pull switch across the room. On the Yamahas, I just slap that sucker, and the switch changes settings. Unfortunately, some years had push-push; some years had the more common push-pull. You need to examine the descriptions or ask about it to be sure.
The top-end models have truly stunning detail work in the markers and binding, using real mother-of-pearl and/or abalone pieces. The lower models have plastic parts in these areas, but fit and finish is uniformly excellent.
Unless specified otherwise, all bodies and necks are mahogany. The bodies are topped with a thick (at least 1/2") slab of nicely-grained maple. Back in the day, quilting was considered to be sign of inferior wood (it comes from parts of a tree that have been severely stressed) so you are only likely to see flame patterns in the grain. Most of the show-wood is clear, straight grain, selected for the expected tonal properties rather than appearance. I did tell you these guitars were made by people who care, yes?
More fit & finish stuff: Yamaha fret dress is always, always, always first-rate. Then, and now, I have never seen a Yamaha guitar that had sloppy fret installation or ragged ends. One reason I selected my SBG over an LP Custom was that every LP in the store had burrs on the ends of the frets, and the neck finish was smeared onto the binding. Yamaha does better in this regard, then and now. Gibson still has serious quality control issues. The guitar I bought back in '84 was black, and so is the second one I bought because I liked the first one so much. Since then, I have seen many sunbursts and transparent finishes. All are flawless. Yamaha is one of the few builders that show such consistently high quality that I will buy online. I have more reason to worry about the seller's assesment of how the guitar has been cared for after purchase than about the out-of-the-box condition of the guitar when it was new. I have 6 old Yamaha guitars. The only one I personally auditioned before I bought it is the SBG1000 I bought new in 1984. I still have it. Plus another identical one that I bought on eBay four years ago. And the rest were bought sight-unseen, based on the descriptions of others. In one case, the seller understated the amount of abuse the guitar had been subject to, but even that time, I got a really great-sounding guitar. Even a beat-up Yamaha is likely to be a good player.
Cosmetics: As mentioned, not all of these guitars have real MOP or abalone in the bindings or markers. The gold plating did not stand up to frequent handling, leaving the base metal showing through on places that see a lot of contact, like bridges, tuners, and sometimes the switch mounting hardware. Quality of workmanship is always first-rate, regardless of a particular model's position in the heirarchy of the product line. Price was based on the choice of elctronics and the amount of binding and detail work, not on the craftmanship that went into building the instrument. Finish quality for opaque paint or transparent or sunburst laquer is always flawless. I have never seen a Yamaha factory second. I don't think a flawed guitar was allowed to leave the factory.
Bottom line here: after-market controls are readily available, and easy to install. So are pickups, if you really want to change them. The Studio Lord series was made during a period from the late 70s to the mid 80s that some consider to be a 'Golden Age' for Japanese guitar builders. I might quibble about which years or which builders this applies to, but certainly, I think the Yamaha SG, SBG, and Studio Lord series fit the criteria.
If the single cutaway LP style is what you're after, I can also recommend the Love Rocks series from Tokai. Excellent quality. Collectors have pushed up prices for these and the Studio Lord series recently, but they still deliver a quality/price benefit that Gibson can't touch.
That said, there are reasons that these are referred to as 'lawsuit' guitars. Gibson found that it was easier to sic their lawyers on Yamaha than to try to compete with the quality/price ratio being offerred by their competitors. You will find that these guitars were made by people who care, and it shows in the construction, fit, and finish. Gibson at that time was not delivering quality that justified the prices they were charging. Some will tell you that that is still the case. :p
The pickups on the lower-numbered Yamaha models were good, but not great. A lot of them had a 3-point mounting system that allowed you to keep the face of the pup parallel to the strings as you adjusted the height. My own SBG1000 guitars have this feature, and I like it enough that I modified the DiMarzio pickups to retain this feature. Bear in mind that the stock pups are good. When I bought a second 1984 SBG1000, I kept it completely stock for years before I did any mods on it. The stock pups were a bit more clear and trebly than the stock Gibson pups of the same vintage. Any Gibson LP I compared at the time sounded dark and muddy relative to the SBGs. The Studio Lords would have the same electronics as the SBGs as far as I know.
The switches and pots are usually good, but seem to have been inconsistent in quality. The SBG1000 that I bought new in 1984 still has the original controls. No issues. An identical 1984 SBG1000 guitar (even the same black colour) is now a candidate for new pots due to some apparent weakness in the push-push switches built into the pots. The push-push action of the coil-tap switches (like a ball-point pen) was one of the features that helped me to choose an SBG over a LP on that day in 1984 when I went shopping. I still find that I have to be careful not to throw the knob of a push-pull switch across the room. On the Yamahas, I just slap that sucker, and the switch changes settings. Unfortunately, some years had push-push; some years had the more common push-pull. You need to examine the descriptions or ask about it to be sure.
The top-end models have truly stunning detail work in the markers and binding, using real mother-of-pearl and/or abalone pieces. The lower models have plastic parts in these areas, but fit and finish is uniformly excellent.
Unless specified otherwise, all bodies and necks are mahogany. The bodies are topped with a thick (at least 1/2") slab of nicely-grained maple. Back in the day, quilting was considered to be sign of inferior wood (it comes from parts of a tree that have been severely stressed) so you are only likely to see flame patterns in the grain. Most of the show-wood is clear, straight grain, selected for the expected tonal properties rather than appearance. I did tell you these guitars were made by people who care, yes?
More fit & finish stuff: Yamaha fret dress is always, always, always first-rate. Then, and now, I have never seen a Yamaha guitar that had sloppy fret installation or ragged ends. One reason I selected my SBG over an LP Custom was that every LP in the store had burrs on the ends of the frets, and the neck finish was smeared onto the binding. Yamaha does better in this regard, then and now. Gibson still has serious quality control issues. The guitar I bought back in '84 was black, and so is the second one I bought because I liked the first one so much. Since then, I have seen many sunbursts and transparent finishes. All are flawless. Yamaha is one of the few builders that show such consistently high quality that I will buy online. I have more reason to worry about the seller's assesment of how the guitar has been cared for after purchase than about the out-of-the-box condition of the guitar when it was new. I have 6 old Yamaha guitars. The only one I personally auditioned before I bought it is the SBG1000 I bought new in 1984. I still have it. Plus another identical one that I bought on eBay four years ago. And the rest were bought sight-unseen, based on the descriptions of others. In one case, the seller understated the amount of abuse the guitar had been subject to, but even that time, I got a really great-sounding guitar. Even a beat-up Yamaha is likely to be a good player.
Cosmetics: As mentioned, not all of these guitars have real MOP or abalone in the bindings or markers. The gold plating did not stand up to frequent handling, leaving the base metal showing through on places that see a lot of contact, like bridges, tuners, and sometimes the switch mounting hardware. Quality of workmanship is always first-rate, regardless of a particular model's position in the heirarchy of the product line. Price was based on the choice of elctronics and the amount of binding and detail work, not on the craftmanship that went into building the instrument. Finish quality for opaque paint or transparent or sunburst laquer is always flawless. I have never seen a Yamaha factory second. I don't think a flawed guitar was allowed to leave the factory.
Bottom line here: after-market controls are readily available, and easy to install. So are pickups, if you really want to change them. The Studio Lord series was made during a period from the late 70s to the mid 80s that some consider to be a 'Golden Age' for Japanese guitar builders. I might quibble about which years or which builders this applies to, but certainly, I think the Yamaha SG, SBG, and Studio Lord series fit the criteria.
If the single cutaway LP style is what you're after, I can also recommend the Love Rocks series from Tokai. Excellent quality. Collectors have pushed up prices for these and the Studio Lord series recently, but they still deliver a quality/price benefit that Gibson can't touch.
# 4
# 5
THANKS!!!! THANKS!!!! THANKS!!!
You really are a Lord of the Reviews..... That was really informative...AAA!
one more question, .....do the 70s studiolord comes with serial numbers? Are there any Yamaha guitars manufactured without serial numbers?
Thanks
You really are a Lord of the Reviews..... That was really informative...AAA!
one more question, .....do the 70s studiolord comes with serial numbers? Are there any Yamaha guitars manufactured without serial numbers?
Thanks
# 6
i know they had serial #'s in the '60's...i don't see why yours would not....try calling yamaha with that one, i'm sure they know
"Dammit Jim!! I'm a guitarist not a roadie...so haul my gear"
# 7
Originally Posted by: kanshooterhelp Sir lordathestrings ......I need your 2 cents..
i think he gave ya about a buck fitty ;)
"Dammit Jim!! I'm a guitarist not a roadie...so haul my gear"
# 8
Originally Posted by: kanshooterhelp Sir lordathestrings ......I need your 2 cents..
that was about a buck fifty ;)
i know they had serial #'s in the '60's...i don't see why yours would not....try calling yamaha with that one, i'm sure they know
"Dammit Jim!! I'm a guitarist not a roadie...so haul my gear"
# 9
The serial numbers on both of my 1984 SBG1000 guitars are stamped into the back of the headstock, between the rows of tuners. My 198? RBX 350 bass has the s/n stamped on the back of the headstock. The serial numbers on both of my 1966 SG-2 guitars are stamped into the fretboard between the last fret and the end of the board. Same with my 196? SA-20.
In 1974, who knows? I would start looking at the back of the headstock, and then check the body end of the fretboard, between the last fret and the end of the neck. I don't think Yamaha has ever stamped the number on a detachable plate.
In 1974, who knows? I would start looking at the back of the headstock, and then check the body end of the fretboard, between the last fret and the end of the neck. I don't think Yamaha has ever stamped the number on a detachable plate.
# 10