Yamaha SC-400 80s, made in Japan

Vintage Yamaha guitars are becoming some of our favourite instruments, and the SC-400 is another great example of why. Made in Japan in the early 1980s, it takes the distinctive body shape associated with Yamaha's Flying Samurai designs and turns it into something quite different: a set mahogany neck instead of a bolt-on, a heavy fixed bridge and three single-coil pickups in a very Strat-like configuration.

The three Yamaha single-coils are overwound Alnico V pickups, giving the SC-400 considerably more punch than a polite vintage-style Strat. Clean, they have plenty of clarity and attack; with some gain, they push an amp harder and produce a thicker, more muscular sound. The fixed bridge and set-neck construction also contribute to the solid feel and sustain. The result sounds a bit like a Stratocaster with more bite and sustain, while retaining enough of that classic single-coil character.

It is also a wonderfully Japanese design of its period: familiar Fender ideas, but rearranged into something that doesn't quite look or feel like anything from Fender's catalogue. Yamaha's Japanese instruments from this era were often unusually well made, and the SC-400 is a particularly nice example of that approach.

This one is in very good condition, with a couple of dings but nothing unusual for a guitar that is more than 40 years old. Fully original.

Specifications

• Model: Yamaha SC-400
• Era: Early 1980s
• Made in Japan
• Body: Alder with ash top/veneer
• Neck: Set mahogany
• Fingerboard: Rosewood
• Frets: 22 medium
• Pickups: 3 Yamaha overwound Alnico V single-coils
• Switching: 5-way selector
• Bridge: Fixed, string-through-body
• Hardware: Chrome
• Weight: 2.98 kg
• Condition: Very good, with a couple of dings
• Originality: Fully original