1986 Yamaha LP-400 Lord Player Electric Guitar Review

Hi there!

I am glad to be getting a break so I can write about a few of the vintage guitars that made their way into my shop. Today we are looking at a nice Les Paul copy guitar, a late 1980s Yamaha Lord Player Les Paul copy.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Japanese guitar companies used classic guitar and bass designs from Fender, Gibson, Hofner, Martin and Rickenbacker, and made killer knock-offs. The 70s and 80s were not exactly the best years for quality for any of these companies, and consumers really ate up these good quality copies. Eventually, Fender and the gang caught on eventually and upped their game. Some of these very playable guitars are now collectible.

A fine specimen of these is this late 1980s Yamaha Lord Player model LP-400. In traditional Japanese manufacturing-ese, the 400 in the model name relates to the instrument’s original list price, in this case it was 40,000 yen. This was around $250 back then, if I did the math right. I have never seen another one in the US. I picked this one for a few hundred bucks on a business trip overseas.

This Lord Player is finished in a classy tobacco burst, with a little more yellow thrown in. The body is mahogany, with an agathis back, maybe. It is not unduly heavy for a Les Paul, coming in at a bit under 10 pounds.

It has a set neck with a rosewood fretboard. The neck is nicely rounded, is between the 50s and 60s style Les Pauls as far as feel. It is straight with plenty of life left in the frets. It has a medium action and it plays like a dream. There are a few small marks on the back of the neck, but nothing that bothers me when I play it, because I am a rock star. Note that this guitar has 1959 Les Paul style headstock.

Everything appears to be original on this guitar. The wiring is tidy with no terrible circuit board and the pickups and knobs appear to be OEM. The pickups measure 7.23k ohm for the bridge and 7.20k ohm for the neck, in case you really need this information. The tailpiece shows some pitting and the tuning pegs have a few signs of oxidization but those things are not a big deal. As this is a 30-year-old guitar, there are some small blemishes and the typical soft markings on the rear of the guitar. But overall it is in very respectable condition.

It plays very well with a set of Ernie Ball 0.010s on it. The pickups are sweet at normal levels, and are super crunchy with an overdriven amp. The action and feel is awesome. The neck is not chubby and not thin…in between. All electronics work as they should, though god only know why a previous owner drilled some holes in the cover.

If you are considering a new Gibson Les Paul, think twice. Their necks and frets are a crapshoot in a losing game. Find an older guitar from Yamaha, Tokai or Greco, and you will spend a lot less coin and get a better playing guitar.

Thanks for stopping by today!

1970s SL500 Yamaha Studio Lord Guitar Review

Aloha!

Today we are looking at a nice Japanese Les Paul lawsuit-era guitar copy.

In case you have not run into these before, the lawsuit guitars were built by Japanese companies in the late 1970s and early 1980s. They used classic guitar and bass designs from Fender, Gibson, Hofner, Martin and Rickenbacker, and made killer knock-offs. The 70s and 80s were not exactly the best years for quality for any of these companies, and consumers really ate up the good quality copies. Well, Gibson and the gang caught on eventually and sued the crap out of the Japanese. Some of these very playable guitars are now collectible.

A fine specimen of these is this late 1970s Yamaha Studio Lord model SL500. In traditional Japanese manufacturing-ese, the 500 in the model name relates to the instrument’s original list price, in this case it was 50,000 yen. This was around $250 back then, if I did the math right. I have never seen another one in the US. I picked this one for a few hundred bucks on a business trip overseas.

This Studio is finished in a classy cherryburst, with a little burnt orange thrown in. The body is mahogany, with an agathis back, maybe. It is not unduly heavy for a Les Paul, coming in at a bit over 10 pounds.

It has a set neck with a rosewood fretboard. The neck is nicely rounded, is between the 50s and 60s style Les Pauls as far as feel. It is straight with plenty of life left in the frets. It has a medium action and it plays like a dream. There are a few small marks on the back of the neck, but nothing that bothers me when I play it, because I am a rock star.

Everything appears to be original on this guitar, including the Yamaha branded tuners. The wiring is tidy and the pickups and knobs appear to be OEM. The tailpiece shows some pitting and the tuning pegs have a few signs of oxidization but those things are not a big deal. As this is a 40 year old guitar, there are some small blemishes and the typical soft markings on the rear of the guitar. But overall it is in very respectable condition.

It plays very well with a set of Ernie Ball 0.010s on it. The pickups are sweet at normal levels, and are super crunchy with an overdriven amp. The action and feel is awesome. The neck is not chubby and not thin…in between. All electronics work as they should, and there is no funky integrated circuit board.

If you are considering a new Gibson Les Paul, think twice. Their necks and frets are a crapshoot in a losing game. Find a lawsuit-era guitar from Yamaha, Tokai or Greco, and you will spend a lot less coin and get a better playing guitar.

Mahalo!

Yamaha EMX512SC Powered Mixer Review

Greetings!

I mostly use powered speakers for gigs, as I my QSC K10s and K12s are loud and bulletproof, but for smaller gigs (i.e. karaoke parties) sometimes it is easier to not have to run extension cords to the speakers, so there is still a place in my world for an powered mixer with passive loudspeakers. This is why I am hanging on to my Yamaha EMX512SC mixer. You have certainly seen this same mixer being used by bar bands all over the world.

The EMX512SC is a 12-channel mixer, even though it only has 8 faders. In Yamaha math they count inputs with stereo channels twice, but either way, that is enough for whatever I am going to do with this thing. This mixer has dual 500 watt amps (max at 4 ohms), so it is plenty loud for most small to medium sized shows. It is a nice looking piece with a nubbly plastic case with built in handles, and it measures 18x12x11 inches, and weighs in at under 20 pounds. It is kind of a big box with a beveled edge on the back so it can be tilted up, or there are a couple of included plugs that keep it from tilting back if that is what you prefer. Those plugs always get lost.

The back of the mixer has an IEC power cable socket and a pair of output jacks, which include both ¼-inch and Speakon jacks.

The front side of the EMX512SC is a lot more complicated, but that is because it is chock full of features. The input channels each have a 3-band EQ, and there are 4 for monaural microphone (with phantom power and one-knob compression) or line input, and 4 pairs that can function either as monaural microphone inputs or stereo line inputs (2 with ¼-inch jacks and 2 with RCA jacks). There are also separate 7-band graphic EQs for both the main and monitor power channels.

Another neat feature is the power mode switch which allows the two amps to function in stereo, or as separate mono channels for mains and monitor. And one of my favorite features is the surprisingly useful knob that controls 16 SPX digital effects including reverb, echo, chorus, flanger, and phaser. The effects knob has its own level control and ON/OFF switch.

I run the EMX512SC with my low-tech Yamaha A12 loudspeakers, and this combo is definitely up to the task. This set-up has a warm sound that I never have found with the QSCs, and there are surprisingly good bass and mids for 12-inch speakers. This whole thing gets plenty loud without distorting - I consider Yamaha to be a solid brand, and these speakers meet my expectations every time. BTW, all I use are Yamaha mixers, and they have never let me down.

I believe this model has been discontinued, but if you vcan find one the Yamaha EMX512SC powered mixer sells for around $599 new each from most online sellers, and around $400 used. It sounds good, has good power output and features, and is plenty durable. What more could you ask for?

Mahalo!

Review: Yamaha A12 2-Way Passive Loudspeakers

Howdy!

I mostly use powered speakers for gigs, as I really love my QSC K10s and K12s, but for smaller gigs sometimes it is easier to not have to run extension cords to the speakers, so there is still a place in my world for passive loudspeakers. This is where the Yamaha A12 PA speakers come into my story.

The Yamaha A12s are 2-way passive speakers with a 12-inch woofer and a 1-inch diaphragm titanium high-frequency horn. I have no idea what the cabinets are made of as they are covered with fuzzy black carpet, but at this price point I suspect they are made of MDF. They are relatively light at 35 pounds each, and thy measure 16 x 23 x 13 inches. There is only one handle on these, a recessed unit on the top, so they are not entirely easy to wrestle onto speaker stands.

Spec-wise, they are 8 ohm speakers that are rated at 300W continuous / 500W peak, with a frequency range of 65Hz-20kHz, and a maximum of 125dB. Around back you will find ¼-ich and Speakon jacks, and not much of anything else.

I run the A12s with my old-school 500-watt Yamaha EMX512SC mixer, and they are certainly up to the task. They have a warm sound that I cannot really get with the QSCs, and they provide surprisingly good bass and mids for 12-inch speakers. And, of course they get plenty loud without distorting - I consider Yamaha to be a solid brand, and these speakers meet my expectations every time.

The Yamaha A12 loudspeakers sell for around $230 each from most online sellers, and they are a great deal. They sound good, have good power output, are durable, and will get the job done. Why kick a winner?

Mahalo!

Yamaha VA-10 Guitar Amplifier Review

Howdy!

While cruising the Long Beach Antique Flea Market recently, we ran across a cool little Yamaha VA-10 guitar amplifier, and since it was dirt cheap it came home with us. I had not seen one of these before, and after doing a little research online, I learned that these were made in the late 1990s and they cost 11,000 Yen (around 90 bucks back then).

The VA-10 is a very portable amplifier, measuring around 13 by 9 by 7 inches, and weighing in at a little under 7 pounds (without the 6 D-cell batteries). It is loaded up with a 6-watt amplifier and a pair of 4-inch drivers, and it is loaded into a durable plastic case. There is a leather handle screwed to the top of it, which I assumed was something a previous owner did, but this is not the case. Looking at old catalogs, they show the leather handle too, so I guess it is original equipment.

There are quite a few things on the front-mounted control panel and they include:

- Two ¼-inch input jacks (high and low)

- VOLUME knob (and no GAIN knob)

- 1/8-inch AUX IN jack

- Headphone jack

- Power switch

- DISTORTION (ON/OFF, DIST., LEVEL)

- CHORUS (ON/OFF, SPEED, DEPTH)

- DELAY (LEVEL)

There is not much going on at the back of the case -- just the power jack (for the optional PA-3 AC adapter) and the battery compartment. Supposedly this thing will run for around 10 hours on batteries.

This Yamaha has no untoward buzzing or hum. I tried out a bunch of settings, and got the best results with the volume at 12 o'clock, bass and mid at 2 o'clock, and treble at 12 o'clock. Plugged into the high input, I put the distortion at 8 o'clock with its level at 11 o'clock, and the chorus at minimum speed and full depth. With the delay was set to 9 o'clock there was good sustain and a usable warm overdriven sound (I was using a Strat, by the way). Anything higher on the distortion produced a very harsh and grating tone.

Overall volume is not great, but this thing is what it is. It is pretty much a practice amp or something you can use on a street corner to busk with, as long as there is not too much traffic noise.

On the used market, these Yamaha VA-10 amplifier are pretty scarce, and I do not think many were sold in the US. When they do come up, they usually sell in the $40 to $50 range. It is a cool little unit that sounds good and has the flexibility of battery power, so if you are looking for something to jam with for solo practice, it would be a really good choice if you can find one.

Mahalo!

1980 Yamaha Pulser Bass 600 Review

Aloha!

By now you may know that I have a deep fondness for eccentric Japanese guitars and basses, and today we are looking at yet another lawsuit-era bass: a 1980 Yamaha Pulser Bass 600, a faithful and unabashed copy of a 1970s era Fender Precision Bass.

This bass is in great shape and seems to have been spared the indignity of ill-advised and unnecessary modifications over the years, which is a real bonus for me. Things are only original once, you know.

This one has a contoured P body and it is hard to tell from the grain, but it is probably Sen, an ash-like wood from Asia. It was sprayed with a stunning 3-tone sunburst with a subtle red in it, and a 3-ply faux tortoise shell guard is installed. There was a thumb rest and a couple of pickup / bridge covers installed at one point, but they are long gone.

This Yamaha’s 4-bolt maple neck has a nice thick layer of poly on it, and it is still in excellent shape, front and back. The 20 (king of fat) fat frets are still in great shape, with a little bit of wear. It has the typical 1 5/8” P width nut (plastic), but the neck is not overly chunky. I would call it a medium profile C shape. The truss rod adjusts at the heel, and it still turns easily.

The Pulser Bass headstock shape is an exact copy of one that would be found on a Precision Bass, and their logo even is styled to resemble Fender’s. The small print on this one reads: “Nippon Gakki Co. LTD, Made in Japan, Since 1887”

The hardware is very good for a middle of the price range instrument. The non-reverse machine heads are 4-screw open-gear pieces that look like Fender tuners, and the bridge is a pretty thick copy of a 5-screw Fender unit. The chrome is not flaking on any of these parts (or the knobs), which is unusual for Japanese instruments of this era.

The pickup and electronics are original to the bass. There is not much to say about them except that they are exactly what you would expect – a split coil pickup with volume and tone pots. It sounds very good and beefy, with no untoward noises or humming.

This Pulser Bass is not terrible heavy, coming in a bit over 8 ½ pounds according to my digital scale. It is pretty easy on the back, not to mention the eyes. And it is very attractive -- it is in very good overall condition, particularly when you consider it is 36 years old. The finish does not have very many blemishes and it still shiny – it has not been abused. There only distraction is the blemish on the headstock, which could be a crooked cigarette burn or maybe impact damage. It adds character, I think…

It is a good playing bass with no buzzing and a low action. The pickup has strong output (hotter than its contemporary Fenders, and there is no buzzing or static. I play P basses with the controls dimed, and this one really makes my Genz Shuttle bark (in a good way). I like it a lot, so I might try to keep it around for a while.

By the way, since this bass has the “600” designation, this is an indication of what the original price was, which in this case would be 60,000 Yen. This would have been around $271.50 in 1980 when this bass was built. Hopefully this helps illustrate why these basses were such a threat to Fender – the Pulser Bass was a lot of instrument for the money at the time, and Fenders of that era were simply terrible.

It is hard to place a value on the Yamaha Pulser Basses as there are very few of them in the states, and this is the first one I have ever seen in person (I bought it at a secondhand store in Japan). But, judging from a sample of one, they are reasonable priced and are fantastic instruments. If you get the chance to buy one, jump on it!

Mahalo!

1980 Yamaha Studio Lord Electric Guitar Review

Greetings!

Today we are looking at a nice Les Paul lawsuit guitar, a 1980 Yamaha Studio Lord straight out of Japan from one of my recent trips there.

In case you have not run into these before, the lawsuit guitars were built by Japanese companies in the late 1970s and early 1980s. They used classic guitar and bass designs from Fender, Gibson, Hofner, Martin and Rickenbacker, and made killer knock-offs. The 70s and 80s were not exactly the best years for quality for any of these companies, and consumers really ate up the good quality copies. Well, Fender and the gang caught on eventually and threatened to sue the pants off of the Japanese companies. Some of these very playable guitars are now collectible.

A fine specimen of these is this 1980 Yamaha Studio Lord model SL-500S. In traditional Japanese marketing-ese, the 500 in the model name relates to the instrument’s original list price, in this case it was 50,000 yen. This was around $250 back then, if I did the math right. I have never seen another one in the US. I picked this one for a few hundred bucks at a secondhand store in Nagoya.

This Studio Lord is finished in a classy cherryburst, which is a very close match to how Gibson did it at the time. The body is mahogany, with a mystery top that could be ash or agathis, maybe. It is not unduly heavy for a Les Paul, coming in at a little under 9 ½ pounds.

It has a set neck with a rosewood fretboard. The neck is nicely rounded, is between the 50s and 60s style Les Pauls as far as feel. It is straight with plenty of life left in the frets. It has a medium action and it plays like a dream. There are a few small marks on the back of the neck, but nothing that bothers me when I play it, because I am a rock star.

Everything appears to be original on this guitar. The wiring is tidy and the pickups and knobs appear to be OEM. The tailpiece shows some pitting and the tuning pegs have a few signs of oxidization but those things are not a big deal. As this is a 35-year-old guitar, there are some small blemishes and the typical soft markings on the rear of the guitar. But overall it is in very respectable condition.

It plays very well with a fresh set of Ernie Ball 0.010s on it. The uncovered pickups are sweet at normal levels, and are super crunchy with an overdriven amp. All electronics work as they should with plenty of output, and it is wired like the usual Les Paul. The action and feel are awesome and it is fun to play!

If you are considering a new Gibson Les Paul, think twice. Their necks and frets are a crapshoot in a losing game. Find a lawsuit guitar from Aria, Yamaha, Tokai, or Greco, and you will spend a lot less coin and get a better playing guitar.

Mahalo!

1980 Yamaha BB800 Electric Bass Review

Aloha!

Sometimes basses just pop up when you least expect them too, and you have to act quick or miss out on the deal and wonder how you let it slip through your fingers. The 1980 Yamaha BB800 we are looking at today is one of these deals, and it was certainly worth the money.

My son and I frequent the monthly local antique flea market, and it is pretty hit-and-miss as far as what sort of musical instruments you will find there. I have gotten lucky there before, having found some cool effect pedals and a sweet vintage Acoustic 260 amp for short money. But, mostly there are souvenir ukuleles, beat-to-death classical guitars with stickers all over them, and one or two sellers that have a Martin or Fender that is so expensive that it must have been played by Eric Clapton at some point.

So, this BB800 stopped me in my tracks when I saw it laying on the ground in its original Yamaha hard case. I knew from past experience that these are generally very good instruments, and this one checked all of the boxes for me. I picked it up to look it over and it was not super-heavy, and the condition was quite remarkable: no stickers, scratches, dings, or fret wear – amazing for a 35-year old bass. But even more cool was that it was completely original with none of the expected modifications that were performed back then. So, there is no brass nut, no Badass bridge, no goofy tuners, and no Dimarzio pickup. It even had a brand new set of flats on it.

I asked the seller what he wanted for it, and right off he quoted a price that was around half of what it was worth. I must have been stunned into stupidity, because I mutter thanks and wandered off to check out the rest of the swap meet. About a half hour later we were ready to leave, and I had to see if the bass was still there, and sure enough it was so I paid up and we made a quick getaway before he changed his mind. Of course, I ran into a killer Teisco on the way out (also for a good price), but my funds were gone. Figures.

The BB (Broad Bass) instruments were produced by Yamaha in Japan by Yamaha, and there were a bunch of different models (BB200, BB300, BB500, BB800, BB1000, BB1200, and BB2000). The higher the numbers, the more expensive they were, as the number indicates the price in Yen. So, a BB800 was originally 80,000 Yen, or around $327 at the time (at 244 Yen to the dollar).

The BB800 basses were built only from 1978 to 1981, and they are an unabashed knock-off of the Precision Bass knock-off, with just enough things changed to keep Yamaha from getting sued by Fender. This means you can expect a double-cutaway alder body with a bolt on maple neck and alder fretboard. There are 21 frets on that neck, and it is capped off with large-base open-gear Gotoh tuners with cast heads. There is a super-meaty bridge at the other end, and it is a cool piece with flowers engraved in it and two extra screws at the bottom corners to keep it from lifting from the body (a problem with the initial production run).

There are a few differences from their Fender brethren, aside from that cool bridge and the Gotoh tuners. There is a uniquely shaped 3-ply BWB pickguard (kind of ugly, actually), a cool truss rod cover at the heel of the neck, and volume/tone speed knobs with pointers. And then there is the way they reversed the coils on the pickup so that the one for the higher strings is closer to the neck and the portion for the lower strings is closer to the bridge. I have always thought this was the proper way for these to be set-up as it gives more balanced tone across all strings, but apparently Leo Fender did not think that was the best way to do it.

Thanks to its nearly time-capsule condition, all these years later we can still have an appreciation for what a great job the craftsmen in Japan did of putting this thing together. The black poly finish is even, the neck pocket is tight, and the frets are still level and pretty. This is particularly significant because 1980 was right around when Fender’s quality hit absolute rock bottom, so this was a powerful challenge to their authority.

If you strap this bass on and plug it in, you will find that it is pretty much a really good Precision Bass. It has the feel and the sound down, so this Yamaha would be perfect for blues or rock. It has a P-width nut and a nice beefy neck, which fits in with the slightly hefty weight of this thing: 10 pounds, 10 ounces.

This Yamaha BB800 bass does not really fit in with my collection or with the paucity of playing time that I am getting nowadays, so I will probably be flipping it soon. Hit me up if you are interested, I am sure we can make a deal…

Mahalo!