I’ve got a Yamaha SG2000 in my collection, and I’m wondering if you can give me a little information on why this guitar is so sweet to play! I’ve owned it for several years and I find myself always coming back to play it. Also, what is the value of this guitar today?
Daniel in San Francisco, CA
Hey Daniel,
Since guitar virtuoso Carlos Santana played the SG2000 for several years, you know that there is something special about this guitar. In fact, the SG2000 is one of the most collectible and valuable Yamaha guitars in the used market today, and there is plenty of good reason for that.
Yamaha was founded in Japan in 1897 by Torakusu Yamaha as a piano and reed organ manufacturer. Yamaha entered the guitar market in 1941 when they announced that they were going to start building classical guitars, but full production didn’t start until after World War II in 1946. After the guitar boom of the mid-sixties, Yamaha introduced electric and acoustic steel-string guitars in 1966. Yamaha has been producing a variety of guitars ever since, including several high-end, hand-crafted instruments. However, the bulk of their production is targeted for entry-level and intermediate guitar players, with price points between $200 and $500.
The SG2000 is certainly not one of Yamaha’s entry-level models. It was introduced in 1976, and Yamaha contacted Carlos Santana shortly thereafter to see if he was interested in endorsing the instrument. He actually appeared on the cover of Guitar Player magazine in June of 1978 holding the SG2000, but the article explained that Santana actually redesigned and introduced many of the features on the original SG2000. According to Santana, the guitar was too light and didn’t resonate like he wanted. He recommended making the guitar heavier with thicker woods and installing a brass plate underneath, connected to the tailpiece (later patented as the Sustain Plate). Yamaha also used a threepiece laminated neck with two pieces of mahogany surrounding the main maple part that was patented as the T-Cross System. All these features, and the fact that the guitar was built very well, led to a great playing guitar. Santana absolutely loved the sustain this guitar could create, and it was the best guitar Yamaha had produced thus far.
Aside from the endorsement of Carlos Santana and the unique features that the SG2000 utilized, there were other factors that have made this guitar valuable today. The late seventies and early eighties was a turbulent time for many American guitar manufacturers and the big three of Gibson, Fender, and Martin were all in danger of failing. Yamaha was willing to experiment and get away from the traditional side of building guitars, which made them innovative. Also, Yamaha was one of the first Japanese manufacturers to actually set up their guitars in the US after shipping them from Japan. Long story short, the SG2000 was one of the best guitars available in the late seventies and early eighties, and it could possibly be the best Japanese guitar of the time.
For around a thousand dollars today, a buyer can pick from a basic selection of new, US-built guitars. A used late-seventies to early- eighties SG2000 typically sells for between $900 and $1200 in the used market, which is very comparable to a new US guitar. Thirty years ago, Japan was considered by the guitar industry the way China is today. However, this view has changed over the years and very few guitars actually come out of Japan anymore. While spending around $1000 on a late-seventies Japanese guitar may seem ludicrous, the market has shown that the demand is certainly there.
You also may notice that the SG prefix is very similar to a certain brand from one of the most popular U.S. builders today. When the SG Series from Yamaha became widespread in the early eighties, Gibson put a stop to it, and all Yamaha SG models were changed to SBG in the US. Carlos Santana hasn’t endorsed Yamaha for years; he was one of Paul Reed Smith’s first customers in the early eighties. Santana has several signature models with PRS and continues to play them exclusively today. I’m sure Santana along with you will continue to treasure this guitar for years to come!
Source: The History of Yamaha Guitars— Over 60 Years of Innovation by Mark Kasulen and Matt Blackett
Zachary R. Fjestad
Zachary is the author of the Blue Book of Acoustic Guitars, Blue Book of Electric Guitars, and the Blue Book of Guitar Amplifiers.
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Gibson originally launched the EB-6 model with the intention of serving consumers looking for a “tic-tac” bass sound.
The Gibson EB-6 was announced in 1959 and came into the world in 1960, not with a dual-horn body but with that of an elegant ES-335. They looked stately, with a thin, semi-hollow body, f-holes, and a sunburst finish. Our pick for this Vintage Vault column is one such first-year model, in about as original condition as you’re able to find today. “Why?” you may be asking. Well, read on....
When the EB-6 was introduced, the Bass VI was still a glimmer in Leo Fender’s eye. The real competition were the Danelectro 6-string basses that seemed to have popped up out of nowhere and were suddenly being used on lots of hit records by the likes of Elvis, Patsy Cline, and other household names. Danos like the UB-2 (introduced in ’56), the Longhorn 4623 (’58), and the Shorthorn 3612 (’58) were the earliest attempts any company made at a 6-string bass in this style: not quite a standard electric bass, not quite a guitar, nor, for that matter, quite like a baritone guitar.
The only change this vintage EB-6 features is a replacement set of Kluson tuners.
Photo by Ken Lapworth
Gibson, Fender, and others during this era would in fact call these basses “baritone guitars,” to add to our confusion today. But these vintage “baritones” were all tuned one octave below a standard guitar, with scale lengths around 30", while most modern baritones are tuned B-to-B or A-to-A and have scale lengths between 26" and 30".)
At the time, those Danelectros were instrumental to what was called the “tic-tac” bass sound of Nashville records produced by Chet Atkins, or the “click-bass” tones made out west by producer Lee Hazlewood. Gibson wanted something for this market, and the EB-6 was born.
“When the EB-6 was introduced, the Bass VI was still a glimmer in Leo Fender’s eye.”
The 30.5" scale 1960 EB-6 has a single humbucking pickup, a volume knob, a tone knob, and a small, push-button “Tone Selector Switch” that engages a treble circuit for an instant tic-tac sound. (Without engaging that switch, you get a bass-heavy tone so deep that cowboy chords will sound like a muddy mess.)
The EB-6, for better or for worse, did not unseat the Danelectros, and a November 1959 price list from Gibson hints at why: The EB-6 retailed for $340, compared to Dano price tags that ranged from $85 to $150. Only a few dozen EB-6 basses were shipped in 1960, and only 67 total are known to have been built before Gibson changed the shape to the SG style in 1962.
Most players who come across an EB-6 today think it was a response to the Fender Bass VI, but the former actually beat the latter to the market by a full year.
Photo by Ken Lapworth
It’s sad that so few were built. Sure, it was a high-end model made to achieve the novelty tic-tac sound of cheaper instruments, but in its full-voiced glory, the EB-6 has a huge potential of tones. It would sound great in our contemporary guitar era where more players are exploring baritone ranges, and where so many people got back into the Bass VI after seeing the Beatles play one in the 2021 documentary, Get Back.
It’s sadder, still, how many original-era EB-6s have been parted out in the decades since. Remember earlier when I wrote that our Vintage Vaultpick was about as original as you could find? That’s because the model’s single humbucker is a PAF, its Kluson tuners are double-line, and its knobs are identical to those on Les Paul ’Bursts. So as people repaired broken ’Bursts, converted other LPs to ’Bursts, or otherwise sought to give other Gibsons a “Golden Era” sound and look ... they often stripped these forgotten EB-6 basses for parts.
This original EB-6 is up for sale now from Reverb seller Emerald City Guitars for a $16,950 asking price at the time of writing. The only thing that isn’t original about it is a replacement set of Kluson tuners, not because its originals were stolen but just to help preserve them. (They will be included in the case.)
With so few surviving 335-style EB-6 basses, Reverb doesn’t have a ton of sales data to compare prices to. Ten years ago, a lucky buyer found a nearly original 1960 EB-6 for about $7,000. But Emerald City’s $16,950 asking price is closer to more recent examples and asking prices.
Sources: Prices on Gibson Instruments, November 1, 1959, Tony Bacon’s “Danelectro’s UB-2 and the Early Days of 6-String Basses” Reverb News article, Gruhn’s Guide to Vintage Guitars, Tom Wheeler’s American Guitars: An Illustrated History, Reverb listings and Price Guide sales data.
Originally released in the 1980s, the Victory has long been a cult favorite among guitarists for its distinctive double cutaway design and excellent upper-fret access. These new models feature flexible electronics, enhanced body contours, improved weight and balance, and an Explorer headstock shape.
A Cult Classic Made Modern
The new Victory features refined body contours, improved weight and balance, and an updated headstock shape based on the popular Gibson Explorer.
Effortless Playing
With a fast-playing SlimTaper neck profile and ebony fretboard with a compound radius, the Victory delivers low action without fret buzz everywhere on the fretboard.
Flexible Electronics
The two 80s Tribute humbucker pickups are wired to push/pull master volume and tone controls for coil splitting and inner/outer coil selection when the coils are split.
For more information, please visit gibson.com.
Gibson Victory Figured Top Electric Guitar - Iguana Burst
Released in 1983, the Roland SDE-3000 rackmount delay was a staple for pro players of the era and remains revered for its rich analog/digital hybrid sound and distinctive modulation. BOSS reimagined this retro classic in 2023 with the acclaimed SDE-3000D and SDE-3000EVH, two wide-format pedals with stereo sound, advanced features, and expanded connectivity. The SDE-3 brings the authentic SDE-3000 vibe to a streamlined BOSS compact, enhanced with innovative creative tools for every musical style. The SDE-3 delivers evocative delay sounds that drip with warmth and musicality. The efficient panel provides the primary controls of its vintage benchmark—including delay time, feedback, and independent rate and depth knobs for the modulation—plus additional knobs for expanded sonic potential.
A wide range of tones are available, from basic mono delays and ’80s-style mod/delay combos to moody textures for ambient, chill, and lo-fi music. Along with reproducing the SDE-3000's original mono sound, the SDE-3 includes a powerful Offset knob to create interesting tones with two simultaneous delays. With one simple control, the user can instantly add a second delay to the primary delay. This provides a wealth of mono and stereo colors not available with other delay pedals, including unique doubled sounds and timed dual delays with tap tempo control. The versatile SDE-3 provides output configurations to suit any stage or studio scenario.
Two stereo modes include discrete left/right delays and a panning option for ultra-wide sounds that move across the stereo field. Dry and effect-only signals can be sent to two amps for wet/dry setups, and the direct sound can be muted for studio mixing and parallel effect rigs. The SDE-3 offers numerous control options to enhance live and studio performances. Tap tempo mode is available with a press and hold of the pedal switch, while the TRS MIDI input can be used to sync the delay time with clock signals from DAWs, pedals, and drum machines. Optional external footswitches provide on-demand access to tap tempo and a hold function for on-the-fly looping. Alternately, an expression pedal can be used to control the Level, Feedback, and Time knobs for delay mix adjustment, wild pitch effects, and dramatic self-oscillation.
The new BOSS SDE-3 Dual Delay Pedal will be available for purchase at authorized U.S. BOSS retailers in October for $219.99. To learn more, visit www.boss.info.