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Re: The Unofficial OSG Yamaha SG-2/SG-3/SG-12 Thread

Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2015 1:21 pm
by HorseyBoy
^ This thread just keeps getting better.
^^ Big thanks for the pics, selectomatic. The tone control of my rhythm circuit was buggered. It now works but the knob is reversed. I'd like to get that sorted.

Anyone had one of these re-fretted? That's next on my to-do list. Would love to know how it worked out…

Re: The Unofficial OSG Yamaha SG-2/SG-3/SG-12 Thread

Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2015 6:18 pm
by antisymmetric
Sonichris wrote: Image
Even the strap has that typical attention to detail & design- the cutout one one side of the shoulder pad, to fit against the player's neck I guess(??) Seriously cool stuff, Yamaha obviously went all out on these. That time capsule bass is unreal- how did you find it?

Re: The Unofficial OSG Yamaha SG-2/SG-3/SG-12 Thread

Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2015 6:20 pm
by selectomatic
My SG-3 was refretted. I just never liked skinny 'vintage' frets, and I'd been down this road before with my Jag, so a refret was high on the to-do list. I happen to like Danelectro frets, so when the SG-3 went to the shop we pulled a Dano Pro off the shelf and looked at different fret wires until we found a match. That's what went on the Yamaha (sorry, don't know the actual size), and it's been great. This might not be everyone's cup of coffee, but for me the playability of the SG-3 and Jaguar was much improved.

Here's the SG-2 with stock (as far as I can tell) frets.
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Here's the refretted SG-3
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I only got to play the SG-2 for about five minutes before blowing out the high E. The low frets were throwing me off a bit, but I've decided to give them a chance before making another refret decision.

Re: The Unofficial OSG Yamaha SG-2/SG-3/SG-12 Thread

Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2015 7:35 pm
by chase
HorseyBoy wrote:Anyone had one of these re-fretted? That's next on my to-do list. Would love to know how it worked out…
As I mentioned in the other thread, mine needed the zero fret replaced. In the process we discovered that the other frets were super low (like 0.023" tall!) and also starting to lift out of the fretboard. I wasn't that fond of the super-small frets anyway, so I sprang for a full refret with stainless steel frets (0.095" wide x 0.047" tall) and a Plek. Turned out the new frets (Jescar I think) had wider tangs than the (teeny tiny) originals, which introduced some backbow in the neck, which needed to be heat-pressed when widening the tang slots and planing the fretboard were not enough. Expensive process (I think they were the original frets) but in the end worth it I think, and so far so good. But yeah, watch out with a re-fret, and beware buying vintage guitars from Japan.

Re: The Unofficial OSG Yamaha SG-2/SG-3/SG-12 Thread

Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2015 9:03 pm
by Sonichris
antisymmetric wrote:
Sonichris wrote:

Even the strap has that typical attention to detail & design- the cutout one one side of the shoulder pad, to fit against the player's neck I guess(??) Seriously cool stuff, Yamaha obviously went all out on these. That time capsule bass is unreal- how did you find it?
I found it on ebay several years ago - I lucked out. It wasn't very expensive at all. It plays and sounds fantastic! But - like i said before, it's so clean and nice, I'm almost afraid to play it.

Re: The Unofficial OSG Yamaha SG-2/SG-3/SG-12 Thread

Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2015 10:14 pm
by HorseyBoy
^^ Thanks for the re-fret information, guys - really, really helpful. I'm sure the frets on these guitars were low and thin to begin with, and if the guitar's seen even a little action over the years they're bound to be even lower. I'm thinking I'll have it re-fretted with something like Dunlop 6105 fret wire - narrow but pretty tall, although that might be too tall for the guitar. Maybe I'll go for stainless steel at the zero fret while I'm at it. Any other fret suggestions gratefully received.

Re: The Unofficial OSG Yamaha SG-2/SG-3/SG-12 Thread

Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2015 7:39 am
by selectomatic
More stuff that I found after opening up the SG-2...

Pretty self-explanatory -- ground point in the control/jack cavity.
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Vibrato stuff, exactly as it was unearthed.
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Base plate under the spring.
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Entire trem adjustment assembly.
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Arm retainer/collet with chrome cover off.
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This is what 1966 foam looks like.
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Last but not least, the famous truss rod adjustment. It doesn't get much better than this!
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Re: The Unofficial OSG Yamaha SG-2/SG-3/SG-12 Thread

Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2015 1:12 pm
by Homeless Bill
It's a shame that these are so hard to find now.. I would love to have one! :(

Re: The Unofficial OSG Yamaha SG-2/SG-3/SG-12 Thread

Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2015 4:05 pm
by chase
HorseyBoy wrote:^^ Thanks for the re-fret information, guys - really, really helpful. I'm sure the frets on these guitars were low and thin to begin with, and if the guitar's seen even a little action over the years they're bound to be even lower. I'm thinking I'll have it re-fretted with something like Dunlop 6105 fret wire - narrow but pretty tall, although that might be too tall for the guitar. Maybe I'll go for stainless steel at the zero fret while I'm at it. Any other fret suggestions gratefully received.
Yeah, the originals are very low and very small. I wanted to get away from the vintage size as I prefer 6105 too, but I didn't want to change the feel of the neck too far from the original (which also has a smaller radius compared to my other guitars which are 12" or more or compound radius), which is why I had them polish the frets from 0.055" down to 0.047". Seems like a nice compromise between the original feel and my more modern guitars, at least for me.

I'm pretty sold on SS frets too; some people claim they change the tone but I don't hear anything undesirable, I like the slippery feel, and I like knowing that if I'm going to pay $$$ for a refret, I can pay a bit more and not need another one for a long time or maybe ever. But I think they especially make sense for zero frets, even if you prefer nickel for the regular frets, as zero frets generally get a lot more wear.

If they have to re-plane the fretboard, make sure they don't take off the serial number stamped at the 22nd fret.

Re: The Unofficial OSG Yamaha SG-2/SG-3/SG-12 Thread

Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2015 8:39 pm
by antisymmetric
chase wrote: If they have to re-plane the fretboard, make sure they don't take off the serial number stamped at the 22nd fret.
I've pretty much decided to refret mine with a taller wire- when I level a board I usually create a bit of fallaway up at the body end (as per the Dan Erlewine method), but that serial number kills that idea, so I'll just take a bit extra off the height the upper frets instead.

(Just realised today that the trem collet has a couple of flats on it to take a 10mm wrench for adjusting the tension on the arm, it can be as loose or as tight as you like. So far, nothing but pleasant surprises with this guitar! 8) )

Re: The Unofficial OSG Yamaha SG-2/SG-3/SG-12 Thread

Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2015 9:11 pm
by HorseyBoy
^ Regarding planing the fretboard, I just remembered mine has some sort of lacquer/finish on it. I put a little Fret Doctor on it after a general cleanup and it wouldn't soak in.
Are yours the same?

Re: The Unofficial OSG Yamaha SG-2/SG-3/SG-12 Thread

Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2015 10:36 pm
by antisymmetric
I haven't tried what you've done, but my board looks like it wouldn't absorb much. It's quite shiny, certainly not dried out, don't know if it's been oiled or coated with something previously.

Re: The Unofficial OSG Yamaha SG-2/SG-3/SG-12 Thread

Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2015 9:55 am
by surfin_bird
Can we add the sg-a models and the sg-c models too?
Samurai and banana guitars need some love too 8)
I promise to post pics too!

Re: The Unofficial OSG Yamaha SG-2/SG-3/SG-12 Thread

Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2015 3:06 pm
by Gavanti
surfin_bird wrote:Can we add the sg-a models and the sg-c models too?
Samurai and banana guitars need some love too
I promise to post pics too!
Done. Have at it, samurai surfers!

Re: The Unofficial OSG 60s Yamaha SG Thread

Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2015 4:43 pm
by Sonichris
Here's pictures of the SG-Samurai guitars I've owned -

Re-issue SG-300 Sold
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'69 SG-2a with cool original Middle Eastern issued hardshell case - sold to fund another SG
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Before and after '68 SG-5a that I re-did - the red was a non-original color re-fin that was poorly done - original color was blue. Sold to fund something or another....
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Before, after, and current pictures of an SG-?a that I bought and re-did years ago - one of the tougher projects I've ever done. Still own it - waaay too much work to let it go. http://www.offsetguitars.com/forums/vie ... 1&start=15" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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