NOBD - Yamaha SA-75!

[JParsons]

Today I took delivery of a bass I've been dreaming of for some time now.
A Yamaha SA-75 Hollowbody

My local used instrument dealer knew I'd been on the hunt after working on a few of the guitar versions for him, so when he found this listed in Japan he promptly added it to his cart. It needs a bit of work, like some new binding on the neck, a new nut, and patching up the area where the pickguard mounts, but I'm keen for it.

Plugging in, it has a pretty thumpy tone. Exactly what you'd expect to hear. Mind you, the strings are old and there's a foam mute under the bridge cover, but I think it sounds great.

I'll pop some new strings on and make a new nut, then think about how soon I want to do the rest. I also need to find a case for it! Overall, pretty stoked. A nice early birthday present.

 

[ToddB1963]

Nice one mate. I've been tempted to get one of these for a jazz trio I play in, but the P bass always seems to do the job.

What did that set you back?

 

[JParsons]

Nice one mate. I've been tempted to get one of these for a jazz trio I play in, but the P bass always seems to do the job.

What did that set you back?

A P always gets the job done!
I got a screaming deal on this, about a quarter of what they usually go for.

 

[ToddB1963]

A P always gets the job done!
I got a screaming deal on this, about a quarter of what they usually go for.

nice work

 

[Iridescentone]

Pretty cool, def worth fixing up. Grats.

I'd love to have one of those, but they seem uncommon in the states. Not crazy about ordering one from Japan, which is where they all seem to be located.

 

[Dave Neal]

Nice one indeed and welcome to the world of Sa-75's. I have the exact same bass and can't say a bad thing about it. Playability is perhaps one of my best basses, the tone is beautifully woody and the tonal pallet very diverse. I usually back the neck pup volume off just a tad and then mix in my bridge pup for definition. The build quality is off the charts as you can expect from a MIJ Yamaha. This is a bucket list bass for me after auditioning an SA-70 and being blown away by it. I have been a Yamaha fanboy for decades and I never knew this beauty existed until I held the SA-70 in my arms. I managed to get my hands on a mint SA-75 after actively shopping for one, the only thing I miss is the original case which is like searching for a copper magnet. She is the queen in my ever growing collection of Yamaha basses. She is strung with TI jazz flats.

 

[KidAmnesia]

Wow, that is one beautiful bass!

The design of the cutaways is probably the nicest I've ever seen in this kind of instrument. And those tuners?