A few issues back we talked about this type of guitar: arch-tops and semi-hollows, aimed at and favored by jazz players. Perhaps because of their cleaner, clearer, less strident tones and, in many cases, fuller body. The fact is that when you play an instrument like this, the sensations are different from those of a solid-body guitar.
Last winter, at the NAMM show, Yamaha introduced two new semi-hollow models: the AES500 and the SA500. They were presented as budget-friendly versions for players looking for an alternative to solid-body guitars.
The Body
This Yamaha instrument is built from maple, with a body depth of 4.5 centimeters. The design of the body openings stands out: as you can see in the photos, they are not the traditional f-holes.
The two horns in its design faintly recall Lucille, the beloved Gibson belonging to the great master and forerunner of so many players, B.B. King. It has a fairly conventional look for this type of "hollowbody" guitar, but with a few modern touches, such as the cutaways mentioned above and the "warrior" look of its black-finished humbuckers. The combination of the cutaway shape and the black sunburst finish gives it an attractive appearance. Despite the fragility that comes with a hollow body, the guitar feels sturdy and solid. The first impression is of a well-built instrument, even more so considering its reasonable price.
Bridge and Headstock
The bridge adds more distinctive character to the instrument. It is simple but effective, and it keeps our tuning stable remarkably well. The tuners caught my attention for their feel: rather stiff, but precise. I spent a good while bending strings and the tuning stayed relatively stable after the initial settling in, since the guitar arrived quite out of tune. That's normal, considering the high temperatures it must have been exposed to in transit, given the exhausting heat we've had this summer.
Electronics and Sound
The Alnico electronics are interesting, installed in a guitar originally conceived for jazz. Two humbucking pickups with character, a punchy thickness and powerful sustain, all without losing the brightness that gives the high notes their shading. A three-way selector and four knobs controlling volume and tone are responsible for the instrument's tonal versatility, within a characteristic range.
With no fixed direction, I started playing, running through every pickup combination and "fooling around" with various effects. The goal: to find out where I felt most comfortable with this Yamaha SA500. As expected, the guitar has especially "jazzy" tones in the low end. It exudes clarity and thickness with less harshness than solid-body guitars. My first tests were geared toward clean sounds in the guitar's darkest pickup setting. Does it have bass? I had to dial back the low frequencies, because it not only covers the lows perfectly, it can even overshoot them if you also push the amp or the console slightly.
I later discovered a really appealing range of sounds. In fact, it's the area where I liked this guitar the most. I used moderate overdrive and a touch of reverb, and put the pickup selector in the brightest position. In the background, a funk/blues backing track I was working on. Wow! That sounds great. I decided to delete the previous guitar tracks, because this Yamaha vibe suited the song to a T. I made the guitar even brighter and backed off the overdrive a bit. The rhythm guitars between funk and blues sounded wonderful. While I was at it, I muted the solo track I had recorded earlier with another guitar. Then I raised the bass levels a little and added quite a bit more overdrive. I love it; it's a perfect sound for this kind of music. The guitar behaves excellently in overdriven blues, which I wasn't expecting.
Looking for a radical change, I set the selector to the middle position and bypassed all the effects in the rack. How about a country vibe? No sooner said than done. In my view, this instrument delivers excellent tones in this style as well: a thick sound with plenty of body, yet bright and defined.
Conclusions
In this final phase of our analysis, we always weigh price as a fundamental factor when evaluating the instrument. At 420 € (as of the date of the article), it's a quite acceptable, modest and balanced amount in relation to what the guitar offers. Put another way, I think the Yamaha SA500 could even be worth buying if it were a little more expensive. As for versatility, it is not an all-purpose guitar, although it covers more ground than it seems. I think it's a suitable instrument for those who already own a solid-body and are curious about finding new, more relaxed sounds, or for fans of jazz, blues, country, or gritty 70s funk.
