I wanted to share a little story with you all...

I traded my very first guitar, a crappy black Washburn electric, for a Yamaha SSC500 back in the early 90's. It was my first "nice" guitar and I still remember how excited I was to get it home and play it. I held on to it for about 5 years. Then in a drunken stupor, I promised to give it to some girl I must have thought I had a very good chance with... well, she came over the next day to pickup the guitar and it was clear that I had no chance whatsoever... and she and my little red Yamaha split town for Chicago. That was the last I've seen of her and it. Not a very proud moment... and I've kicked myself from day one, as soon as I watched my guitar go out the front door.

Now, I've cruised ebay for years looking to replace it, but I could never find one that wasn't all trashed up. They're not the easiest guitar to come by, especially in really nice shape (just like mine had been... nearly mint!) Well, I was poking around on Gbase looking at guitars and did a search for "Yamaha SSC" and low and behold... a cherry SSC500 popped up, beautiful and with the original case. I couldn't help notice that it came from Chicago Music Exchange... I thought, "WOW... what if by some random chance that's my old guitar?" I knew that girl moved to Chicago just a few days after I gave her the guitar... maybe, just maybe it's mine.

Well, I'm sure you can fill in the rest of the story... the temptation being so great that I pulled the trigger on it. I'm nearly as excited as the day I first came across that red beauty all those years ago.

Since then there have been many guitars that have come and gone, and I know it's not the most amazing guitar in the world but I just couldn't resist. Anyhow, I just wanted to share and here's a picture of her...

That's a beauty of a finish job. The hardware looks pretty serious, too.

Yup... they're pretty cool guitars. There's a push pull pot (though I'm not sure exactly what it does... maybe puts the pups out of phase or coil taps them?) and toggles for each pickup. And the pickups hot... 23k! There are many sweet tones you can coax out of them.

I remember gluing a picture to the inside of the compartment in the case... I'll be shocked if it really is my old guitar, the chances are slim to none but I'll be able to tell, if the pictures still there or there's old glue in the case in the compartment.

Cool story JamGuy, thanks for posting. I've been to the Chicago Music Exchange many times and have played some amazing guitars there. Congrats, that guitar looks awesome!

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you can save the world with your guitar one love song at a time it's just better, more fun, easier with a fender solid body electric guitar or electric bass guitar.

I hope you either have enough proof for you to know it is the exact guitar you lost or that there is enough doubt for you to assume it is.

As for the redhead that was in my life years ago, every time I think about her....I am relieved that she will never come back.

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'09 Am Deluxe Ash Strat
'09 Mex Standard Strat
'10 Mex Standard Tele
Champ 600
Blues jr.
'65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue

Give thanks that the girl left town and you may have recovered your guitar. You could have married the babe and be singing high tenor now, and them things you can never recover.

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"Another day in paradise!"

Awesome story, and that thing really is a beauty! Never really payed much attention to Yamaha guitars ... how does it sound?

Extremely cool story!!! I am anxious to see if it is your actual guitar or not..either way I hope you enjoy it bunches!

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Mona
"Music is What Feelings Sound like"

I could honestly care less one way or the other. Sure, it would be cool if it was but it'll be just as cool if it isn't. It's been such a long time since I've had it that I'm sure it will seem like mine once I get my mitts on it.

I think I might have taped a little name tag on the underside of the control plate too... another possible clue. Seriously though, there's probably thousands of that particular model guitar floating around even though they were only made for 4 or 5 years.

I remember how stoked I was when I sam Jerry Garcia Pictured in some magazine way back when playing a similar model... I think the Dead were in Amsterdam in '81 and had to borrow gear for the show and he was playing a SSC800... fancier details but essentially the same guitar. Anyhow, I'll keep y'all posted and no doubt end up making a jam vid once she arrives. I need to sneak this one past the little lady... I'm already one electric over my agreed upon guitar quota

I just found a picture of Jerry's borrowed SSC online... from '81. I like the cherry finish much better than the burst.

Yah, yah, yah .... it's a heart warming story and everything but did you really have to plant that song in my head? Now I'm gonna have Peaches and Herb on the brain all day.

Thanks. Thanks a lot.

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Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.

That is truly unfortunate... maybe I could take your mind of Peaches and Herb with this little story. So there was this girl named Melanie, she bought a brand new pair of roller-skates...

It's a good thing I don't know where you live....

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Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.

Well, right now I'm staying at the Y-M-C-A...

OK, don't forget you had this comin' ....

payback's a bee-atch, baby

edit:
BTW, I'm not coming back to this thread.
Na Na

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Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.

I was just going to post that enough is enough and that would be the last one!

My girlfriend and I often play the "how bad of a song can you get stuck in my head" game... sometimes they stick, sometimes they don't. That Melanie tune was in my head everyday for what seemed like months. Anyhow, it was fun. I'll keep you all posted with some pics and vid when the new axe arrives. Cheers!