1990s Yamaha FG-412 12-String Jumbo Guitar
Yep, I do love practical ol' Yamahas... but ones with signatures from national folk acts scrawled all over it? Hey, all plus!
This guy was just in for a a setup and I'm happy to report that post-work it's playing nice, quick, and easy. It was almost getting to the point of needing a neck reset, but the fretboard extension wasn't ski-jumping and there was a hair of clearance at the bridge for the saddle to ride with, so we worked-around it.
These are all-ply, jumbo/dreadnought guitars and the construction has not changed much since this style was built in the '70s. These more-modern Yamahas have more comfortable necks than the old guys, though, with their bigger C-shaped hunks of wood. I'm grateful for that.
Shall we play a game? Make the images larger and comment on who you can find in the signatures. Vince Gilbert is right on the bridge... with Atwater-Donnelly right below that... ohhhhh my...
Comments
Most of his signatures are from 2002, (a very active year for seeing concerts by this guitar's owner), but one "initials" signature is from this year 2021 June, with someone, perhaps purposely, mimicking the two capital SS's made famous by Stephen Stills as seen on his 3 Signature Martin 45 Series models. They are: The legendary D-45SS (BRW) copied from his own 1939 D-45, the 000-45SS (EIR) and the 0-45S (MadRose). However, Stills doesn't just sign with his Double SS initials, he simply highlights each S in his unique style, then writes his full name. So, I can't tell who those initials would belong to.
Perhaps the owner can clarify.