About two weeks ago I decided to sell off an '83 SC-2 that I bought a year or two ago as a rescue/project. Everything was intact, but a previous owner had done stupid things to the finish and replaced some of the hardware. It was a great player, but every time I looked at it the previous owner's mods made me angry. I had put out feelers about selling it before, but never brought myself to advertising it. Weekend before last I stopped by my local used guitar shop to see if they would be interested in taking it on consignment, and discovered this beauty sitting out a thirty-day police hold in the back room:
After a brief posting in the Marketplace with no nibbles, the shop took the project SC-2 as a partial trade. The police hold was over this past weekend, so the "new" SC-2 came home with me on Sunday afternoon. I haven't been able to get pics at home yet, but I did get several in the shop the day I found it. Here is the headstock, and the nicely quartersawn neck with a bit of birdseye:
One interesting thing about this SC-2 is the neck profile. It has the same dimensions and general feel as any of the other SC models I've owned, but it has a distinct "U" shape. All of my other SCs have a smooth taper from the fret board to the back of the neck (more of a "C" or "D" shape). This one has about a 1/4" flat section coming off the fret board and the a distinct edge before it tapers to the back of the neck. I had been playing for a couple of hours last night before I noticed that. It feels fine to me, but just goes to show the little differences you'll find with the hand-built Leo-era G&Ls.
There's something right about having the serial number stamped on the bridge - no need for a microwave tag
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The one slight cosmetic issue with this guitar is a bit of rust on the jack, and a hint of rust stain on the finish near the strap button. There must have been a close call with rising water at some point in this guitar's past:
For a tone report, this guitar is everything an SC-2 should be. It has a nice full neck pickup and a lot of bite from the bridge pup. The middle position is very crisp and clear. The output is hot enough to push my Fender Champ at low volumes. The controls are nice and smooth. It pairs perfectly with my mid-1970s Champ, but as I was deciding which tremolo pedal to throw in the signal chain I couldn't help thinking it would pair even better with a vintage Vibro Champ.
I had to stop by the same guitar shop on the way home from work today to return a pedal that didn't work out (a different topic, for the bass players). Just as I was opening the door to walk out I asked a salesman if they had gotten anything good in since Sunday. His answer was "not much, just an old Fender amp." New Amp Day post to follow, as soon as another thirty-day police hold is over...
Ken
