I started tracking online listings for used guitars in Japan in advance of my 5-week trip there in the Fall of 2025. I knew I wanted to bring back something special.

I found this ad from Shimamura Music, a well-known music store chain typically found in large malls across Japan. 

I tried out multiple SG-2000's and SG-3000's at Ochanomizu (and someday I will get one of those for my collection) but I knew I'd probably never have the chance to find a SG3KY ever again. 

The SG3KY was at a Shimamura Music at a smaller Aeon Mall in Edogawa City on the outskirts of Tokyo. 

Tucked away in the corner of the top floor of the mall, I found the SG3KY hanging up between a Firstman Liverpool '67 Special and Gibson ES-335.

The sales guy who helped me out was a nice young college student majoring in music.

The guitar was in fantastic condition with very minor signs of use. The built-in tuner didn't work anymore, but everything else worked fine.

Product card translation:

Case: Original, Hardcase

Accessories: Strap, wrench, screwdriver, and a certificate of authenticity signed by the artist

Condition: Built-in tuner not working. This model was produced by Yamaha Music Crafts, limited to 45 units, to commemmorate the 45th anniversary of Yuzo Kayama's debut and the 40th anniversary of the release of Yamaha's first electric guitars. This item originally sold for ¥880,000! [$7,600 in USD in 2006]

Neck Condition: Good

Fret Life: 80%

Truss Rod: Plenty of room both ways

Electronics: Good

Warranty Period: 6 months

I tried out the guitar for a good half hour with the young sales guy who was a local college music student. Had a lot of fun, and I knew that I wanted to bring it home. 

The gigantic flight case gave me no concerns about checking the guitar safely. Two flights later we were back home and I let the guitar acclimate for a day before opening the case.

I was excited to inspect the guitar and fill in the spec sheet more thoroughly than what is available from the limited information Yamaha provides and what can be found online.

Serial Number 05K010. Stamped on the bridge plate instead of the back of the headstock. Based on my research, these guitars were likely made in late 2005 and released in early 2006. All serial numbers I've been able to find online start with "05K" and finish with 0XX.

So my assumptions are:

• 05 = 2005

• K = Kayama Yuzo (as "K" in most Yamaha serial numerology is the month of April)

• 0XX = the unit number of the limited run.

That makes my guitar #10 out of 45. This is made obvious from the Certificate of Authenticity that was included.

Other listings I've found:

SG3KY Unit 9

SG3KY Unit 22

SG3KY Unit 36

Since the Yamaha SG3KY features a Zero Fret, the nut only acts as a string spacer. I don't know what material the nut is; I would guess brass with chrome finish, but it sounds like steel/aluminum is possible for metal nuts on guitars.

Neck Width: 44.0 / 52.3 mm (0 Fret / 12th Fret) 

Ishibashi Music's Reverb listing for Unit 9 lists the nut width at 42 mm at the nut/zero fret, but it definitely feels wider than that in my hand.

My measurements come to 44.0 mm at the zero fret and 52.3 mm at the 12th fret.

This turned out to be an interesting surprise!

In the official case candy and guitar documents, Yamaha only describes the pickups as "2 Soapbar Style" and "1 Single Coil Style".

I unscrewed and lifted up the pickguard and pickup covers.

And the two soapbar pickups had labels with unmistakable model numbers:

Neck: Seymour Duncan Hot P90 Neck (SP90-2N) - 11.63k

Middle: unlabeled Single Coil

Bridge: Seymour Duncan Hot P90 Bridge (SP90-2B) - 14.38k

I emailed Seymour Duncan support right away. Their response:

"We are not always able to confirm when guitar manufacturers use our pickups in their guitar. When manufacturers purchase our pickups, they do not typically advise us which guitars they are installing them in. 

In this case, those are our SP90-2 Hot P90 neck and bridge pickups made in November 2005 as an OEM pickup. As they are OEM there is a very good chance that they may be original to that guitar. 

The middle pickup is for sure not a SD pickup as it has a red and black only lead wire and no label on the bottom."

For me, this all but confirms that the Yamaha SG3KY comes stock with a set of Seymour Duncan Hot P90's with white covers!

The production date lines up perfectly with when these guitars were made. 

I also measured the DC resistance (through cable, not directly to pickup wires) and the neck measured at 

The middle pickup's cover has heavy yellowing/aging and I do believe it was originally white, as you can see the lack of yellowing on the screw holes portion of the cover that lies under the pick guard. I have seen some other SG3KY listings where the middle pickup shows more signs of yellowing than the soapboar pickup covers, so I think it is original. 

The middle pickup is probably a Yamaha proprietary pickup in this case rather than a third-party, aftermarket brand.

In my personal observation of the wiring and electronics, there are no obvious signs of modifications. With the built-in fuzz circuit, tuner, and light up fret side markers, it is a very complicated nest but the wiring is extremely tidy.

I believe these to be the original stock pickups for the Yamaha SG3KY!