New old s500

Hello everybody, i was very lucky to find an s500 that was sitting in a music shop, never sold for more than 30 years! When i discovered It i made some researches (mostly thanks to' this website) i realized how great this instrument was. I was already a fan of g&l for years, i didnt want to buy a tribute because with far East products i feel like i am saving Money on other people work conditions, ending up with something that Is Just the cheap versione of what i wanted. (I know tributes are good guitars). I was Always very into the asat special and the s500, but never tried neither One, they re not very common to find in music shop around here (Italy) and very expensive. When i went to the shop and finally tried the Guitar i was hooked. I love It with full treble, that Cristal Sharp sound.

Unfortunately the tremolo arm was Lost, i am still in touch if they find It, they already moved 2 Times in the last 30 years. I saw a website where i can order One for 41 dollars, anybody knows oif there Is an alternative in Europe, or a way to hack One DIY, or to have It made by a blacksmith?

I looked up the serial Number g016260 It looks like It could be from 1985. Anybody can Guess what Is the wood on this One? Is the fretboard ebony or rosewood? Sorry if the question Is silly, i am Just curious. The neck feels great, its very confortable and slim. The action Is very low wich i am not used to, i still have to take It to the tech but the Guitar Is playing well along all fretboard, i Just have to be careful how i pick, something i never had to' worry about with the old squire strat.

I am really Happy because its my First real Guitar, even After 20yrs of playing wathever Gear, and It Is a Guitar that i have been dreaming of, and It was sitting there all this years, almost as if It was waiting for me.

Thanks everybody for the info i was able to get in this website that helped me to be sure about this Guitar.

As soon as ill be with my tech friend and check body and neck for dates i'll be posting here more info and pics.

SB500,

That guitar is fantastic. Enjoy!

Nice.

For a trem arm you should just look around and try some different ones. I bought a few Chapman Guitar trem arms on clearance and they fit Tributes nicely. According to the G&L online store they should fit newer USA models also. The Tribute arms would be a little smaller (5.84mm according to the G&L online store). You can order one from the online store but maybe you should buy some t-shirts or something too and make the high shipping cost (guessing) worthwhile (not sure if they ship to Italy).

edited because Craig linked the proper vibrato arm

Last edited by bigjim711 on Wed Feb 16, 2022 6:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Unfortunately the tremolo arm was Lost, i am still in touch if they find It, they already moved 2 Times in the last 30 years. I saw a website where i can order One for 41 dollars, anybody knows oif there Is an alternative in Europe, or a way to hack One DIY, or to have It made by a blacksmith?

I looked up the serial Number g016260 It looks like It could be from 1985. Anybody can Guess what Is the wood on this One? Is the fretboard ebony or rosewood? Sorry if the question Is silly, i am Just curious. The neck feels great, its very confortable and slim. The action Is very low wich i am not used to, i still have to take It to the tech but the Guitar Is playing well along all fretboard, i Just have to be careful how i pick, something i never had to' worry about with the old squire strat.

I am really Happy because its my First real Guitar, even After 20yrs of playing wathever Gear, and It Is a Guitar that i have been dreaming of, and It was sitting there all this years, almost as if It was waiting for me.

Thanks everybody for the info i was able to get in this website that helped me to be sure about this Guitar.

As soon as ill be with my tech friend and check body and neck for dates i'll be posting here more info and pics.

The body wood is Swamp Ash with a Clear Red finish. Contact Memo Romero [G&L Service Manager] and ask him to look up the Serial Number in the Factory logs.
He should be able to tell you the fretboard wood and the completion date. His email address is repairs@glguitars.com.

Regarding the missing tremolo bar, G&L does sell them on their On-Line Store, here is the link to it: vibrato arm.

Once you get the details on your guitar, please do add it to our G&L Registry.

Unfortunately the tremolo arm was Lost, i am still in touch if they find It, they already moved 2 Times in the last 30 years. I saw a website where i can order One for 41 dollars, anybody knows oif there Is an alternative in Europe, or a way to hack One DIY, or to have It made by a blacksmith?

I looked up the serial Number g016260 It looks like It could be from 1985. Anybody can Guess what Is the wood on this One? Is the fretboard ebony or rosewood? Sorry if the question Is silly, i am Just curious. The neck feels great, its very confortable and slim. The action Is very low wich i am not used to, i still have to take It to the tech but the Guitar Is playing well along all fretboard, i Just have to be careful how i pick, something i never had to' worry about with the old squire strat.

I am really Happy because its my First real Guitar, even After 20yrs of playing wathever Gear, and It Is a Guitar that i have been dreaming of, and It was sitting there all this years, almost as if It was waiting for me.

Thanks everybody for the info i was able to get in this website that helped me to be sure about this Guitar.

As soon as ill be with my tech friend and check body and neck for dates i'll be posting here more info and pics.

The body wood is Swamp Ash with a Clear Red finish. Contact Memo Romero [G&L Service Manager] and ask him to look up the Serial Number in the Factory logs.
He should be able to tell you the fretboard wood and the completion date. His email address is repairs@glguitars.com.

Regarding the missing tremolo bar, G&L does sell them on their On-Line Store, here is the link to it: vibrato arm.

Once you get the details on your guitar, please do add it to our G&L Registry.

Thanks for the tip, i have sent an e-mail, super curious about what i'll discover. Seems by the large headstock its early 80s, we'll see.

Here are a couple of posts to check out:

S-500 single coil size pickups on early 80's model
S500s: 1984 vs. 1994 vs. 2004???

Hope this helps.

Congratulations, a really beautiful guitar!

That’s a beauty, congrats! With the brown plush case it is probably no later than ‘84. fretboards were usually ebony at that time.

Hey SB500,

Great score, thanks for sharing.