ST STH

Yamaha ST and STH Guitars



An STH 400R


These guitars are Strat Clones which appeared around March 1984 and with a couple of exceptions lasted for less than a year. There has been some speculation that the range was short lived due to complaints from Fender although considering the ST looked very like the SR it replaced that seems unlikely, however as can be seen below the headstocks are very like Fenders and it was the headstock that Fender got Tokai to change in the eighties. The STH 400 and 500s lasted into 1985 as they appear in the 1985 catalogue. The guitars came with Rosewood or Maple boards indicated by an M or R in the model name. All guitars in the range were made in Japan and appear to have been domestic market only. I haven't seen a single one of these for sale on Ebay UK.



 

Yamaha ST and STH Models and Specs


The ST range was a standard three single coil strat configuration and comprised of the 360M and R, the 400M and R, the 500M and R, The 600M and R, the 800M and R and the 1000M and R. It is said that the 600, 800 and 1000 are 1 piece bodies, the 400 and 500 2 piece and the 360 Multi piece. I have no concrete proof of this. The 800 and the 1000 have locking nuts and Yamaha locking bridges. The STH range was a 2 Humbucker configuration comprising of the 400R, the 500M and R, the 800R and the 1000R. If any models other than the 500 came with a Maple option I can find no evidence of it* (see below). Again it is said that the 800 and the 1000 are one piece bodies and the 500 and 400 two piece and multi piece respectively. The 800 and the 1000 have locking nuts and Yamaha locking bridges.


Specifications

ST360 M and R ST 400M and R ST 500M and R ST 600M and R ST 800M and R ST 1000M and R STH 400R STH 500M and R STH 800R STH 1000R
Body Sen or Agathis, Igem Sen or Agathis, Igem Alder Alder Alder Alder Sen or Agathis Alder Alder Alder Bound
Neck Maple Maple Maple Maple Maple Maple Maple Maple Maple Maple
Fretboard Maple or Rosewood 21 Frets 13.75" radius Maple or Rosewood 21 Frets 13.75" radius Maple or Rosewood 21 Frets 13.75" radius Maple or Rosewood 21 Frets 13.75" radius Maple or Rosewood 21 Frets 13.75" radius Maple or Rosewood 21 Frets 13.75" radius Rosewood 21 Frets 13.75" radius Matching Headstock Maple or Rosewood 21 Frets 13.75" radius Rosewood 21 Frets 13.75" radius Matching Headstock Rosewood 21 Frets 13.75" radius Matching Headstock
Bridge Standard Steel pressed saddle trem type Standard Steel pressed saddle trem type Standard Steel pressed saddle trem type Standard Steel pressed saddle trem type Yamaha locking type with locking nut Yamaha locking type with locking nut Standard Steel pressed saddle trem type Standard Steel pressed saddle trem type Yamaha locking type with locking nut Yamaha locking type with locking nut
Pickups 3 SCs 3 SCs 3 Alnico V 3 Alnico 5 3 Alnico 5 3 Alnico 5 2 HBs 2 HB Spinex 2 HBs probably Spinex * 2 HBs probably Spinex *
Tuners String Trees Gotoh Tuners 1 String tree Gotoh Tuners 1 String tree Gotoh Tuners 1 String tree Gotoh Tuners 1 String tree Gotoh Tuners No string tree Gotoh Tuners No String Tree Gotoh Tuners 1 String tree Gotoh Tuners 1 String tree Gotoh Tuners No String Tree Gotoh Tuners No String Tree
Release Price Yen 36000 40000 50000 60000 80000 100000 40000 50000 80000 100000
Weight 3.5kgs 3.5kgs 3.5kgs 3.5kgs 3.6kgs 3.6kgs
3.8kgs

Colours Sunburst, White, Black Sunburst, White, Black, Candy Tone Red Sunburst, White, Black, Black Metallic, Siver Gray Sunburst, White, Black, Candy Tone Red, Silver Gray Sunburst, White, Black, Candy Tone Red, Silver Gray Sunburst, Black, Cream White Black, White, Red Black, Cream White Coral Blue Black, Cream White Coral Blue, Red, Deep Blue Black, Cream White Coral Blue, Red, Deep Blue

* The Yamaha Archive only details the 500 from the SH range, but as the 500 is stated to have Spinex pickups, it is reasonable to assume that the more expensive models also have them.

Update May 2024
Jake Quickel has written to me saying
I have been shopping around for a used Yamaha STH 400 or 500 and I think I may have uncovered another difference between the two models in the coil splitter switch. The STH 500 has a push push coil splitter whereas the 400 apparently does not. I watched a Youtube demo of a 500 I was thinking of buying and the seller demonstrated the switch in the video. Earlier, I was considering a 400 that had been rebuilt and that seller said that, though it could be wired for a splitter switch, it did not come with that feature as an option.
From what I can find this is correct thanks Jake


Some STH Details

Left to right an STH 500 and an STH 1000 showing the different Bridges


Extract from the 1985 catalogue showing the last survivors of the ST and STH ranges.

Jeff-Carolina and Buzzard from the Yamaha forum have found me some pictures of 360 models Thanks guys
 
   
Note the slight difference in the headstocks, the truss rod plug is on the maple only

Couldn't resist posting pictures of this STH500R I think it looks great. It is from an Ebay USA sale starting at $380  

August 2023
Jeff from Australia has sent me a picture of the inside of his ST360R here it is thanks Jeff.

Update August 2017
I have come across a model I've not previously seen an ST 535RX. It appears to have been made in Japan in the late 80s probably 1988 or 89 it is very hard to find any catalogues for that period. I have found examples in Blue and Red but obviously there could be other colours. It looks to be an SSH but from the information I have seen I suspect it's not a humbucker but two single coils as in some other Yamaha models. It has a Maple neck and Rosewood board and either a Sen Ash or Alder body.



ST 535RX pictures

Update April 2022 STX 01R
A very knowledgeable guitarist from Japan Chris Hawkins has sent me some details of a guitar he owns which is an STX 01R a model I hadn't come across before. From studying the routing the hardware etc Chris believes this to be a Fujigen build from around 1983 1984. The comparison he has done with other Fujigen Guitars he owns leads me to think he is right. There is also the use of a non Yamaha Humbucker which to me suggests an outsourced build.
From Chris and a couple of other auction post I have put together the following:

Specifications
Body 2 piece Alder
Neck Maple
Fretboard Rosewood 21 Frets Dot Markers
Headstock Matching with Yamaha STX01R in Black and Gold
Tuners Gotoh Kluson Style
Pickups 1 Gotoh Humbucker 2 Unmarked Alnico Single Coils
Controls 1 Volume 2 Tone 5 way switch Black
Nut Bone
Hardware Chrome or Gold
Bridge Vintage Style trem full size Steel Block Stamped saddles
Pickguard Black 11 screw laminated
Colours at least Red and Black
Years available unknown probably early 80s.

Some Pictures

Here are the Headstocks Chris' black one and a Red one with gold hardware



The pickups from Chris' Guitar



A red with Gold Hardware and one with Chrome hardware.


Update July 22
Przemyslaw Stronski is a Yamaha lover from Poland who owns a very nice *ST400M proving they exist with a Maple board.
He has also purchased a ST500RX from Japan. It hasn't arrived yet due end of July. So here is another model not known to me. He has sent me some pictures from the sale but they aren't great but I have found a little bit of detail and pictures from a sale on a Russian site.
First the ST400M which is a really nice looking guitar






Now the ST500RX
The Google translate from the Russian throws up some very strange detail but what I can see from the pictures and what makes sense from the translate is as follows.
The serial number is from 1986-1989 I can get to most catalogues from that date now and this guitar does not appear in any of them.
The Russian translation describes this as a pumped up version of the ST500 with a superior trem unit (see picture)
Made in Japan
Alder Body
Maple neck
Rosewood board with 22 frets and dot markers
HIPS type Yamaha EMS pickups HSS
Gotoh Tuners
Gotoh Bridge
Black Hardware
! Volume 1 Tone 1 3 or 5 way switch (looks like a 3 way)
Seems to have a locking nut but not a locking bridge

Some pictures



Still Update July 2022
Sergei Bondarenko frequently sends me pictures often without comment he is I think based in Russia where they seem to often get unusual Yamahas. This is a
STH575RX
again a model I have never heard of and I can't find out anything about here are the pictures and if anyone knows anything all gratefully received. When I blow up one of the photos I think I can just about make out made in Japan.



Update Dec 2022
Drew Milne has sent me some pictures of his ST400M here it is Thanks Drew

October 2024
A correspondent from Russia has told me the story of his ST-360M it's a great story thought I would repeat it here.
The story of how this guitar appeared for me began 3 years ago. I was 13 years old then, I lived in a small provincial Russian town. My friends and I had a band in which I played bass, but my main dream was an electric guitar, at that time I knew nothing about them, but my friend enlightened me on this topic and told me where I could buy a good guitar. it was the website of a small guitar store in Krasnoyarsk, it was run by a man of about forty, I often surfed this site, looked for a guitar for myself in the region of 30 thousand rubles, and then, one day, I see it: a Japanese stratocaster from 1984 with the proud name YAMAHA ST-360M, of course, I also liked other options, for example, a Yamaha STH-400 in red and a Les Paul from Grass Roots, but my soul was more in the ST-360M. I worked in my mother's store for 4 months to buy a guitar, and having saved up for it not without the help of relatives who added money to me for it, my father and I went to Krasnoyarsk to get it. 9 hours in a cold bus and we were there, staying with relatives. I called this store to find out if they had the guitars I wanted to look at, to which I received in response that only a stratocaster was left. Arriving at this store the next day, I carefully examined it, and playing the first thing that came to my mind on it, I immediately realized that this was my guitar and it was waiting for me. I bought it without hesitation, and now, it's been 2 years of my ownership, I have already moved to study in another city, but it is still with me, I carefully look after it and in my free time I do not let it out of my hands. I think it will stay with me until the end of my days and will pass it on as an inheritance.


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