Yamaha SL500 Studio Lord, made in Japan 1979, brown sunburst. It's no secret that I love these, so hey, here I go again. The Studio Lord was Yamaha's take on the Les Paul, made from 1976-82 approx in Japan. The quality of these guitars is absolutely superb, you feel it straight away in the hands. This one was blessed with a gorgeous three piece plain maple top with grain that looks different on every angle; there's an intriguing depth and majesty to the finish and the several decades have done the mocha brown back and sides and bright amber centre nought but favours. This one came in needing some new pots and a new bridge, so it's been gifted with some nice fresh bits. It's got a fairly hefty fat 50s style neck, which feels great in the hands and seems to bring out the power chords and power poses you've been trying to hide in polite company. The tone... yes, big yes. Thick, punchy bass, balanced by a bell-like clarity through the top end and a wide, expressive midrange... gorgeous. These never last long, especially in this finish, so don't hesitate too long!

Model: Yamaha Studio Lord SL500
Made: Japan, 1979 (serial 004312)
Finish: brown sunburst over plain maple
Body: agathis/mahogany sandwich style, plain maple top
Neck: maple, 2-piece, rosewood board
Weight: 4.530kg
Mods: bridge replaced with Gotoh TOM-style, pots replaced
Neck pickup: Yamaha L-II PAF-style humbucker x2
Case: basic gig bag

Cosmetic condition notes: minor finish wear. There's a couple of minor marks around the edge of the headstock. Neck is clean and smooth in the hands with just some minor dimples on the back. The back has some widespread light scuffs and dimples, no major marks though. The cavity cover has 'Steve Lukather (TOTO) etched into; don't read too much into that! The sides have minor dimples the whole way around, nothing nasty though. The front is pretty tidy, just a few dimples around the elbow area and near the knobs plus some standard play wear on the guard and horns. Overall: very good condition (8/10)

Playing condition notes: Action is low, neck is straight, intonation is good, truss rod works. All electrics tested and working properly. Frets look good, there's minor wear only, 7/10 for fret life left. Wearing fresh 10/52 Moonshiners strings.