Yamaha Studio Lord SL500 Les Paul style in classic cherry sunburst, made in Japan in 1978. These Studio Lord models are amazingly well built, they're a great example of meticulous vintage Japanese craftsmanship. The cherry sunburst has aged beautifully and really shows off the grain of the maple, she's definitely a looker! The slim 3-piece neck feels great, it's very comfortable and the guitar feels perfectly balanced. The pickups produce a thick, full sound; the bridge pickup especially has that perfect LP crunch. It's got a few bumps and bruises from forty years of playing, but has aged pretty gracefully all in all. It'll certainly keep some far more expensive guitars honest!

Model: Yamaha Studio Lord SL500
Made: Japan, 1978 (serial 002478)
Finish: red sunburst over plain maple
Body: agathis/asian mahogany, sandwich style
Neck: maple, 3-piece
Pickup: original Yamaha uncovered humbucker, 6.89k(n)/6.93k(b) ohms 
Case: none

Cosmetic condition notes: minor finish wear. It's got some dings on the top, a proper ding in the binding near the rear strap pin and another near the pickup switch cover on the back, some little chips in the headstock, a fair bit of buckle rash and some discolouration from a since-removed sticker on the back. The cream plastics have yellowed with age, and there's some mild aging on the chrome. Curiously, one of the machine heads has been replaced with a gold one, although not the actual peg, just the back.  There's some corrosion the pickup poles. Overall: good condition (7/10)

Playing condition notes: action is low, neck is straight, intonation is good, truss rod works. All electronics tested and working properly. Frets have some normal wear, they're not in need of immediate attention, 7/10 for life left. Wearing fresh 10/46s and playing very nicely!