Yamaha SL600S Studio Lord, made in Japan 1978, brown sunburst. We love vintage Yamaha stuff around here; they're some of the best playing and best value guitars going around. The Studio Lord series was Yamaha's take on the Les Paul Standard, made between 1976-82 out of Japan. The build quality on offer is spectacular: this is meticulously hand made with utmost care. The maple top and mahogany body are both lovely pieces of wood; there's some tasty grain on show. Tone-wise; the thick, juicy midrange is an absolute delight. The pickups have an eloquent sparkly treble and a nice natural dynamic range. The body isn't chambered so this has that classic LP heft; but that adds a certain assuredness to the feel and tone. Feel free to spend 4-5 times the coin on a vintage Gibson example, but this little overachiever is surely going to give it a real scare for feel and tone.

Model: Yamaha Studio Lord SL600S
Made: Japan, 1980 (serial 001601)
Finish: brown sunburst over plain maple
Body: 2-piece mahogany, plain maple top
Neck: maple, 3-piece, rosewood board, 24.75" scale, 9.5" radius
Weight: 4.3kg approx
Mods: none
Neck pickup: Yamaha covered PAF-style humbuckers
Case: basic non original gig bag

Cosmetic condition notes: minor finish wear. Headstock has a few minor marks on the end. Neck is pretty clean, minor dimples and light discolouration on the binding only. The back has no major marks, just some light but widespread little scratches. The sides are also pretty clean, just some light scuffs on both horns and the shoulder area, as well as some little dimples and marks near the jack. The front is pretty slick, just a couple of dimples near the knobs and some normal play wear on the guard and top horn. 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 pretty good, there's some normal wear but they're pretty even and free of major buzz issues, 6/10 for fret life left. Wearing fresh 10/52 Moonshiners strings.