Yamaha Studio Lord SL600S - Sunburst, Lawsuit era, approx. 1979

Yamaha Studio Lord SL600S is a Japanese Single Cut electric guitar, manufactured around 1979 at the Nippon Gakki manufacture. The instrument features a mahogany body with a maple top and a three-piece maple neck. In the presented unit, the neck pickup has been replaced with a non-factory humbucker model. In our workshop, the guitar underwent a comprehensive luthier inspection, including a full fret replacement with new ones and fingerboard maintenance.

Technical specification

• Manufacturer: Yamaha
• Model: Studio Lord SL600S
• Year of production: c. 1979
• Body: Mahogany with a Maple top
• Neck: Maple – 3-piece
• Fingerboard: Rosewood
• Frets: Medium Jumbo (Condition: New)
• Pickups: 1x Humbucker (Neck - Upgrade), 1x Yamaha Original Humbucker (Bridge)
• Electronics: Passive (2x Volume, 2x Tone, 3-way switch)
• Visual condition: Good (details in description)
• Finish: Sunburst
• Weight: 3.99 kg / 8.80 lbs

Body and construction The solid body is made of mahogany and features a maple top. The instrument has a Sunburst lacquer finish. A traditional Set-in neck construction is used. The lacquer coating on the body has been cleaned.

Neck and ergonomics The maple neck has a three-piece structure. It is paired with a rosewood fingerboard. The original frets have been completely replaced in our workshop with brand new Medium Jumbo frets, ensuring flawless intonation. The fingerboard surface has been precisely cleaned and maintained.

Sound The instrument features a two-pickup passive circuit.

• Characteristics: The combination of mahogany, maple, and two humbuckers provides a sound with a strong low end and distinct midrange, typical for Single Cut designs.
• Dynamics: The electronic circuit with separate volume and tone controls for each pickup allows for independent signal mixing.

Additional information

• The Studio Lord series from the late 70s was Yamaha's own interpretation of Single Cut guitars during the so-called Lawsuit era.
• The three-piece maple neck construction is designed to increase its rigidity and resistance to deformation.
• The instrument underwent a modification of the electronic circuit – the factory neck pickup was replaced with a non-factory open-coil model.
• The service inspection included: full fret replacement with new ones, fingerboard maintenance, metal hardware cleaning, and truss rod checking and adjustment.

Hardware

• Bridge: Tune-O-Matic with a Stopbar tailpiece – a classic set allowing for intonation and string height adjustment.
• Tuners: Yamaha Die-Cast – closed oil mechanisms. The chrome hardware shows signs of patina resulting from the instrument's age and is fully mechanically functional.

Instrument condition

• Technical condition: The instrument is mechanically and electronically fully functional after verification in our workshop. The truss rod works properly in both directions.
• Visual condition: The front of the instrument presents very well, exposing a clean Sunburst finish. However, the back of the body shows clear signs of use in the form of scratches and lacquer dings resulting from natural wear.
• Setup and Modifications: The neck pickup was replaced with a non-factory humbucker. A full fret replacement with new ones was carried out, along with fingerboard maintenance and full intonation adjustment.

Why choose this instrument

• Set-in construction: The glued neck guarantees proper vibration transfer and long sustain, desired in Single Cut guitars.
• Three-piece neck: A maple neck composed of three pieces of wood provides higher structural stability compared to one-piece necks.
• Pickup modification: The replaced neck pickup expands the basic tonal capabilities of the instrument, offering a different signal characteristic.
• Japanese production: This unit from around 1979 represents the highly valued early production period (Lawsuit era) of the Nippon Gakki manufacture on the secondary market.