This is an all original Les Paul Artist from 1980 with an amazing flame top. This flame top is the kind most players want these days where the flames are a little subtle, but show off differently as you rotate the guitar. They are just beautiful. None of the other Les Paul Artists on Reverb have anywhere close to this degree of flame on the top. The electronics on this guitar are the original Moog electronics that this guitar came with and they all function perfectly. This guitar was the top of the line for Gibson Les Pauls in 1980 and the highest priced Les Paul they sold at that time. The guitar was made in Nashville (all the Les Paul Artists were made in Nashville). All of the Les Paul Artists were made between 1979 and 1981. It has the classic carved maple top on a mahogany body. The fret board is ebony. Brass nut. Plated brass bridge with fine tuners on the bridge (these come in very handy). The unique headstock design contains both pearl and abalone. The guitar plays great with low action up and down the neck. The guitar has some mild crazing in the finish as you would expect in a 56 year old guitar, but I think it makes this guitar just cooler. There is some buckle rash on the back of the guitar, but it is mostly the kind that consists of indentations, not breaks in the finish. There are no repaired neck breaks on this guitar nor any repairs at the heel of the neck. The frets are in good shape. The sound of this guitar is simply amazing. With the Moog electronics disengaged, you can get the tones you would expect to get in a typical Les Paul; but when the Moog circuits are engaged, it opens up an entirely new palate of tones. The toggle switches perform the following functions: 1) Brightness 2) Expansion 3) Compression. There is a volume control and two tone controls. The treble tone control and the bass tone control have a notch which you can easily feel. Set the knob above or below this notch and you are actively "cutting" or "boosting" the treble or bass. There is a 9v battery in the control cavity which engages when the guitar is plugged in. The neck is 5-piece laminated maple with a volute. There is some very nice figure in the neck of this guitar. The fit and finish of this guitar and the attention to detail is first class as this was their top of the line Les Paul guitar. I have owned this guitar for a long time and it has lived in my temperature/humidity controlled, non-smoking, non-pet studio. This guitar as been well-cared for for its entire life. There were fewer than 500 of these guitars made for global distribution. You will not find one again with wood this beautiful. Note that the Les Paul Artists that have had the Moog electronics taken out are not worth nearly as much as the ones with the Moog electronics in the guitar as original. This one is totally intact.