Yamaha LP Series — The Successor to the Studio Lord Line

After discontinuing the SL series, Yamaha transitioned to the LP series around 1985.
The most visible change was in the headstock shape,
but the materials and construction were also revised.

The Studio Lord had not been a commercial success—
likely because it was an awkward, halfway copy of the Les Paul.
In fact, I never knew anyone who actually used one back in the day.

Yamaha seems to have taken that experience to heart.
Recognizing the importance of appearance,
they moved toward creating a visually faithful reproduction.
Thus emerged the LP series, clearly designed to look as close to a Gibson as possible.

The small headstock was now a perfect Gibson-style shape,
and all models featured mahogany necks.
At least in outward appearance, the complete-copy ideal was achieved.

But structurally, the design took a step backward.
Yamaha reintroduced the “pancake” body—
a construction method long abandoned by other makers.
For players who had come to appreciate
the craftsmanship of Tokai and Greco’s high-quality replicas,
this decision must have felt out of touch.

In the end, the LP series proved even less successful
than the Studio Lord line it replaced.

Weight: 4.24 kg (including strings)
(Updated August 24, 2016)