Yamaha SL-700S — Second-Tier Model of the Late Studio Lord Series

This model occupies the second tier of the late Studio Lord (SL) series and features a mahogany neck.

A quick glance reveals that the Studio Lord line was never intended as an exact copy.
Not only are the headstock and truss-rod cover shapes distinct,
but even the body dimensions differ slightly.
The neck appears wider relative to the body,
and the body itself feels thicker—
giving the instrument a playing feel somewhat removed from that of a true Les Paul.

This design approach must be understood in the context of the “lawsuit era.”
Yamaha, as a large and visible corporation, could not simply ignore legal risk.
Compared with the smaller companies that pushed the limits of imitation,
Yamaha’s attitude could be described—if somewhat cynically—as
that of a prudent follower, staying close enough to the speeding car ahead
without being the one pulled over.
It was a kind of corporate shrewdness that one might even call inevitable.

Their stance, in essence, was:
“We are building original guitars inspired by the Les Paul—
not direct copies.”
Yet, the market did not respond positively.
Players wanted either full originality or faithful replication,
not a compromise somewhere between.
That lesson ultimately led Yamaha to develop the LP series,
which pursued the concept of a true copy model.

This particular example features a three-piece hard-maple top
with clearly visible flek grain,
a one-piece mahogany back, and a striped-ebony fingerboard.
Unlike the top-grade SL-800S, the inlays here are pearl-cell (pearloid) rather than real mother-of-pearl.

Weight: 4.55 kg (including strings)
(Updated August 28, 2016)