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| Are you a left-handed player looking for a Les Paul® that will outperform most of Gibson®'s examples? The FujiGen Gakki factory produced extremely high-quality copies of famous USA guitars (and indeed copied some Japanese guitars as well - notably Ibanez® models!) for the local Japanese market, and they were doing so well beyond the 'lawsuit' era that saw Ibanez, for instance, stop using the Gibson® open-book headstock design. One can only assume that the Norlin lawsuit didn't chase these Japanese home-market guitars as they were not being sold in the main Gibson® markets of the USA and Europe. This example, serial number 9 6690, dates from 1989, and shows the typical high quality and accuracy of the period. The neck is joined to the body with the desirable 'long tenon' joint (abandoned many years previously by Gibson® as a cost-cutting measure), and the body is solid Mahogany (2-piece) with a beautiful 2-piece solid Maple cap. Just like the best of the vintage Gibson® Les Pauls®! The fretboard is a lovely dark, dense Indian Rosewood - it never ceases to amaze me how the Japanese were able to consistently source such high-grade timbers for their guitar manufacture. And it's a leftie! The guitar is in amazing low-mileage condition, but has had the pickguard removed by the previous owner. It even has the original protective paper over the rear covers! No buckle marks, the tiniest amount of fret wear (truly negligible), and only the occasional chip to indicate that this guitar has ever been handled. Check out the 'more pictures' link below. The original sunburst has faded nicely, and the pickup surrounds and binding have yellowed with age. Woods have aged nicely, and the guitar weighs in at a very comfortable 3.55 kilos, or 7.8 pounds. It is very resonant, and rings loudly when strummed acoustically, a sure sign of a good 'Paul! No case with this one - we imported it directly from Japan, and it came with a gig bag. A suitable hard case can be supplied at cost if needed.
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