There were 4 launches or ranges of these guitars so I will split the details that way.
They have some features which are common to all models, similar to Gibson they are 24.752 scale, 22 Frets and 43mm nut width,
with 2 Humbuckers but they have a flatter board radius of around 13.75" compared to Gibson's 10" to 12". They all
weigh around 4.2 to 4.5kgs
Body | Neck | Fretboard | Headstock | Hardware | Tuners | Pickups | Colours | |
SL380 | Agathis Maple Top | Bolt on Maple | Rosewood Trapezoid Block Inlays | Yamaha with Studio Lord written on and SL380 on truss rod cover | Chrome | Chrome Yamaha diecast | L2 | Red Sunburst, Brown Sunburst |
SL430S | Agathis Maple Top | Set Maple | Rosewood Rectangular Block Inlays | Yamaha Bound black lines in binding No model name just double arrowhead logo and SL430 on the truss rod cover | Chrome | Chrome Yamaha Diecast | L2 | Black |
SL500 | Agathis Maple Top | Set Maple | Rosewood Trapezoid Block Inlays | Yamaha with Studio Lord written on and SL500 on truss rod cover | Chrome | Chrome Yamaha Diecast | L2 | Red Sunburst or Brown Sunburst |
SL550 | Agathis Maple Top | Set Mahogany | Rosewood Trapezoid Block Inlays | Yamaha Bound with black lines on the binding no model name just double arrowhead logo and SL550 on truss rod cover | Chrome | Chrome Yamaha Sealed Diecast | L2 | Black |
SL650 | Mahogany Maple Top | Set Mahogany | Rosewood Rectangular Block Inlays | Yamaha Bound black lines in binding No model name just double arrowhead logo and SL650 on the truss rod cover | Gold | Gold Yamaha Sealed Diecast | Split | Black |
SL700 | Mahogany Maple Top | Set Mahogany | Ebony Trapezoid Block Inlays | Yamaha with Studio Lord written on and SL700 on truss rod cover | Gold some chrome in 1979 | Gold Yamaha Sealed Diecast some chrome in 1979 | split | Red Sunburst |
SL800 | Mahogany Maple Top | Set Maple | Rosewood Trapezoid Block Inlays | Yamaha with Studio Lord written on and SL800 on truss rod cover | Chrome except in 78 and 79 the Red Sunburst model had gold | Chrome Yamaha Sealed Diecast some Gold in 1978 and 1979 | split | Red Sunburst or Brown Sunburst |
SL1000 | Mahogany Maple Top | Set Mahogany | Ebony Rectangular Block Inlays | Yamaha Bound black lines in binding No model name just double arrowhead logo and SL1000 on the truss rod cover | Gold | Gold Yamaha Sealed Diecast | L1 split | Black |
SL1200 | Mahogany Maple Top | Set Mahogany | Ebony Rectangular Block Inlays | Yamaha Bound black lines in binding No model name just double arrowhead logo and SL1200 on the truss rod cover | Gold | Gold Yamaha Sealed Diecast | L1 split | Red Sunburst |
The 380 500 and the 800 for some reason have no inlay on the first fret all the others do
Body | Neck | Fretboard | Headstock | Hardware | Tuners | Pickups | Colours | |
SL400S | Agathis Maple Top | Bolt on Mahogany | Rosewood Trapezoid Block Inlays | Yamaha with Studio Lord written on and Standard SL400S on truss rod cover | Chrome | Chrome Yamaha diecast | L2 | Black, Red Sunburst, Brown Sunburst |
SL500S | Agathis Maple Top | Set Mahogany | Rosewood Trapezoid Block Inlays | Yamaha with Studio Lord written on and Standard SL500S on truss rod cover | Chrome | Chrome Yamaha Diecast | L3 split* | Red Sunburst, Brown Sunburst |
SL700s | Mahogany Maple Top | Set Maple | Rosewood Trapezoid Block Inlays | Yamaha with Studio Lord written on and Standard SL700S on truss rod cover | Chrome | Chrome Yamaha Diecast | L3 split | Red Sunburst or Brown Sunburst |
SL700C Custom | Mahogany solid | Set Mahogany | Ebony Rectangular Block Inlays | Yamaha bound with black lines in binding No model name just double arrowhead logo and SL700C on the truss rod cover | Gold | Gold Yamaha Sealed Diecast | L4 splits | Black or Red Sunburst |
SL800s | Mahogany Maple Top | Set Maple | Ebony Trapezoid Block Inlays | Yamaha with Studio Lord written on and Standard SL800S on truss rod cover | Chrome | Yamaha Sealed Diecast | L5 split | Oil Stain or Tobacco Sunburst |
Update August 2020
*I now know that not all SL500S guitars were fitted with coil tap. This has arisen following some correspondence with
Andy in Australia he has an SL500S all original without the push push switches and without splitable humbuckers.
Further investigation has revealed that there are original SL500S guitars with and without coil tap. I suspect the earlier
ones didn't have it but the later ones did. I can't prove that though.
Body | Neck | Fretboard | Headstock | Hardware | Tuners | Pickups | Colours | |
SL450S | Agathis Maple Top | Set Maple | Rosewood Trapezoid block inlays | Yamaha with Studio Lord written on and Standard SL450S on truss rod cover | Chrome | Chrome Plastic Handles* | L2 | Black, Red Sunburst, Brown Sunburst |
SL550S | Agathis Maple Top | Set Maple | Rosewood Trapezoid Block Inlays | Yamaha with Studio Lord written on and Standard SL550S on truss rod cover | Chrome | Chrome Plastic Handles | L3 split | Red Sunburst, Oil Stain or Tobacco Sunburst |
Body | Neck | Fretboard | Headstock | Hardware | Tuners | Pickups | Colours | |
LP400 | Agathis Maple Top | Set Mahogany | Rosewood Trapezoid Block Inlays | Open Book Lord Player in Gold Standard LP400 on Truss Rod Cover no binding | Chrome | Chrome Plastic Handles* | 2 Alnico Vs | Black, Red Sunburst, Brown Sunburst or Tobacco Sunburst |
LP500 | Mahogany Maple Top | Set Mahogany | Rosewood Trapezoid Block Inlays | Open Book Lord Player in Gold Standard LP500 on Truss Rod Cover no binding | Chrome | Chrome Plastic Handles | 2 Alnico Vs | Black, Red Sunburst, Brown Sunburst or Tobacco Sunburst |
LP600 | Mahogany | Set Mahogany | Rosewood Trapezoid Block Inlays | Open Book Lord Player in Gold Standard LP600 on Truss Rod Cover no binding | Chrome | Chrome Plastic Handles | 2 Alnico Vs | Black, Red Sunburst or Brown Sunburst |
LP800 Custom | Mahogany Maple Top | Set Mahogany | Ebony Rectangular Block Inlays | Plain Bound Open Book No model name just double arrowhead logo and Custom on the truss rod cover | Chrome or Gold | Chrome or Gold Yamaha Sealed Diecast | 2 Spinex coil splits** see note below | Black Red Sunburst or Violin Sunburst |
LP1000 Standard | Mahogany Maple Top | Set Mahogany | Rosewood Trapezoid Block Inlays | Open Book Lord Player in Gold Standard LP1000 on Truss Rod Cover no binding | Chrome | Yamaha Sealed Diecast | 2 Spinex coil splits | Brown Sunburst or Red Sunburst |
LP 1000 Custom | Mahogany Solid | Set Mahogany | Ebony Rectangular Block Inlays | Bound black lines in binding Open Book No model name just double arrowhead logo and Custom on the truss rod cover | Gold | Gold Yamaha Sealed Diecast | 2 HBs with Coil Splits | Only seen black |
* See earlier page it is known that the LP400 continued into 1986 and the later models had chrome sealed diecast
tuners I do not know if any of the other models continued after 1985
Update May 2023
I have now heard of two LP800C guitars that don't have Spinex pickups. The catalogues and archives
plainly say that this model does have Spinex. I don't think the guitars in question have been changed but its hard to tell.
**July 2023
I am no longer sure about the LP800C having Spinex pickups at all, all the catalogues I have seen and the Yamaha archives
say they do but I have seen pictures of pickups from 2 unmodified LP800Cs which are plainly not Spinex and two other
people who own this model have said their's do not have spinex either.
I did not think the LP1000 custom existed until I saw one on the excellent Elite Vintage Guitars pages. At
first I thought it might be a miss labelled LP 800 but on speaking to Jay from Elite he tells me (and he
would know) that it is a 1000 custom and the neck joins the body differently from the 800 and when you take
off the pickups you can see that it is cut from one solid piece of wood. I have since compared the 800 custom
and 1000 custom and the bindings are slightly different. Jay gave me permission to use any of his pictures.
Thanks Jay
Please note that the LP1000 Custom is from 1979 much earlier than the others.
Stephen Samarjia has sent me a translation of a Japanese specs sheet from a catalogue, here it is thanks Stephen