Later in the day, after our Futura score, I saw the same couple walking around the Mesquite show with this case in hand. You all know what came next: I stopped them and smiling in disbelief, I said, "There's no way that's another one." The guy shook his head and said, "No, this one is a Les Paul." What he meant was that this was Electra's version of the Les Paul, the X230 and it's almost as nice as our Futura in terms of condition.

The first thing I noticed about this guitar was the gorgeous flamed Maple top. Worthy of almost any R9, it sets off the appearance quite nicely, The gold hardware is still in very good condition, but does show a bit of tarnishing. Considering that this guitar is over 40 years old, I think it's forgivable in this case. Astonishingly, the clear plastic pickguard is not broken or cracked- that's a miracle unto itself. The frets are good and while there are some light surface scratches and a bit of belt worming on the back, they can only be seen by turning the guitar into the reflection of an overhead light.

The neck on this girl is nice and substantial- almost a mix between an R9 and R8, but leaning a tad towards the thicker side. It's quite comfortable in the hands and the guitar has been detailed, set up and restrung with fresh strings. The lid strap inside the case is detached, but the case itself is solid, with all latches working.

You can't hate it when you can get a Les Paul style MIJ guitar for under a grand, but that's exactly what we have here. There's nothing like '80s Japanese goodness, as I call it, so please take a look at the pictures, let us know if you have any questions and as always, we thank you for stopping by!