Hello and thanks for viewing my listing for what is definitely NOT your typical Epiphone Les Paul model electric guitar as is this is a rare, Japanese-made Elite LP which is no longer available. Any questions and inspection are welcome and you are invited to bid with confidence from a trusted EBayer and life-long guitar enthusiast.For sale is a fantastic and very rare Japanese made Les Paul from Epiphone. Part of Epiphone's Elite series (later called the Elitist series), these guitars are the highest spec Epiphone Les Paul's ever made (costing twice the price of the standard model) and are no longer in production. This example was manufactured in Japan's legendary Fuji-Gen factory in 2002 and is fitted with Gibson USA electronics as standard. This guitar is from the first run of the Elite series and has Gibson stamped on the truss-rod cover as opposed to the later models that said "Elitist" (production of later examples also moved to the Matsumoko plant in Japan). The pickups are custom wound by Gibson for this line of guitars specifically. Tonally they have a nice vintage LP sound to them, with a full and robust body to them but still very pronounced and present. The neck pickup is full and jazzy with great bass response, and the bridge pickup has a nice treble end to them without thinning out. When met with overdrive or distortion you easily conjure up absolutely classic, creamy rock and roll or blues tones. This is a very easy playing instrument, with a comfortable low action and no choking or fret-buzzing.  The neck is a nice blend between Gibson's 50's and 60's shape so it is thin but not too thin and fits very comfortably in hand. The weight is 10 lbs. 14 oz. which is within the typical range for a traditional, all-solid non-weight relieved Les Paul giving it fantastic sustain and classic, fat Les Paul tone. Cosmetically this guitar is in good condition overall, with plenty of surface scratching and pick wear as well as a little bit of buckle rash, swirling and scratches along the back just adding to the appeal of this very cool guitar.  The electrics are in excellent working order with no scratchiness in the controls.   Included with this instrument is the original plush hard-shell case which is in great condition. This is a truly fantastic instrument, pound for pound just as good if not better than the majority of Gibson manufactured Les Paul's at half the price, a great bargain for an incredible guitar.  Check out the specs and a bit of history below.The Elitist Series was made at the Terada and Fuji-gen factories in Japan. Originally called the Elite Series, Epiphone was forced to change the name because of a conflict with an Ovation line of guitars already bearing the Elite moniker.  The same Terada and Fuji-Gen guitar factories that made all of the Orville by Gibson and Orville guitars were used to make the Gibson/Yamano Gakki Epiphone Elite and Epiphone Elitist series with the Terada guitar factory mostly making the semi acoustic models and the Fuji-Gen guitar factory mostly making the solid body models.  The Elitist guitars were made to very high specifications. Most of the parts were made in Japan but some parts were made in other countries, including the USA and Germany. These guitars cost more than twice as much as a standard Epiphone guitar. The Elitist series was discontinued in 2008, with the exception of the Casino model.  The Epiphone Elitist Series includes features such as real Abalone and Pearl inlays, bone nuts and saddles, hand-rubbed finishes, USA strings and meticulous adjustment and set-up. Japanese Domestic Market Elitists use the Gibson-style open-book headstock instead of the Tombstone-shaped headstock.  The Epiphone Elitist guitars are not related to the Epiphone Les Paul Elite, which is a Korean-made semi-hollow guitar similar to the Les Paul-ES.Specifications:Produced 2002-2008.  Now discontinued.  This guitar was made in 2002 and is one of the earliest examples and is all original throughout (except for new strings!)Body:Book-matched African Mahogany bodyBook-matched maple topNeck:1-piece set mahogany neck with dovetail neck jointRosewood fingerboard with trapezoid inlaysTombstone headstock with gold "Les Paul" script2-ply truss rod cover with "Gibson" engravingBone nut24.75" scale1.68" nut widthBinding:Single-ply body & neckElectronics:USA 50SR & 60ST pickups2 Vol. 2 Tone controls3-way selector switchHardware:Nickel hardwareDie-cast Grover tunersTune-o-matic bridge with stopbar tailpieceRaised white pickguardGold speed knobsColour:Black (EB)Happy bidding and thanks for looking!