« Gibson Marauder »

The Marauder was a mid 70's attempt by Gibson to compete with the cheap Japanese copies which were flooding the west at that time. Although it was never particularly cheap (around £300 in the UK, which was quite a wedge in those days) they were considerably cheaper than a Les Paul.
Mine is the original '75 production with the natural finish (there was also a wine-red finish available), maple or alder body and rosewood fingerboard. It also sports the original three-way pick-up selector switch (much better than those horrible chicken headed pots on the later models).
As befits a 40-year-old veteran the finish is not perfect and there are a few dings in the bodywork, but they always say you should never refinish a vintage guitar as it ruins the value and they don't affect the sound.
It has the original Bill Lawrence pick-ups. The neck is a standard double-coil humbucker. The bridge is not, as many people think, a single coil but is actually a specially designed double-blade humbucker.
The action has never been altered since I got it and has always been low and fast. It's a dream to play and it weighs a lot less than a Les Paul.
Sound wise I've played it through Marshall and Fender amps and always been happy with the sound. I don't play heavy rock or metal but I find it perfect for blues (especially swamp blues), country (using the bridge pick-up gives a fair imitation of a Tele) and rock and roll.
All in all I'd recommend this guitar to anyone who wants the Gibson name without the Gibson price tag.