Yea, when I get back from vacation I will have to check a little deeper on the poly/nitro thing. I would guess poly though.
I am not sure if it is an RLG-50 or an FLG of some ilk. It does have some different characteristics than MOST of the RLG-50's I have seen. For instance, the one-piece back, and the medium-long Tenon that extends past the neck. Also, it has exactly the same MXCRMO stamped tuners that Villager's FLG-150 has. I have not seen the backs of a whole lot of RLG-50's headstocks, but the few I have seen seem to have blank tuners, i.e., no stamp. Some early Burny's, I think, have fernades stamped tuners. The only other place I have seen these MXCRMO tuners are on a few late seventy and early eight Tokais.
...But, on the other hand, it does not have the braided wires (has black), the serial stamped headstock (neither does Villagers for all I can tell), the double-ring tuners (again, niether does Villagers), nor the oil caps; all of which the Burny paper claims the FLG's to have. It also, like Villager's FLG, has the middle script (like some early eighty RLG's), and not the higher script reminisent of the FLGs according to the Burny paper.
So, with that said, as of now, with the information I can find, it is EITHER an early, and somewhat rarer (via the 1-piece back) RLG-50, or some sort of early 80's transistion FLG(/RLG?) model very similar, though probably not as high grade, to Villagers FLG-150 birdseye.
I know one thing though, this is the absolute best sounding Les Paul I have ever played. It truly blows away everything else. Two guitar playing friends of mine, plus myself, have played both this guitar, my other Burny, and a mid 70's Gibbson, a mid-80's studio, and a 98 Standard, and we all agree none of them can touch this one. My other Burny, although a great guitar, and probably the second favorite of the ones mentioned, is not even close.
Pray for Peace,
Brock
Edit: Oh, I just weighed it, 8 pounds 8 ounces. Also weighted my other burny, a shade under 10 pounds. Both these sellers claimed weights of between 8 and 8.5 pounds. I think these ebay sellers need some new scales.
and while I was at it, Bacchus SRV, 8.7 I think, and the 62ri, 8.4 (does that sound right MIJ?), PGM-moon mahog strat and my 76 Strat, a massive 10 pounds.; I hope the fish I catch up north can match the weight of these beasts!