Whats this SG worth?

[pir8matt]

Picked this up on CL over the weekend. I had been looking for a White SG for awhile now, but the necks are almost always too thin for my tastes.



Not this one though. Its got a big ole hefty piece o' wood there. Serial # says its a '96. Its in decent shape, some buckle rash that isn't through the paint and finish checking around the nut that makes me think someone must have had it on a wall hanger at some point.

Other than that, seems bone stock. Its set up well and sounds decent, I've never been a fan of those late 90's 496/T/R pickups, which I imagine this has, but they have decent output and give the guitar some honk.

I bought it with the idea of providing a home to a set of 4 conductor BB pro's that I've got with aged covers on them, and add a push pull pot for coil tapping. I was thinking of throwing a black PG on it to better contrast the aged white finish, (which obviously has a yellow patina to it now).

The thing is, I wonder if its worth the trouble? Depending on what the guitar is worth, it might make more sense to flip it and just buy one of those SG's that guitar center made available awhile back with the BB 1 and 3 in it that already have factory installed push-pulls.

I know these were the lowest end SG's you could buy in '96, but its an uncommon color and going on 15 years old now. The guy I bought it from told me he was selling it to me for the same amount he paid for it when he bought it used in '98, so from his perspective, at least, it didn't appreciate at all. I think its probably worth a little more, but not a ton.

What do ya'll think? Just curious.

[rybass]

I've been watching 90's white specials on ebay for a few months. They go from $400-$800 depending on the condition and what case comes with it and who's buying at the moment. If you sell it make sure you point out it has an ebony board.

[pir8matt]

Originally Posted by rybass

I've been watching 90's white specials on ebay for a few months. They go from $400-$800 depending on the condition and what case comes with it and who's buying at the moment. If you sell it make sure you point out it has an ebony board.

Yeah, it was kind of weak in the case department. Came with kind of a fugly gigbag. A hard case would compliment it nicely.

I'm not entirely sure that it has an ebony board. If it is, its dried up a bit, seems more rosewoody to me in appearance. It photographed dark but its pretty light in person.

I paid towards the lower end of the range you're describing. I figure its worth, on the high end, around $750, but it'd probably take a little while to move it if that was my holdout price.

I'll probably do the upgrades I was considering and just keep the old PG and pickups intact so I can put it back to stock, should I ever decide to sell it down the road. Probably needs a few more years to become 'collectible'.

I'm sure I'll run across a better case eventually, too.

[rybass]

Hmmm... If it is yellow stock then yes it would have a rosewood board. The white ones tend to turn a cream color; they def had ebony boards.

Still a cool find. If it's a good player I would keep it and mod it to your liking. You don't see them everyday.

[pir8matt]

Originally Posted by rybass

Hmmm... If it is yellow stock then yes it would have a rosewood board. The white ones tend to turn a cream color; they def had ebony boards.

Still a cool find. If it's a good player I would keep it and mod it to your liking. You don't see them everyday.

Well, the seller told me it was white when he got it and it's turned yellow over time, and I didn't have any reason to doubt him. I haven't opened the control cavity, which I guess would probably shed some light on that (so to speak).

But its got that 'faded to yellow' look to it, its not as even as the pic makes it out to be. I have a friend that has one of the 3-knob SG's from around that same period of time (less desirable IMO) that was white when he got it and yellowed in a similar fashion. But his has what is unmistakably an ebony board. Its just very very dark.

Curiouser and curiouser..still, it is a nice player and the price was right. I'll probably go ahead with my upgrade plans and see how I like it when I'm done.

Thanks for the feedback!