Is this a good deal? (335)

[auffredou]

My friend is selling his 1989 sunburst es 335 for $1000 even. When I asked him about it, this was his response:

"it had one headstock repair. a small crack on the back of the neck. all fixed though. its sunburst 1989.. since it had the headstock crack.. im selling it for only a grand"


id normally say that a grand for a 335 is a steal, but i guess it depends on what he means by "all fixed." I mean ill have to take a look at it, but Im not very good at judging things like that. Any thoughts or advice?

 

[RJM/rydog2223]

If the repair was done professionally then I say it would be a decent deal. Depends on what you think about the guitar. Good luck!

 

[auffredou]

thanks rydog. is a crack in the back of the headstock going to have an effect beyond cosmetically? will it affect playability or anything else?

 

[auffredou]

update: he just sent me this message clarifying what he meant by "crack"

"It was a finish crack when i got it.. then it went into the headstock.. so i got that repaired right away. its totally back to normal.. it plays perfectly"

not sure how big a deal this is or how much it devalues it.

 

[RJM/rydog2223]

thanks rydog. is a crack in the back of the headstock going to have an effect beyond cosmetically? will it affect playability or anything else?

I don't know how much truth there is to this(maybe someone can back me up on this one)but that a repaired Gibson headstock is stronger than is was when it came from the factory?? If it was done by a good tech then it should be no problem. Sounds like a pretty good deal. Hope this helps some!
:RoCkIn

 

[gitman]

this is a great deal if you ask me - a very good guitar, it generally plays exellently if set up right and the value will surely not decrease but it probably won't increase either with these models. if you look for a player's guitar then grab it fast !

 

[FFTT]

My neighbor has 3 '85 LP Studio's and the Tobacco burst shows a finish
crack in the headstock since the headstock was made of 3 pieces.
Seems to be purely cosmetic and does not affect the playablity at all.

The '83-'86 ES-335's are going for close to $3000.00, but they are also
limited run re-issues.

Hard to beat $1000.00 for that '89

 

[auffredou]

"I don't know how much truth there is to this(maybe someone can back me up on this one)but that a repaired Gibson headstock is stronger than is was when it came from the factory?? If it was done by a good tech then it should be no problem. Sounds like a pretty good deal. Hope this helps some!"


really? seems weird...

how should i expect this thing to sound compared to my les paul studio? i was planning on getting a strat next to compliment it, and the 335 has always been my "someday..." guitar, but im feeling like this is a deal that im not going to find again and it would allow me to get that dream guitar now. im not sure how much different it will be to my current guitar aside from the differences from the hollowbody (at least compared to the difference a strat would give). im just afraid i woudlnt have need to play my les paul.

 

[auffredou]

also, how would an es-135 be similar/differ?

 

[mad dog]

If that guitar speaks to you, don't hesitate. It is a good deal. That's how my '66 ES-335 came to me 15 years ago. Headstock crack, excellent repair, but that was it for the vintage value. I got it for less than half actual value. Tonally, this thing is priceless. I wouldn't have one were it not for that "issue."

 

[hbentley]

might be a great guitar, you should go play it. i know a guy that has a lp with a repaired headstock crack that he thinks is his best guitar (and he's had some ridiculous guitars). i don't buy the the "it was a finish crack that went into the wood" bit though. it was probably just a smaller crack that got bigger. also, don't buy it if you're unsure, cracked guitars are hard to flip if you're unhappy with it.

 

[Mwoodbro]

I agree that the price is good if you like the guitar.

Regarding resale, 'issues' guitars can be harder to move, but usually not if they are priced right.

And lastly, the 'finish crack that went into the wood' sounds to me like a crack that was wrongly diagnosed as a finish crack and later revealed as a crack in the wood.

Good luck.

 

[infiniteposse]

I'd buy it in a heartbeat if you like playing it. I've got a 67 SG that's neck looked like a horror show, but post pro reattachment it's solid as a rock. This one didn't even have much trauma and was dealt with immediately. Use the money you save to drop in Lollar Imperials and a RS Kit and call it a day. Get the Imperials that allow for coil taps as well and then you can get single coil sounds as well. I did that on my Heritage and it's a killer sound.

 

[Drew68]

For a grand, I'd buy this guitar in a second as long as the headstock was properly repaired and it had no other issues.

Headstock repairs seem to be more common than not on older Gibsons. If done correctly, you'll never notice. Think about how much of the rest of the guitar is held together by glue!