New (Vintage) Guitar Day - Deal of the Decade!!!

[GibsonLives]

Well, below is a pic of the '74 Gibson Les Paul Custom that I got today. This thing is surprisingly clean, and not just because it's nearly four decades old, all-original (including the case), and plays very well. But by far the best thing about this guitar has got to be the ridiculous deal I got on it. $2299 plus shipping from Killer Vintage in St. Louis, Missouri. I'm still blown away at just how well I did, buyer's market or not. Okay, now that I've had a chance to brag shamelessly, I'll give my fellow TGPers a fun little assignment: tell me about YOUR personal "deal of the decade". This should be fun....though probably not quite as fun as playing my new (old) guitar!
Steve

 

[your name here]

About six years ago, I bought an all original fiesta red 1962 lefty strat from the original owner. All that was missing was the original case (it got water damaged, so he threw it out - it was the molded plastic "sunglasses" case. ) and the trem bar. I paid $1,000. I still have it, and it's awesome.

 

[VJF]

What do these normally go for? I'm not familiar with pricing on 70's Les Pauls

Congrats on your new vintage guitar!

 

[jpftribe]

What do these normally go for? I'm not familiar with pricing on 70's Les Pauls

Congrats on your new vintage guitar!

About $2300..

 

[josuwa]

It wasn't really the deal of the decade... Customs of that era go for +- 2500-2700$

 

[Lublin]

Congrats on the guitar. You paid normal market price.

 

[Timmo]

Jeez......
Nothing like 'crapping' all over a guy's 'brand new love'.


I don't know prices on these now but I can say, one of my favorite ALL TIME guitars was a '74 Gibson Les Paul Custom 20th Anniversary model in creme. Don't let ALL the Norlin bs influence you.

Enjoy that beautiful LPC.

 

[jpftribe]

Jeez......
Nothing like 'crapping' all over a guy's 'brand new love'.


I don't know prices on these now but I can say, one of my favorite ALL TIME guitars was a '74 Gibson Les Paul Custom 20th Anniversary model in creme. Don't let ALL the Norlin bs influence you.

Enjoy that beautiful LPC.

Yeah, I agree, I wasn't trying to make fun of the OP with my post. My point was someone asked what they go for when the guy clear said what he paid for it.

Nice Axe, love the LP from any era. Some of the best rock and roll was made with 70 LP's. Congrats on the find.

 

[erksin]

Norlin era LPs aren't worth much, and are generally considered driftwood.

It's so awesome that this misguided mentality still persists - enables guys like me to score kickass quality vintage guitars for a stupidly low price.

I'll take this cheap ass hunk of one-piece Honduran Mahogany with a beautiful Rosewood fingerboard 'driftwood' guitar over any new Gibson - and at 1/2 the price of new too.

 

[KFBR392]

I would rather have a Norlin era Gibson than a new one with all of the alternative woods on them. Give me a '72 ES-335, 345, or 325 and I would be a very happy guy.

 

[Timmo]

Yeah, I agree, I wasn't trying to make fun of the OP with my post. My point was someone asked what they go for when the guy clear said what he paid for it.

Nice Axe, love the LP from any era. Some of the best rock and roll was made with 70 LP's. Congrats on the find.

 

[musicofanatic5]

The question is: do you dig the guitar for what it is or for the perceived "deal" you got it for? You referred to the "ridiculous deal" as "the best thing about this guitar", and now you have been informed that the price you paid is far from the "deal of the century". Hope you still dig it. Really, I do!

Now, a '62 Fiesta red Strat for a thousand bucks??? THAT is the deal of the century, and an actual vintage (pre-1970) guitar! Holy smokes!!



Many here wail and gnash their teeth over the "reality checks" handed out on some of these NGD posts. I am not entirely sure what motivates one to place such a post. Is it an expectation of virtual felaciating? Felacio is fun, but ya gotta watch out for the teeth, too!

 

[klatuu]

felacio? He the guy that remade "light my fire"?

 

[Cottage]

Congrats on a great looking axe. I love to see those cherryburst customs with the cream plastic. Great score, pal. Enjoy it!

 

[rastus]

Looks like a great guitar, Congrats. I like the cream plastic on the burst ones, much better looking to me than the black plastic. I'd say that this buyer's market put you into a great axe at a really fair price. Enjoy that beatiful guitar!

 

[vanguard]

don't know if that's gonna win you deal of the day, let alone deal of the decade. congrats on a guitar you enjoy, however.

 

[Texsunburst59]

HNGD.I love Sunburst LP's period. I waited a LONG time before I was able to score a great deal on an LP. I'd wanted one since the mid 70's,but couldn't find "THE ONE" until it fell in my lap in '84. I scored an '80 LP Quilted Standard w/ original case for $500. I know that's a while back,but for this guitar it's a steal.

My only other Killer deal was my '74 Fender Jazz for $59.99 + tax at a pawnshop in 2008.

 

[GibsonLives]

The responses - in true TGP fashion, of course - ran the spectrum, and were, uh...interesting to say the least lol.

To clarify very quickly, when I said that the best thing by far was the killer deal I got, what I meant was the price in relation to either a new LP Custom or other Customs I've seen from this era (see details below). I love this guitar, and wouldn't buy something I didn't really dig just because the price was low. A few of you who commented on this thread know what I'm talking about; a well-aged vintage piece which has literally stood the test of time is preferable to me over what Nashville is currently stamping out at break-neck speeds...cheaper, too, and with far more room for appreciation in value.
I'm not going to argue with anyone on the quality of '70s Gibsons; that's been done to death, and you either love or hate 'em. Likewise, I won't try to dissuade anyone's opinions on their actual values; instead, I'll use two distinct sources which will do that for me:

1. The 2012 Vintage Guitar Price Guide lists the '74 Custom at between $3800 and $4800. Admittedly, that is for a piece in "excellent condition" - while I'd put mine not quite there, but not too terribly far off either. Nonetheless, even if it's worth $3300 - a thousand more than I paid, but still five hundred below the lowest of VGPG's price-range, it's a killer deal.

2. For those - and I'm sometimes one of them - who doubt the accuracy of price guides, do what I did: check Ebay, Gbase, and numerous online retailers such as Guitar Center Vintage, Olivia's Vintage Guitars, Gruhn, Rainbow, Norman's Rare Guitars, Chicago Music Exchange, etc., for weeks on end. Compare prices for '70s-early-'80s all-original Customs in really clean shape, and when you find one for less than $2500, add the link to this thread. In fact, this challenge I present is done less from spite than it is from a desire to find more deals of the caliber I just made, so anyone who doubts me, please play along; either way, I win .

Steve

 

[bobbradley]

les paul customs from the early 70's are going for 3500 all day long.......if they have the pickups and no breaks etc. have been for awhile.

 

[GibsonLives]

Bobbradley, that's my point. To me, $3500 in a buyer's market is pure highway robbery, and my feeling is that people who post prices in that range either don't really want to sell, are waiting for a genuine sucker, or are simply stuck in the pre-recession era. Even Ebay, which used to be a place to score a decent deal, has become a haven for outlandish asking prices and ridiculous expectations. Not to say they actually SELL for that much, but it's insane to ask that just the same, IMO. Ironically, I've found that stores often have more realistic asking prices, despite whatever markup they may have to deal with from business licenses, brick-and-mortar locations, and the like. I guess a store really feels the pinch when times get tough, and realize that they are in the business to sell no matter what. Thus, on top of the $2299 deal on this LP from Killer Vintage, I also scored a beautiful all-original and super-clean Dan Smith Strat from Olivia's Vintage in Illinois for $1795 last fall, shiping included. I would strongly advise all vintage gear hunters to check with actual stores before taking their chances on Ebay, etc. In-jand descriptions, approval periods, and the knowledge that they're not fly-by-night operations only make the buying experience that much more pleasureable. Just my $0.02 .
Steve