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UNPLANNED DOWNTIME: 12th Oct 23:45

Les Paul price game

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TanninTannin Frets: 4394
in Guitar
Out of idle curiosity, what do you reckon this guitar is worth?

This guitar was built in the historic Kalamazoo plant in either 1971, 72 or 73 due to Gibson’s random serial numbering at the time.
This guitar has been modified to accept full-size humbucking pickups - a pair of Seymour Duncan Antiquity pickups ( which are worth upwards of $700 alone ).
It features a refinished 'natural' top finish which shows off the grain through the lacquer. This is a players guitar and on its journey it has taken on a few mods including a new bridge installed by industry respected Frank Grubisa, updated Grover tuners, the previously mentioned Seymour Duncan pickups, it has had a professional refret and it has 3 original pots and 1 newer CTS pot. It also has 2 repaired switch holes from a previous, and very common, addition of phase switches… very 70’s.
There is some fretwear evident but still plenty of life left. The rosewood fingerboard is beautiful and the action is smooth and fast with no flat spots or buzzing, all the way up the neck.
The Seymour Duncan Antiquity pickups sound fantastic with sparkly tops and the clear & full bottom end. 
This one has the era-correct small neck volute, wider peg-head, three piece laminated neck, and a four layer ‘pancake’ body.
Has a few nicks here and there from being played and played as the good ones are.
Weighs in at 10.44 lbs. / 4.7kgs which is about right for a 70’s LP.
Comes in a non-original hardshell case in as new condition.




 



I know bugger all about electrics and have zero interest in buying one, but this particular for sale ad caught my attention. Well, OK, it caught my eye because the asking price struck me as hilarious. But then, what I know about electric guitars you could write on the back of a matchbox in crayon. Maybe it really is worth that amount.

Anyway, what's your best guess at a realistic price? And, just for fun, see if you can guess the asking price.

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Comments

  • DrCorneliusDrCornelius Frets: 6476
    Looks very 1970s Mick Ronson which I really like . I’m guessing a realistic price would be £3500 so I’m guessing they are asking £5.5 ?

    I don’t have much experience of vintage Les Paul’s so I’m curious to see how far out I am !
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  • TanninTannin Frets: 4394
    ^ Interesting. I'm going to hold off on saying the asking price for a day or so, just to see what consensus emerges.

    (Note that I don't even know what a new Les Paul goes for, let alone older ones. No idea at all.)
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  • robertyroberty Frets: 10231
    Looks like the one Jonny Greenwood plays. No idea what it's worth. Unmolested 70s Deluxes used to be £2k all day when I last looked, 2017 or so
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  • GoldenEraGuitarsGoldenEraGuitars Frets: 8207
    tFB Trader
    I wouldn’t pay any more than £2k for it. But, I’m not a Les Paul fan or aficionado. 
    • website - https://goldenera-guitars.co.uk/

    • Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@Goldeneraguitars


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  • stickyfiddlestickyfiddle Frets: 24852
    In the current insanitymarket id guess it’s advertised for $11k
    The Assumptions - UAE party band for all your rock & soul desires
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  • guitars4youguitars4you Frets: 12794
    edited September 2023 tFB Trader
    If it was an all original LP Deluxe Gold Top from say 1971 you'd be talking about a potential £4999 asking price for a good example that was 100% kosher - Therefore it has to come down from that prices for a players grade example

    Nothing wrong with a players grade guitar - Often they can be better players especially with a good re-fret - The example above has plenty of character and would appeal to many - I can see many trying it on at £4K, but something closer to £3k should be the order of the day - But I bet your going to tell me its for sale for way more than £5K
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  • Norlin4lifeNorlin4life Frets: 213
    edited September 2023
    According to google it was sold by a dealer for a pretty reasonable price. Fmv now would be about 2.5-3k but I wouldn’t pay that, especially given the Nashville bridge conversion. 
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  • elstoofelstoof Frets: 1583
    Two and half
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  • willowillo Frets: 240
    Given the way that description is written, name drops of obscure techs etc, I'm guessing £7k. Someone trying hard to justify a batshit price.
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  • joeWjoeW Frets: 387
    Worth 2-2.5 but with that in-depth bs description probably 10k : $100 per word seems the current market price for sales crap
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  • Moe_ZambeekMoe_Zambeek Frets: 3238
    2000 for the gibson
    Feedback thread here: https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/60727/
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  • tony99tony99 Frets: 6650
    willo said:
    Given the way that description is written, name drops of obscure techs etc, I'm guessing £7k. Someone trying hard to justify a batshit price.
    Do you mean the "industry respected Frank Grubisa" ?

    Interesting that he doesn't specify which industry exactly.
    Bollocks you don't know Bono !!
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  • duotoneduotone Frets: 885
    “ Comes in a non-original hardshell case in as new condition.”

    Cheeky buggers!

    I’m guessing £5500.
    https://soundcloud.com/user-337741010
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  • DanielsguitarsDanielsguitars Frets: 3097
    tFB Trader
    I only care about my back when it weighs10.44lbs 

    It's a no from me even if they gave it away.
    www.danielsguitars.co.uk
    (formerly customkits)
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  • VoxmanVoxman Frets: 4400
    edited September 2023
    Looks very 1970s Mick Ronson which I really like . I’m guessing a realistic price would be £3500 so I’m guessing they are asking £5.5 ?

    I don’t have much experience of vintage Les Paul’s so I’m curious to see how far out I am !
    My 1990 Les Paul Custom is worth c£3,500 so I'd have thought this would be more?
    I started out with nothing..... but I've still got most of it left (Seasick Steve)
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  • OffsetOffset Frets: 9212
    Yeah, given the hyperbolic blather contained in the sales pitch I think this is going to be a completely stupid price.

    £6k.
    Currently for sale: https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/247085/pro-ject-essential-ii-turntable
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  • BillDLBillDL Frets: 5615
    I'm sorry, but that description, or rather the manner in which it has been written, really annoys me.

    "This guitar was built in the historic Kalamazoo plant in either 1971, 72 or 73 due to Gibson’s random serial numbering at the time".

    No, it wasn't built there because of random serial numbering.  Having to guess the year of manufacture is due to random serial numbering at the factory.  Apart from the shit grammar, and the use of "either" for three possibilities, this vagueness is clearly a disclaimer.

    "... on its journey it has taken on a few mods including a new bridge installed by industry respected Frank Grubisa, updated Grover tuners, the previously mentioned Seymour Duncan pickups, it has had a professional refret .....".

    Did Frank Grubisa (Australian builder?) only replace the bridge, or did he also install the tuners and pickups also?  The way it's worded, this guru seemingly only lifted off the old bridge and plopped a new one on, while other people of varying levels of skill may have drilled out oval holes for new tuners and blobbed lumps of solder all over the control cavity.  Was it the same Frank that did the "professional refret"?

    ".... and it has 3 original pots and 1 newer CTS pot".

    So one pot is likely to last quite a while before needing to be replaced, while the other three might well be on their last legs .... but they are original, albeit with "non-period correct" modern solder blobs on them.

    "This one has the era-correct small neck volute, wider peg-head, three piece laminated neck, and a four layer ‘pancake’ body".

    Why wouldn't it have era-correct features throughout given that it was purportedly made from from 1971 to 1973 in the "historic Kalamazoo factory"? 

    How much?  Only $21,500 Australian dollars?  Wow! OK, I've changed my mind.  That's a bargain.  How much to import it?
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  • sweepysweepy Frets: 4005
    Considering the butchery £2.5 k  tops , you can snaffle up a CS for that if you are savvy and a little ruthless 
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  • Paul_CPaul_C Frets: 7086

     £25k.
    "I'll probably be in the bins at Newport Pagnell services."  fretmeister
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  • OffsetOffset Frets: 9212
    BillDL said:
    How much?  Only $21,500 Australian dollars?
    Shit on a stick - it isn't really that much is it?!
    Currently for sale: https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/247085/pro-ject-essential-ii-turntable
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  • BillDLBillDL Frets: 5615
    No, I just took a guess  :)
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  • SteveRobinsonSteveRobinson Frets: 6565
    tFB Trader
    Offset said:
    BillDL said:
    How much?  Only $21,500 Australian dollars?
    Shit on a stick - it isn't really that much is it?!
    It's sold, but it was a quarter of that
    Lacquer demos here: https://www.manchesterguitartech.co.uk/category/finish/
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  • GoFishGoFish Frets: 1082
    If it's Aussie dollaredoos, I'd guess a nice round £20,000.
    Ten years too late and still getting it wrong
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  • OffsetOffset Frets: 9212
    GoFish said:
    If it's Aussie dollaredoos, I'd guess a nice round £20,000.
    £11k.  So circa £2.5k according to @SteveRobinson. ; Probably not too unrealistic a price.
    Currently for sale: https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/247085/pro-ject-essential-ii-turntable
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  • guitars4youguitars4you Frets: 12794
    tFB Trader
    Offset said:
    BillDL said:
    How much?  Only $21,500 Australian dollars?
    Shit on a stick - it isn't really that much is it?!
    What’s that - 10/11k ?

    Don’t know enough about the Aussie market but suspect there won’t be that many vintage guitars there - That might help to hype up such player grade prices 
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  • OffsetOffset Frets: 9212
    guitars4you said:
    Offset said:
    BillDL said:
    How much?  Only $21,500 Australian dollars?
    Shit on a stick - it isn't really that much is it?!
    What’s that - 10/11k ?

    Don’t know enough about the Aussie market but suspect there won’t be that many vintage guitars there - That might help to hype up such player grade prices 
    See above Mark :-)
    Currently for sale: https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/247085/pro-ject-essential-ii-turntable
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  • guitars4youguitars4you Frets: 12794
    tFB Trader
    Offset said:
    guitars4you said:
    Offset said:
    BillDL said:
    How much?  Only $21,500 Australian dollars?
    Shit on a stick - it isn't really that much is it?!
    What’s that - 10/11k ?

    Don’t know enough about the Aussie market but suspect there won’t be that many vintage guitars there - That might help to hype up such player grade prices 
    See above Mark :-)
    Got it - didn’t read thru the rest of the thread - but as you say/imply 2.5k is where it should be, especially if it is a good player - The whole thing for me on such a ‘player grade guitar is that it instantly feels great and plays even better 
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  • willowillo Frets: 240
    Bit of a bargain for one that's been on the workbench of the industry respected Hans Gruber
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  • VoxmanVoxman Frets: 4400
    edited September 2023
    Speaking of LP pricing game, I just saw a 1989 Ebony LP Custom being sold by GAK for £4,999 - man that's seriously overpriced!  https://www.gak.co.uk/en/gibson-les-paul-1989-custom-ebony-plus-case-pre-owned-/965525

    By comparison there's a 2008 'buy it now' Ebony LPC on Ebay for £3,000 & another for £3,999, and Coda have one (newer custom shop?) pre-owned for £3,499. Also on Ebay there's an '82 wine red LPC for £3,750 and a '99 Alpine white LPC for £3,599, and an Ebony 1978 LPC for £4,399
    (with the caveat that great care is of course always needed if buying from Ebay re potential fakes of course)




    I started out with nothing..... but I've still got most of it left (Seasick Steve)
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  • gatheredinsonggatheredinsong Frets: 464
    Is this like a sweepstake, where we get the guitar if we guess the price?
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