Vintage Gibsons guitars

[gazman_res]

My uncle lives in the states.

he owns:
A Fender Jazz '63
A Stingray 5
A Fender P
A Rickenbacker 400?(something, i dont know my ricks)
SVT plus 8x10 from the 70's that hes owned since he bought it in 75

and he sold it all to get a vintage Gibson LP guitar .. i was just talking to him on the fone and he said the price mark was about $35k...

do they really go for that much!?!
any why so?

[Bruce Lindfield]

Originally Posted by gazman_res

and he sold it all to get a vintage Gibson LP guitar .. i was just talking to him on the fone and he said the price mark was about $35k...

do they really go for that much!?!
any why so?

Yes - of course there's the rarity factor and what "collectors" are prepared to pay... for a part of Rock History!

But I remember talking to a Jazz Guitarist and he said there was a valid reason to do with sound.

So he said that vintage Gibsons were made with solid mahogany bodies and as the wood ages it gets denser and its sustain and tonal qualities improve from a players' point of view.

[gazman_res]

thanks for the reply bruce

i guess we see that with vintage fender basses right.

And he has(or had rather) a fender jazz 63'

but i mean 35k? its not like he's a rock star or a celebrity, he's just a working class joe.. (a bloody rich one) but still?

anyone else have an opinion on this?

[Bruce Lindfield]

Originally Posted by gazman_res

but i mean 35k? its not like he's a rock star or a celebrity, he's just a working class joe.. (a bloody rich one) but still?

Well, it's almost certainly a good "investment" - given low interest rates aroudn the world now, this is going to give you a better return on your money than any savings scheme!!

Only problem I can see is theft and an insurance company paying that much out - specialist insurance is a must!!

[Woodchuck]

Your uncle's a REALLY big tipper!

[The Golden Boy]

Pre-1965 era Gibsons have gone up exponentially, including their beginner guitars (LP Juniors, Specials and even Melody Makers). Figure in the mid 80's you could have bought a 58-60 Les Paul Model for around 6K. These days you won't find one for less than 80K, and that's for a beat one. The vintage guitar market is a racket, but it's determined by the buyer. About 3 years ago I bought a 1958 Les Paul Special (student model guitar- sold for around $100 with case in '58) for a little over 3K. Earlier this year I sold it for 5K.

[heath_the_great]

a brand new jimmy page LP is $55,000
a brand new bob marley LP is $18,000
and a whats his name from blink 182 epiphone is $10,000

[The Golden Boy]

In who's dollars?

(and those aren't what you'd call "vintage")

[heath_the_great]

aussie....but the jimmy page one is like the jaco relic...all battered and vintaged...apparently the neck is normal thickness at the headstocks and body and about 5-15fret its almost just the fingerboard...,..still thats more than a vintage one would cost ya.....

15 more years and me kubicki is vintage ...goin by the 30 year vintage rule im only 3 years older than it

[The Golden Boy]

Those are Custom Shop guitars. And they're nowhere near $50K, unless the Australian dollar is worth about 20 US cents.

The Jimmy Page signatures from 95-97 were custom shop models, those went over like the proverbial lead balloon. They made them for a few years as production guitars, but never really caught on. There is a new one that is supposedly a complete replica of Jimmy's #1. That one is pricey, but not something the average Joe is going to take to a bar.

[heath_the_great]

its actually at 75c...... but theres 3 diff types of the jimmy page, theres one for $15k, $25k and $55k...i know they're custom shop..but still..its outrageus to think that gibson can charge this much..there was a 62 lp at jacksons rare gutars in sydney..that sold for $25,000 about a month ago

[Bruce Lindfield]

Originally Posted by The Golden Boy

In who's dollars?

Well if people put their actual location in the proper field, then we'd all know where we were talking about!!

[heath_the_great]

Originally Posted by Bruce Lindfield

Well if people put their actual location in the proper field, then we'd all know where we were talking about!!

well i have...cant you see "newcastle - australia" up there

[Bruce Lindfield]

Look up a bit further!!

[The Golden Boy]

Originally Posted by heath_the_great

its actually at 75c...... but theres 3 diff types of the jimmy page, theres one for $15k, $25k and $55k...i know they're custom shop..but still..its outrageus to think that gibson can charge this much..there was a 62 lp at jacksons rare gutars in sydney..that sold for $25,000 about a month ago

First, a '62 Les Paul is an SG with a "Les Paul" truss rod cover.

The really expensive Jimmy Page "replica" was *only* around $10k US. Gibson doesn't charge *that* much. You can blame a lot of that on import/export taxes and dealer markup. A standard production Les Paul (not Classic) can be had for around $1600 US (a Classic can be had for under $1300 if you look). The Custom Shop Historic line will run around $2-5K US depending whether it's a 52, 54, 56, 57, 58, 59 RI and on the grade of the top. The Custom Shop signature Les Pauls start around 5K US (Rossington). No, Gibsons are not cheap or inexpensive, but they're in line with quality, made in USA guitars. Price a Martin HD-28 or something out of Fender's Custom Shop or Masterbuilt program.

But then, this entire tangent is moot, whether you think Gibson charges too much, the thread is about VINTAGE guitars. Gibson has absolutely no control over any of the prices set by individuals or vintage dealers. After that guitar is purchased by an indivdual it ceases to be Gibson's or the Gibson dealer's property. If someone that has the money wants something- they buy it for whatever it takes to buy it. If some lunkhead wants to put down $25K for an $8K guitar (1962 SG)- it's their business- unfortunately precedent was set. Do I think a sale in Australia is going to affect the vintage market in the US? Probably not. Looking at Ebay is a pretty accurate barometer of vintage prices (as well as prices for used guitars.

Regardless of where I am located, the Gibson company is located in the US, and their prices are in US dollars, and it's completely unfair to lump in any import/export taxes and duties or exchange rate issues onto the listed price for an instrument.