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62 Les Paul SG


Jackash

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I have a 62 Les Paul SG that I bought as a kid back in 1972 from a music store where the owner told me the original owner had traded it in. Have had it since. All original as purchased. It has a bigsby tailpiece on it, and the store owner told me that was factory original, but I have never seen another like it. I have had the tailpiece off, and there are no other filled holes in the body from a different original tailpiece, which I guess supports the possibility, but does any one know if Gibson ever did ship any with Bigsby tailpieces? Any opinion on that helping or hurting value? Also, the pickup nearest the neck has the "pat appl for" sticker on the back, and the one nearest the bridge has the actual pat no on it- is that odd? Getting ready to think about consider maybes selling it to someone who will play it more than I do, and want to get what it is worth but not mislead anyone. Any input appreciated. Thanks, Jack

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As to the pickups, anything is possible:

 

"Seth Lover received his pickup patent #2,896,491 on July 28, 1959. By mid to late 1962, Gibson changed the pickup decal to read, "PATENT NO 2,737,842". Interestingly the patent number listed on the decal was not for Seth's pickup design but was for Les Paul's trapeze tailpiece! Perhaps this was a research roadblock for the competition, or maybe just a mistake?"

 

The PAF one's were phasing out in 62, maybe they were mixing leftover stock with new stock. Or, maybe, your guitar has the very last PAF made and the very first pickup with the pat number sticker. Just kidding..... Also, if the Bigsby is original I doubt that it will hurt the value.

 

Nice guitar btw. Here's a recent listing on eBay but I don't think it sold:

 

62 Les Paul with Bigsby

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Hadn't seen that listing. Encouraging, as it is identical to mine, and has the bigsby. Looks in similar shape to mine, would be doubtful about the price though (maybe I should list mine to compete against them- I would be happy with half as much!).

 

Appreciate the comments on the pickups. My bridge pickup has the 2737842 patent number- interesting bit of trivia! I love the guitar, have obviously had it a long time, but am not as up on the history as many...

 

Thanks, Jack

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$250 if you can believe that. Music store owner (I took lessons there) let me put it on layaway and I paid $25 a month from my paper route for 10 months before I got to take it home. Any suggestions from anyone where I might try to sell it? ebay seems to have many listed but few sell. I have found some vintage/collector companies that will buy from me, but they want to pay wholesale (so they can sell retail). I get that, but am at a loss as to where else someone looking specifically for something like this (and with funds to spend) would look...

Thanks to all again. Jack

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$250 if you can believe that. Music store owner (I took lessons there) let me put it on layaway and I paid $25 a month from my paper route for 10 months before I got to take it home. Any suggestions from anyone where I might try to sell it? ebay seems to have many listed buy few sell. I have found some vintage/collector companies that will buy from me, but they want to pay wholesale (so they can sell retail). I get that, but am at a loss as to where else someone looking specifically for something like this (and with funds to spend) would look...

Thanks to all again. Jack

 

 

 

 

 

Whoa $250.00 bucks I know does not sound like much but hey back then I know it was alot of money and it was real cool the store owner let you pay it off and YOU are the one who paid for it!!! Thant is a cool story!!! Good luck and I hope if you do sell it, you would not regret it. There is a classified section right here on the main Gibson forum. I would try there if you can as I see alot of guys do post vintage stuff there. Another place I would do is craigslist and if not there I would try like Elderly instruments. They might do you better on buying it from you than some of the other dealers out there. I do not know where you live but if there was a reputable vintage guitar dealer near you, I am sure they would let you put in on consignment. If you could come to Nashville there is a big guitar show about 2 times a year at the fairgrounds. That place is crawling with people looking for a guitar like yours. They will even ask you what is in your case as soon as you walk in. I took a guitar to it once just to get a discount on the admission fee. I had tons of guys asking what year my les paul was just because I was carrying it around and wanting to know what I wanted for it. Just a thought, Tim

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Hi, Beautiful guitar. I came across a website called reverb.com that seems to have a lot of listings for vintage gear. I don't know anything about them, so maybe do some checking around, but it might be a place to go if you decide to sell it. Good luck, I bet it sounds amazing.

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Thanks for all the advise, guys. What a bunch of Gibson-lovers! Feel like a traitor thinking about selling this thing. I have sent info on to Gruhn to see what they say before I decide what to do, but hate to just see it sit unused.

 

My achin old fingers just don't do it anymore. Kids don't play (don't want to leave it in the will it to them, they'll just sell it off when I'm gone). So, would rather it end up in the hands of someone who will love it and use it.

 

Like Neil says, "This old guitar ain't mine to keep; it's only mine to play for a while..."

 

Will probably list it back here on the trading board once I hear back from Gruhn.

 

Jack

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Old George Gruhn has a nice reputation alright. Maybe you can print out the letter he emails you back to include with you description. I have been to his store a few times. There are a whole lot of expensive guitars in there. When I went in there for the first time, you could just reach up and grab whatever off the rack. They had only 1 amp in there to try out the guitars with and it was a Marshall. I guess they think if your in there and reaching for one on the wall, then they assume you know what your doing. He has since moved to a different location and I have not been in there to the new one. Anyways,,,,,Let us know what happens, Tim

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My Gibson book tells us that on the 1962 SG/Les Paul Standard [ or Special } the Maestro Vibrato

was an option 1962-64, it doesn't mention Bigsbys being factory fitted.

 

 

http://www.solodallas.com/wp-content/gallery/cache/144__1024x768_img_0573.jpg

 

But, back then, for a nominal extra fee, and if you were willing to wait on it,

you could have whatever you wanted done. And, I'm not talking about Custom Shop

pricing, but more like 10-25% or possibly twice a much, depending on what was

being done. As opposed to 3 to 4 times as much, as in Custom Shop, now. There

was no "Custom Shop" back then. And, much fewer units produced, as well. As to

Maestro's, on SG's, they were often the "short" version, as well as the (longer)

Lyre (engraved) Maestro, we more commonly see.

 

CB

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Man, you guys all know a heckuva lot more about this history than I do. All I do know is that I have had the tailpiece off (years ago), and there are no other holes in the body that would have been filled from a prior tailpiece, and I can't imagine the attachment hole pattern for any of the other tailpieces (vibrato or not) aligning exactly with the unusual 4 hole layout of the bigsby.

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Man, you guys all know a heckuva lot more about this history than I do. All I do know is that I have had the tailpiece off (years ago), and there are no other holes in the body that would have been filled from a prior tailpiece, and I can't imagine the attachment hole pattern for any of the other tailpieces (vibrato or not) aligning exactly with the unusual 4 hole layout of the bigsby.

 

Well, that alone would tell you that it was, in fact, factory installed. As mentioned

previously, I've seen quite a few SG "Les Paul's" both "Standard," and "Specials," and

even a Junior or two, with that same Bigsby, from the factory.

 

Unless you absolutely need the money you might garner, I'd hold on to it! It's not like

it's going to go "Down" in value, either.

 

Good Luck, either way!

 

CB

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Got the appraisal back from Gruhn today. They said that Bigsby tailpieces were special orderable during that time frame. Based on the series of pics I sent they, they put value at $11,500. Now to decide what to ask for it.... Maybe $11,500 is what THEY would list it for (retail), but I doubt I could get that (wholesale, private party seller). Nearest Craig's List is for Sacramento, CA, but probably the Bay Area would be a better place to find someone with both interest and funds? Have also heard of a music store called Norman's Rare Guitars (or something like that) down in the LA area that buys/sells/consigns guitars to that market. Anyone got any experience with them? Thanks again for everyone's advice, input, and help.

 

Jack

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I'd be a little wary of trying to sell an 11 thousand dollar guitar on Craigslist. Practically advertising to get robbed. Reverb.com is a pretty decent place to sell high end instruments. If dealing with shipping go with insurance and signature receipt in the off chance you get a scammer.

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I have a 62 Les Paul SG that I bought as a kid back in 1972 from a music store where the owner told me the original owner had traded it in. Have had it since. All original as purchased. It has a bigsby tailpiece on it, and the store owner told me that was factory original, but I have never seen another like it. I have had the tailpiece off, and there are no other filled holes in the body from a different original tailpiece, which I guess supports the possibility, but does any one know if Gibson ever did ship any with Bigsby tailpieces? Any opinion on that helping or hurting value? Also, the pickup nearest the neck has the "pat appl for" sticker on the back, and the one nearest the bridge has the actual pat no on it- is that odd? Getting ready to think about consider maybes selling it to someone who will play it more than I do, and want to get what it is worth but not mislead anyone. Any input appreciated. Thanks, Jack

I HAVE HAD MY SG/LP SINCE I WAS A YOUNG MAN IN THE EARLY 70'S & WOULD NOT CONSIDER PARTING WITH A PIECE OF GIBSON HISTORY, I HAVE SEEN ASKING PRICES AS MUCH AS 15K FOR A GUITAR EXACTLY LIKE MINE, WHITE 2 HUMBUCKERS, CHROME HARDWARE WITH ENGRAVED MAESTRO VIBROLA

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Got the appraisal back from Gruhn today. They said that Bigsby tailpieces were special orderable during that time frame. Based on the series of pics I sent they, they put value at $11,500. Now to decide what to ask for it.... Maybe $11,500 is what THEY would list it for (retail), but I doubt I could get that (wholesale, private party seller). Nearest Craig's List is for Sacramento, CA, but probably the Bay Area would be a better place to find someone with both interest and funds? Have also heard of a music store called Norman's Rare Guitars (or something like that) down in the LA area that buys/sells/consigns guitars to that market. Anyone got any experience with them? Thanks again for everyone's advice, input, and help.

 

Jack

 

 

Yeah, bought my 2000 Les Paul Classic, from Norm! Good guy, and very well respected, in

the marketplace. Has lots of "Celebrity" clients, as well as your everyday folk! I'm sure

he do you right! But, I have to say again, unless you need the money, I'd hang on to it!

And, It's only going to go up in value, the older it gets!

 

CB

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Well, need 10 posts before I can list on the for sale board here, so here is #7...

 

Have also heard from a company called Vintage City Guitars in Florida. The send a postage paid UPS label, you ship your guitar to them, they inspect it and send you a check. You either cash the check or send it back to them and they send you back the guitar (they pay postage both ways). Sounds like a no loose, but sending my baby off to a company I have never heard of or have no experience with makes me a bit nervous. Anyone dealt with them? I DO have to sell this beauty, but want to get a fair price for it. With Gruhn saying $11,500 as the appraised value, am I nuts to hope for ~$9,000?

 

Have checked out Reverb.com, also Elderly.com and a place called VintageInfo.com. Any other comments on those?

 

Hard to pull the trigger, but have got to.

 

Thanks, Jack

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Reverb.com has two sales listed of early SG standards which sold for around 11K. I would consider those to b pretty much in line with your Gruhn estimate. So I guess you need to consider the difference in what various resellers or listing websites will charge for commission and if you really want to part with it?

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I'm 66, and I do remember people saying that Gibson in those days...and probably still today...uses the parts on hand, not in any particular order, but what first comes to hand. Guitars of that era having 1 PAF and one Patent number were not common, but not really rare, either.

 

FWIW, my first Gibson, a '68 Les Paul Custom Black Beauty, was bought used in 1976 for all of $400, with a Lifton hard case. And back in the late 1960's, the guitar player in a group I was playing bass in bought a late 50's Les Paul for $250. They were juse old, used guitars then...who would have predicted the prices now...

 

I am sure you will get a good price for it.

 

Mark

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  • 3 weeks later...

OK, SG experts. Back with a few more questions for you. Have started to poke around for potential buyers for this beauty, and couple of questions have come back to me that I have answers for, but any reasons for the questions perplex me.

 

First, someone wants to know how much the guitar weighs? All I have at the house is a typical bathroom scale, but it is a digital one (which reads to 1 decimal place). I put the guitar on and it said 6.6 pounds. So then I weighed myself, then myself holding the guitar. Did that 3 times and got 6.6, 6.4 and 6.8 as readings. Is that a good thing or a bad thing, and what does it mean to a potential buyer?

 

Second, they wanted to know if the neck was average, relatively small or relatively large for a '62 SG? I again, had no idea how to answer, but did provide measurements, as best I could. The neck width at the first fret is ~1 11/16" and the width at the 15th fret is ~2 1/8" I also measured the thickness (as best I could- the bridge bows slightly and obviously the back of the neck is curved). As best I can measure, it is a consistent ~3/4" thick. What is really interesting about this (as I said, I have never measured or had another SG to compare to) is that my other guitar is a 1972 Martin D-18 (no truss rod in the neck). In going back in forth when playing the 2, the SG always SEEMED to me to be a wider and thinner neck, but when I measured them (just to have some point of reference) the neck widths AND depths were almost exactly the same (the Martin neck obviously gets thicker as it joins the body at the 14th fret). The SG certainly plays easier than the Martin (MUCH better action) and has lighter gauge strings on it- maybe that was it. But is surprised me when I measured it. So, tell me, is mine average, small or large?

 

As always, thanks for any advice...

Jack

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Just say 6lbs 6 ounces on weight that does not have to be all that critical. On the neck profile, gibson had a larger profile in the 1950's and then in the 1960's a thinner profile came into being which is now known as "slim 60's profile" I am sure your SG will probably have this slimmer profile and it is probably the same profile your les paul custom was as well. I have a 60's slim neck on my SG standard and it is definately a smaller neck than the full profile of the modern Les Paul and SG standard necks or "50's neck" if you will. Good luck, Tim

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