Tony Done Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 Hi folks I'm new to this forum, so I'll do a very brief bio. I've been fingerpicking for over 50 years, and currently own a 1935 L-00 and '95 LP Special. (I like P100s ) Before the weekend I went to look at an old Gibson that was in my mate's shop for repair, being described as a 1938 L-00. It didn't take much research figure out that it was a converted HG-00 - 12-fret neck, non-intonated saddle, generous but comfortable C-shaped neck. I looked again this morning, the damaged label reads "Gibson Kalamazoo", and the number stamped on the headstock is EG-4613, and there is a number penciled on the underside of the upper bout that might read 2-2526. It has been very amateurishly refinished in natural, the back is cracked, several braces are loose and one is broken, the bridge is coming off and has been butchered - new bridge needed the Gibson logo isn't original, looks and feels like stick-on, though I think it is the right style more or less. there is a badly repaired crack in the front the neck angle is too low to get a low action - neck reset needed it sounds great in its own way. Have I missed anything? I'm wondering if anyone would care to put an approximate value on it. I haven't been able to find anything relveant, except that examples in good condition go for big $. Thanks for your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrorod Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 Hey Tony, welcome to the Forum. Can your buddy give you any idea of the cost of repairs?....And would you be giving it a proper re-finish also? It sounds like it has had extensive damage and conversion work done. I would be hard-pressed to give a value at this time...It seems though that the value could be easily consumed by the repair bill and the non-original factors of the guitar. Pictures would be nice. Let us know what you decide. Rod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Done Posted March 24, 2014 Author Share Posted March 24, 2014 Hey Tony, welcome to the Forum. Can your buddy give you any idea of the cost of repairs?....And would you be giving it a proper re-finish also? It sounds like it has had extensive damage and conversion work done. I would be hard-pressed to give a value at this time...It seems though that the value could be easily consumed by the repair bill and the non-original factors of the guitar. Pictures would be nice. Let us know what you decide. Rod Thanks Rod. I can do a guessimate of the repair costs: Neck reset $600 Bridge replace $150 Minor repairs $250 Refinish $1200? Freight $150 So, about $2500, depending on the quality of the refinish. I'll try and get some pics. I'm not really interested in buying it, but my mate is interested in trying to establish a realistic price for a possible trade-in. He will only do the simple repairs, the heavy duty stuff would have to be subbed out or just discounted off the selling price. I might throw my hat in the ring when I see how the pricing is going. Can you tell me how to design and include a sig? The help files I found didn't seem to have links. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrorod Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 Okay Tony, I don,t know how to tell you about the sig...You will have to 'sus' it out. The guitar on the other hand....is 'originally' an HG-00...yes? In EXCELLANT condition, the VG Price Guide lists at $3K-3.5K....It is 'by your account' FAR from that...YES? Sooo, lets half the lower number (more realistic) and you have $1500( but still not likely) with all of the non-originality and repairs needed. So he spends $2200-$2500 on bringing it back to a repaired and refinished state....it is still only worth about $1500(maybe)... as it is not an L-00, it is a converted HG-00 with non-original bridge, finish, etc. This is my thinking on it....Your mileage may vary! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Done Posted March 25, 2014 Author Share Posted March 25, 2014 Okay Tony, I don,t know how to tell you about the sig...You will have to 'sus' it out. The guitar on the other hand....is 'originally' an HG-00...yes? In EXCELLANT condition, the VG Price Guide lists at $3K-3.5K....It is 'by your account' FAR from that...YES? Sooo, lets half the lower number (more realistic) and you have $1500( but still not likely) with all of the non-originality and repairs needed. So he spends $2200-$2500 on bringing it back to a repaired and refinished state....it is still only worth about $1500(maybe)... as it is not an L-00, it is a converted HG-00 with non-original bridge, finish, etc. This is my thinking on it....Your mileage may vary! I figured out how to do sigs shortly after I posted, thanks. Your logic is exactly the same as I was thinking. - The guitar isn't worth much at all; the resale value would be less than the cost of a pro-level repair. I'll pass on your appraisal to my mate, so he can talk to the customer about realistic expectations. The amount I've spent on my L-00 is bordering unprofitable, but I'm very attached to it and what price mojo? :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debonnaire Posted April 6, 2014 Share Posted April 6, 2014 FWIW, I have an HG-00 conversion and nobody would describe the neck as a C-shape. it is a deep V. I wonder if your friend's has been shaved down I probably overpaid a bit and bought mine for 3K Canadian last year. It has one major repaired crack in the front, a few smaller closed cracks but otherwise a remarkably-preserved sunburst finish. The conversion was very well-done and everything else is original. I have read others saying that this is one model where most people forgive a well-done conversion as there is less market for Hawaiians now and they are remarkable little players esp for fingerpickers. Hope that helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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