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HELP - Real or Fake '89 Les Paul


JCB

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Hi,

 

I've been following this forum for a while and you all seem a very friendly community, however I figured I'd registered asap and seek your advice... I've seen this gorgeous 1989 Gibson LP Standard on ebay which I'm very interested in.

 

The pictures supplied seem 'okay' Nothing incredibly out of the ordinary. I've politely asked the sell to send me some pictures of the case, the internal and the serial number just to be sure. However in the meantime. What is your opinion on it? Real or fake? The 'quality' of the logo on the headstock seems suspect, however that maybe just poor picture taking.

 

1989 being the year I was born, and it being such a lovely guitar, if its real, I'll certainly pull the trigger. However I'd like to know what you folks think first.

 

The link is here:

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/151437503132?_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

 

1989 Gibson Les Paul Standard Immaculate http://r.ebay.com/E0vwyS

 

 

Thanks in advance guys!

 

P.S. I thought I might post it in this forum incase it may get a bit more feedback, I did also place the same info under the Identification Forum, moderators forgive me! There's barley 24hrs left on this sale, and I thought I may get a quicker response here!

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Hi,

 

I've been following this forum for a while and you all seem a very friendly community, however I figured I'd registered asap and seek your advice... I've seen this gorgeous 1989 Gibson LP Standard on ebay which I'm very interested in.

 

The pictures supplied seem 'okay' Nothing incredibly out of the ordinary. I've politely asked the sell to send me some pictures of the case, the internal and the serial number just to be sure. However in the meantime. What is your opinion on it? Real or fake? The 'quality' of the logo on the headstock seems suspect, however that maybe just poor picture taking.

 

1989 being the year I was born, and it being such a lovely guitar, if its real, I'll certainly pull the trigger. However I'd like to know what you folks think first.

 

The link is here:

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/151437503132?_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

 

1989 Gibson Les Paul Standard Immaculate http://r.ebay.com/E0vwyS

 

 

Thanks in advance guys!

 

P.S. I thought I might post it in this forum incase it may get a bit more feedback, I did also place the same info under the Identification Forum, moderators forgive me! There's barley 24hrs left on this sale, and I thought I may get a quicker response here!

Looks legit to me. Very nice guitar. Hard to believe it's an '89.

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1989 being the year I was born, and it being such a lovely guitar, if its real, I'll certainly pull the trigger.

 

What if it sucks? Seriously. What if it's for sale because it is a brick? I had a couple Les Pauls from that time that were definitely bricks.

 

Seriously think about it. The guitar doesn't know when it was made, and it doesn't know when you were born. Buying guitars should always always always be based on how good a guitar it actually is, not the year it was made.

 

Good luck with it, I hope you get to go see it and it is outstanding. but think about it before spending that money.

 

rct

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What if it sucks? Seriously. What if it's for sale because it is a brick? I had a couple Les Pauls from that time that were definitely bricks.

 

Seriously think about it. The guitar doesn't know when it was made, and it doesn't know when you were born. Buying guitars should always always always be based on how good a guitar it actually is, not the year it was made.

 

Good luck with it, I hope you get to go see it and it is outstanding. but think about it before spending that money.

 

rct

 

 

Thanks for your thoughts. I accept that the year is a novelty factor. However at the moment I'm concerned about the authenticity of the guitar. You may have to clarify what you mean by 'brick' as in, were the electrics/body beyond repair? -

 

Anyhow I have given this some thought, to me, I think the guitar looks great, but the last thing I'd like to do is buy a fake.

 

Thanks for the speedy replies guys, they're greatly appreciated. If anybody else has an opinion, I'd be interested to hear it. :)

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All looks very real.

 

My only caveat would be, as rct hints at, there are good Les Pauls and there are bad Les Pauls. Usually the way to buy a Les Paul is spend time seeing and playing as many as you can before you part with cash.

I understand why that isn't possible in this case so if you are the winning buyer you will have to be prepared to accept it regardless of how good - or oherwise - it is as an instrument.

 

£1,600 (which is what it is at now) isn't a bargain but neither is it a rip-off.

If it were me who was thinking of buying a Les Paul I wouldn't buy that one. It's not cheap enough to take a chance on.

 

IMHO.

 

But if you like it then fine!

 

P.

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The supplied pictures say clearly legit. However, I think the seller's price suggestion is as questionable as the "birthday math" so to say. I'm with Pippy that it's not a bargain, despite of the obviously immaculate condition.

 

Not sure about that, but I think that Rct's term "brick" refers to a guitar sounding lifeless. To my experience, even a virtually unplayed guitar shouldn't do this although she will not be as responsive as after breaking her in.

 

Hope this helps.

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Thanks for you're responses people.

 

Attached are the additional photos the guy kindly sent over. Its seems very legit. - However the electrics don't have the typical metal sheathing which you see in the modern day ones. Was that not around back then?

 

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/wcqicuon01kg9lm/AABqy19Iu8eihRMQ6eRNt-hna?dl=0

 

Hope that link works.

 

Thanks again for the advice guys.

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The link worked nicely. [thumbup]

 

From here I can only confirm that it all looks legit and as stock as can be. I don't know for how long they used black conductive paint at Gibson, but today they use nothing which may cause static pops and clicks sometimes. At least that's what some of my recent Gibsons do, depending on the clothing rubbing on the back covers.

 

Tarnish on toggle switch parts and machine heads reveal both age and nickel plating. All of my older Gibsons with chrome hardware otherwise have nickel-plated Grovers. The degree of tarnishing looks very normal to my eyes, not caused by adverse environmental conditions like condensation.

 

Again, I hope this may help in finding your decision how far to go when bidding. Good luck!

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What if it sucks? Seriously. What if it's for sale because it is a brick? I had a couple Les Pauls from that time that were definitely bricks.

 

Seriously think about it. The guitar doesn't know when it was made, and it doesn't know when you were born. Buying guitars should always always always be based on how good a guitar it actually is, not the year it was made.

 

Good luck with it, I hope you get to go see it and it is outstanding. but think about it before spending that money.

 

rct

 

 

All looks very real.

 

My only caveat would be, as rct hints at, there are good Les Pauls and there are bad Les Pauls. Usually the way to buy a Les Paul is spend time seeing and playing as many as you can before you part with cash.

I understand why that isn't possible in this case so if you are the winning buyer you will have to be prepared to accept it regardless of how good - or oherwise - it is as an instrument.

 

£1,600 (which is what it is at now) isn't a bargain but neither is it a rip-off.

If it were me who was thinking of buying a Les Paul I wouldn't buy that one. It's not cheap enough to take a chance on.

 

IMHO.

 

But if you like it then fine!

 

P.

 

A few things...

 

1) What may suck to one fella may rock the pants off the next guy...

 

2) I'm not sure I buy into a suck vs. rocks mentality, I think all guitars, even of the same model & year etc. can be quite different... They're all different and suck vs. rock is purely subjective to the individual. "Blue" isn't my favorite guitar even though it's a stunning 2004 Les Paul Standard LE, I'm open to selling it for a few different reasons, and none of them are because it sucks. It has it's Pro's & con's like any guitar, and that has to stack up in a criteria list to my own personal discriminating taste which will be vastly different from the next fella...

 

3) We should all listen to our inner passions and desires. What makes a guitar appeal to me, what will make me want to play a guitar, what will fill me with the interest and drive to follow my passion and what will quench that desire in my own soul... Those things can be a far greater priority on the list of what will make me excel from the natural skill building of spending time playing a guitar because you love it for whatever reason. That builds the confidence naturally from the positive reinforcement of liking what you hear yourself playing more and more...

 

I get about maybe there could be something wrong with it, bad action, some electronics defect or other malfunction, or it doesn't sound like every other Les Paul (not that that would mean much) or exactly like he pre-conceived how it would sound... But rarely are such things truly uncorrectable. I've personally had great luck with purchases from eBay/internet and unplayed/untried before buying... It's part of the adventure of life. If it ain't everything you want, move on and chase the next one that strikes that fancy and/or desire/passion. I'm selling Blue, but I'm certainly not regretting buying it. It's been an awesome experience and I'm still on the fence about letting it go...

 

I think we all need to be open-minded about what excites us about a guitar for ourselves and not pay a whole lot of attention to what any concensus is by those around us. We just need to be self-educated and aware and try to make the most informed decision we can. If it doesn't work out, move on, it ain't the end of the world and most guitars will hold a majority of their value if not all of it and we can resell them usually without much if any loss...

 

I've bought both of the real Gibson Les Pauls I own now off eBay without ever trying or playing them before hand. I've made-out well and am willing to deal with the fallout of whatever decision I make.

 

Trust your instincts and go for what will drive your passion and desire to follow your music/guitar sojourn and inspire you to explore it to wherever it will take you!

 

If you're always afraid of the pessimists shackles, you'll never find out for yourself... Never let fear and insipid negativity paralyze you into doing nothing but watching life like it's a spectator sport. Take control and live it for yourself!

 

The biggest lemon I ever got saddled with also came from eBay. But I found the silver lining in the cloud and turned it into an exceptional slide guitar! And I still own it...

 

I want a '67 SG for the same reason... I wanted a '67 Les Paul, but they don't exist. It will be a little more pricey that I really want to chase, but some day I think I might do it just for that very same reason...

 

The axe you linked-to is beautiful. It looks legit to me... If it's what you want and you're reasonably sure, go for it!

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Thanks for your thoughts. I accept that the year is a novelty factor. However at the moment I'm concerned about the authenticity of the guitar. You may have to clarify what you mean by 'brick' as in, were the electrics/body beyond repair? -

 

Anyhow I have given this some thought, to me, I think the guitar looks great, but the last thing I'd like to do is buy a fake.

 

Thanks for the speedy replies guys, they're greatly appreciated. If anybody else has an opinion, I'd be interested to hear it. :)

 

Brick. Usually heavy, but doesn't have to be. Thuddy, dull, wound strings are hit hard and they disappear before your pick is off of them. Harmonics hard to find all over the neck. No guitar based sustain. No ring in the upper registers, too much at about the 9th fret, to the point of annoyance.

 

In GC yesterday my work mate and I each picked up, played for 30 seconds, and put down many bricks, some with Gibsons name on them, surprisingly lots of the plethora of Epiphone Les Pauls were bricks.

 

There are a whole lot more things potentially wrong with Gibsons than counterfeiting.

 

All lovey dovey advice aside, when you own a brick it is no fun. A guitar should be bought on the merits of it in your hands, or in the hands of a friend that is qualified to help you and give you honest advice.

 

rct

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Thanks for your thoughts guys! The seller is clearly a cautious guy and has opted to come to me to London to deliver the guitar! - Those who know UK geography, its over a 3hr ( and rather pricey) train ride for him. - So theres some definite trust in the seller gained there, just in the fact that he's willing to travel here to ensure safe delivery of the item. Over the phone, he mentioned it sounds great, and I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt based on his enthusiasm, especially since he's willing to practically hand-deliver the guitar.

 

Okay, I still maybe paying in cash, but I've a nice little Yamaha THR 10 amp which is portable (loud enough) and takes batteries, and I've mentioned to him that I'll be bringing with me it just to have a quick play through and hear for myself how it sounds. I don't expect to play a full session (not that i can!), but like RCT mentioned, I can at least check a couple of the basic acoustic properties of the guitar before parting with my money.

 

I think buying guitars may stem from both emotional and 'logical' drivers within ourselves. I'm not here to start a debate, although its been interesting reading peoples comments. - Again, thanks for the advice people! :D :)

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I, too, am delighted that you are going to get to try it out in person.

 

As you say; the fact that the seller is prepared to travel to meet you says a lot about how confident he is that you will not be disappointed.

I echo rct's hopes about it both playing and sounding superb and you get to take it home.

 

Looking forward to the NGD thread!

 

[thumbup]

 

P.

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Looks like a sweet and legit LP to me. Not the expert some are, but I do know electronics and have seen inside more than one LP before.

 

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do mine. I pulled my 1985 guitar (which is surprisingly only 29 years old), Kramer out of its case the other night and even though its worth probably minimum 3x what my LP is... I'll grab the Gibson, every time. So much easier to play. Sounds so much nicer. Sustain for days and days, it seems like. Just the perfect tone, I've been searching for, all these years.

 

So, so happy I finally got one.

 

Problem is... now I want another one! At the very least, a SG.

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