FredH Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 Hi all: I need some advice. I found a Gibson L4 C (1964) in the UK on Craigslist. He is asking 1100 pounds, $1600, plus shipping costs, estimated to be $189.00. Added to that US customs which I have not yet calculated. The guitar is in really nice/excellent condition - may have been refinished it looks so clean. Tailpiece and pickguard bracket are untarnished. What it does not have is an inside Gibson label - which gives me cause for concern that the guitar is either a fake or for some reason, it was removed. He is offering 7 day return policy and will ship insured and professionally packaged. I've never purchased anything through Craigs and am dubious about scams. I have not yet checked the number on the headstock, although it is clearly there. I am concerned about the price - I think it is undervalued given what they are going for in the US IF you can find one. He has sent about a dozen very clear and clean pictures so I have a pretty good idea of its true condition based on those. In the US, I have seen L4 Cs anywhere between $2500 to $6000. I don't know whether to trust my instincts and pass on this one or take a chance. I really need some frank opinions. Thanks Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L5Larry Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 Regardless of the guitar or price, the International shipping (Customs, duties, agents, delivery time, $$$, etc) is a REAL PITA, and would instantly exclude it from any consideration for me. I shipped a guitar from the US to Canada, and then back again (it was a loan to a friend who's house had burned down), and would NEVER even consider shipping, or receiving, another independent International shipment of anything. There are PLENTY of guitars for sale in the U.S., you just have to be patient, and diligent. To find THE guitar (price, condition, etc), there is no instant gratification. It took me a couple of years to find my L-7, and a year or so to find my L-5. There are (or used to be) a couple of L-4 enthusiasts here on the boards, maybe they'll chime in with some US leads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 I usually see them in the $3K range in nice original condition. The asking price does tend to indicate a refinished instrument. I agree with the above. As these are not particualry rare guitars it seems like alot of trouble and additional expense to go through to have one shipped in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 So, you are going to buy a guitar on Craigslist and ship from USA to Britain? One thing you might do, is find someone who you know and have him go look at it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Personally, I wouldn't trust CL as far as I could spit if unable to view the guitar first hand (or have someone you trust view it for you). Have seen numerous CL scams using lifted photos. One such scam was a guitar belonging to a friend of mine, with the photos lifted from an ebay listing in Tennessee & placed into a CL ad in Los Angeles. If you send money & it turns out to be bogus - what are you going to do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajay Posted April 18, 2015 Share Posted April 18, 2015 Craig's List SUCKS, If You do this deal, make sure that You have a middle man handling the deal in ESCROW. I wouldn't send Cash or even PayPal to ANYBODY on Craig's List. It was cool at first, but now it's just scam central. DON't DO IT, but if You must, escrow only, and if he won't do escrow, he's a thief. Good Luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredH Posted April 19, 2015 Author Share Posted April 19, 2015 Hey, THANKS to all who replied to my question about the CL Gibson L4 C in the UK. I've been out a couple of days and have not been able to respond, but the long story short is that my better angles/sense/intuition told me not to pull the trigger on this one. Too many CL scams, the low price of the guitar, and as it turned out, he wanted me to wire him the $ before he sent the guitar. So I asked the question, as several of you did, what happens if I send him the $ and he disappears from planet earth? Too risky for me. I have not been looking all that long and I suspect the need for some "instant gratification" momentarily got the better of me. But thanks for the wisdom and sound advice from you all. Really appreciate it. I've since been looking at two in the NYC area but nothing that really floats my boat at this point - or pulls my strings! So if anyone knows of one around, appreciate hearing about it. Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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