FredH Posted May 2, 2015 Share Posted May 2, 2015 A friend of mine has an opportunity to buy a 1964 L7C and needs some advice. It looks to be in excellent condition, a one owner instrument that appears to be all original. I am not familiar with L7 C - so I am asking for some advice I can share with him. How does the L7 C compare with other comparable Gibson acoustic archtops from that era? Generally, what are the necks like? He plays mainly ES 175s but is looking for a solid acoustic guitar that he would like to use a floating pick up. I believe he said the top is solid spruce, maple back and sides. What is the consensus on L7 C of that era versus trying to find one a newer one? I am not really sure how to advise him - I assume he is going to play it first. I believe he said the price is $5500 - is that realistic, over-priced? Any help you could give me would be appreciated. Thanks Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L5Larry Posted May 2, 2015 Share Posted May 2, 2015 Without writing a short novel here, the ONLY thing to say is that "the price is ridiculous". You can get an L-5 for that price. An L-7 (ANY L-7 in the USA), should top out at about $3000. If your friend has $5.5K to spend on an acoustic archtop, tell him to set his sights a little higher! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimR56 Posted May 2, 2015 Share Posted May 2, 2015 As usual, Larry seems to want prices on vintage guitars to stay the same forever. He hates it when guitar values increase. I'm sure he was happy about the market decline in recent years, and will be cranky if prices rebound to 2007 levels. The price on this one IS on the high side, but you'd be hard pressed to find a vintage L7C for Larry's suggested price of $3K or less (maybe from a private seller if you got lucky). A non-cutaway L7 would tend to be closer to $3K, but cutaway archtops have higher values. Deals are always out there among private sellers if you shop long and hard enough, but I'm talking here about the "market" (guitar dealers and established ebay sellers). An all-original vintage L7C will tend to be more in the $4K (maybe $3500) to $5K range, depending on finish (blonds carry a premium), condition, and year. Lark Street Music currently has two examples in the $4500 to $5K range. Look here: http://www.larkstreetmusic.com/cgi-bin/stock.cgi#arch-acoustic If your friend really likes that '64, I would advise him to try to get it for a better price, otherwise shop around. I focus more on vintage instruments, so I won't comment on newer guitars except to say that in my opinion, they tend to be too expensive relative to their vintage counterparts, and not hold their values as well as vintage examples. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredH Posted May 2, 2015 Author Share Posted May 2, 2015 Jim and Larry: Thanks so much for the advice and insights! You've helped educate me as well! F Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredH Posted May 14, 2015 Author Share Posted May 14, 2015 Update: I went to look at this guitar with my friend. It is all original and generally, in excellent condition. What I did not know about it when I posted originally is that the previous (original) owner had installed a Dearmond floating pickup - the high end model Rhythm Chief with the adjustable poles. The pick up is probably the same vintage as the guitar. The owner is asking $5500. It does not have a hard shell case but does have the original (what I call) "cardboard" case that looks to be in good shape and is functional. So, with this pickup, is the guitar worth $5500? I have seen these pick ups list for $1000 or a little more, but I have no idea what they are actually bringing on the market. Assuming the pick up is worth $1000, that brings the price of the guitar to $4500. My friend is thinking about it so any advise you can give would be appreciated. Thanks for your help. Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermoon Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Update: I went to look at this guitar with my friend. It is all original and generally, in excellent condition. What I did not know about it when I posted originally is that the previous (original) owner had installed a Dearmond floating pickup - the high end model Rhythm Chief with the adjustable poles. The pick up is probably the same vintage as the guitar. The owner is asking $5500. It does not have a hard shell case but does have the original (what I call) "cardboard" case that looks to be in good shape and is functional. So, with this pickup, is the guitar worth $5500? I have seen these pick ups list for $1000 or a little more, but I have no idea what they are actually bringing on the market. Assuming the pick up is worth $1000, that brings the price of the guitar to $4500. My friend is thinking about it so any advise you can give would be appreciated. Thanks for your help. Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermoon Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 it still sounds a bit high to me. the guitar would have originally come w/ a black case w/yellow/orange lining, not a cheap cardboard case--that's a slight negative. w/the pickup I'd say $4500 is about the max for that guitar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimR56 Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 it still sounds a bit high to me. the guitar would have originally come w/ a black case w/yellow/orange lining, not a cheap cardboard case--that's a slight negative. w/the pickup I'd say $4500 is about the max for that guitar I fully agree. The DeArmond 1100's (adjustable poles) are great pickups, by the way. And a nice guitar like that really deserves a good hardshell case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredH Posted May 14, 2015 Author Share Posted May 14, 2015 Thanks. Very helpful. I, too, wondered about the case. I'll keep everyone posted on what he does and what it goes for if he buys sit. Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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