Watersilk Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 Buying advice sought..... I found a 1997 VOS '57 Goldtop reissue for sale, London area.... it's clean, no real scratches, just tarnished tailpiece, pickgaurd bracket and rusty screws..... From the aging process I guess. The back is a nice brown with dark brown covers. She seems to play without fret buzz, and quite a treble tone, perhaps because the pickups are a lower output than later models? They want £2,000. Is this a fair price? Is there anything I should look out for? It comes with a custom shop certificate. Any advice is much appreciated.... :) I'm sorry I don't have a decent picture... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pesh Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 Buying advice sought..... I found a 1997 VOS '57 Goldtop reissue for sale, London area.... it's clean, no real scratches, just tarnished tailpiece, pickgaurd bracket and rusty screws..... From the aging process I guess. The back is a nice brown with dark brown covers. She seems to play without fret buzz, and quite a treble tone, perhaps because the pickups are a lower output than later models? They want £2,000. Is this a fair price? Is there anything I should look out for? It comes with a custom shop certificate. Any advice is much appreciated.... :) I'm sorry I don't have a decent picture... The certificate is a good starting point; having one hopefully alleviates most suspicions it's a fake. Is it a private sale or from a store? If you've got a web link we can have a nosey and see a bit more. The VOS treatment will be the reason why the hardware is tarnished; VOS is an artificial ageing process. Some of the wear on it might also come from the guitar being almost 20 years old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watersilk Posted October 11, 2015 Author Share Posted October 11, 2015 The certificate is a good starting point; having one hopefully alleviates most suspicions it's a fake. Is it a private sale or from a store? If you've got a web link we can have a nosey and see a bit more. The VOS treatment will be the reason why the hardware is tarnished; VOS is an artificial ageing process. Some of the wear on it might also come from the guitar being almost 20 years old. Yes Pesh, it's a while since I had a beautiful 18 year old in my hands! The weight is 8.2 lbs, a beautiful piece of mahogany, a bit of buckle rash on the back that might polish out. I should have taken pictures. I don't think the guitar has been played for a long time, the seller is retiring to France, selling other guitars too, so it sounds like he is just getting rid off things he no longer uses.... I'm just not sure about the sustain, I know a guitar should ring and hold an open chord for a while, but this doesn't seem to, I think the strings are old.... and quite dead.... I'm going back to have a closer look tomorrow.... I was shopping for an amp, so not at all prepared for a guitar.... I was given a '59 LP Junior with P90's to test the amp.... Oh my gosh, now I understand what all the fuss is about..... I never played a real 59 before, it was magic, it just plays itself!! I will let you know if I buy the Gold top, and post pictures.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 ... I'm just not sure about the sustain, I know a guitar should ring and hold an open chord for a while, but this doesn't seem to, I think the strings are old.... and quite dead.... I'm going back to have a closer look tomorrow.... I was shopping for an amp, so not at all prepared for a guitar.... Corroded strings foul up clarity and sustain. Evaluation of sonic qualities is worth a restringing. Good luck, and perhaps you may take some snapshots of the guitar and link them here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watersilk Posted October 14, 2015 Author Share Posted October 14, 2015 Corroded strings foul up clarity and sustain. Evaluation of sonic qualities is worth a restringing. Good luck, and perhaps you may take some snapshots of the guitar and link them here. I decided to buy! Here she is! The hardware is really tarnished, I used some Brasso on the edge of the neck pickup, it cleaned up nicely, so I will take all the nickel parts off and clean them. The screws are rusty, does anyone know where I can buy new ones? The tarnished pickup covers.... Brasso works wonders here... the stoptail was in terrible condition....when the strings are off I will restore them properly... note the rusty screws..... I can't wait to replace them! There would seem to be a repaired area on the gold top, I will see if some light buffing improves the finish. Even though it's 18 years old, the lacquer is still sticky in many places, and has that incredible smell...... The frets are in very good condition, not showing any playing wear.... the rosewood fretboard is nice and dark... and not at all dirty, so this should be its natural colour. How do you tell if this is a 1997 or 2007 model? Is there a straight replacement for Kusons? One that uses the same holes and bushings? I can then put these in the case, the next owner can take them out, smile, shake his or her head, put them back in the case and use the replacement tuners..... I think they look awful, feel awful too... but they do seem to work. Snot green is not my favourite colour..... :) The back is gorgeous! A beautiful piece of mahogany, close straight grain, and such a lovely colour, my favourite back colour for a goldtop! The covers are brown, such a nice touch! Certificate, no date, which is odd, I would expect a date on a certificate. Overall, I'm really pleased with this guitar, a really beautiful reissue example. I read somewhere that the best reissues were produced between 1993 and 1998. Remarks welcome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CR9 Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 Great looking goldtop. It is a 2007. There was no VOS in 1997. The inlay corners on a 97 were round, but they had sharp corners on a 07 like that one. There was no Certificate in 1997. stewmac.com is a good place to get some hardware. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watersilk Posted October 14, 2015 Author Share Posted October 14, 2015 Great looking goldtop. It is a 2007. There was no VOS in 1997. The inlay corners on a 97 were round, but they had sharp corners on a 07 like that one. There was no Certificate in 1997. stewmac.com is a good place to get some hardware. I had also heard about the round corners on the inlay on the 90's models, also the case is the same as my 2009, with the same custom shop logo, so I suspected it was a 2007 model. A reassuring thing about buying a Gibson, secondhand or new, is its resale price, they just hold their value! CR9, thank you for the information, it's much appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turtle Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 Congrats on the goldtop. She looks great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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