winnergirl Posted December 8, 2015 Share Posted December 8, 2015 My father bought a used 1961 Les Paul Custom SG Guitar around 1980. He wants to sell it now, because with age he can't play much anymore and would like to see his prized guitar go to someone who will love it. We his son and daughter do not play. At the same time he wants the price it is worth, so he can give the money to grandkids to help with college and such. We've posted an ad on Craigslist (see link below) and can also post on eBay once we have a good sense of value. The guitar is in the same condition as when he bought it, he did not create the wear. One knobs was missing, so he changed out the knobs to have four matching knobs, that is all he did. Thanks so much for your input. http://dallas.craigslist.org/ftw/msg/5354658755.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimR56 Posted December 8, 2015 Share Posted December 8, 2015 Hi winnergirl, that's a very cool guitar you have there. There's one extremely important (to its value) question that needs to be answered first, and that's whether the pickups are original "PAF" humbuckers. Since your dad bought it used, I'm afraid it's going to be necessary to confirm that with a hands-on inspection by a qualified vintage guitar expert in your area. It would also be advisable to do that to assess the guitar overall anyway. I know there are plenty of such folks in the Dallas area, I'm just not familiar enough with them to make a recommendation. Perhaps someone else will chime in here, but you could also begin a local search for advice on that. The originality of the pickups will make a huge difference (thousands of dollars) in terms of the guitar's value. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winnergirl Posted December 8, 2015 Author Share Posted December 8, 2015 Hello JimR56 -- Thanks so much for the input. I have no idea what that even means. LOL I have the posting on CL and no one has asked that question yet, other questions, but not that one. We have had a couple of low offers, but surprisingly no one has asked to look at it. Not very impressed that they don't want to inspect it. Perhaps they don't know things like you knew. :) There is a big Dallas guitar association, I have contacted them, perhaps they can refer me to someone with your kind of knowledge in Fort Worth. Again, thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimR56 Posted December 8, 2015 Share Posted December 8, 2015 You're very welcome, winnergirl. "PAF" refers to "Patent Applied For", which is the earliest incarnation of Gibson's humbucking pickup designs. Collectors have always valued them highly (some would say too highly, in terms of whether they actually sound better). I think it's wise to find a local expert with a good reputation, and maybe even consider paying for a formal appraisal, before you think about accepting any offers. Meanwhile, you can always check completed ebay auctions to get an idea of what similar guitars may have sold for; and you can check the websites of vintage guitar dealers to see what sort of prices are being asked (this won't necessarily give you a precise value of yours, but at least a ballpark idea in case you find nothing on ebay). There is also a website called gbase where you can look for prices: https://www.gbase.com/gear?minyear=1960&maxyear=1963&minprice=&maxprice=&near=&daysago=&q=gibson+sg+les+paul+white+custom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slimt Posted December 9, 2015 Share Posted December 9, 2015 Thats Cool... Pickup I.D would be a plus on that for sure.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winnergirl Posted December 9, 2015 Author Share Posted December 9, 2015 JimR56 - Thanks for additional info. As you expected, eBay did not have anything comparable that was one reason I was asking here on this forum. Thanks for the link, I can use that for sure. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimR56 Posted December 9, 2015 Share Posted December 9, 2015 I found one on ebay (apparently unsold), from a seller in Florida. Maybe it will be re-listed. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-1961-GIBSON-Les-Paul-Custom-SG-Body-90-original-/262148775750?hash=item3d0948df46%3Ag%3AKAoAAOSw5VFWOKjW&nma=true&si=g7qptC2iLvh5AlgU9E7BkAQd6vA%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winnergirl Posted December 10, 2015 Author Share Posted December 10, 2015 Thanks for the eBay link! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'Scales Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 Reverb's as good a guide as any: https://reverb.com/marketplace/electric-guitars/solid-body?decade=1960s&make%5B%5D=gibson&page=5&sort=price%7Cdesc&year_max=1969&year_min=1960 I'd guess $5000 + (depending on the pick-ups as they might be worth more than that just by themselves!) but it just depends on the market - they are fairly rare. Best of luck with it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimR56 Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 https://reverb.com/item/89408-gibson-sg-custom-1965-white Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winnergirl Posted December 10, 2015 Author Share Posted December 10, 2015 Some how I deleted the Craigslist post. ??? It's reposted: http://dallas.craigslist.org/ftw/msg/5354658755.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 There's one extremely important (to its value) question that needs to be answered first, and that's whether the pickups are original "PAF" humbuckers. The originality of the pickups will make a huge difference (thousands of dollars) in terms of the guitar's value. You're very welcome, winnergirl. "PAF" refers to "Patent Applied For", which is the earliest incarnation of Gibson's humbucking pickup designs. Collectors have always valued them highly (some would say too highly, in terms of whether they actually sound better). Thats Cool... Pickup I.D would be a plus on that for sure.. Reverb's as good a guide as any: https://reverb.com/marketplace/electric-guitars/solid-body?decade=1960s&make%5B%5D=gibson&page=5&sort=price%7Cdesc&year_max=1969&year_min=1960 (depending on the pick-ups as they might be worth more than that just by themselves!) See it? even if you don't seek expert appraisal, or find someone in your area, at the very, very least, you SHOULD check to see what pickups are in this, because it will have an effect on what it's worth, what someone will pay, and will help to sell it. My advice would be to carefully remove the pups and take photos of the underside of them, and include the pics with the ad. You don't need to cut wires or remove them. Just (very carefully) remove the 4 screws holding the plastic rings on, and put it back EXACTLY as it was, using the same exact screws into the exact same spots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cam in alberta Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 The 65 listed most likely has pat # pickups. the same as PAF's. but not worth nearly as much as PAF's If the guitar has in fact PAF"s , by themselves they are worth between $2000 - $3000 each. The low ballers will try to buy the guitar cheap pull the PAF"s put something else in and sell the guitar again. If they are PAF"S the guitar is clearly worth more than 10K. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winnergirl Posted December 11, 2015 Author Share Posted December 11, 2015 I get it! LOL We are taking it tomorrow to have it appraised. The music store has been here for 60 years, so hopefully they are reputable. Thanks so much for the good advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted December 11, 2015 Share Posted December 11, 2015 If the guitar has in fact PAF"s , by themselves they are worth between $2000 - $3000 each. If they are PAF's, they COULD be worth 2k to 3k. There are more than one PAF, as they went through changes. And determining which ones, and being able to prove or know which ones, is a factor. Also, the high prices are usually vender prices sold by those who know what they are, and are able to determine these things. Retail, so to speak. I should say that was the case last I checked a couple or few years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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