Jump to content
Gibson Brands Forums

Repairing a Les Paul


toxicity8656

Recommended Posts

Hey everyone I just had a quick question.

 

I just bought a 2011 Les Paul Special Single Cut VOS on Ebay for $550.

 

http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/Les-Paul/Gibson-Custom/1960-Les-Paul-Special-Single-VOS.aspx

^This is the guitar

 

Why did I get that guitar for that cheap? Well the catch with it is that the headstock is broken off.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gibson-Les-Paul-Special-Exclusive-for-Repair-or-Parts-/200907464344?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEWNX%3AIT&nma=true&si=KLfX4C3U71sa9uP9kISx29FIyO0%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

^here is the listing for the guitar

 

I am planning to get the headstock repaired by a professional. But my question is what will that do to the value of the guitar? I bought it for the fact that I was going to have it repaired and then resell it but I was just wondering what I should sell it for.

 

Thanks for all the help

 

P.S.

Here's a video of someone demoing the guitar:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

.

 

Repaired neck/headstock usually devalues the guitar by 50%, give or take a slight bit on how well the repair is done. Only a couple completed sales on fleaBay and judging from the prices maybe you can get around $800 - $1000 if the repair is a solid pro job and the finish is cosmetically repaired into looking good.

 

But wait, looks like you made a mistake. Your listing for the guitar doesn't appear to be for the VOS. The VOS has a wrap stop tail and a bound fretboard. The guitar in the listing has a bridge with a stop and an unbound fretboard. That would be a Les Paul Special Single Cut in Gloss TV Yellow. On fleaBay those sell around $700, so with a repaired headstock you're looking at $350.

 

 

.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1364259360[/url]' post='1351293']

Hey everyone I just had a quick question.

 

I just bought a 2011 Les Paul Special Single Cut VOS on Ebay for $550.

 

http://www2.gibson.c...Single-VOS.aspx

^This is the guitar

 

Why did I get that guitar for that cheap? Well the catch with it is that the headstock is broken off.

 

http://www.ebay.com/...cvip=true&rt=nc

^here is the listing for the guitar

 

I am planning to get the headstock repaired by a professional. But my question is what will that do to the value of the guitar? I bought it for the fact that I was going to have it repaired and then resell it but I was just wondering what I should sell it for.

 

Thanks for all the help

 

P.S.

Here's a video of someone demoing the guitar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EFOOOWREP4&list=HL1364259299&feature=mh_lolz

 

One would think that if you make the guitar actually playable it would become more valuable. But, I guess it really depends on how much you have into it and what someone else will pay for it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

BK nailed it.

 

If you bought it simply to turn a profit then I'm afraid you overpaid; and by a considerable margin.

 

There are many other single-cut Specials for sale at around the $500 - $600 mark without a broken headstock and even some of these are not selling. Yours is a nicer model than most of those and you might also be able to make a selling point of the ebony 'board - if, indeed it has one (the seller thought it did) - but other than that I can't see much in the way of good news.

 

You say;

"...I bought it for the fact that I was going to have it repaired and then resell..."

 

How much do you expect a professional repair to cost? To do it to a high standard including having the neck re-finished is unlikely to be cheap.

To do it to a low standard would, as I'm sure you could already guess, render the guitar worthless.

 

Clutching at straws here but it might be better for you from the financial point of view - and I'm being perfectly serious - to re-post it as-is in the hope that the same people who drove up the price last time are still around.

 

P.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I can't see you turning a profit. [unsure]

 

The guitar will be worth maybe $300 to $400 once it's fixed.

 

Maybe you can get out of it almost even. Somehow.

Hmmm....

 

I agree 100% with your first sentence but, with all due respect, BBP, I can't quite see how that last one is terribly likely.

 

If we consider the going rate for a h/s repair and re-fin to be approx $200 - $250 and add that to the $550 buying price that means the OP will already have had to shell-out somewhere around the $750 - $800 mark. If the OP wants to dial-in a profit margin of, say, $200 the asking price will have to be in the region of $1,000.

 

Can you envisage anyone spending $1,000 for a s/h Special with a h/s repair?

 

I can't.

 

At the moment, for example, Guitar Centre has a s/h Special in TV Yellow on sale for $649.

And it's in perfect condition...

 

P.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

yeesh,,, this was quite the hose job ay boys??

 

Too bad ppl don't ping the forum BEFORE they start bidding on these things.

Although that does, perhaps, sound a tad harsh it is undeniably true.

 

Just to put things in perspective even here, in the overpriced U.K., it is possible to buy (from GAK) this brand new for the equivalent of $840...

 

Specialsingle-cut_zpsfcd0ba05.jpg

 

And this one has the bound neck.

 

How much, really, would a s/h one with a headstock repair be worth?

 

P.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Although that does, perhaps, sound a tad harsh it is undeniably true.

 

wasn't meant to be antagonistic, but agree Pippy - probably not the most helpful comment I've posted...

 

I was just thinking how easily this could have been avoided if the sequence of events were opposite..

 

on the Positive side, once repaired properly, it could be a total keeper, but the sale value will still suffer

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I tried to look up that exact model, but couldn't find it.

 

But, generally, a BASIC LP special should go anywhere from 600-800 bucks. A "Junior Special", or whatever they call some various variations (that is, a Special with a Junior neck-no mop Gibby logo and no binding) would likely be 400-600 bucks.

 

I think I tend to agree, this guitar, onced fixed, is likely 300-400 bucks. Depends how it looks, on the face mostly. I don't think the break and repair would reduce an affordable git by 50%, but the appearance will be what matters here. If it looks real bad, maybe worth 250. If it's so good you can't tell, maybe almost full price to the right guy.

 

Good news is, it's still at least, a Gibby. Real P-90's. It should sound real good once fixed.

 

Other good news, it COULD have been a lot worse. I think we have all spent too much on something at some point. It ain't the end of the world.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

wasn't meant to be antagonistic, but agree Pippy - probably not the most helpful comment I've posted...

Oh, I know you certainly didn't mean it in an "I told you so" type way, KB.

 

[thumbup]

 

I tried to look up that exact model, but couldn't find it.

 

But, generally, a BASIC LP special should go anywhere from 600-800 bucks. A "Junior Special", or whatever they call some various variations (that is, a Special with a Junior neck-no mop Gibby logo and no binding) would likely be 400-600 bucks.

I don't think that exact model is on offer any more, Stein. I had a quick peek, too, but couldn't find it. Last year there were three almost identical models with those rough specs.

Nowadays there seems to be both the CS version and the one you mention, the Junior Special.

 

The one pictured in my post IS, in fact, the 'Junior Special' and if it can be bought for $840 here in the UK then I'm sure you are in the ballpark with your guesses.

 

P.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh, I know you certainly didn't mean it in an "I told you so" type way, KB.

 

[thumbup]

 

 

I don't think that exact model is on offer any more, Stein. I had a quick peek, too, but couldn't find it. Last year there were three almost identical models with those rough specs.

Nowadays there seems to be both the CS version and the one you mention, the Junior Special.

 

The one pictured in my post IS, in fact, the 'Junior Special' and if it can be bought for $840 here in the UK then I'm sure you are in the ballpark with your guesses.

 

P.

I just happen to hip on the prices because I recently researched my '96 in preparation to sell. You know, Bluebook, different models, what new prices are, that sort of thing.

 

That "Junior Special" tag Gibson uses has been used for a few different variations over the years, it's almost comical. I'm waiting for them to call one "Special Junior".

 

You know, that question: "Is it a junior with an extra pup, or is it a Special without binding?" "Well, no, it's a 'Junior Special'". "Does it have dogear pups or saopbars?". "Well, it might have humbuckers. We don't actually know".

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...