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2012 Les Paul Deluxe Gold Top


cwgatti

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Why is the Deluxe cheaper than a Standard?

Think it's just a question of demand. The 2012 Deluxe is chambered I believe, and so the prices of the massive Norlin years Deluxe LPs are relatively high. A bandmate of mine owns a late 1970s Gold Top Deluxe in mint condition and was surprised recently what it would sell for.

 

If you want one of those made in 2012 and find a nice one, I think you may buy it as long as the prices are down.

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Thanks Gunner,

Here's the thing: the guy is having a hard time selling at $1,750. I don't wanna lowball him. I want to pay $1500, but I only wanna offer if it is fair. I want a deal, but I want the guy to agree to a fair price without me offering a chump deal hoping he will meet me in the middle.

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Thanks Gunner,

Here's the thing: the guy is having a hard time selling at $1,750. I don't wanna lowball him. I want to pay $1500, but I only wanna offer if it is fair. I want a deal, but I want the guy to agree to a fair price without me offering a chump deal hoping he will meet me in the middle.

Based on all the completed eBay listings I would say anywhere from $1,500 to $1,800 is reasonable. If you can play the guitar first, that is worth something compared to eBay. Then again, many of the eBay listings include free shipping.

 

I don't know what they cost new but it is irrelevant. The current used price is dictated by the laws of supply and demand and nothing else. Most guitars go down in value from new but some go up.

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Why is the Deluxe cheaper than a Standard?

 

The Deluxe has mini humbuckers, where the Standard has full size humbuckers. I've had a 1969 Deluxe for just over 40 years, bought it used in 1973. Epiphone guitars were manufactured in the Gibson factory in Kalamazoo, right along side of the Gibsons up until about 1969. At that time, Epiphones were manufactured offshore. Epiphones were always equipt with mini humbuckers. Gibson had a pile of the mini humbuckers to use up & were able to mount them in a P-90 cover with minimal tooling cost. The 1968 Goldtop had a P-90's in it. The 1969 Goldtop with the Epiphone mini humbuckers installed in it was called the Deluxe. The Deluxe was never as popular as the Standard, which was reintroduced in about 1974. Used ones have always been a bit cheaper for the most part. Les Paul himself like the tone of the Deluxe with the mini humbucker pickups............ [thumbup]

 

1969GibsonLesPaulDeluxe.jpg

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The Deluxe has mini humbuckers, where the Standard has full size humbuckers. I've had a 1969 Deluxe for just over 40 years, bought it used in 1973. Epiphone guitars were manufactured in the Gibson factory in Kalamazoo, right along side of the Gibsons up until about 1969. At that time, Epiphones were manufactured offshore. Epiphones were always equipt with mini humbuckers. Gibson had a pile of the mini humbuckers to use up & were able to mount them in a P-90 cover with minimal tooling cost. The 1968 Goldtop had a P-90's in it. The 1969 Goldtop with the Epiphone mini humbuckers installed in it was called the Deluxe. The Deluxe was never as popular as the Standard, which was reintroduced in about 1974. Used ones have always been a bit cheaper for the most part. Les Paul himself like the tone of the Deluxe with the mini humbucker pickups............ [thumbup]

 

1969GibsonLesPaulDeluxe.jpg

 

i love goldtops

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Doing some research, I think I may pass. A lot of reviews criticize the production quality. I can't get a read on the "chambered" thing. Seems like a lot of purists believe it is awful, but others believe you cant tell either way. I had a 1984 Les Paul Custom and it was heavy as hell. I think I just have to go to a brick and mortar and decide myself...

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Doing some research, I think I may pass. A lot of reviews criticize the production quality. I can't get a read on the "chambered" thing. Seems like a lot of purists believe it is awful, but others believe you cant tell either way. I had a 1984 Les Paul Custom and it was heavy as hell. I think I just have to go to a brick and mortar and decide myself...

 

I wouldn't pass on something just because some yahoos on the internet said chambering is bad (although it appears that this particular guitar isn't chambered). I would play on a bunch of different types of guitars with different types of pickups and different weight relief and see what you like.

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...I can't get a read on the "chambered" thing. Seems like a lot of purists believe it is awful, but others believe you cant tell either way. I had a 1984 Les Paul Custom and it was heavy as hell...

Did you like the '84 Custom?

 

As Bence says in post #14 the DeLuxe R-I is weight-relieved and not chambered. Weight-relieving began in 1982.

Until the fairly recent introduction of Chambering all Gibson Les Pauls built from '82 onwards have been Weight-Relieved (excluding most Historic R-Is, 2013 Trads and a few special models such as Supremes).

Regardless of how heavy it felt this includes your '84 Custom. Could you tell it was Weight-Relieved?...

 

Jus' sayin'......

 

P.

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Did you like the '84 Custom?

 

As Bence says in post #14 the DeLuxe R-I is weight-relieved and not chambered. Weight-relieving began in 1982.

Until the fairly recent introduction of Chambering all Gibson Les Pauls built from '82 onwards have been Weight-Relieved (excluding most Historic R-Is, 2013 Trads and a few Special Editions).

Regardless of how heavy it felt this includes your '84 Custom. Could you tell?...

 

Jus' sayin'......

 

P.

 

I moved to Superstrats after the LP Custom. EVERYTHING felt lighter then. I would share my LP Custom with other players, and the first thing they would say is how heavy it was.

 

I sold my collection of pointy guitars and I am now focusing on classic style guitars. Just got a '96 Jeff Beck Strat last month. I got a 2012 Tele too.

 

Old man guitars.

 

Oh, and I played my 84 LP Custom until it disintegrated. Finish came off, parts were breaking, neck cracked. I traded it to a luthier for a Hamer Chaparral. Once I moved that direction, I added a bunch of those with all kinds of mods. Now I have one (which is awesome) and moved to a variety of classics.

 

My next target is a Gibson Les Paul. After that a PRS.

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You should try out some of the recent LP Standards if you don't like too heavy a guitar. These can be down in Strat-territory as far as weight goes.

 

The weight of some of the later Norlin-era Customs has been shown (here) to be over 15 lbs. This was the reason Gibson brought in W-R in '82.

Even with the 'Swiss-Cheesing' the Customs could still often tip the scales upwards of 10.5 lbs.

 

FWIW...

Many folks hereabouts have both Chambered and W-R'd Lesters and some have both these versions as well as Solid-bodied LPs. The general consensus when the guitars are plugged-in seems to be this;

W-R and Solid - no real noticeable difference.

W-R, Solid and Chambered - Chambered tend to be 'Brighter' / 'Sweeter' compared to the others which tend to be 'Darker'.

 

The lightest body-blanks are reserved for the R-I's. A Solid-body R-I is usually, oddly enough, lighter than a W-R'd LP.

This is because the latter use heavier wood to start with. Once the 'waste' has been removed they are still, often as not, heavier than, say, an R9.

 

FWIW #2...

I have two Solid-body R-I's and two early '90s W-R'd Pauls and they vary in weight by less than 3 oz. between the lot of them.

 

P.

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Thanks Pippy,

I will. I am a gearhead, but I am not gonna tell you I can substantially say that I know a chambered from a weight relieved LP. I imagine once I pick one up, I will tell if I like it or not. It's nice to learn about them though. That's why I like the forums. I ask you guys because I live 1 1/2 hours fron the nearest Gibson dealer.

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...I am a gearhead, but I am not gonna tell you I can substantially say that I know a chambered from a weight relieved LP.

I imagine once I pick one up, I will tell if I like it or not. It's nice to learn about them though. That's why I like the forums. I ask you guys because I live 1 1/2 hours fron the nearest Gibson dealer.

I wish you good luck in the hunt, cwgatti.

 

Regardless of what you might read it's a near racing-certainty that absolutely no one on Earth could tell whether a particular LP is Solid, W-R'd or Chambered just by hearing it played without a direct Back-to-Back comparison.

Once the guitar is played in a band-setting with a drummer and bassist kicking-off?.............Not A Hope In Hell.

 

Be advised, however, that Chambered Standards can also vary greatly in weight with son=me down in the low 7 lbs range but others over 9 lbs.

 

P.

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