willguitar100 Posted January 7, 2016 Posted January 7, 2016 My dad's friend came across a Gibson Les Paul (not sure how). He sent photos and explained that he doesn't really have an interest in restoring it because it's in quite a beaten up shape. He seems fairly interested in just trading a $200 Ibanez guitar for the LP. After close inspection of the photos, we're trying to determine the age, model, and authenticy of the Gibson. It's passed all of our tests, but it does have some details that just seem shakey. I was also wondering if anyone could possibly identify the model for me. Thanks! Some information about the guitar: After searching the serial number, it appears that it was made in May 2011. The font, position, and size of the serial number and the Made in USA stamp appear to be authentic. The Gibson logo is golden. The guitar is in a very rough shape for being made in 2011. I do not know if it was not care for by the previous owner or what, but it's got scratches all over and paint chipped off. No bridge, strings are missing, etc. The output jack looks to be sticking out like an entire inch from the body, but upon closer inspection, it looks as if the previous own just stuck a bolt on it or something because they may have lost the previous one. Remember, this guitar was not taken care of. The serial number is 115110314. My dad has yet to see the guitar in person, but these are all of the photos we were sent of the guitar. The resolution doens't go any higher and the compression is a little high, since they were sent over text. Any thoughts? I figured a site like this would be the best to ask for opinions or thoughts on the guitar. ALL photos can be found here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0BzimZWtessR3MnhwaVVMaFlfbms
cjsinla Posted January 7, 2016 Posted January 7, 2016 My dad's friend came across a Gibson Les Paul (not sure how). He sent photos and explained that he doesn't really have an interest in restoring it because it's in quite a beaten up shape. He seems fairly interested in just trading a $200 Ibanez guitar for the LP. After close inspection of the photos, we're trying to determine the age, model, and authenticy of the Gibson. It's passed all of our tests, but it does have some details that just seem shakey. I was also wondering if anyone could possibly identify the model for me. Thanks! Some information about the guitar: After searching the serial number, it appears that it was made in May 2011. The font, position, and size of the serial number and the Made in USA stamp appear to be authentic. The Gibson logo is golden. The guitar is in a very rough shape for being made in 2011. I do not know if it was not care for by the previous owner or what, but it's got scratches all over and paint chipped off. No bridge, strings are missing, etc. The output jack looks to be sticking out like an entire inch from the body, but upon closer inspection, it looks as if the previous own just stuck a bolt on it or something because they may have lost the previous one. Remember, this guitar was not taken care of. The serial number is 115110314. My dad has yet to see the guitar in person, but these are all of the photos we were sent of the guitar. The resolution doens't go any higher and the compression is a little high, since they were sent over text. Any thoughts? I figured a site like this would be the best to ask for opinions or thoughts on the guitar. ALL photos can be found here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0BzimZWtessR3MnhwaVVMaFlfbms ll Looks real, needs some work. It's one of the cheaper Les Pauls but might be worth more than your Ibanez. It's not a steal IMO.
cjsinla Posted January 7, 2016 Posted January 7, 2016 Maybe a Les Paul Studio 50's Tribute? Good call Tribute
capmaster Posted January 7, 2016 Posted January 7, 2016 Hello, and welcome to this nice place. First of all, the guitar looks definitely real albeit treated rather carelessly as you already said. Repair for bringing it back to functions won't be a problem basically, but the behaviour of the neck could be critical, at least for a certain period. Considering the entire condition I guess the truss-rod is not set for storage without strings. A neck having been out of adjustment for an extended period may take some weeks or even months after the first restringing until it will have reached a steady state. For me personally the neck's back would have to be flawless, without dents and dings. The provided photos don't allow for rating it. I'm sad to say this, but I have doubts if this guitar is worth a refinishing. Furthermore, it would have to be evaluated for tone and playability first, and considering the neck this may take some time, in pasrticular for playability. Finally, if I could get this at no charge and have some time for basic repairs and adjustments, I would give it a try and possibly discover a hidden gem which maybe even deserves refretting or refinishing. The parts needed - new Nashville bridge, new jack, possibly some more, and optionally a pickguard - will also cost you some money beforehand. Anyway, trading a $200 Ibanez without even knowing what this Les Paul is all about would be too much of a risk for me. Just my two cents.
pippy Posted January 7, 2016 Posted January 7, 2016 Well, the guitar is a real Gibson as has been said in post #3. Is it worth $200? As Cap suggests it all depends on what might be wrong with it. Do the p'ups work? Are the pots scratchy? Does the selector switch work? If the electrics are shot - why on Earth has the output jack been messed-around so much? - then it might take money to fix. The bridge is missing but a replacement wouldn't be too expensive to source. A replacement p'guard is similarly not a deal-breaker. "How true is the neck?" is the biggest unknown. Gibson necks are good things and as this is will have a '50s profile it should be a meaty piece of timber so even if it's been without strings for a long time it should settle down again after a while. Bottom line is that you would be buying a pig in a poke. It might be a disaster which is hardly worth the fix. OTOH if the strings have only recently been removed and all the internals are working as they should then for $200 it's a really good deal. Studio Tributes are pretty near the bottom of the pile in Les Paul terms but make no mistake; they are Very Good Guitars. FWIW if it were offered to me I'd go for it. $200 is (relatively) nothing in Gibson terms and for, say, an extra $50 you might have a great instrument. I'd take a sander to the whole thing and refinish it myself. Keep us posted! Pip.
BigKahune Posted January 7, 2016 Posted January 7, 2016 . I agree with the other comments. Holy cow, is that a lug nut on the jack?!? . As you've said, very careless owner. Besides the neck concerns, from the looks of the jack/plate, a mod might have been tried so there's no telling what changes or damage might have occurred to the electronics/circuitry. As has been said - might be worth it for a couple hundred. Good luck with that one. .
willguitar100 Posted January 7, 2016 Author Posted January 7, 2016 Thanks for the replies! I'll be replying to each post seperately as soon as I get more information, since my dad works out of town so I can only get more photos usually in batches and such. We were thinking the guitar would be a nice project to get me started on repairing guitars or building them. It's nice to know that it looks authentic, but I just have NO clue who in the world would treat their guitar that way. It's only about 4 years old yet it looks 30.
pippy Posted January 7, 2016 Posted January 7, 2016 ...I just have NO clue who in the world would treat their guitar that way. It's only about 4 years old yet it looks 30... No, No, No;.......You are doing this all-wrong. It's called "Mojo" and it usually has a considerable 'upcharge' attendant... You think I'm kidding? Check out Fender's 'Road-Worn' series.... Brand-new guitars which look like they have been have been dragged from the Band-Wagon's tow-rope for a tour of the Lower States. Hope you snag the LP so we can all follow the project! Pip.
cjsinla Posted January 8, 2016 Posted January 8, 2016 Thanks for the replies! I'll be replying to each post seperately as soon as I get more information, since my dad works out of town so I can only get more photos usually in batches and such. We were thinking the guitar would be a nice project to get me started on repairing guitars or building them. It's nice to know that it looks authentic, but I just have NO clue who in the world would treat their guitar that way. It's only about 4 years old yet it looks 30. The finish on that model is very thin, it shows wear very quickly even for those players who take good care of them. I have 40 and 50 year old guitars that don't look that bad.
Johnny 6 String Posted January 8, 2016 Posted January 8, 2016 NEVER see anything that cheap where I live...can't even get Epi's for $200 used (not set necks anyway). If it was near me and the neck/truss rod are good, it"d be at my house already. Johnny
stein Posted January 8, 2016 Posted January 8, 2016 Wow. It's hard to judge, because we don't know what this Ibanez is you are referring too. You SAY 200 bucks for the Ibanez, but that's don't mean it isn't worth much more. As for this here Gibson, it's EASILY worth 200 bucks. It's worth that just for the pickups and the tuners. I don't disagree a guitar without strings could have potential issues, but after 4 years? I don't think it's very likely. I guess another way of putting it, if this guitar was actually for sale at 200 bucks, we would be in a NGD thread, and likely a NGD thread after someone had already flipped it. Another way of putting it: If this guitar IS for sale at 200 bucks, I'd appreciate a contact. I've got cash and PayPal.
Blueblooded Posted January 8, 2016 Posted January 8, 2016 If it is a 2011, it's the 60's Tribute with 60s slim taper neck. Great guitar with great P90 tone. Loved mine. If the neck hasn't been physically broken off, it is definitely worth owning and in today's used market worth between $450 and $650. Pic of the one I owned below.
pippy Posted January 8, 2016 Posted January 8, 2016 If it is a 2011, it's the 60's Tribute with 60s slim taper neck... Are you quite sure there wasn't a '50s Tribute available at the same time, Blueblooded? Certainly the guitar for sale in the link in post #4 claims to be just that; a 2011 '50s Tribute. Whatever; unless there has been some serious wrongdoing by the owner(s) I think the general consensus is that the guitar is too good an opportunity to pass up. How bad can it possibly be? Pip.
Blueblooded Posted January 8, 2016 Posted January 8, 2016 Yes, absolutely sure. Rabs can confirm as he still owns his 2011 60's tribute Goldtop which was the exact same as the one I owned pictured. Gibson keeps coming out with these nearly every year and keeps changing between neck profiles, pickups and finishes. One year a 60's has P90s and the next year the 50's has P90s. It does make it confusing but the 2011's with P90s are 60's tributes. GC gave me $500 for it as I was trading up to my 2013 Traditional Pro II.
willguitar100 Posted January 9, 2016 Author Posted January 9, 2016 Another way of putting it: If this guitar IS for sale at 200 bucks, I'd appreciate a contact. I've got cash and PayPal. We made up our mind on the guitar today, we just figured the heck with it why not and decided that we're going to trade! Also the model guitar we are trading with is a 2004 Ibanez RG series guitar I belive. We bought it from a MusicGoRound for $200 I believe just as a placeholder guitar for my dad to play for his out of town job. There is a possibilty though that we might just ask the guy if he'll do with $200 cash and we go pick out a guitar with him since my dad really enjoys his Ibanez right now and doesn't want to buy yet another guitar right away after this one.
willguitar100 Posted January 12, 2016 Author Posted January 12, 2016 It's official, we decided to just go for it and the guy accepted. This is the guitar we're trading. I'm not sure when we'll trade but it's been confirmed
capmaster Posted January 12, 2016 Posted January 12, 2016 Good luck, and keep us posted, please - always curious about Gibson guitars...
willguitar100 Posted January 12, 2016 Author Posted January 12, 2016 Good luck, and keep us posted, please - always curious about Gibson guitars... I will! It will be a slow process but I'll either keep this thread posted with updates or make a new one under another name to prevent confusion (or rename this one if that's possible)
Mr. C.O. Jones Posted January 12, 2016 Posted January 12, 2016 I own a satin finished Les Paul, and yes it is indeed a thin finish. But the only place I worn through it is on the back, uper edge of the body. I often wear printed band shirts, that could explain that. No wear on the back of the neck or where my arm rests. It only gets shiny there, but I polished it anyway. That one has been played and treated with an I don't give a $hit attitude. I personally think it was a good decision to go for it, I really dig mine. And only the P-90 are almost worth that. I agree with Pippy, that thing is oozing mojo. I would buy a good cleaner and polish and shine it up. This is mine after a bit of Virtuoso polish and some elbow grease:
AlanH Posted January 12, 2016 Posted January 12, 2016 Are you quite sure there wasn't a '50s Tribute available at the same time, Blueblooded? Certainly the guitar for sale in the link in post #4 claims to be just that; a 2011 '50s Tribute. Whatever; unless there has been some serious wrongdoing by the owner(s) I think the general consensus is that the guitar is too good an opportunity to pass up. How bad can it possibly be? Pip. I own a '50s Tribute Humbucker model from 2011. I'm almost certain that these quickly followed up (due to demand) the initial run of both 50's and '60s versions of the P90 equipped models. In my view it could be either a '50s or a '60s so it would need somebody to get their mits around it to determine which.........unless the OP can find a Gibson code somewhere within the innards or packaging (which has probably long since been thrown away). Edit: PS. Here's a thread I started about my HB model which has actually recently been resurrected: http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/80383-the-les-paul-studio-tribute-humbucker-model-club/
capmaster Posted January 12, 2016 Posted January 12, 2016 I will! It will be a slow process but I'll either keep this thread posted with updates or make a new one under another name to prevent confusion (or rename this one if that's possible) This is possible. After clicking the Edit button of your opening post, a subsequent click on the Use Full Editor button, shown bottom centre in the editing screen, allows for rewriting topic title and description, too.
capmaster Posted January 12, 2016 Posted January 12, 2016 ... I often wear printed band shirts, that could explain that. ... I gave up wearing printed shirts when playing guitar. I found that the colours and gums/rubbers used for printing transfer to nitro finishes. I removed the residues with water and facial tissues. Once I had found out what it was, I stayed away from it. Poly finishes don't reveal any problems but I avoid wearing printed clothing consequently now when playing guitar or bass. Pretty guitar! I like this Worn Cherry, also as "Faded" and "Worn" Gibson finishes.
Mr. C.O. Jones Posted January 13, 2016 Posted January 13, 2016 Yeah I really should stop wearing those while playing. And thank's, I think that those less glossy finishes have something.... I don't know let's call it "sexy" on them. To be honest I even prefere the satin finished neck over the full gloss. The top is just crazy on that LPJ, and it is such a nice player. Sometimes I think it deserves to have black binding!
capmaster Posted January 13, 2016 Posted January 13, 2016 ... To be honest I even prefer the satin finished neck over the full gloss. ... In 1987 began my first experience with a satin neck back. When I bought my Ibanez RG 430 new, I wasn't sure how it may work in the long run, but it did very well. Lots of my guitars and basses have glossy finishes, some satin, silk gloss, worn, vintage gloss, or natural vintage gloss ones, given the lot of funny names the marketing people invented. I don't have problems with any of them although they behave differently. Nitro finishes tend to become sticky when wet from sweat, poly finishes rather become slippery. Anyway, I can handle them, and this is what counts for me!
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