slammer Posted February 15, 2010 Share Posted February 15, 2010 As a few of you know from my earlier posts, I was having difficulty locating a new Epi '59 Ltd Edition LP in the US. I had an order with one of the big online retail chains 5 months ago and pretty much decided that I was never going to see that guitar. Thanks to Rewddawg, I located and purchased a guitar from another major chain last week. This was the last Faded Ice Tea '59 Ltd Edition they had in their stores nationwide although they didn't say whether they were going to get any more. As luck would have it, I called to cancel my original order only to find out that they had received a shipment and a second '59 Epi Ltd Edition was already on it's way to me! :) ... an embarrasment of riches for sure. So what to do with 2 guitars... keep 'em both and leave one aside to sell in 20 yrs?... tempting but not in the budget. I will have to return one of the guitars and wanted to offer to sell it to a forum user instead of leaving it at the store. Price is $899 plus tax. I recall others having the same trouble finding one of the '59's. Won't know the serial numbers till I get the guitars later this week. Shipping will be extra (probably $30, only to US). Will use UPS or Fedex Ground and will ship using the box received from the online shipment. If you're interesed let me know... first come, first served. I'll delete this post once I get a confirmed buyer. Need to know by 2/17. Payment would need to be via Paypal in advance, will be able to send photos once I have the guitar. Thanks, Slammer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peeper Posted February 15, 2010 Share Posted February 15, 2010 Put this in the trading post. You will make someone very happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanH Posted February 15, 2010 Share Posted February 15, 2010 A kind offer to make before sending it back; but it would effectively become second-hand which invalidates the warranty for the second purchaser. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hungrycat Posted February 15, 2010 Share Posted February 15, 2010 A kind offer to make before sending it back; but it would effectively become second-hand which invalidates the warranty for the second purchaser. Not if he doesn't fill out the warranty card... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanH Posted February 15, 2010 Share Posted February 15, 2010 Not if he doesn't fill out the warranty card... Do Gibson/Epi ever require proof of purchase when a warranty issue arises? If so, then this is where a second purchaser could come 'unstuck'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rewddawg1 Posted February 15, 2010 Share Posted February 15, 2010 Ironey sucks, you couldn't get satisfying updates on your original purchase, finally find one somewhere else and now you have two. I think I would make sure I understood return policies before I opened one up. Then I would choose one and return the other unopened or if the one from Sam Ash will be already opened send the other one back unopened. I have never bought a new guitar from a store on the internet and returned it already opened unless the guitar had a problem. Just an opinion to think about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Figaro Posted February 15, 2010 Share Posted February 15, 2010 Salmmer, I want to read your opinion of the shape of the necks of your two 59 Epi Les Pauls when you receive them. I also have one of these 1959 Limited Editions and want to compare the neck shapes. Mine does not have what I consider a fat round 50's neck and I want to see if either of your two have a fat round 50's necks. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest icantbuyafender Posted February 15, 2010 Share Posted February 15, 2010 LOL This is the kind of problem you WANT to have. lucky dog. Someone in the trading post is gonna flip! Be sure to include a review on the one you keep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyGibson Posted February 16, 2010 Share Posted February 16, 2010 Congratulations. I had my name on a waiting list too and figured they were all pre-sold, especially since GC, MF and M123 took the guitar off their web-sites and the "due date" kept changing. Then yesterday, I get an email that says, it's in and to act fast or it will go to the next person waiting. Because I gave up, I wound up buying a Gibson Std. Trad. plus Ice Tea. I'm very pleased with it and glad I bought it. With my discount and trade, it would up only being $700 more than the '59 Epi. One way other, Gibson/Epi was going to make money. Usually I'm budget minded and think Epi is a fantastic value and the '59 is an outstanding value and if it came in last December when the original "due date" was, I would have bouth it and not made a trade. As far as having two of them; pick the best one and send the other back. We all know the quality can vary from one to the other. Maybe one's neck profile is beefier than the other? Or you like the flame on one more than the other. Sometimes, the differences can be subjective and not related to quality. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken361 Posted February 16, 2010 Share Posted February 16, 2010 could sell them on ebay next year for some crazy price like SOME people do! lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slammer Posted February 16, 2010 Author Share Posted February 16, 2010 Just a quick update... Due to the fact that I used a coupon to purchase from the online retailer for the initial order, I'm going to keep the '59 Epi they send me barring any problems with it. It will be here tomorrow (2/17) and if everything checks out with it I'm going to head up to the Sam Ash store on Thursday to get a refund for the deposit I put down on the other '59. I spoke with them today and they would welcome another buyer. If any one wants to purchase a new '59 Ltd Edition LP in Faded Ice Tea, it should be available on Thursday (2/18) at the Sam Ash store in Atlanta, GA. If you call, ask for Zander. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gonzo-lee Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 Salmmer' date=' I want to read your opinion of the shape of the necks of your two 59 Epi Les Pauls when you receive them. I also have one of these 1959 Limited Editions and want to compare the neck shapes. Mine does not have what I consider a fat round 50's neck and I want to see if either of your two have a fat round 50's necks. Thanks![/quote'] Hello from Germany, since yesterday i'm a owner of this beautyfull guitar: http://cgi.ebay.de/Epiphone-1959-Les-Paul-Standard-FT-incl-Koffer_W0QQitemZ360231910743QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGitarren?hash=item53df7ebd57 scroll down to see some Pictures. It has definitely no 50's D neck like the other Epiphones I own. (custom and Zakk Wylde camo)It seems to be the 60's flat one. It also has not this teardrop burst like gibson. But, nevertheless, a fine guitar. regards gonzo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken361 Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 Hello from Germany' date='since yesterday i'm a owner of this beautyfull guitar: http://cgi.ebay.de/Epiphone-1959-Les-Paul-Standard-FT-incl-Koffer_W0QQitemZ360231910743QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGitarren?hash=item53df7ebd57 scroll down to see some Pictures. It has definitely no 50's D neck like the other Epiphones I own. (custom and Zakk Wylde camo)It seems to be the 60's flat one. It also has not this teardrop burst like gibson. But, nevertheless, a fine guitar. regards gonzo [/quote'] your certificate is dark on one side? been copied maybe? guitar looks great! also my serial number was written in for some reason huh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gonzo-lee Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 your certificate is dark on one side? been copied maybe? guitar looks great! also my serial number was written in for some reason huh. That's a bad copy, no, let me say it this way, because the other "certificates" i saw were bad copies too, this is a very bad copy. But in a way very unique. *lol* I've found an article concerning the neck profile: http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2010/Jan/Epiphone_1959_Les_Paul_Standard_Electric_Guitar_Review.aspx so it seems to be a "between 50's and 60's neck profile" ? Is this authentic? Fat D profile up tp 1958 and the sixties neck later? 1960 i guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slammer Posted February 17, 2010 Author Share Posted February 17, 2010 Hmmm.... very curious about the certificate. Will be interesting to see if the cert that comes with the '59 I receive today is a photocopy. If I were in the market for a used '59 in the future I know I'd be suspect if someone showed me an obvious copy of the certificate.... and a bad copy at that! Guess Epiphone saves... what... maybe $1 instead of putting in a real certificate? Seems inconsistent with their marketing the guitar as a Ltd Edition of the 'holy grail of guitars' :) I'm also a little concerned when I see the burst finish in your pictures. There was confusion among a few US retailers when the guitar was announced... some said the finish was called Faded Tobacco, others said Faded Ice Tea. Gonzo-lee, I would classify your finish as Faded Tobacco (very nice) but honestly I really want the Faded Ice Tea.... or whatever it is that is featured in every official Epi picture I've seen to date. A Gibson Faded Ice Tea finish is a good bit lighter than the finish in your pictures. I'll post an update and some pics as soon as my guitar comes in. Slammer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gonzo-lee Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 I'm afraid, that is what you will get. I have seen both in the shop, the HCS and this one, looks really like Tobacco, not as dark as the regular Epiphone Standard Tobacco, which i don't like with this black backside. The "official Epi pictures" are fakes, not real guitars. The finish is different, the truss rod cover is different, color ...or they have another set of 1959 guitars. My bill says "iced tea" The "d" is created by the seller. It is a big Guitar Shop here in germany, so i think, no fake, just the real thing made in china. By the way, the serial number is F301xxx like this guitar was made in Japan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slammer Posted February 17, 2010 Author Share Posted February 17, 2010 Well... my '59 Ltd Edition Les Paul arrived today and despite some of the nice pics... it's a complete wreck. The neck below the headstock is split on both sides (probably dropped somewhere in shipping) so I'm sending it back. Broken neck aside, this guitar doesn't seem like it's worth $900 to me. On the plus side (sort of), the Ice Tea finish is nice but I expected better book-matching on high quality veneer. The website pics appear to have a matte finish vs. the heavy urethane on this guitar. If gonzo-lee's '59 is Ice Tea, then the good folks at the Epiphone China factory have a pretty broad definition of that finish. More issues.... 1) the back is made up of 5 - yes 5 - pieces of mahogany, all distinctly different. The back looks uniform but the joints on the sides are so obvious it looks like two different materials being joined 2) there's glue all over the first fret which was wiped off vs cleaned 3) the back of the neck is scratched and dull 4) the light grain stripes on the rosewood neck are too prominent (comparing to my Gibson SG Standard). I like figured necks but this looks more like second class wood 5) case has glue stains and sloppy glue work all over it. Somehow the QC team in China felt it was good enough to stick two QC stickers on the guitar and a filled-in QC checklist in the case. I did not open the Certificate packet but held it up to the light to see that one half wasn't dark (referring to the earlier post). Plugged in, it sounded fantastic however it would be just as easy to hod-rod a standard Epi LP to get the same sound. In other words, I feel like the added cost was for better electronics not for a guitar with a higher level of fit and finish. Pretty big let down after a 6 month wait. I think the earlier poster that decided to get the Gibson LP Standard instead of waiting for the Epi '59 made the right call. As for me, I'm going to look for an Orville, Tokai, or Edwards... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markerdown Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 Ho-lee crap, I can't believe it. Thats a production line reject if I ever saw one! A 2010 '60 tribute arrived at my house today and it's beautiful. Not a flaw on it that I can find. Man... after reading this, I canx'd my order. I can always hot rod out a std or plus top with burstbuckers. Makes me think of how screwed are the "blems" a few of the big chains are offering on line. The dude at zzounds told me theirs was a customer return but could not elaborate on why. What about your second 59????...............markerdown Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Figaro Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 I've decided to sell my 1959 Limited Edition iced tea sunburst. A super nice Les Paul, but now I need the money more than the guitar. My email address is in my profile for more information. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest icantbuyafender Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 man Im glad I didnt plunk down a deposit..... Im good with my melody maker. :- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken361 Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 The fit and finish is perfect, the pickup hums more then it should maybe bad shielding? but thats it, good as any gibby. Thats sucks on your case that you got a bad guitar, i wouldn't give up try else were. I had a epi les paul standard with a burstbucker in the bridge and the 59 just sounds better all around!! thicker tones and sustains for days. Even gibson sends out bad guitars, guy at Guitar center said the Epi's look better then the Gibsons that come through the door. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest icantbuyafender Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 The fit and finish is perfect' date=' the pickup hums more then it should maybe bad shielding? but thats it, good as any gibby. Thats sucks on your case that you got a bad guitar, i wouldn't give up try else were. I had a epi les paul standard with a burstbucker in the bridge and the 59 just sounds better all around!! thicker tones and sustains for days. Even gibson sends out bad guitars, guy at Guitar center said the Epi's look better then the Gibsons that come through the door.[/quote'] burstbuckers 1,2 or 3 are not wax potted = a bit of hum/buzz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peeper Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 FYI Wax potting has no effect of hum, only microphonics. Hum is an electrical issue. Wax potting a pickup addresses a mechanical one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyGibson Posted February 22, 2010 Share Posted February 22, 2010 Slammer - sorry to see your misfortunes. I'm the guy who gave up waiting and bought a Gibson Std. Trad. I did a trade in/trade up at GC. It really weighed on me too, because of the difference in price. I decided, with the help of my wife, to go for it. It finally dawned on me, that until I get a Gibson, (not to turn this into a Gibson vs. Epi thing), that adding more Epi's will not cure the need to look for something better. Now that I have a Gibson, I don't feel the need to keep searching for the next better or different Epi. There is a difference...really. I figure, in the long run, I'll save money, because this is a keeper Good Luck in your search. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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