burdger Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 I've heard that there are certain years of LP's that have been deemed not as quality as most others. I ask because I have an opportunity to buy a 1990 LP Standard for $1200. I just wanted to make sure there wasn't an obvious reason it's priced so low before I make the drive to look at it. The pictures I've seen are great. It looks like it has been taken care of very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CowboyBillyBob1 Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 I've heard that there are certain years of LP's that have been deemed not as quality as most others. I ask because I have an opportunity to buy a 1990 LP Standard for $1200. I just wanted to make sure there wasn't an obvious reason it's priced so low before I make the drive to look at it. The pictures I've seen are great. It looks like it has been taken care of very well. You can find great and way less than great guitars from any era. Some eras have a better record than others but the bottom line is you gotta try before you buy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burdger Posted October 30, 2012 Author Share Posted October 30, 2012 I'm definitely going to try it. Is there anything specifically I should look for that I might not notice just playing it briefly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 I've heard that there are certain years of LP's that have been deemed not as quality as most others. I ask because I have an opportunity to buy a 1990 LP Standard for $1200. I just wanted to make sure there wasn't an obvious reason it's priced so low before I make the drive to look at it. The pictures I've seen are great. It looks like it has been taken care of very well. I think quality slipped on a lot of guitars during the seventies. Wasn't a great decade for quality. "After being purchased by the Norlin corporation in the late 1960s Gibson's quality and fortunes took a steep decline until early 1986." -- Wikipedia, 'Gibson Guitar Corporation'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pin Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 I think quality slipped on a lot of guitars during the seventies. Wasn't a great decade for quality. "After being purchased by the Norlin corporation in the late 1960s Gibson's quality and fortunes took a steep decline until early 1986." -- Wikipedia, 'Gibson Guitar Corporation'. But of course that view is hotly debated as is evidenced by the My Les Paul sub-forum "The Norlin Years" as below: http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/norlin-years/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 I've had over a dozen, from a 1955 gold top to a '99 black beauty. Solid bodies in general don't set me on fire. There has to be an over the top magic for me to give them much more than a second glance. My one and only LP is a '71 sandwich body Norlin that weighs a ton. So much for the anti-Norlin argument. Fluke? Maybe. I'm not questioning it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaiser Bill Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 My first two LPs were both 70s series. SCREAMERS...great action and tone... still kicking myself for selling them. All thats left are photos. Perhaps I got lucky TWICE!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AXE® Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 Better Years? Myth Busted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeoPaul422 Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 I've heard that there are certain years of LP's that have been deemed not as quality as most others. I ask because I have an opportunity to buy a 1990 LP Standard for $1200. I just wanted to make sure there wasn't an obvious reason it's priced so low before I make the drive to look at it. The pictures I've seen are great. It looks like it has been taken care of very well. I have an 89 LP & it is a great guitar. Some say that the Norlin era (69-85) LPs are not as good as pre or post Norlin. However, the neck volute was a Norlin era improvement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 I've had over a dozen, from a 1955 gold top to a '99 black beauty. Solid bodies in general don't set me on fire. There has to be an over the top magic for me to give them much more than a second glance. My one and only LP is a '71 sandwich body Norlin that weighs a ton. So much for the anti-Norlin argument. Fluke? Maybe. I'm not questioning it. Ah ha! I feel the same way regarding going full electric with a solidbody. I like to retain some of the acoustic properties of a hollowbody. But you know different guitars do different jobs. I can not part with the clean tube sound I can get with a compressor and a hollowbody and tube head, love it. On the other hand I get sick of every dweeb with a cheap acoustic guitar plugging into the pa. bass players are even getting that lazy plugging direct in to the pa, but the full range speakers of the pa seem to handle the low frequencies better. Electric guitar just doesn't work that way, even a direct box doesn't do electric pickups justice. I would be in heaven if the amp weighed two pounds and put out a 1000 watts! The stuff of science fiction. How would you improve the guitar player's experience with the equipment? During the life of electric amplification, unfortunately, power still equals weight. I would like to see some sort of effort to clean up all the mess of wires that go along with the electric guitar rig. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JM2112 Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 IMHO, nevermind the year, the model, era, or whatever. Find the guitar that plays best in your hands and sounds best to your ears. Not much else matters unless you're looking for a specific collector item and have tons of money Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeoPaul422 Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 Found this interesting article on Norlin Gibsons: "Let’s say you have less than $2000. I would look for a cheap mid 80′s first. Then I would consider a recent Memphis 335. Then maybe a late 80′s. But if you really, really want a vintage piece-the older the better-look at the early 70′s. They are currently way overpriced-nobody should pay even $3000 for one of these in this market. But if you find one from 1970-1974, you may get a good sounding, good playing guitar. By 75, they start getting really poor in terms of build quality and I would avoid them. With few exceptions, which I’ll get into in another post (like the ES Artist), stay away from 76-early 81 unless you can play it before you buy it." http://030be21.netsolhost.com/WordPress/2010/06/24/the-evil-volute/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dg77 Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 IVe never met a Paul I didn't like..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quapman Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 You can find great and way less than great guitars from any era. Some eras have a better record than others but the bottom line is you gotta try before you buy. I'd say CBB pretty much nailed it with this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btoth76 Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 Try to avoid those made between '61-'67! Cheers... Bence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidl Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 Try to avoid those made between '61-'67! Cheers... Bence Funny guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnappi Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 I've heard that there are certain years of LP's that have been deemed not as quality as most others. I ask because I have an opportunity to buy a 1990 LP Standard for $1200. I just wanted to make sure there wasn't an obvious reason it's priced so low before I make the drive to look at it. The pictures I've seen are great. It looks like it has been taken care of very well. IMO, you should let your hands and ears tell you the answer to that. Your eyes can influence you unfairly :-) I personally have no problems with rough looking guitars as long as the price is consistent with appearance, and it sounds and feels right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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