Oddball Gibsons

sonic1974

sonic1974

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Hi,

Well, I know this isn't about Hamers, but oh well.

I was thinking about how everyone loves vintage Gibsons. I'd love to have one, but at this point I really can't afford them. I know Les Paul Juniors are "reasonably" priced.

What are some other less well known models from the vintage period that would be a good buy? I'm talking just about tone and playability. I don't mean from a collecting standpoint.

thanks,

rob

 
melody makers (joan jett) are still affordable. even sg jr's are goin up.... because its an sg? early eighties LP's and explorers (no trems) are good solid fiddles as well. but in the sixties, melody makers are still cheap

 
I like ES-330s too, but they're hardly cheap anymore. A year and a half ago, you could still score one for under $2k. I think that those days are gone.

Melody Makers have gone way up too, but are still grabbable under a grand unless you look at some of the inflater-shops.

 
If you can find an RD Artist for under a grand today, buy it. That or an E/2 CMT. Decent to great players that have also increased steadily in value.

 
I guess refinished ones are good deals too. Out of curiosity I checked the Les Paul Forum. In December a guy had a 57 LP jr. listed at 3000$, no breaks but a refin.

 
Did someone say oddball? Gibson prices are insane. Even though Hamer prices have increased recently they are still the best player values on the market.

I have a 1972 Gibson ES320. It is a 'student' hollow bodied ES with melody maker pickups and nylon bridge saddles. The guitar plays wonderfully but is not something that I would bring to a loud jam. My ES320 is an enjoyable player good for a jangle through my Vibrochamp but it is certainly not a 'bang for the buck' guitar.

Slickwillie2

 
Some Explorers from the 80's can be found that are not priced too high. Every now and then you can run across one that is magic.

 
Or you could get a nice P-90 Hamer Special for around $600.

I have a Hamer Eclipse, Vanguard, 25th Anniversary, 84 Blitz Bass and an 86 Cruise Bass. My entire $ investment in my USA Hamers is roughly what that Epiphone will sell for.

You have to look REALLY hard to find anything made in the USA that is a bargain. USA Hamers won't always be cheap .

Slickwillie2

 
A few years ago I decided to take the money I was putting into an IRA each year and invest it in "collectable" guitars. Given the amount I was setting aside, my choices were pretty limited. I decided that some of the Gibson models that I lusted after in the 70's and early 80's would be fun to own and I had a gut feeling that they might appreciate in value as prices sky rocketed on the high end vintage pieces.

So far, I've picked up:

2 late 70's L5-S solidbodies

a '78 white SG Custom

an '80 Les Paul Deluxe

a '68 ES 330 (in Sparkling Burgundy!) and

a '67 EBO

All of these are great sounding guitars. Based on selling prices on eBay and increases in dealer asking prices, it looks like all of them have appreciated in value.

If I had to guess what models would do well in the future, I'd say ES models other than the ES335, particularly "long neck" ES 330's, non-pancake body Les Paul Deluxes, and pre (and just post) CBS Jazzmasters and Jaguars. I'm not on the Melody Maker bandwagon. I just don't think a Gibson with Fender-style single coil pickups will ever generate much collector interest. Plus, they made a ton of them.

Of course, I once predicted that Starbucks would fail because no one would pay $4.00 for over-roasted coffee and that there would never be consumer demand for bottled water. /emoticons/default_smile.png

 
cmatthes said:
Jags and JMs have more than doubled in the last few years - you may have missed the boat on those!
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In a world where preCBS Strats and Teles sell for $50K and more, I think there's still some upside on the offset models. I know what you mean, though. The days of sub $3K prices on early, clean JMs and Jags are gone.

I realized that I had diverted the poster's thread into a discussion of "collector" guitars. Sorry!

 
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BadgerDave said:
cmatthes said:
Jags and JMs have more than doubled in the last few years - you may have missed the boat on those!
Click to expand...
In a world where preCBS Strats and Teles sell for $50K and more, I think there's still some upside on the offset models. I know what you mean, though. The days of sub $3K prices on early, clean JMs and Jags are gone.

I realized that I had diverted the poster's thread into a discussion of "collector" guitars. Sorry!
Click to expand...
Nah, that's cool. I'd like to have an old Gibson, not for resale value. But it is kind of a collection thing you know, just to have a part of history, the old Gibsons have this mythical quality with some people, "old wood" and all that.

I'd like to get an older hollowbody Gibson, but really, a Hamer Newport is probably a much better buy, and easier to get my hands on as well.

The problem with "investment" guitars for me, is that, I know I couldn't sell them! Ha ha, I'd want to keep on to everything I bought, and would never make any money off of them.

Rob

 
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I owned this for a brief time. Cool guitar though. 1981 Gibson Victory MV X They still come up on Ebay every now and then.

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I think you'd be surprised at what some of the Gibson Hollowbodies are going for - some are pretty affordable as long as you don't go with PAF or Patent # models.

Try ES-125s, 225s, and early '50s 175s as well as late 60s/early 70s 330 series models. I helped a friend track down an older 175 last year, and he paid well under $3k for it. The other models can still be found in the $1,500-$3,000 range too.

It seems like everybody selling old wood is trying to get a premium for it though. I was shocked to see a few dealers pushing '50s DuoSonics for $2,500 and up... those things were $500 guitars for over 20 years.

 
sonic1974 said:
I guess refinished ones are good deals too. Out of curiosity I checked the Les Paul Forum. In December a guy had a 57 LP jr. listed at 3000$, no breaks but a refin.
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If you're looking to play it rather than look at it or profit from it, refins are a great deal. I've got a '72 Les Paul Deluxe goldtop that's a refin...it's a pancake body, but it still plays, sounds, and looks great...plus I've got well under a grand into it.

I've also seen a couple '58 LP Special refins go for well under $3K lately.

If they're done (or redone) by someone who knows what they're doing, a headstock repair makes for a great deal. I had an early 60's 335 with a headstock repair that played great, stayed in tune, was hard to notice, and sold for around a grand.

 
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