Price watch (18)

Trawled the after-market last weekend to see price trends. If you own the LP faded or any other carved top LPs with dot inlays, be informed that these are less desirable compared to the trapezium inlay version. The Gibson camp is more forgiving to dot inlays on flat top Les Pauls; the reason LP Specials & JRs maintain a good resale value in addition to the nostalgia. If there's an $800 offer for yours, please pay attention to that interest. If you can clear yours for $1K then the buyer is a willing individual. FYI, the LP Faded was $1,349 new on its final year of production. Do all Gibson guitars appreciate in value over time? It's a demand-supply situation more often than not unless we are dealing with models on special / limited run which will have a more commanding asking price.

Edit: The current / revised asking price of this guitar is $1,300 & includes a deluxe Gibson bag.

Ditto this LP Tribute but this one has a hard case factored into the price. The afore-mentioned faded will have a tough time going against this one in terms of value-for-money. The other thing about LPs - the non-gloss finish is also second fiddle to the glossed out counterparts. We note the tribute & faded are such examples.

Disclaimer: I'm not here to devalue your instruments, it's my fair assessment of market forces which are dynamic over time. You are free to disagree on all accounts. 

The need to disclose

I dealt on behalf of someone yesterday. I don't usually do this but for certain individuals, it's an exception out of goodwill. The person was interested in this guitar, it's a Gibson LP Tribute in honeyburst finish. 

So I braved the downpour during lunch time yesterday to finalize this deal. I requested a final inspection before agreeing to pay because the owner did not fully disclose the condition of this instrument which to me is crucial. The agreed price is based on the condition of the item. If it falls below a certain standard then the buying individual has the right to reject or re-negotiate the terms which is usually the asking price. Example -  A offered to sell B a pencil. When they met to finalize the deal, B realized that A is selling a broken pencil. Since the pencil is a limited edition item, B was still interested to buy but offered A a reduced price in view of the item's condition. A agreed since he did not fully disclose the pencil's condition to B & that the new revised price reflected the true value of the pencil under B's evaluation. B highlighted another similar pencil in the market which is of identical make but not broken, going for lesser than A's initial offering. Both parties closed the deal & they lived happily ever after.

When the guitar in question was inspected, it revealed some worn areas (revealing bare wood) behind the headstock & body's rear edges. These details were not disclosed in the seller's ad for sale. I talked to him to reconsider his asking price in view of this discovery; that's how much respect I accorded to him instead of dictating my own price which might be well below the seller's liking. In lay person's term, it might be low-balling him. 

He tried to school me in on the guitar being 'limited edition' & 'discontinued' making it rare. The worn out areas were at the rear of the instrument anyway & beyond visual scrutiny. These don't affect the tone, that's more important according to him. I told him the Tribute models are not discontinued, they are still in production under Gibson's Modern collection. Satin finishes are more prone to wear at certain parts of the body which is normal (parts rubbed against the strap / player's body / bag / etc) but the extent of the wear will affect the instrument's value. I told him the crux of the matter was disclosure; if he had done this in the ad, I would have given the instrument a pass as it's not worth the $900 asking price. So he revised it to $880 & I politely walked away.

So folks, if you are selling stuff, make efforts to disclose details. If you do not wish to do so openly, provide avenues for private discussions. These must take place before any payment agreement to prevent the technicalities of contract law from manifesting complications & dispute. We do not know one another to begin with so why end off in animosity, yes? 

Tribute (Part 3)

As the LP Tribute is a used instrument, some parts require replacement due to wear & tear. The ones you see above are:

1. Volume / Tone knobs - (aka top hats/ reflectors) one was chipped, the other cracked. All four were removed.
2. 3-way selector indicator (aka poker chip) - worn out, label faded
3. Strap buttons - one was corroded
4. Volume / Tone indicators (aka thumb bleeders) - Unnecessary
5. Input jack plate - cracked at all corners
6. Truss rod cover - cracked at both ends

I prefer these 'speed' knobs, they are easier to handle & offer a sure grip. You can see the phantom indicators there which could not be cleaned away. The corrosion had left a permanent mark there, nothing harmful.

D'Addario strap buttons & the new poker chip. Those strap buttons - I happen to have spare ones lying around.

Replacement input jack plate - it's a generic replacement. My experience with the Gibson version - material is softer & more susceptible to cracking so it's not worth paying a premium for. Folks, if you tighten the screws, do it lightly for each one. Once all four are in place, tighten each one carefully, none should be over-secured. If you tighten any one corner right at the start & proceed to tighten another, the chances of cracking it is higher. Simple Scientific consideration states that one corner should not be over-pressured while another is being attended to, yes? 

Last but not least, truss rod cover. Same consideration, folks, do not over-tighten one end before attending to the other. 

To be concluded...

Related entries: Tribute (Part 1) / Tribute (Part 2)

Re-string Saturday: Gold

I think many gear dweebs like me, would take the weekend opportunity to check on our instruments. Gave my Gibson LP Tribute a re-string this morning. This is perhaps one of my preferred Gibson due to its satin finish. If you've been reading the stuff here, I prefer non-gloss necks because I sweat easily & a sticky experience isn't something that makes a pleasant guitar day. When the Tribute model hit the stores, I waited for the humbucking version to be available & there's no turning back.

This happened because I'm old & I always grabbed the wrong knob- always. So a simple solution is seen here; volume knobs are differentiated from the tone knobs. To many LP purists it's desecrating the looks but I embrace practicality more than the preservation of originality. 

Another LP desecration- Seymour Duncans. I simply can't stand the rounded treble tone of Gibson pickups so this had to happen. I also believe the SH-6/ SH-2 are tried & tested pickups when it comes to good driven tones with clarity. 

Gibson 2018

September means Gibson is ready to announce their 2018 models & true enough, the list is out sooner than expected. I'm just listing a few here which I find more sensible than the rest, starting with the LP Tribute. Yes, the Tribute range represents the manufacturer's more affordable take on the upper tier models without skimping too much in various departments. The satin finish stays put & for 2018, the Tribute offers a non-weight relief model (seen here in an awesome gold top) so that is something to look forward to- especially so when it's listing for less than USD1K 👍

The SG Special looks the works with mini humbuckers but prices go up by USD100 for 2018 😠

It's good to see the LP Classic getting a P-90 twist as well. Controls revert to the 4-knob affair unlike the current 3 (knob) + 1 (flick switch) manifestation. This Pelham Blue finish is stunning.