I'm going to see this tomorrow....

[duhvoodooman***]

Since playing a couple of Historic Series '59 Les Paul Reissues (a.k.a "R9s") lately and being mightily impressed, I had started seriously considering looking around for one to buy, if the price was right. That's a big "if"! Between some healthy pedal sales (I'm backlogged through May at the moment) and selling some current gear, I should be able to swing one pretty readily, if I can keep the price to ~$3K or less. Problem is, most of them seem to go for $4,500 and up.

Anyway, I had been looking at eBay every few days to get a sense of what's available for what kind of price, and one turned up late last week with a $3000 min. bid, $3300 BIN. Problem was, unlike most of these guitars, it lacked the Gibson "Certificate of Authenticity" and the original brown "Lifton" HSC was no longer with it, either. Since most of these guitars seem to be bought by collectors who seek these things, it's price was substantially lower. The guitar was also stated as having some degree of playing wear, further depressing its value to these collectors. Normally,I wouldn't have been interested, but the seller listed the location as "upstate NY". That opened the possibility that I might be able to actually see & play the guitar, if his location wasn't too far away. So I sent him an e-mail and--lo and behold!--he's only about a half-hour drive away.

Next, I posted some of his photos at the MyLesPaul forums to have some "expert eyes" check it out. Good news--everybody who looked at it agreed that the guitar was genuine and consensus was that it was priced fairly for the condition & lack of CoA.

The next problem was that there was no way I'd bid that kind of money on the guitar without seeing it, and I couldn't get there before the auction ended. So I had to just hold my breath and hope it didn't sell. It didn't. So I called the guy and am planning to see it tomorrow. He's even agreed to give me "first refusal". So we'll see where it goes....

As I mentioned, he had posted some nice photos--here's a couple:

[Algonquin]

Looks sharp DVM, hope it turns out to be a good one. We're guitar players, not collectors. That guitar was meant to be played, so if it has a couple of miles on it already... so be it!

Good luck tomorrow!

[Robert****]

Oh, cool man! That's twice the price of my used Suhr!

[Tone2TheBone]

Are you serious? And you haven't consulted with your buddy Rob about this?

[duhvoodooman***]

We're guitar players, not collectors. That guitar was meant to be played, so if it has a couple of miles on it already... so be it!

That's exactly my philosophy on this--if I buy it, it's not to squirrel away in a closet or to put on display. I plan to play it--often and with earnest intent!

Oh, cool man! That's twice the price of my used Suhr!

I hear ya, RR. This is a LOT of freakin' money. A bunch of ZYS's and Rabid Rodents, and a CLOUD's worth of solder fumes!! But it's the guitar of a lifetime. I've loved 'Bursts since I was 18 years old and saw both Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page each playing one in the summer of '69. Of course, those were original '59s, not reissues!!

Are you serious? And you haven't consulted with your buddy Rob about this?

Been too "dazed and confused", I guess!!

[syo***]

I'm of the opinion that that CoA nonsense is, well, nonsense. Unless you're purely a collector.
If it speaks to you DVM, you'll just have to bring it home now won't you?

[FrankenFretter***]

That's freakin' sweet! I hope it turns out for you, DVM. I'll be amongst many others here who will be quite jealous.

[Blaze]

....Go get it DVM,it s a once in a life time great Lookin Axe ...

[duhvoodooman***]

I'm of the opinion that that CoA nonsense is, well, nonsense. Unless you're purely a collector.

I couldn't agree more. The fact that one of these guitars might be worth several hundred dollars less for the lack of a piece of paper seems preposterous to me. It's value is merely in substantiating that the guitar is what the seller purports it to be. And I must admit that the lack of either the CoA or the original Lifton case are a concern to me. Not that the guitar isn't an R9--the "experts" were all in agreement that it was genuine--but rather the legitimacy of ownership. The current seller seems like a straight-shooter, but I don't know him. The fact that he had it up for sale on eBay, complete with photos, would seem to show he has nothing to hide.

Of greater concern to me is that he is not the original owner. Reportedly, the guitar came from Guitar Center, who lost (?) the CoA. Seems a little careless on a $5000 guitar, though I don't put any act of incompetence beyond GC! The possibility always exists that the previous owner was a thief, or the customer of one--expensive guitars are constantly being stolen. Hopefully that's not the case here, but these are all things I'll be checking out when I see the guitar.

[syo***]

The possibility always exists that the previous owner was a thief, or the customer of one--expensive guitars are constantly being stolen. Hopefully that's not the case here, but these are all things I'll be checking out when I see the guitar.

Well, that of course is certainly a possibility. But if after your due diligence, all seems legit and you're happy with it, you may as well give it a good home.
I'm sure you'll be asking all the right questions.

[Jimi75]

Sooooo awesome! Man, you will love it. The 59 historic RI is one of the best guitars the market offers, really. I have tried a bunch of 'em and all were great.

Here's the best reissue I have ever heard, enjoy it:

[marnold***]

Phew! I understand your enthusiasm but that is a metric buttload of cash. What does Duh Voodoo Woman think about all of this?

[duhvoodooman***]

Phew! I understand your enthusiasm but that is a metric buttload of cash.

100% in agreement on the veracity of your observation here, Rev. W-A-A-A-A-Y-Y more than I've ever paid for any piece of musical gear. Like by nearly a factor of 3....

What does Duh Voodoo Woman think about all of this?

Funny you should mention this, because running this all past "DVW" is the next (and arguably most crucial) step. I saw/heard/played the guitar today, and it is all I hoped it would be, based on the two Historic Series LP's I'd encountered previously. Actually, for playability, I thought it was the best of the three. The neck was PHENOMENAL. And while $3K is indeed one very sizeable chunk of change, it's a very, very good price for an R9 in excellent condition. Plus, being local and from a private seller, I'd pay neither sales tax nor shipping.

The deal I've had with DVW for some time now is that I finance all my gear sales with (1) my pedal sales profits, and/or (2) by selling some of my existing gear, i.e. I don't fuel my particular addiction with family funds. And as I mentioned above, that's not a problem, other than timing. Between cash already in the coffers, pedal orders in hand, and the planned sale of an existing guitar, I am fortunate enough to be able to cover this purchase quite easily....just not at the moment. So it will entail dipping into the family checking account and not being able to pay it back fully until prolly April. So that will be the jist of the spousal discussion. Wish me luck....

[Algonquin]

Wish me luck....

LUCK!!!

[Katastrophe]

Good luck with DVW...

So, if you're gonna get rid of a guitar, which one is going?

[bcdon***]

Go for it! You deserve it and you know you won't regret it.

[duhvoodooman***]

So, if you're gonna get rid of a guitar, which one is going?

Can't see having two faded cherryburst LP's, so it would be my Epi Elitist LP Standard:

[Katastrophe]

Somebody's going to get a good deal on a fantastic LP...

[bigG]

Vood, here's my 2 cents:

Barring any major unforeseen circumstances, you know that April will be here before you know it, and the family account will be repaid.

HOWEVER, you don't know anything for sure about the availability of your dream guitar if you don't bite now. And the chances of finding another at that resonable price are possible, but not probable (that is the one MF sells for $5,999, yes?).

To me, it's a no brainer. But it's your decision. I would NOT pass this up!

G