Vintage guitars on Ebay

[shal1234]

Somtimes i run across a really nice vintage LP on Ebay going for a few G's. I wonder if it's worth it. There's no return policies usually. You might be getting a gem, or you might be getting an old beater that just looks good.
I want an older LP but I never see them in person, so ebay is pretty much my only option. What to do?

Would you rather spend $4000 on a vintage gutiar on ebay, or buy a $4000 brand new custom and in 30 years it'll be vintage anyway.

[diceman]

The new guitar will be "Vintage" in 30 years - to some - but nothing like the guitar that is considered Vintage now will be in 30 years.

I just got a '69 Deluxe on Ebay for under $3k and couldn't be happier. Its on the late end of what qualifies as "vintage," but it is an amazing instrument. I'd much rather have it over a new Gibson for the same money.

[Harpozep]

Originally Posted by diceman

The new guitar will be "Vintage" in 30 years - to some - but nothing like the guitar that is considered Vintage now will be in 30 years.

I just got a '69 Deluxe on Ebay for under $3k and couldn't be happier. Its on the late end of what qualifies as "vintage," but it is an amazing instrument. I'd much rather have it over a new Gibson for the same money.

Yeah, last year i was trying to reprise my colection by getting an older LP Custom. I should have kept bidding, but stopped at 6K for a mint 1972 Les Paul Black Beauty. Again, while not real "Vintage" it is getting on. Someone out there got it, perhaps they are even in our forum?

I sold my '68 BB back in '89 for $300.00 and have regretted it ever since.That one was arguably "Vintage".

Without actually playng the guitar, it is a crapshoot, that's true. I had a 1970 BBLP that needed a neck reset. I did not catch that at the time I bought it but after studying it while trying to set it up, the sad truth came out
Some of these older set neck guitars have that problem. You can usually tell because the fingerboard is raised where the neck meets the body on down. Makes for a terrible playing guitar.

[thefishingline]

I have bought several vintage and mid to early 70's LP's and Fenders off E Bay..

I ALWAYS ask for a 48 to 72 hour window of return with the allowance of return for full refund plus the shipping if the guitar does NOT check out to be the year or make they say it was and/or the condition they claim it to be in is at least close...the later is is all subjective anyway right?.

ANY decent seller will allow this if he has what he says he has. If they don't allow me this one request I won't even bid or follow the auction knowing it is a fake.

I do not rertun guitars because the neck may be skinny or it doesn't have tone...if that concerns you then you can't and shouldn't buy off Flea Bay anyway...

[shal1234]

Originally Posted by thefishingline

I ALWAYS ask for a 48 to 72 hour window of return with the allowance of return for full refund plus the shipping if the guitar does NOT check out to be the year or make they say it was and/or the condition they claim it to be in is at least close...

Good stuff.

So what constitutes vintage? the one i was looking at was mid 70's i believe. just gorgeous looking. had a mod or two, but mostly original.

[thefishingline]

Vintage to me was anything prior to 76'...then I got a 50's and become a snob...but no matter what you buy ask for the right to have it looked at by YOUR guy to verify originality unless there are mods already...

[JimmyAce2006]

Originally Posted by shal1234

Somtimes i run across a really nice vintage LP on Ebay going for a few G's. I wonder if it's worth it. There's no return policies usually. You might be getting a gem, or you might be getting an old beater that just looks good.
I want an older LP but I never see them in person, so ebay is pretty much my only option. What to do?

Would you rather spend $4000 on a vintage gutiar on ebay, or buy a $4000 brand new custom and in 30 years it'll be vintage anyway.

$4000 on an old one in nice condition. Most of the new ones (Gibsons) are nowhere near the quality of the old ones (pre-76). I prefer the neck profile of the old ones (68-81), even though you can allegedly get a 60s / 50s profile on a new one. It is not the same. Plus I prefer the older style frets. To me, flatter = smoother. I prefer anything up to about 1981 (Gibson) over anything they have produced since then except for the Jimmy Page Custom Authentic. That guitar is a work of art. For Gibson, real vintage would be 1950s or older. I would personally throw 1968-69 Les Pauls in as vintage. Pre-1965 ES guitars also. But the early 1970s guitars are not getting any newer. They play great and have most of the same parts as the 68-69s (with the exception of the tenon length / 1 pc neck / body / combo). And you should be able to get a nice one for a decent price. And they are increasing in value. When buying something that costs a few thousand on ebay, I always check their feedback, what they normally sell (mostly guitar stuff?), payment type accepted, and I might speak to them on the phone. I also get a lot of good pics. And I ask a million questions to make sure I am getting what I expect. A return policy is nice. But most people are not stores & can not afford to be sending guitars all over the place to let people have a free look. It costs time & money (ebay / paypal fees too), which most individuals do not want to deal with. If it is damaged or significantly different than described, that is one thing. But returning a guitar because it does not play as well as you expected or if you have buyer's remorse, it is not good to ask for a return. There are a lot of buyers out there who want to do just that. In those cases, I tell them to try to resell on ebay because guitars that I sell are top quality & they should be able to get their money back and maybe a little more if they are patient. Good luck.

[shal1234]

jimmyace2006- thanks for all the info. Also, is there a general way to determine the value of a vintage Gibson? I realize value is quite subjective, but some kind of rule of thumb or "blue book" or something would help.

[yourlespaul]

I gotta chime in with "$4000 on an old one". In my past life as a gutitarist I have owned/played a Fender Mustang, LP GT, Hagstrom(?) and an early '70's era Strat (on loan for a year). Whenever I play a new era guitar they all seem to have a toyish feel. There seems to be some meat or heft missing.

[JimmyAce2006]

Originally Posted by shal1234

jimmyace2006- thanks for all the info. Also, is there a general way to determine the value of a vintage Gibson? I realize value is quite subjective, but some kind of rule of thumb or "blue book" or something would help.

Yes, there is a Bluebook of Guitars that is updated each year (usually a year behind in price increases). And there is a Vintage Guitar Guide. But both are just that- guides. If you are making an investment & want to get your money back in the future plus a little more, always buy clean. CLEAN sells and always keeps its value. If only for a player gutiar, clean is not important. But for minty clean, you will pay more, and the guides do not really price for that. The guides are good for last year's price of an average condition guitar. The best way to get prices for minty guitars is to watch ebay for a few months and keep track of what they sell for.

[shal1234]

I wouldn't buy a minty vintage, that's just not my bag of tea. I just want the vintage feel. I ran into a kid here in the Netherlands that had an 80's Epiphone S-600 strat style, and it was glorious. It said "Gibson Epiphone" on the headstock, action was to die for, had shark fin inlays, and it was vintage yellow, naturally faded to almost a creamy yellow. Ahhh! i wanted that thing! I tried to buy it form him but it was a no go. But that occassion right there is what turned me on to vintage guitars. that neck was unreal, like it was hand crafted by the guitar gods.

[JimmyAce2006]

Originally Posted by shal1234

I wouldn't buy a minty vintage, that's just not my bag of tea. I just want the vintage feel. I ran into a kid here in the Netherlands that had an 80's Epiphone S-600 strat style, and it was glorious. It said "Gibson Epiphone" on the headstock, action was to die for, had shark fin inlays, and it was vintage yellow, naturally faded to almost a creamy yellow. Ahhh! i wanted that thing! I tried to buy it form him but it was a no go. But that occassion right there is what turned me on to vintage guitars. that neck was unreal, like it was hand crafted by the guitar gods.

I would not consider an 80s guitar to be vintage. You have to go pretty far back to find a vintage Epi that is worth a lot of $. Still, every collector I know will tell you the same thing: for an investment and to get your money back if you decide to sell, buy CLEAN

[shal1234]

I know 80's isn't vintage, but it had a level of craftsmanship that is hard to find. This guitar was less than $200 new from what i understand, and had a neck that you could only hope your $3500 Gibson was going to have. It irks my ire a little bit. Nothing is made like it used to be. Even my old GI Joe action figures make the new ones look like complete crap. This is where i'm coming form. Quality is spread way too thin these days. nuff said about that sorry.

Anyways my desire for a vintage LP has come and gone. This is because i discovered that a good vintage LP sells for more than i'm willing to pay.