1962 LP Jr- Opinion needed

[northernguy]

I received a call from my friendly neighborhood music store sales guy about an all-original '62 LP Jr. for $2499. I haven't seen it in person yet, but the pics look promising. I did a search to see what current values are, and it seems to be in the ballpark for retail price, what say you all?






What would be a reasonable cash offer?
Thanks!

[mdubya]

Snatch it up. Not only does that seem to be a nice price, that is probably a killer sounding guitar too. JMHO.

[lpcustom69]

Make them an offer! They'll either take it or they won't. $2000? $1700$.

One piece of advise, don't lose a nice guitar over a couple hundred dollars!

You blink,and it may be gone to someone who walks into the store and sees it!

[your idol]

yeah i look at em alot and it seems like anywhere around $3400 from a dealer seems par for the course. this is in good shape from what i can see. common body checking. things i hate about these is usually the pointy tips on the PG are always broken off due to pg shrinkage and that being a weak point(thin on either side of the screw) so either its been retained well or its a repro guard...whenever its been too nice i have usually found it to be a repro but this looks good so id say its probably stock.

check under the guard...if seen a couple of these get routed inderneath the guard for even more weight relief people do terrible things. another big positive for this one is on a lot of SGs in general you see that there is a crack from the input jack hole around the backside of the body...super common but this one is clean...another indicator that this wasnt a beater and someone took care of it.

honestly its a damn fine looking guitar and id say a fair price. these early SG body jrs all seem to rip...theyre rock and roll machines and those late 50s early 60s P90s are pretty hot and just seem to pack a punch.

i dig it a lot and theres a ton of evidence that this is very solid guitar...just do me a favor , if you get it, use a 90 degree input jack...dont be the guy who snaps the wood there after it escaping almost 50 years of taking a common injury.

inspect the heal of the neck area also, common place of weakness/cracking

honestly its a good score and if you have the shot and the means id snatch it just to have it

[KRaZeE]

It does look nice. A lot of the ones I see, much like your idol mentioned, have the points of the pickguard chipped at the screws. I also see a lot with the points of the mustache on the headstock either broken or worn down to round nubs. This one, me likes. I just wish the friendly neighborhood music store would have dusted it a bit before snapping shots.

[Kevin James]

That thing looks to be in really nice shape and at that price I would snatch it up without even thinking twice (s long as there are no breaks/cracks/repairs which there is nothing obviouse in the photos). I would try to offer them $2,000 and see if they go for it. If not, the $2,499 they are asking is quite fair in itself.

And yes, those things are little tone monsters. My 64 JR absolutly KILLS and I would bet this one does to. Go play it and if it plays as good as it looks take it, or you may regret letting it slip away later.

[HOT-BRIT]

I have two and they are tone monsters, that one is an excellent example and at a very good price for that type of condition, I would go for it!

[northernguy]

Just got off the phone with the store, they're holding it for me until I can get there to check it out in person. Hope it's everything that I've read and seen!

[your idol]

Originally Posted by northernguy

Just got off the phone with the store, they're holding it for me until I can get there to check it out in person. Hope it's everything that I've read and seen!

Looking forward to your ngd. Barring any MASSIVE issues youllcome home with it.

[Kevin James]

Originally Posted by your idol

the pointy tips on the PG are always broken off due to pg shrinkage and that being a weak point(thin on either side of the screw) so either its been retained well or its a repro guard...whenever its been too nice i have usually found it to be a repro but this looks good so id say its probably stock.

The guard looks original to me. It warped like most of them tend to be as well so I'd say its the original.

[your idol]

Originally Posted by Kevin James

The guard looks original to me. It warped like most of them tend to be as well so I'd say its the original.

Yeah the hump of the 1/2 mile of screwless wasteland is a solid indicator. That and the edges are reaaaaaly rough cut. Repros are often too clean lined

[HOT-BRIT]

post photos when you bring her home

[Gun E. Slinger]

Barring issues, just grab it, hard to find them that nice and if you really have to,
I would say you could make a few bucks on it. She's looking pretty good, I can imagine with a spit shine and good setup it would be a beast.

[northernguy]

... and brought it home! You guys were right, the tone is incredible! HOWEVER, ther are a few issues that I want some opinions on. I have a 72 hour approval period, so I want to be sure it's all it should be.
Here is a shot of the control cavity.

Is the Black Beauty correct? I didn't pull the pots, but here's a shot of one:


A pic of the pickup:



And here are the biggest issues. The finish on the edges of the fingerboard is chipped in areas along the first three or four frets:


Is this typical?

Also, there are some cracks in the finish on the headstock, where the "wings" are glued on:


Should I be worried about these?

All in all, it's a sweet guitar, and in real nice shape. I guess that I'm concerned about the couple issues strictly from an investment standpoint- I can live with the issues, but someone else may not be able to, if I should sell it down the road. Oh, and I contacted Gibson with the serial #, and they said it shipped on 6/19/1962.

As always, your collective insight is invaluable!

[your idol]

dude if you paid asking price or less your money is invested well....youd clear that easy even in a down market.

everything jives and it is SICK! how about that tone. im jealou right now, that guitar is such a monster . ive been stalking this thread because i KNEW youd buy it...theres no way you put your hands on a 62 jr for that price and walk away unless it was a damn trainwreck which you could see from the pics it wasnt. enjoy it...i know i would. word of advice, get to be best friends with your knobs, thats the secret of the P90, mastering 1 vol and 1 tone on that bad boy will catch you almost any sound youre looking for...although youre gonna be hard pressed to wanna dime it all the time and let it rock. put that thing on a 5-10w amp like an old champ and crank her and youll hear the angels sing

[your idol]

the cracks in the headstock are where the nitro has settled into any grooves...if there was any worries about that Norlin owners would be terrified their tops would fall apart

word of advice, find repro tuners just like those and file the old ones away somewhere . the old ones like to have the buttons snap off in your hand...rs sells direct duplicates that are a bit less fragile

[HOT-BRIT]

nice one congrats

[mdubya]

I am far from an expert, but that guitar looks awesome. I would not consider any of your concerns to be issues. Mojo, yes. Issues, no.

Let 'er rip!

[northernguy]

Thanks for the reassurance! Your right about the vol/tone controls. It just sounds so sweet when pegged, but it cleans up nicely when dialed back. I have a feeling that it's a keeper!

Originally Posted by your idol

dude if you paid asking price or less your money is invested well....youd clear that easy even in a down market.

everything jives and it is SICK! how about that tone. im jealou right now, that guitar is such a monster . ive been stalking this thread because i KNEW youd buy it...theres no way you put your hands on a 62 jr for that price and walk away unless it was a damn trainwreck which you could see from the pics it wasnt. enjoy it...i know i would. word of advice, get to be best friends with your knobs, thats the secret of the P90, mastering 1 vol and 1 tone on that bad boy will catch you almost any sound youre looking for...although youre gonna be hard pressed to wanna dime it all the time and let it rock. put that thing on a 5-10w amp like an old champ and crank her and youll hear the angels sing

[Kevin James]

The paint issues don't look to be anything major to be concerned about. Nothing more than "mojo" IMO. But if you are concerned about line in the headstock (which still looks like nothing) then take it to a luthier you trust and have him check it out.

The control cavity.... I don't know. I've never seen a black beauty cap in an SG. SG's usually have the ceramic disc caps. BUT, anything is possible with Gibson so I can't say for sure that it's NOT original either. The messy work with that ground wire looks a little suspiciouse also. The Pots I can't see the codes so I don't know.

But all in all even if the Pots, cap and ground wire aren't original you still got a great price on it. Play the shit out of it and enjoy it, it look like a really nice one.

[HOT-BRIT]

I would much rather have the black beauty, but very easy to switch it for a ceramic disc cap

[your idol]

Originally Posted by HOT-BRIT

I would much rather have the black beauty, but very easy to switch it for a ceramic disc cap

yeah that BB is PIO is it not?

[Kevin James]

Originally Posted by HOT-BRIT

I would much rather have the black beauty, but very easy to switch it for a ceramic disc cap

Don't get me wrong, the Black Beauty is a great cap and I'd agree, its a BETTER cap than the ceramic disc. But if the question is about originality, SG's usually have the discs, so it may not be original. BUT... again this IS Gibson we're talking about and with their inconsistency who knows, maybee it is original. It would certainly be the exception though not the rule.

[Mike60]

Originally Posted by Kevin James

Don't get me wrong, the Black Beauty is a great cap and I'd agree, its a BETTER cap than the ceramic disc. But if the question is about originality, SG's usually have the discs, so it may not be original. BUT... again this IS Gibson we're talking about and with their inconsistency who knows, maybee it is original. It would certainly be the exception though not the rule.

not that unusual to see black beauties and or even spragues in a '62...those lMO are original to the guitar.


this is a great score...I think it would be foolish to pass on this one.

[northernguy]

Well, it's been decided, this one is a KEEPER! Even the wife agrees with me. I just can't get over the sound of this guitar, it is magical. That, and the condition make it a no-brainer. Now I just need to buy a proper case so I can safely take it out of the house. Thanks again to everyone for advising me along the way .

[kharrison]

That guitar has no issues and you got it at a fair price, looks like from a GC which is rare. I would have expected them to put it out on the floor for 3k+ Your sales guy did you a favor, buy him dinner or something.

[your idol]

Originally Posted by northernguy

Well, it's been decided, this one is a KEEPER! Even the wife agrees with me. I just can't get over the sound of this guitar, it is magical. That, and the condition make it a no-brainer. Now I just need to buy a proper case so I can safely take it out of the house. Thanks again to everyone for advising me along the way .

glad you dig it brother. no brainer is perfect for this situation. i knew the second you plugged it in youd be floored. glad you love it man. im nothing shy of jealous.

[lpcustom69]

Congrats! I'm glad that you didn't let it get away.

[sbeng]

That's a beauty. My 65' is my favorite guitar - it can't do everything, but what it does well can't be matched by anything else. Don't worry about the headstock wing lines, that's pretty common - that's 40 years of aging on what was originally a thin lacquer finish. Be gentle with that p90 as they can be fragile..

[SG Lou]

Man you got a winner
I don't see ANYTHING wrong or out of place. A real "Survivor"
Congrats and Enjoy !