Les Paul with twisted head stock

[ranchonmars]

If you bought it new contact Gibson it should be covered by the warranty.

For a 1976? That's a hell of a warranty.

 

[HRC]

For a 1976? That's a hell of a warranty.

From the Gibson website.

"Your new Gibson instrument is warranted to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for the life of the original retail purchaser"

 

[judson]

The guitar plays very well. There's no buzz, the intonation is good and it stays in tune. As far as the whole neck being twisted, I just looked again and the main twist is near the headstock. It Seems to start around the 3rd fret. I see other 1976 standards going any where from $2500 to $5000. Of course, the ones I'm looking at online don't have the twist mine does so I still have no idea what I should ask.

thats why maybe someone local could put it in their hands and play it prior to purchase which if wasnt too bad for them...you still will need to offer it for less....but just a thought.

 

[cheers12]

And that makes sense but I still haven't had anyone suggest a price to ask. I know it will be lower but lower like $1500? Or lower like $500?

 

[moreles]

Yes, I think the pics do a good job. As long as you make a direct statement of the matter and say "see pictures" you are in the proper and honorable position. I would not personally say much about playability because that is subjective and it is too easy for someone to disagree. Many LPs have somewhat slanted/twisted necks simply because it is apparently easy to glue them in a little bit off on the production line, and generally the bridge can compensate for this. (Ditto for exact placement of the bridge studs, where Gibson has been similarly sloppy, leaving it to the saddles to compensate.) But yours is a greater slant than I have ever seen. If it's truly twisted wood, I'm sorry to say that that is a very serious fault even if it currently plays OK. Be prepared to take a big hit.

 

[mudface]

And that makes sense but I still haven't had anyone suggest a price to ask. I know it will be lower but lower like $1500? Or lower like $500?

If your guitar is all original with all its parts being original to the guitar you could ask $2500 in its twisted condition.... leaving the fix up to the buyer..... I can see it have a neck made for it and the fretboard and headstock veneer saved.... or it have the existing neck untwisted which could be longer and more costly option.... or left alone as is, if it can still be a fine player.

Let the buyers offer a price.... you might be surprised... someone could take it for $2500.

You don’t have nothing to lose.

Someone may want it to just get the parts for their ‘76..... T-tops are getting quite pricey.

 

[cheers12]

Thanks for your suggestions. I'll try and sell it for around that price. Lots of pics and up front description about the twist. Worst case no one buys it and I still have a nice guitar.

 

[zak9990]

Just took these pics. Do you think this adequately shows the twist?

Hell yeah .......that adequately shows it. Headstock looks fine ...... neck is the problem.........
or sell it as a compound radius.

 

[AJK1]

When selling something I always do the buyback scenario
What would I honestly buy it for if I had to buy it back
That’s the price you should sell it for

 

[cheers12]

Sounds like I will be taking this guitar to the grave with me. LOL

 

[VDeuce]

Someone will buy it if it's priced right. My suggestion would be full disclosure with pics, $2500 buy now and accept offers.

That will require a reneck to fix; any other attempt will result in the twist returning. I would not even attempt to salvage the fingerboard, it's twisted along with the neck. A good luthier could even save the serial number and headstock overlay while doing a reneck.

 

[cheers12]

Someone will buy it if it's priced right. My suggestion would be full disclosure with pics, $2500 buy now and accept offers.

That will require a reneck to fix; any other attempt will result in the twist returning. I would not even attempt to salvage the fingerboard, it's twisted along with the neck. A good luthier could even save the serial number and headstock overlay while doing a reneck.

Someone will buy it if it's priced right. My suggestion would be full disclosure with pics, $2500 buy now and accept offers.

That will require a reneck to fix; any other attempt will result in the twist returning. I would not even attempt to salvage the fingerboard, it's twisted along with the neck. A good luthier could even save the serial number and headstock overlay while doing a reneck.

Thanks for that suggestion. Kind of what i was looking for. I'll give it a try and show a ton of pictures. What's a shame about the neck being bad, is the guitar is 45 years old and has minimal wear, no major scratches, etc. Sounds great too. I should have paid a lot more attention to making sure the guitar was kept in the right temperature, humidity, etc. Totally my fault.

 

[mudface]

Thanks for that suggestion. Kind of what i was looking for. I'll give it a try and show a ton of pictures. What's a shame about the neck being bad, is the guitar is 45 years old and has minimal wear, no major scratches, etc. Sounds great too. I should have paid a lot more attention to making sure the guitar was kept in the right temperature, humidity, etc. Totally my fault.

Not your fault amigo....even a three piece neck can be a victim of nature....it just happens.

 

[strayedstrater]

TL;DR Twists like that can develop within 3 years after manufacture, and it's possible that neck has been twisted like that without anyone noticing since 1979.
----------------------
In '73 I bought a used Goldtop Deluxe. Not a '69 but can't narrow it down other than '70~late '72.

About a year later I was looking at it lovingly and noticed what I assumed was an optical illusion. But closer inspection revealed that the neck actually was twisted. Baffled at first because it played great even when I lowered the action lower than I like it. So I checked the relief under the high E and realized that the twist effectively gives "compound relief" -- more relief on the bass side, less on the treble side.

Perhaps because I experienced it for myself, I've noticed many threads on many forums over the past 20 years about the "Norlin twist". Many Norlin fans consider it insignificant as long as the guitar plays well.

If it doesn't buzz or fret out with normal action height, there's nothing functionally wrong with it. Why replace the neck if it plays well?

Of course it still devalues the guitar. Mostly because of uncertainty about the neck potentially twisting more in the future, possibly causing a virtual backbow on the treble side unless you set it for excessive relief on the bass side.

But I've never heard of that actually happening. Once the stresses come out of the wood and it takes on the twist it wants, it's usually stable.

 

[ARandall]

From the Gibson website.

They didn't have websites in 76. So that version of the warranty probably doesn't apply.
And I think you'd find Gibson looking very closely at environmental issues as the cause. That's not part of defective materials or workmanship.

 

[ArchEtech]

If you are the original owner they should fix it just because you’ve had it that long out of principle.

 

[HRC]

They didn't have websites in 76.

No they didn't but they did have the same warranty. I'm not saying they would cover it but it wouldn't hurt asking if he's the original owner.

 

[cheers12]

No they didn't but they did have the same warranty. I'm not saying they would cover it but it wouldn't hurt asking if he's the original owner.

Actually, I bought the guitar in 1977. It was a year old and I've had it ever since.

 

[ErictheRed]

I find it extremely hard to believe that the guitar plays remotely adequately. I'm not calling you a liar, but any prospective buyer is going to have the same thoughts.

If you bought it in 1977, it's time to contact Gibson Customer Support and see what they say. What do you have to lose? Make a few phone calls and go from there, maybe there'll be a very happy ending.

 

[cheers12]

I find it extremely hard to believe that the guitar plays remotely adequately. I'm not calling you a liar, but any prospective buyer is going to have the same thoughts.

If you bought it in 1977, it's time to contact Gibson Customer Support and see what they say. What do you have to lose? Make a few phone calls and go from there, maybe there'll be a very happy ending.

Oh yeah, people are going to be extremely leary. But believe it or not, it plays very well. I don't think gibson will do anything about. After all, it's my fault I didn't pay attention to humidity levels, temperatures, etc. I'll probably just keep it and eventually give it to someone as a donation.