Here's an interesting one on the bay...a 61

[Kevin James]

Decent price on this one but it has an unrepaired heel crack which isn't shown in the pics as well as a crack in the control cavity. The kicker though is the seller has 0 feedback. Personally I would n't even THINK of bidding on a guitar like this from a 0 feedback seller.

This one will be interesting to watch. It was posted late last week, had one bid on it almost imediatly after it was posted, then the auction was pulled. Now its back with one bid on it again righ after it was posted.

1961 Gibson Les Paul SG Standard w/OHSC - eBay (item 180623196337 end time Feb-15-11 08:34:38 PST)

item number: 180623196337

 

[58burst]

Probably going to be a great deal for someone, that crack in the control cavity means nothing (but will scare some people away), it looks very clean...

 

[Kevin James]

Probably going to be a great deal for someone, that crack in the control cavity means nothing (but will scare some people away), it looks very clean...

I don't doubt that the guitar is well worth the asking price, but I just hope the buyer recieves the guitar that is pictured.

The seller could very well be 100% on the up and up, but with no previouse ebay feedback I'd have a HARD time hitting the bid button for something that expensive.

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

I would never give anyone five gs without being able to look them in the eye and shake their hand.

 

[geochem1st]

If anyone is interested in making a bid, I live in Charlotte and would be happy to check it out for them in person.....btw, I have a '61.

 

[Kevin James]

OK, this is some wierd shit for sure now. AS of yesterday the guitar had several bids on it and was up to $7,600. Now the auction is over and it says there were 0 bids. WTF???

 

[Kevin James]

And its back.... Now priced at $13,000 LOL

1961 Gibson Les Paul SG Standard w/OHSC - eBay (item 180628004779 end time Feb-25-11 07:40:19 PST)

Item # 180628004779

 

[Dolebludger]

A couple of things worry me here. First, there is no pic showing the stated crack at the heel. Second, the definite sharp angle between neck and body isn't characteristic of the '61.

 

[Kevin James]

A couple of things worry me here. First, there is no pic showing the stated crack at the heel. Second, the definite sharp angle between neck and body isn't characteristic of the '61.

Thats another funny thing, he changed the desription. Now he says he made a mistake and there is no crack/repair at the heel. The crack is in the control cavity (which is clearly pictured). Thats a pretty strange mistake to make though and is a huge red flag to me.

The other question and huge red flag is why he keeps pulling his auctions when they have bids on them. Pretty shady IMO.

 

[LikeTelevision]

Ok...I'm the culprit...but an innocent.

My 1961 Les Paul SG w/ OHSC. Call it my inexperience with eBay and forgetting to proof my post prior to the post describing the cavity hairline crack as a heel crack...I know, quite a difference. Originally eBay limited my auctions to $5,000 - to low a limit for such a fine vintage. Subsequently I saw that bidders were taking advantage of that fact and I wasn't going to let it go for $7600. I re-listed it at $13,000 after receiving a much higher limit from eBay - it didn't sell. So now I've reposted for $11,000 (certainly fair for this beautiful piece in these tough economic times). To the guy in Charlotte, I'd be glad to show you in person....and now I have 4 positive reviews on eBay.

Ok, all embarrassing, but it shouldn't detract from the fact, that this is a sweet LP SG with a very known history. I have plenty of extra pics to share upon request.

IMHO, after my experience with eBay (I've alway traded privately) I think they're killing the vintage marketplace.

Sorry and thanks...

Jim

 

[LikeTelevision]

A couple of things worry me here. First, there is no pic showing the stated crack at the heel. Second, the definite sharp angle between neck and body isn't characteristic of the '61.

Nope...see my other posts. I'm the doofus that screwed up my eBay posts. The guitar is real, and would be happy to show you many pics. After my snafu with eBay, I'm going back to private collecting and selling...other than the cavity crack, it's a cherry guitar.

Jim

 

[Kevin James]

Ok...I'm the culprit...but an innocent.

My 1961 Les Paul SG w/ OHSC. Call it my inexperience with eBay and forgetting to proof my post prior to the post describing the cavity hairline crack as a heel crack...I know, quite a difference. Originally eBay limited my auctions to $5,000 - to low a limit for such a fine vintage. Subsequently I saw that bidders were taking advantage of that fact and I wasn't going to let it go for $7600. I re-listed it at $13,000 after receiving a much higher limit from eBay - it didn't sell. So now I've reposted for $11,000 (certainly fair for this beautiful piece in these tough economic times). To the guy in Charlotte, I'd be glad to show you in person....and now I have 4 positive reviews on eBay.

Ok, all embarrassing, but it shouldn't detract from the fact, that this is a sweet LP SG with a very known history. I have plenty of extra pics to share upon request.

IMHO, after my experience with eBay (I've alway traded privately) I think they're killing the vintage marketplace.

Sorry and thanks...

Jim

Jim,

First off, let me say I DO really wish you the best of luck in selling your guitar. It looks like a really nice example.

I do think that you are going to have a tough time selling it on ebay though. Posting an item for sale at that dollar amount with only 4 feedback points is aking for a buyer with A LOT of faith.

Also, your guitar already has a strange history on Ebay of pulled auctions and the fact of the matter is that you probably have a pool of only so many people SERIOUSLY looking at SG's in this price range to purchase (as opposed to those just browsing with no intenstions of actually purchasing anything), and most of those people that are seriously looking, (myself included) have been watching your guitar and have seen too much funny business with pulled auctions with bids. Add to that the history of the mix up between a cracked heel and a cracked control cavity, and thats a big red flag even if it was an honest mistake because it seems to suggest inexperience, and if you incorrectly diagnosed a cracked control cavity as a cracked heel, then any buyer seriosly has to question what else you might be wrong about.

All that said, I'd like to offer you a suggestion that I think you would have much better luck with. Have you thought about consigning the guitar for sale with a well known dealer? The advantage you have there is they will inspect the guitar and as long as it is as you have described then you stand a much easier time selling it for a good price because the buyer can rely on the dealers reputation rather than guessing on yours personally. I know both Gruhn and Elderly Instruments sell guitars on consignment and both are HIGHLY respected dealers with reputations for knowing all the details about these guitars.

Anyways, just my 2 cents and again I do wish you luck on selling it, it does look really nice.

 

[LikeTelevision]

Thanks Kevin...yeah, in my zeal to get it placed on eBay quickly, I probably tainted it...I deserve that. Oh well, if it doesn't sell this time, I'll pull it for good and go some different routes. Great suggestion, though I always worry about shipping this (and double necks) around. Does anyone consign without actually taking possession? Probably not.

I hate to fall in love with guitars I trade, but I'm really starting to fall in love with this one. Maybe I'll just keep it. Thanks for the good advice.

Jim

 

[Kevin James]

Thanks Kevin...yeah, in my zeal to get it placed on eBay quickly, I probably tainted it...I deserve that. Oh well, if it doesn't sell this time, I'll pull it for good and go some different routes. Great suggestion, though I always worry about shipping this (and double necks) around. Does anyone consign without actually taking possession? Probably not.

I hate to fall in love with guitars I trade, but I'm really starting to fall in love with this one. Maybe I'll just keep it. Thanks for the good advice.

Jim

No problem. To answer your question about consignment, no I am not aware of any dealer that will consign a guitar without actually taking possesion of it. The issue there is that part of the process is that they do a very detailed inspection of the guitar to authenticate it and establish what is/isn't original, any breaks, cracks repairs etc. That is the whole point that makes it a safer transaction for the buyer. Without that the buyer doesn't really know what he's getting and it defeats the entire purpose of purchasing it through a known dealer.

 

[Dolebludger]

I have been told that problems of "low ball" offers on vintage instruments is a function of our sour economy. I took my 61 (no cracks, no finish cracks, very few blemishes, one owner) to my luthier's shop. He sells on consignment, and he dows have to actually put the item in his shop. He has a book that gives the values of vintage guitars, which showed mine with a value of $20K to $25K. But, he said it would bring about half that now (on a good day) because the sour economy has killed the vintage guitar market. In an economy like this, people just don't buy what the don't sort of need. And face it, nobody needs a high dollar vintage guitar. So I will wait for better times to think about selling mine.

 

[Kevin James]

I have been told that problems of "low ball" offers on vintage instruments is a function of our sour economy. I took my 61 (no cracks, no finish cracks, very few blemishes, one owner) to my luthier's shop. He sells on consignment, and he dows have to actually put the item in his shop. He has a book that gives the values of vintage guitars, which showed mine with a value of $20K to $25K. But, he said it would bring about half that now (on a good day) because the sour economy has killed the vintage guitar market. In an economy like this, people just don't buy what the don't sort of need. And face it, nobody needs a high dollar vintage guitar. So I will wait for better times to think about selling mine.

I would be curiouse to know what book he was looking at and when it was published. The Vintage Guitar Buyers guide is published annually and in the last 3 years there have been significant changes in the values listed. Two to three years ago I do believe they listed a 61 Les Paul SG at between $19,000 and $25,000. For THIS year, the 2011 buyers guide lists it at $11,500 to $14,000. So when he says it's valued between $20K and $25K thats old info, but he is correct when he says in todays economy it would be about half that.

 

[Dolebludger]

Yes, he said the book was two or three year old, and he took that into account when he told me what it might be REALLY worth today, which is close to in accord with the current book.

 

[Kevin James]

Yes, he said the book was two or three year old, and he took that into account when he told me what it might be REALLY worth today, which is close to in accord with the current book.

Yeah, sounds pretty spot on then.

 

[LikeTelevision]

Well it just goes to show you that patience pays off. I just sold my LP SG (certified check in hand) for 10,500, in Charlotte, which given the economy, I did very well. The point being you can't let eBay determine market. It was necessary in the case of this LP SG, to inspect it by hand to see why it was special...hard to see in photos. They could barely contain themselves. The crack looks very large in the photos but hairline in person. Again, the importance of a handheld evaluation.

I'll buy off of eBay all day long, but doubt that I'll sell much there...

Ok, got some coin...who's got some goodies to sell?

 

[Kevin James]

Well it just goes to show you that patience pays off. I just sold my LP SG (certified check in hand) for 10,500, in Charlotte, which given the economy, I did very well. The point being you can't let eBay determine market. It was necessary in the case of this LP SG, to inspect it by hand to see why it was special...hard to see in photos. They could barely contain themselves. The crack looks very large in the photos but hairline in person. Again, the importance of a handheld evaluation.

I'll buy off of eBay all day long, but doubt that I'll sell much there...

Ok, got some coin...who's got some goodies to sell?

Nice. Congrats on the sale