Les Paul Special Pawn Shop Find

[metalmike222]

I don't know if anyone else has had any Pandemic pawn shop luck, but I have managed to get some decent guitars at decent prices in the last 7 or so months. I've been pretty surprised to keep coming across guitars that look BRAND NEW in pawn shops lately. 1st was the 2019 Les Paul Tribute I found for $540 in March or April. 2 weeks later I came across a PRS Custom 24 SE for $460 at the same pawn shop. A month later I found an EVH 5150 III 50W head for $234. Right around that same time, I found a 2012 Les Paul Studio (black/gold) for $800. I have it on layaway now close to paid off. It's a little high for what I would normally want to spend on a Studio, but again, it looks BRAND NEW. It even still has the little plastic pieces under the pots that say push/pull, and all the case candy. A day or so later, I also found this:

Can't remember the year, but it's very recent. Played it for a bit and it plays great. I just couldn't swing ANOTHER guitar on layaway in a pawn shop at the time, so I figured I would let this one go. Well, today I swung back by that shop because I just wanted to check and I'm happy to report that not only is it still there, but the price drops on it TOMORROW to $780. I'll be going back in the morning to put this beauty on layaway.
No one tell my wife!

 

[kakerlak]

Honestly, I'd want to be into that for more like $500-600.

 

[metalmike222]

Fair enough. They retail for $1600, so I'm happy paying less than half of that for one without a scratch on it.

 

[Hecubus]

$1600? Really? I was gassing for a P90 Les Paul in 2011 and debated between the Special (with binding) at $700 or the 60s Tribute at $750. I went with the Tribute. I always had in the back of my mind that I could pick up a Special later on if I changed my mind. I guess not anymore.

 

[metalmike222]

Guitar Center has a couple of "limited" runs listed at $1200 or so, but the normal Les Paul Special lists for $1600. That's the price both on Gibson's website and Guitar Center's. The one I found at this pawn shop is either a 2018 or 2019 if I remember correctly. I had a beat up Tobacco Burst Special YEARS ago and sold it. Always regretted letting it go. I would love to find one for $500-600, but for most part, that never happens around Austin. Too many musicians who work in pawn shops and know what they have.

 

[Hecubus]

Sounds like a good deal then. Rock it!

 

[lpfan1980]

My local pawn shop has Squires and Washburns through the nose No Gibsons lucky find!

 

[metalmike222]

I regularly scour all the pawn shops close by and this is definitely the most I've ever found in so short a period. Only 4 of my current 12 guitars and 2 of my 6 amps weren't bought from pawn shops.

 

[judson]

protester pawned items ??

 

[metalmike222]

Could be. All I know is that I'm not complaining about all the guitars I'm finding!

 

[mdubya]

Yeah, that Special is $700-$800 brand new.

You can get a Used Original Collection Special for $1200 all day long. I didn't pay much more for mine, brand new.

 

[metalmike222]

Looking again at some of the details, the closest listing I can find online is this one on Guitar Center's website:

https://www.guitarcenter.com/Gibson/Les-Paul-Special-P-90-Limited-Edition-Electric-Guitar-Honey-Burst-1500000220202.gc

It's the only one with a gloss lacquer finish, and a tune-o-matic bridge. This one lists for $1199, and they have no new Specials at all listed for $700-800. I can only find some used Specials in that range. If you can find them brand new for $700-800, I would be happy to buy one of those instead if you can point me in that direction.

 

[redcoats1976]

i know this is the gibson section but you can pick up the 2020 epi special for 400 bucks and it is really a good value for the $$$.i just finished putting a set of 9-46 strings on mine and it plays just like buttah,even though some of youse will probably point out its marjarine.that said,i dont think the price on the special you found is unreasonable.

 

[mdubya]

$999

Gibson Les Paul Special Tribute P-90

Gibson pays homage to the earliest Les Pauls with this Special Tribute. A pair of P90 pickups offers a raw midrange that fits just right in a hard rock mix.

www.zzounds.com

$670 used

Gibson Les Paul Special P90 2019 | Reverb

Reverb is a marketplace bringing together a wide-spanning community to buy, sell, and discuss all things music gear.

reverb.com

$811

GIBSON LES PAUL JR SPECIAL WALNUT GLOSS [08] - Ishibashi Music Corporation

Founded in 1938, Ishibashi Music Corporation is one of the busiest and most respected Musical Instrument retail chains in Japan. The company is highly regarded world wide as a reliable seller of top quality secondhand items too. We have over 17 stores around Japan including Tokyo, Yokohama...

www.ishibashi-music.jp

$899

Gibson Les Paul Junior Special Japan Exclusive 2010 - 2012 | Reverb

Reverb is a marketplace bringing together a wide-spanning community to buy, sell, and discuss all things music gear.

reverb.com

 

[CerebralGasket]

“Junior Special”...
I never understood that name.
That’s like saying “Jumbo Shrimp”.

Junior - one pup
Special - two pups

It either has one pup or it has two.

 

[mdubya]

Looking again at some of the details, the closest listing I can find online is this one on Guitar Center's website:

https://www.guitarcenter.com/Gibson/Les-Paul-Special-P-90-Limited-Edition-Electric-Guitar-Honey-Burst-1500000220202.gc

It's the only one with a gloss lacquer finish, and a tune-o-matic bridge. This one lists for $1199, and they have no new Specials at all listed for $700-800. I can only find some used Specials in that range. If you can find them brand new for $700-800, I would be happy to buy one of those instead if you can point me in that direction.

No. But the guitar you are looking at was $799 new. List price. $639 with a 20% discount.

Bought my 2019 Original Collection in TV Yellow for $1275, brand new, December 2019.

Prices are crazy on everything right now, but if you are convinced you are getting a good deal, rock on!

 

[metalmike222]

Never meant to imply that I thought this one was a steal (the 5150 III was the biggest steal @ $234), just saying from what I can find in my area, this feels like a good price for a guitar that looks like it's never even been played. Honestly, from your examples above, only 2 of them look to have the same specs. 1 of those is used and looks pretty wrecked around the toggle switch. The other 1 only comes with a gig bag as opposed to this one with a Gibson hard case that also looks like it's never even been touched. The top guitar you listed is a Tribute model with a satin finish (already have several satin finish guitars, so I'm good there), and the last one has humbuckers, not P-90's.
Not trying to discount your points, just not sure that's a real apples to apples comparison. I may or may not end up buying this guitar, but I'm also really not a fan of buying guitars online. I need to pick up a guitar and spend at least a few minutes with it in my hands before I spend money on a guitar. If buying online works for others then I'm happy they can find what they want, but I would just have way too much anxiety paying that kind of money for something that I haven't held in my hands.

 

[TMS]

How does layaway work, you pay off the loan and THEN you get the guitar? Why not buy it outright?

 

[Malchik]

How does layaway work, you pay off the loan and THEN you get the guitar? Why not buy it outright?

Because some people don't have all the cash they need for a purchase at one time and don't want to risk leaving it for someone else to buy.

 

[metalmike222]

It's not a "loan," but yes, you put about 10% down at most pawn shops and depending on the shop and the price, you can take up to 6 months to pay it off. I use layaway at pawn shops because, even though we CAN afford to buy them outright, my wife is always convinced that we have "no money" no matter how much is in the bank. Spreading the cost of a guitar out over 6 months causes a lot less arguing in our house, and that makes it worth it to me. I get the guitar I want, and she doesn't have a panic attack over dropping all of the money at once. Win, win.