Les Paul Special Pawn Shop Find

[none2low]

Don't let it get to ya...

Gotta have a thick skin around these parts or you'll be eaten alive.

$780 out the door, with an OEM hard case isn't a bad deal, nor is it the deal of the century.

But most important, you're not going to lose money if you decide to sell it down the line.

 

[Nightrain04]

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!

This thread is a few months old and it looks like you have figured out what this guitar is but just in case, it is a Guitar Center Limited Edition Les Paul Special P-90 in Honeyburst. The headstock says "Model" instead of "Special" because it does not have binding on the neck, the Gibson logo on the headstock is silk screen instead of inlay and it has a tune-a-matic bridge. That is why it is $400 less than a "Special". MSRP for this guitar is $1199 at Guitar Center.

I was at a jam session with some friends at the end of October 2020 and a guy walked in with one of these guitars. He had just bought it a couple of weeks before. He let me play it for about 15 minutes and the next day I went down to my local GC and ordered a new one for $1,000. The local GC did not have any in stock so the salesman did a search of all of the GC stores and said there were still some available but were probably all wall hangers. I wanted one that was still in the box if possible and he found one the next day. Right out of the box it was excellent, all I had to do was lower the strings and slightly adjust the intonation on the G string.

It is an excellent guitar and is so light, mine weighs 6 1/2lbs. This is my first P-90s guitar and with my whole rig cranked up they scream, tone is somewhere between a bassy hum bucker and a single coil! Its like a stripped down hot rod LOL. I know my way around electric guitars, bought my first one in 1976. I currently rotate two Les Paul Standards and a PRS Core McCarty 594 (Tremonti) single cut.

I'm not sure what it is about this LP Special but it is totally addictive and so fun to play. When I jam with other guitarists I am constantly fighting them off because they want to play it. Since I bought mine two other guys I know have bought one, maybe they will become a cult guitar LOL.
I see others have commented on the value of this guitar but I don't think some of them really know what they are talking about. If I had walked into that pawnshop and seen that guitar, I would have snapped it up without even thinking about it.
So congrats on finding a great guitar for a good price. Wish I could run across a deal like that.

 

[endial]

This thread is a few months old and it looks like you have figured out what this guitar is but just in case, it is a Guitar Center Limited Edition Les Paul Special P-90 in Honeyburst. The headstock says "Model" instead of "Special" because it does not have binding on the neck, the Gibson logo on the headstock is silk screen instead of inlay and it has a tune-a-matic bridge. That is why it is $400 less than a "Special". MSRP for this guitar is $1199 at Guitar Center.

I was at a jam session with some friends at the end of October 2020 and a guy walked in with one of these guitars. He had just bought it a couple of weeks before. He let me play it for about 15 minutes and the next day I went down to my local GC and ordered a new one for $1,000. The local GC did not have any in stock so the salesman did a search of all of the GC stores and said there were still some available but were probably all wall hangers. I wanted one that was still in the box if possible and he found one the next day. Right out of the box it was excellent, all I had to do was lower the strings and slightly adjust the intonation on the G string.

It is an excellent guitar and is so light, mine weighs 6 1/2lbs. This is my first P-90s guitar and with my whole rig cranked up they scream, tone is somewhere between a bassy hum bucker and a single coil! Its like a stripped down hot rod LOL. I know my way around electric guitars, bought my first one in 1976. I currently rotate two Les Paul Standards and a PRS Core McCarty 594 (Tremonti) single cut.

I'm not sure what it is about this LP Special but it is totally addictive and so fun to play. When I jam with other guitarists I am constantly fighting them off because they want to play it. Since I bought mine two other guys I know have bought one, maybe they will become a cult guitar LOL.
I see others have commented on the value of this guitar but I don't think some of them really know what they are talking about. If I had walked into that pawnshop and seen that guitar, I would have snapped it up without even thinking about it.
So congrats on finding a great guitar for a good price. Wish I could run across a deal like that.

That's a great description of a P-90. These are great guitars. I almost bought one. Plus, if you think this P-90 guitar is fun (which I know it is), you really should look at a Junior. And, I'll betcha I'm not the first person that's told you that.

 

[Christosterone]

Im happy for you

cool guitar

anytime u get a good lester for under a grand is a good day imho

-chris

 

[metalmike222]

I ended up putting it on layaway a few months ago. I'll have it paid off in about 6 weeks and I look forward to getting it home.

 

[Christosterone]

I ended up putting it on layaway a few months ago. I'll have it paid off in about 6 weeks and I look forward to getting it home.

im so excited for you..
that’s an awesome guitar

-chris

 

[Nightrain04]

That's a great description of a P-90. These are great guitars. I almost bought one. Plus, if you think this P-90 guitar is fun (which I know it is), you really should look at a Junior. And, I'll betcha I'm not the first person that's told you that.

Well, you know the Junior is a guitar that I have really tried to like but it just never happened. I have never owned a Junior but I have played several and had a loaner for awhile. The balance always felt off to me and the P-90s in the Juniors that I have played had a much different tone than the P-90s in my Special and I think that kind of turned me off to P-90s. I could never get a tone I was happy with even with massive amp adjustment.

I did toy with the idea of sticking a hum bucker in a Junior but I decided not to go down that route. I am also not a fan of wrap around bridges. So when my friend walked in with his special I was expecting the usual P-90 tone. I was really surprised when he fired it up and then after I played it I was very impressed, enough so that I bought one the next day.

Having said all that, I have friends who love Juniors so I guess it is just a personal preference because I do think they are great guitars. I have wondered if the P-90s in the Special are different from the P-90s in the Junior? I would guess that they are all the same but who knows?

 

[endial]

Well, you know the Junior is a guitar that I have really tried to like but it just never happened. I have never owned a Junior but I have played several and had a loaner for awhile. The balance always felt off to me and the P-90s in the Juniors that I have played had a much different tone than the P-90s in my Special and I think that kind of turned me off to P-90s. I could never get a tone I was happy with even with massive amp adjustment.

I did toy with the idea of sticking a hum bucker in a Junior but I decided not to go down that route. I am also not a fan of wrap around bridges. So when my friend walked in with his special I was expecting the usual P-90 tone. I was really surprised when he fired it up and then after I played it I was very impressed, enough so that I bought one the next day.

Having said all that, I have friends who love Juniors so I guess it is just a personal preference because I do think they are great guitars. I have wondered if the P-90s in the Special are different from the P-90s in the Junior? I would guess that they are all the same but who knows?

Interesting take. Thanks for chiming in. There's a subtlety to Specials, a 'tameness' if you will, that Juniors lack I guess. Hah! My preference is with a wraptail too, so that's a double-whammy on the differences. I'm glad there's such diversity in all our tastes, otherwise it certainly would be a boring world, eh? Glad you are enjoying yours. Cheers @Nightrain04 !

Edit: Pups are the same, BTW.