Used Gibson Les Paul custom? What years and what’s a good price to pay used

[Randy_Lahey]

Wanted to ask the experts here. I want to save for a Gibson Les Paul custom. After having several epiphone les Paul’s, I’ve found I like my customs the best. I want to within the next year or so graduate to a Gibson, but I don’t want to buy now. Wish to save a bit and find the right one. Goal is a year from now. Anyway, I was thinking maybe around 3k for a decent example but maybe I’m dreaming? I like to play classic Kiss, Motley Crue, and similar hard rock/metal. i would prefer an ebony fretboard, but tbh I’m a bit confused as to which years were ebony vs that other material.
wanted to see what you all thought as far as years I should be looking for and any other tips to finding a good guitar. This is a bucket list item for me, and maybe 3k isn’t a lot to some, but for me it will be. Not that I can’t afford it. Nobody is going hungry and bills won’t get skipped. Just a matter of how much I’m comfortable spending. Sorry for any spelling issues. iPad

oh and would you recommend reverb or where to look? I’m in a rural area and local shops ar won’t an option. The few we have within driving distance all think their stuff is worth 2-3 times what it is.

 

[brokentoeswalker]

I had one from 2000 and it was a great axe. Ebony board, and stock pups that would suit what you play fairly well i think. They were regular USA line back then and not Custom shop so it was considerably cheaper than the later custom shop offerings. If you don't give a F about a short tenon then id hit one of those if you can find one. I think they switched to being custom shop made a few years later.

 

[Randy_Lahey]

Yeah I guess I’m not sold on it having to be a custom shop. I just like the look of the binding and at least on the Epiphones everything else seems to be a little higher quality all around. Just nicer guitars overall which I ?assume? Would be similar with Gibson

 

[brokentoeswalker]

I can't say for sure, i've only had the 1 Gibson Les Paul. I've had other Gibsons but they were all sg's.

The one I had was a beauty for sure. I went over it with a fine tooth comb after i bought it and it was flawless. I bought mine second hand but it was pretty much mint. Nice weight as well around 9 1/4 pounds which is good for a custom. I assume it had Swiss cheese hole weight relief though.

 

[Christosterone]

Ive only buy new and shiny...post 2000 untouched
but when I eventually buy used, it will be a norlin...probably black beauty

Gibson Les Paul Custom "Norlin Era" Electric Guitar 1970 - 1985 | Reverb

The Gibson Les Paul Customs of the Norlin Era can be diamond-in-the-rough finds for players with a keen eye.

reverb.com

-chris

 

[decoy205]

I’ve owned a 2007 and I now have a 73.

Most will have ebony boards with a few exceptions for some limited runs and after 2012 when the sites issues happened they switched to rich lite or something for a bit. They are back to ebony now I believe. From 2000 they should have ebony.

 

[Thunder Dump]

Anything before 2012, since that will guarantee an ebony board. There are a few 2018-2020 special runs from dealers that have ebony as well but you need to read the fine print.

That being said, I own a 2000, 2011, two 2014s, 2015 and 2017 and they are all great guitars!

 

[gibsonofabitch]

white lpc seems to be hard to locate - used or new. What gives

 

[jvin248]

.

A few items you'll need to evaluate your comfort level, because these come with the Gibson branded territory:

-All the drama around broken headstocks. People take care of them for decades, decide to sell, and they break during shipping and you get a guitar back plus money to chase a repair but nothing for the value halving between unbroken and repaired used prices. So much drama.

-A high percentage of used guitars will have undisclosed fractures/breaks/repairs. You might get stuck with a bad bag of goods after playing musical chairs and you are left out of half the guitar's value. You might not catch the secret until years later.

-A high percentage of these new and used guitars are factory made fakes. Reworked Epiphones to have a Gibson headstock shape and logo and fool unwary buyers.

-Eventually you'll uncover how often players who 'gotta buy a Gibson for all the classic toanze!' will soon after post how they swapped in this or that boutique pickup "for the toanze!" ... which really indicates they were desperate for the 'validation' or vanity of the Gibson logo and not the sounds.

I'd suggest buying a set of Gibson pickups AND Gibson pots 'n caps (they are all part of 'the system') to install in one of your Epiphones.

.

 

[Randy_Lahey]

.


I'd suggest buying a set of Gibson pickups AND Gibson pots 'n caps (they are all part of 'the system') to install in one of your Epiphones.

.

Gonna report him for slut shaming me ;p. Yeah, tbh I love my Epiphones. Stock they suck balls. But after installing new nuts, cutting the nuts right, setting up the guitar, they play nice. The stock Probuckers are "meh". Usable, but barely. I guess I want a true Gibson LPC b/c they are sexy AF. I love my Epi LP Customs and figure a true Gibson should be that much sexier. That said, if I ever get good enough to gig. The Epi's will be my work horses. Maybe I'm dumb to want a Gibson then, but damm I do lust after a true Gibson LPC

 

[Socrates]

Dude, nothin dumb bout buying a Gibson LPC...my playing sucks but everytime I plug mine in and light it up I feel like a rockstar!

 

[davidpggarrett]

Did we establish what a good price used would be? I'd be interested to know too!

 

[Leee]

Well, the thread is two years old, so there have probably been some changes in the market since then.

 

[Leee]

Finding a Les Paul Custom for less than $3000 is going to be a chore, unless you are OK with fixing some serious problems.

 

[AJK1]

Yep, they’ve gone up in price

 

[01GT Eibach]

Well, the thread is two years old, so there have probably been some changes in the market since then.

"probably" ?? I wonder if the OP got his LPC ... ?

 

[Leee]

A few items you'll need to evaluate your comfort level, because these come with the Gibson branded territory:

Information.
This is precisely the main reason these forums exist.
And is certainly, I would estimate, the highest tangible value from participating in them.

Good judgment comes from experience.
And experience comes from bad judgment.

Just be careful that the information you base your decisions on is solid … which is precisely why I couldn’t resist parsing some of the ridiculous “facts” in this post.

All the drama around broken headstocks. So much drama.

So much drama.
Indeed.

I had one myself.
The guitar is holding up fine, being 30 years old now.

I’ve seen lots of others.
Some went back together nicely, others were gnarly and nasty.

I elected not to refinish mine, with the idea of full disclosure.
Anyone who ever handles that guitar from now on will be able to see clearly that there was a repair done.
I’m not going to hide it.

One issue with a headstock repair is the hit taken on resale value.

A second issue, which I think is just as important, is realizing that the size of the potential market you would find for a solid guitar has shrunk considerably.

Many people simply will not buy a guitar with a headstock repair.
Not at any price.

A high percentage of used guitars will have undisclosed fractures/breaks/repairs.

A higher percentage?
That sounds like an exaggeration to me.
How high would you say this percentage is?

If I was to go to eBay or Reverb right now, what portion of say … Gibson Les Paul Standards would you guarantee to be damaged or compromised?
How would YOU spot them?
What is YOUR strategy?

Sure, there are damaged guitars being peddled with undisclosed problems.
Of course there are crooked or ignorant sellers.
I’ve bought and sold many guitars in the past 40 years, and I’ve become well acquainted with several dealers over that time.
They all have horror stories and, of course, buying online makes it tougher to discern a damaged guitar, but a savvy buyer can still spot many of them.
Caveat emptor.

A high percentage of these new and used guitars are factory made fakes … … and fool unwary buyers.

Again with the hyperbole.
How high?

80% would be pretty high.
51% would be enough to be the majority.

10% is high enough to constitute a significant fraud and a definite hazard for the online platforms.

5% would be, in my opinion, enough for the media to be all over this and for the government to get involved.

I’m willing to bet you a beer that the percentage is somewhat less than that.

Eventually you'll uncover how often players who 'gotta buy a Gibson for all the classic toanze!' … … were desperate for the 'validation' or vanity of the Gibson logo and not the sounds.

Oh, yes…
Pure, unadulterated facts, logic, and reason.
Clearly indicative of years of experience in buying, selling, and working on Gibsons.
NOT.

I'd suggest buying a set of Gibson pickups AND Gibson pots 'n caps (they are all part of 'the system') to install in one of your Epiphones.

Sounds like a solid plan.
I did it with several Epiphones 15 to 20 years ago.

Made great playing guitars out of them.
It also increased their resale value about the equivalent of a cup of coffee.

OK, that’s an exaggeration.
It did increase the resale value slightly, but that is a very small market.
If you are going to list a $500 Epiphone Les Paul with $500 worth of Gibson parts in it, you do not have a $1000 guitar when there are 100 other Epiphone Les Pauls listed right beside it for $500.
Or $600.
Or $700.

Most Epiphone people aren’t going to pay that kind of money for an Epiphone.
And Gibson people aren’t going to buy an Epiphone at any price.

There is a small number of people, so a limited market size, willing to pay more for the same old Epiphone.
But when the numbers start getting bigger, people are going to step on up into Gibsons.

And once they do, they’re probably never going to look back.

 

[shark]

the Customs have Heavy Balls built in that you only get from an LP Custom.
So you are headed in the right direction.

 

[davidpggarrett]

Well, the thread is two years old, so there have probably been some changes in the market since then.

Yes indeed... hiked prices!

 

[Leee]

Reverb is the best barometer.

At a glance, you can filter what you are looking for and get an idea what people are asking.

Of course, the actual sales price is gonna be significantly less in some instances.

davidpgarrett
Is there something in particular you are wanting to find?