Would you buy a custom shop with no COA?

[cristi tanasescu]

of course..

 

[RRfireblade]

Most people outside this forum won't care. I've bought brand new retail without and sold just the same.

Its more for people who don't know how to tell what their buying anyway and you often don't want a deal with those people anyway.

Fwiw, there are just as many fakes out there with COAs as there are without, they just sell for more money more easily. You even see real COAs for sale alone, ever wonder why that is?

 

[GitFiddle]

This COA was enough for me.

 

[Oranjeaap]

I have enough knowledge on Gibson so dont need COA, it doesnt add value to me anyhow.

My CS LP Custom came without COA but I didn't care.
My CS Fender strat came without COA and a neckplate with a serial that matches a CS Telecaster, but I didn't care. I held the strat and felt it was a quality instrument and that is all that matters.

 

[Farquad]

If the guitar is the be all end all and you know you'll play it forever, then use the no cert as a discount on it. If you like the guitar, but will probably flip it later, then it will cost you in time and money as the next person would want the cert.
as for trading your cc335 for it, hmm thats difficult. It looks like you already came to that conclusion though.

 

[dspelman]

As the title says would you buy a custom shop model with no COA?

Absolutely. But knowing how some other people feel about them, I'd use its absence as a bargaining tool to get the price down.

Worth noting that a COA is easily faked; it's a piece of paper with printing on it. Of all the things that identify the guitar as the real thing, it is, ironically, the least to be trusted.

 

[Thunder Dump]

My G0 didn't have one. Saved me a few hundred. Definitely a non-issue (or even a benefit) for buying, but because of the negative connotation not having a COA sometimes brings, it can hurt resale value should you sell it down the road.

 

[GibsonMarshallGuy]

I remember one of the lp's I sold in the past, the guy wanted the receipt. Some people are ****ing ridicules like that, but they are the minority. Of course, that guy was no musician he was a doodler and had his own studio. He wanted me to play it in front of him because he didn't know how to play.

Nothing wrong that, just saying there's all types...

 

[JM2112]

Thanks for the info guys.

TBH the chap with the Custom wants to swap it for my Chris Cornell 335 so on reflection I don't think I can do the deal as for as far as I can see the CC335 are selling for more used than they were sold for new. Coupled with the fact that Customs over here with no COA don't seem to get bids on ebay for much more than £1200. Head over heart this time.

For the most part I agree with your decision. I would really need to see and play that guitar for a while to make sure it's legitimate and that it's one heck of a player before I would part with that 335. Even then I would still hesitate.

 

[chard]

If the guitar is the be all end all and you know you'll play it forever, then use the no cert as a discount on it. If you like the guitar, but will probably flip it later, then it will cost you in time and money as the next person would want the cert.
as for trading your cc335 for it, hmm thats difficult. It looks like you already came to that conclusion though.

For the most part I agree with your decision. I would really need to see and play that guitar for a while to make sure it's legitimate and that it's one heck of a player before I would part with that 335. Even then I would still hesitate.

Indeed, the clincher for me was phoning around some of the specialist guitar stores in London today. Out of the 7 stores I called 2 had had experience of selling used CC335's, one sold for £2950 and the other for £3100 which is just mental for a guitar that retailed at £2099 when new!!
I think what hit home was when one store manager pointed out that you can walk into a store and buy a LP Custom any day of the week where as you'd struggle to find another CC335 let alone buy one, especially in the UK. The guy was spot on, he told me to look up the DG335 and then go and have a lay down in a dark room!!
On top of that I've just bought a rather smelly 1987 LP Custom last weekend so I probably don't need another at the moment??

 

[joedonner2001]

I think what hit home was when one store manager pointed out that you can walk into a store and buy a LP Custom any day of the week where as you'd struggle to find another CC335 let alone buy one, especially in the UK.

Purrcisely. I'd hang onto that CC if I were you, or sell it straight up. You don't see many of them around.

I seem to remember you have the black one, not the olive green? How about a picture?

Oh, and yes - I've bought two historic reissues without COAs. Not a problem to me, but it does hurt the resale value. IMHO Gibson did us all a disservice with the COA business, in some respects. Some people attach way too much importance to those, and if you can't tell the difference between a real and a fake Gibson, the COA ain't gonna help you that much.

 

[Otis Shredding]

I remember one of the lp's I sold in the past, the guy wanted the receipt. Some people are ****ing ridicules like that, but they are the minority. Of course, that guy was no musician he was a doodler and had his own studio. He wanted me to play it in front of him because he didn't know how to play.

Nothing wrong that, just saying there's all types...

I had a guy like this come look at a Gretsch I'm selling three days ago. Novice player, had to play it for him ect. He asks where the case candy is and I tell him I didn't receive any with the guitar, but I'm the second owner so possibly there was some papers that originally came with it. At this point the words "fake" and "hot" came out a few times. I tried to assure him that if it was stolen or a fake we'd be in some parking lot somewhere, not my living room. He tire kicked and lowballed a bit and eventually left without the guitar. I found out from my friend who owns a local shop that the guy went and bought the exact same mint condition guitar I was selling that same day new for over $850 more and that $850 got him this:

 

[chard]

Purrcisely. I'd hang onto that CC if I were you, or sell it straight up. You don't see many of them around.

I seem to remember you have the black one, not the olive green? How about a picture?

Oh, and yes - I've bought two historic reissues without COAs. Not a problem to me, but it does hurt the resale value. IMHO Gibson did us all a disservice with the COA business, in some respects. Some people attach way too much importance to those, and if you can't tell the difference between a real and a fake Gibson, the COA ain't gonna help you that much.

With pleasure:





The back and the neck are really glossy these days but that was always going to happen if it was going to get used.
I guess the moral of the story with to COA is if it doesn't have one buy cheap and when you've got board with it, sell cheap. I was quite surprized just how much not having one effects the resale value which is good when buying not so good when trading. Ta

 

[Otis Shredding]

That's one nice lookin' piece right there.

 

[joedonner2001]

Nice. I'm a bit of a Cornell fan. That would be a sweet guitar to have.

 

[THDNUT]

Of course, and have done so.