• Guys, we've spent considerable money converting the Les Paul Forum to this new XenForo platform, and we have ongoing monthly operating expenses. THE "DONATIONS" TAB IS NOW WORKING, AND WE WOULD APPRECIATE ANY DONATIONS YOU CAN MAKE TO KEEP THE LES PAUL FORUM GOING! Thank you!

price advice - in the maket for a "player"-grade singlecut 55-58 Special

MapleFlame

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 3, 2005
Messages
14,044
Re: price advice - in the maket for a "player"-grade singlecut 55-58 Special

I bought a project '57 Special yesterday on MLP. Broken headstock, bad paint, some vintage parts (P90s, pickguard, tuners, knobs). By the time it's repaired, refinished and using repro parts for what's missing, it should come in close to that $3500 mark. Maybe just a tad over depending on parts.
A pretty inexpensive player IMO.

We didn't establish what was on a guitar. If a player grade Special has most of it's parts it will bring over that. Now if it has major damage and missing most of it's parts, that's a whole nuther situation, and the same goes for any guitar in that catagory. :)

I do look forward to your restoration progress pics, please update us when they come. :dude: :hippy
 

dwagar

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 18, 2005
Messages
4,451
Re: price advice - in the maket for a "player"-grade singlecut 55-58 Special

Thanks Steve, it'll be a few months till Greg has time to get on it. I'll certainly post the pics as it comes together.

Other than the vintage parts I bought with it, I doubt I'll be replacing much with vintage parts. All said and done, this will still be a repaired, refinished player guitar. At the right kinda price, which is exactly what I wanted.
 

MapleFlame

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 3, 2005
Messages
14,044
Re: price advice - in the maket for a "player"-grade singlecut 55-58 Special

Thanks Steve, it'll be a few months till Greg has time to get on it. I'll certainly post the pics as it comes together.

Other than the vintage parts I bought with it, I doubt I'll be replacing much with vintage parts. All said and done, this will still be a repaired, refinished player guitar. At the right kinda price, which is exactly what I wanted.

I actually was interested in this guitar but you beat me to it. :)
The neck profiles of 57's tipically are my favorite, lets hope yours hasn't been sanded too much. You have a color picked out.:biggrin:
 

valcotone

Member
Joined
May 8, 2002
Messages
431
Re: price advice - in the maket for a "player"-grade singlecut 55-58 Special

dwagar... nice score, looks like a fine carcass for a restoration project. Who is the Greg you speak of?

I hope you don't mind me posting a pic from the MLP thread... (I'll take it down if you want):

2012-03-07_21-05-59_216.jpg
 

dwagar

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 18, 2005
Messages
4,451
Re: price advice - in the maket for a "player"-grade singlecut 55-58 Special

I actually was interested in this guitar but you beat me to it. :)
The neck profiles of 57's tipically are my favorite, lets hope yours hasn't been sanded too much. You have a color picked out.:biggrin:

The seller described the neck as chunky. Sure hope it hasn't been sanded.

For color, I'm leaning towards wheat. I guess it'll depend on what we find when it's stripped. Wheat may not cover bondo, lol.
 

dwagar

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 18, 2005
Messages
4,451
Re: price advice - in the maket for a "player"-grade singlecut 55-58 Special

dwagar... nice score, looks like a fine carcass for a restoration project. Who is the Greg you speak of?

I hope you don't mind me posting a pic from the MLP thread... (I'll take it down if you want):

No, I don't mind the pic being posted.

Greg is BCR Music, God of headstock repairs. Well worth the wait.
 

LiamH

New member
Joined
Mar 4, 2008
Messages
179
Re: price advice - in the maket for a "player"-grade singlecut 55-58 Special

The seller described the neck as chunky. Sure hope it hasn't been sanded.

One man's chunky is another man's "just right". Both my '57 Les Pauls (Junior and Special) are much slimmer than my '59 Junior. In fact I'd go as far as to say they probably have the best all round neck shape I've played.

For color, I'm leaning towards wheat. I guess it'll depend on what we find when it's stripped. Wheat may not cover bondo, lol.

The paler finishes look nicest in my view. I wouldn't be keen on metallic blue anyway...

Liam
 

MapleFlame

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 3, 2005
Messages
14,044
Re: price advice - in the maket for a "player"-grade singlecut 55-58 Special

Make sure that control cavity is stripped to wood, I hate that not being taken care of.
 

dwagar

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 18, 2005
Messages
4,451
Re: price advice - in the maket for a "player"-grade singlecut 55-58 Special

One man's chunky is another man's "just right". Both my '57 Les Pauls (Junior and Special) are much slimmer than my '59 Junior. In fact I'd go as far as to say they probably have the best all round neck shape I've played.



The paler finishes look nicest in my view. I wouldn't be keen on metallic blue anyway...

Liam

I'm pretty sure it'll be a nicer neck than the 2X4 that was on my old 55 Special.

Yes, I'd like to see wheat or maybe TV yellow, any bad stuff we run into, I think we could just go more opaque. I found a pic of my old one, I was fondly thinking of finishing it the same. But, I realized someone had tried to spray it like a Junior. And that finish repeated on the 70s Specials (mine was way before that), which I think would just be wrong on a vintage Special.
 

dwagar

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 18, 2005
Messages
4,451
Re: price advice - in the maket for a "player"-grade singlecut 55-58 Special

Make sure that control cavity is stripped to wood, I hate that not being taken care of.

Thanks for the heads up. I would have just assumed they'd strip it. I'll make sure.
 
Top