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Whats the ultimate "easy sell " historic for a dealer ?

Dr. Green

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 12, 2018
Messages
683
this is going to be a little hard for me to explain.

from the perspective of a dealer in Gibson Historics which of the models or types of tops make a dealer smile when they get one in, knowing that it will be a fast mover or even better there will be good customers who have told them :
" you get something like XXXXXXXX in ...... call me first - I am a buyer"
 

DANELECTRO

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Joined
Feb 24, 2003
Messages
6,318
Easy sell:
17%20TH%20R9%201a_zpslaeqgewe.jpg


Difficult sell:
R8goldflametop1b.jpg
 

Dr. Green

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Joined
Dec 12, 2018
Messages
683
is that whats known as a killer " Bengal Tiger " top ???

I love the idea of the "easy" and "difficult' photos …. lets run with that if we can
 

Ace139

Active member
Joined
May 29, 2003
Messages
1,759
Agree, I think a big top would = a faster sale. That being said that thinking has given me some great looking guitars that I sold because the were not great players. My last LP I bought I was able to go to a dealer that had about 20 Historic LPs. I went in wanting to get the best playing, sounding feeling LP - regardless of color, or look. Wound up with a Nicky - that really looks nothing like Nicky and not thrilled with the color - but it plays and sounds AWESOME - I’ve owned it for 4 years and don’t foresee ever selling it.


I’ve also wondered - if dealers get a higher selling price for a great playing, sounding, feeling guitar? I know they are all different and great to one may be a turd to someone else - but there are some guitars that just have “it”. Are dealers more apt to get a higher selling price - or is it strictly a formula game -

Retail Price - Cost = Profit (dealer says in order to make money - I need to hit X% margin) and all Les Pauls need to fit that formula - regardless of top, color, playability ... etc.
 

Dr. Green

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Dec 12, 2018
Messages
683
the little bit of info I myself have is that they are sold on looks mostly to folks with more money in the pocket than musical talent.

some are never even played - they are put on a wall and "oh" and "ahhh" at their whole life


……………….. snort
 

Tom Wittrock

Les Paul Forum Co-Owner
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Aug 2, 2001
Messages
42,567
the little bit of info I myself have is that they are sold on looks mostly to folks with more money in the pocket than musical talent.

some are never even played - they are put on a wall and "oh" and "ahhh" at their whole life


……………….. snort

I have found that people like that are very, very rare.
As for the fate of the guitar, it will most likely change hands to someone who will play it and it will be in mint condition. It will probably be preserved well.
I see no harm in this. It's not like there aren't more than enough guitars available already. No body is missing out because those guitars are off the market. You can buy them any day. :ganz
 

Big Al

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Joined
Apr 24, 2002
Messages
14,537
the little bit of info I myself have is that they are sold on looks mostly to folks with more money in the pocket than musical talent.

some are never even played - they are put on a wall and "oh" and "ahhh" at their whole life


……………….. snort

WHAT A SELF SERVING LOAD OF STEAMING SANCTIMONIUS CRAP!!!

Every so often some holier than thou wanna be with a hard on for anyone who has the nerve to dare own, have the ability to purchase and own, *GASP* own more than one, #Intense GASP#, own an original, dare to cherish, take care and protect, or unholiest of crimes, display it and simply enjoy the classic beauty and gaze its way.

THE FEINDS! WHO CAN PREVAIL AGAINST SUCH NEFARIOUS EVIL DOERS??

Yeah, they buy up all the good ones, just to keep us poor deserving folk, with our amazing talents, why I bet they don't even play and just look at them.

Anyone can buy any flppin' Les Paul they flippin' want for any flippin' reason under the flippin' sun, to play or not play in any flippin' way or to simply flippin' display!! Some just buy the flippin' things just to flippin' FLIP THEM!!!

Seriously, the ideas put forth in that post are so off the wall, simple dumbassery without any aim, other than divisional us vs them sour grapes.


Why can't we just enjoy thes things? I love seeing these awesomely beautiful guitars. I'm happy for them and glad they share. I just saw duane flowers simply awesome collection of Les Pauls, and besides loving looking at them, I was happy for him. As I am for all my forum bros wether they have 1 or 100, plain, exquisite and all points inbetween. I don't care if they play or display. I never felt unable to buy a high quality guitar because others bought 'em all up.

I missed some limited editions that pre sold out. Small batches mean most miss out, that's life. I get it and don't assign imagined motives to others nor do I feel ANYONES motives are more correct or deserving. Same for playing ability or a lack of. There's no test.
WTF!
 

pqs

Active member
Joined
May 31, 2019
Messages
109
I think the top is a big contributor to what makes it a hard or easy sale. Here’s an anecdotal evidence of that.

Earlier this I was informed that a local store was getting one 60th Anniversary R9, so I decided to try it. I loved the guitar so much I had to have it. To my personal taste it was the best playing and sounding guitar I’ve ever played. I have since played other 60th Anniversary R9s and had plenty of experience with R9s before, but I think mine is a better match for me than anything I ever played. In order to pay for my R9 I trade in some of my guitars, including a Guitar Center exclusive R0, sometimes dubbed G0, for it’s the leading term of the serial number.

As many of you may already know, those Guitar Center R0s have either a lightly figured top or a “peekaboo” top or a plain top. Mine was one of those peekaboo tops where depending on the angle you looked at, it went from almost plain to lightly figured to heavily figured.

Several months later, I was going to pick up a special order I made when I saw a used R0 that looked a lot like mine. I asked to check the serial number and lo and behold, it was my R0. It had just had a $900 price drop. I told the manager my story and he offered to sell it back to me for the same price I sold it to them. Went home grabbed a guitar to trade in and returned the special order guitar I had gone to pick up and I’m now reunited with my R0.

During the paperwork process, a friend of mine who works at the store walks by and starts talking to me. He sees the guitar on the counter and asks if I’m getting it. I tell him the story. He was GASing for my R0 for a while. He had recently taken the guitar to their main tech restrung, polished and checked the action, neck relief and intonation. Then he explains that was the best Les Paul he’d ever played, which is funny because when I first tried out that same R0 in 2017 he had dissed on Gibson Custom for putting plastic nuts on guitars, but I digress and I didn’t want to say that in front of his manager. I then tell him that I had thought the best playing Les Paul he had ever played was my R9. He explains that the R0 took the crown from my R9 in playability, but he preferred the sound on my R9. Personally I still prefer both play and sound of my R9.

That R0 is a very good guitar. I remember when I got it in 2017, the people at the store mention they had a used regular R0 in. However when I tried agains the G0, I liked both playability and sound of the G0 better than the regular R0.

A guitar that good should not have been in the store for so long to the point of getting a price drop. My Standard HP sold in just a few weeks. They had priced the G0 fairly and there were still a few new 2018/2019 of previous ownership Gibson USA stuff being sold for around the same as my R0. The only explanation I have is that the top wasn’t a heavily flamed top. Which is great, because even if you get the guitar new, I believe they are still making G0s, they are amazing guitars and are $2,000 less than a regular R0. Don’t know other years, but 2017 G0s had long neck tenon, fake bubble bee capacitors, two ring Kluson tuners and everything else from a regular R0. The only differences were the top, the lack of pointers (thumb bleeders) and it only came in gloss finish (no VOS option).

TL;DR: Tops. A good example is the price difference between a regular R0 and a G0.
 
Last edited:

marshall1987

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Joined
Jan 30, 2005
Messages
3,278
One of the most desirable and collectable Historic Les Pauls is the artist series Duane Allman darkburst w/ the gull wing figured maple top, and the worn frets pressed into the back.

These guitars originally shipped around 2003 as I recall and they made less than 100. Unless the price is unrealistically high, they tend to sell rather quickly.
 

Dr. Green

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 12, 2018
Messages
683
WHAT A SELF SERVING LOAD OF STEAMING SANCTIMONIUS CRAP!!!

Every so often some holier than thou wanna be with a hard on for anyone who has the nerve to dare own, have the ability to purchase and own, *GASP* own more than one, #Intense GASP#, own an original, dare to cherish, take care and protect, or unholiest of crimes, display it and simply enjoy the classic beauty and gaze its way.

THE FEINDS! WHO CAN PREVAIL AGAINST SUCH NEFARIOUS EVIL DOERS??

Yeah, they buy up all the good ones, just to keep us poor deserving folk, with our amazing talents, why I bet they don't even play and just look at them.

Anyone can buy any flppin' Les Paul they flippin' want for any flippin' reason under the flippin' sun, to play or not play in any flippin' way or to simply flippin' display!! Some just buy the flippin' things just to flippin' FLIP THEM!!!

Seriously, the ideas put forth in that post are so off the wall, simple dumbassery without any aim, other than divisional us vs them sour grapes.


Why can't we just enjoy thes things? I love seeing these awesomely beautiful guitars. I'm happy for them and glad they share. I just saw duane flowers simply awesome collection of Les Pauls, and besides loving looking at them, I was happy for him. As I am for all my forum bros wether they have 1 or 100, plain, exquisite and all points inbetween. I don't care if they play or display. I never felt unable to buy a high quality guitar because others bought 'em all up.

I missed some limited editions that pre sold out. Small batches mean most miss out, that's life. I get it and don't assign imagined motives to others nor do I feel ANYONES motives are more correct or deserving. Same for playing ability or a lack of. There's no test.
WTF!

Big AL-

you can scream and jump up and down all you want
heck you can even do back flips

that my friend was NOT my viewpoint - it was not MY opinion.

that Big AL - was what I was told - first hand - by one of the MAJOR dealers who is VERY well known on this forum.

cheers ……………...:salude
 

El Gringo

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Joined
Apr 8, 2015
Messages
5,657
I will take a crack at this with my 2 cents that is beauty is in the eye of the beholder . Myself I like the big loud fancy screaming tops , but that's just my preference and the beauty of Gibson Custom is the sheer volume of Les Paul's they produce year to year with some tweaks here and there and the supply is plenty for everyone to find the "one" for themselves that makes them happy . I personally don't care what folks do with them as I like to play mine and if so and so wants to put it up on his wall so what , if one wants to stick it under glass so what , if one wants to beat it and abuse it so what , why ? because there are enough out there to satisfy demand .Gibson Custom knows what they are doing ! for sure and they sure make a killer great Les Paul that for me gets the job done and I am a very happy and grateful and ever returning customer of there's for as long as I am able to afford and thusly enjoy the finest guitars on the planet and lastly God Bless Gibson Custom !!!!!!!!!!!
 

J.D.

Well-known member
Joined
May 24, 2006
Messages
10,030
When any dealer gets a batch of R9s in, the lighter weight ones and ones with big tops always sell first. That shouldn't be unexpected as most sales are internet and not local sales.
 
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