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79 Les Paul Custom . Opinions Please .

Rockhard

Active member
Joined
Sep 6, 2001
Messages
113
I play the custom much less since getting R7 last year . Question , is it a model worth keeping for desirability or investment sake or can I move it without regrets . It's wine red and in great condition . It could help fund a R9 ;-)
 
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JR-Special

New member
Joined
Dec 26, 2001
Messages
598
79 is late Norlin era. That isn't a bad thing in and of itself, the guitar may play and sound great. Most collectors don't think very much of the collectabilty of Norlin era Les Pauls. This eems to effect the overall market price for them to both collectors and players. Most (not all) Norlin Era guitars will not be woth as much as their GMI counterparts.

If ya don't play it and it doesn't move you anymore, sell it. It isn't going to go up in values as much as other similar Gison instruments.
 

Mahavishnu Orch.

New member
Joined
Mar 28, 2003
Messages
152
Rockhard said:
I play the custom much less since getting R57 last year . Question , is it a model worth keeping for desirability or investment sake or can I move it without regrets . It's wine red and in great condition . It could help fund a R59 ;-)

Your Custom probably won't worth alot in cash and will barely help you fund your R59. Norlin era's guitars aren't bad as some say, but if your dream guitar is a R59, and think you'll play it more than your Custom, go for it! A guitar not played do not make its owner a happy man IMO.

Just take your time to think about it.

Still, the more comfortable guitar I touched, is my very-very-well-played '70 Custom. :)

May we see a picture?
 
D

Doug H

Guest
If you don't have emotional attachments, I'd say go ahead & use it to help fund the R9.
 

Rockhard

Active member
Joined
Sep 6, 2001
Messages
113
Thanks lads . Decided I won't do anything rash like trade it for a PRS Single Cut but will wait till I can afford to get R59 which is what I wanted when I bought the R57 . I'll be keeping the Goldtop though .
 

jgyn

New member
Joined
Jul 15, 2001
Messages
783
I like my '79 Custom. It has less mids than my '01 R8 and less highs than my '69 Deluxe. I like my Custom for jazz.
 

Rockhard

Active member
Joined
Sep 6, 2001
Messages
113
No coincidence then that previous owner of my Custom was Jazz Player Adrian Ingham .
 

Rockhard

Active member
Joined
Sep 6, 2001
Messages
113
Just to go full circle sort of . Soon after in 2003 I traded in the Custom @ £1500 and put another £2000 towards this 2002 R8 . I think the used prices are getting towards parity now .
 

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El Gringo

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Joined
Apr 8, 2015
Messages
5,657
Nice Les Paul , I am a fan of the Norlin Era as I still have my first childhood LPC from this era and she rocks !
 

mattnew33

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Joined
Jul 14, 2016
Messages
138
well

in 2001, I bought a 1971 custom for $900.... I sold it in 2010 for $2500 ..... and in 2016 I tried to find a replacement for it.. and couldn't find anything below 3500 for what I was looking for.

I think , if you sell it, like me, 10-15 years later you will think to yourself ... "dammit" . You won't get it back for anything close that you sell it for.
 

Rockhard

Active member
Joined
Sep 6, 2001
Messages
113
That would be about right . As I say I let mine go 2003 for £1500 . Today some are asking £3500 for same . So would have been ' in profit ' if kept it . As it is in 2003 I bought the R8 I still own for £3500 but has no ' profit ' in it .
 
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Crusader

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Joined
Oct 2, 2020
Messages
10
That would be about right . As I say I let mine go 2003 for £1500 . Today some are asking £3500 for same . So would have been ' in profit ' if kept it . As it is in 2003 I bought the R8 I still own for £3500 but has no ' profit ' in it .

I have a similar story. I bought a Custom in 1977 for $900, sold it in 1987 for $800 then found it again in 1997 and asking price was like $2500. I might have bought it back if not for the price hike. But the other thing is I just didn't like it. Ever since the first time I plugged it in I thought the tone was bland, it was very heavy, the neck was too thin for me and the flat frets didn't work for me. I now have an R9 which I bought in 2014 for $9400 and its got what I want

I've seen a similar guitar to the Custom I had with an asking price near $7000. If I wanted to sell my R9 I would be asking around the same amount (7000) but there's no way I would swap it to have my old Custom back. I don't understand "collectors" To me the value of an instrument is if it has what you want in tone, playability and so forth. I don't see the point of buying something to just stick in a cupboard and never get played

The 1977 Custom I saw for $7000 has very few scratches on it and that tells me its hardly been played, and why would that be? No Tone!
 

Rockhard

Active member
Joined
Sep 6, 2001
Messages
113
I have a similar story. I bought a Custom in 1977 for $900, sold it in 1987 for $800 then found it again in 1997 and asking price was like $2500. I might have bought it back if not for the price hike. But the other thing is I just didn't like it. Ever since the first time I plugged it in I thought the tone was bland, it was very heavy, the neck was too thin for me and the flat frets didn't work for me. I now have an R9 which I bought in 2014 for $9400 and its got what I want

I've seen a similar guitar to the Custom I had with an asking price near $7000. If I wanted to sell my R9 I would be asking around the same amount (7000) but there's no way I would swap it to have my old Custom back. I don't understand "collectors" To me the value of an instrument is if it has what you want in tone, playability and so forth. I don't see the point of buying something to just stick in a cupboard and never get played

The 1977 Custom I saw for $7000 has very few scratches on it and that tells me its hardly been played, and why would that be? No Tone!

I tend to agree , it's pretty obvious I wasn't sold on the Customs tone at the time . I don't miss it .
 

Aceman

Member
Joined
Feb 2, 2008
Messages
51
I have three 70's LPs (Practically speaking)

I am a HUGE fan of those 3 piece maple necks. The sound/Feel off of them is just awesome IMO.

That said - yeah; Nothing collectable about a 79 LP custom.

The T-Tops are probably worth the most. I hate those but man people will pay money for them.
 
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