Noob with a '59 ... really?

909Hemi · Mar 20, 2019

"I have only come here seeking knowledge"... I am the OP; I am sorry that some of you thought this was a "Pump and dump" post... an ugly term that I have never heard of before n any of my other forums over the years (cars/motorcycles/guns/Baseball cards). I had done some quick research, decided that LesPaulForum.com would be the best way for me to learn and represent my guitar as honestly as possible based on my (pathetic) lack of prior experience, and then, Yes: put it up for public sale.
Sorry (not?) that this offended some of you, I was only trying to be as honest as possible with the end result of getting this guitar that has been hidden away for decades finally into the proper hands of a collector who knows it, cherishes it, and shows it off as he should. I have several times the current bid amount invested in this Les Paul... quite possibly I'm an idiot.
Life has it's lessons, some rather expensive. If nothing else; I have learned about vintage Les Pauls... and I have learned about this forum :dang

I added a correction to the production total. Thanks.

T.Allen · Mar 20, 2019

909Hemi said:
"I have only come here seeking knowledge"... I am the OP; I am sorry that some of you thought this was a "Pump and dump" post... an ugly term that I have never heard of before n any of my other forums over the years (cars/motorcycles/guns/Baseball cards). I had done some quick research, decided that LesPaulForum.com would be the best way for me to learn and represent my guitar as honestly as possible based on my (pathetic) lack of prior experience, and then, Yes: put it up for public sale.
Sorry (not?) that this offended some of you, I was only trying to be as honest as possible with the end result of getting this guitar that has been hidden away for decades finally into the proper hands of a collector who knows it, cherishes it, and shows it off as he should. I have several times the current bid amount invested in this Les Paul... quite possibly I'm an idiot.
Life has it's lessons, some rather expensive. If nothing else; I have learned about vintage Les Pauls... and I have learned about this forum :dang

I added a correction to the production total. Thanks.

"The headstock had been broken and repaired in the mid-60's, and at that time the serial number was sanded & painted over as part of the repair"

This is not really a collectors guitar due to the above information. It is a player grade guitar. A headstock break and no serial number really runs the value down. Without an in hand inspection by somebody that knows what they are looking at, the year can't be verified, if at all.

As far as the pump-n-dump, it is a rule on the forum. You cannot come in and pump up a guitar and then put it up for sale. Tell me about my cool guitar. Many folks post info for you. Oh, by the way, here is the link to my ebay auction. That is exactly what you did.

NO "PUMP AND DUMP": You may NOT create threads or post to existing threads in the regular pubs/forums and describe or post photos and descriptions of guitars, amps, or other gear that is actively for sale, either advertised here or elsewhere, within 30 days of the item being marketed for sale. That is considered "pumping" an item so that you can "dump" it. If you have an item that is for sale and are not a dealer, you can post ads in the Member Classified Section for free, but you cannot create threads/posts in other Forums describing or promoting the item.

909Hemi · Mar 21, 2019

As happy as you all are about this one being found, I think I'll just crush the next one under a bus.

JPP-1 · Mar 21, 2019

909Hemi said:
As happy as you all are about this one being found, I think I'll just crush the next one under a bus.

You seemed to get very defensive right off the bat when there wasn't a flurry of posts lavishing praise on your guitar. When knowledgable forum members gave insights that you didn't like you dismissed them and suggested said members were rude. This is the LPF not the University of LPF. You asked for insights and that's what you got. Because folks didn't fawn all over your guitar or say please and thank you doesn't make them rude. Last I looked this wasn't a designated safe space.

Put on your big boy pants or as is politically incorrect to say nowadays "Man up" The LPF is a great place for insights into vintage Lesters. Even finding folks that could assist in transacting a sale. Be honest and open with the folks here and you'll find this place is a great resource.

You have a lovely vintage Les Paul. I wish you luck with the sale. Frankly, unless you definitely need the money immediately I suggest that you enjoy it for a time. Given the existing issues, some enthusiastically playing shouldn't lessen its value. Not too many folks have the pleasure of playing a vintage Custom whenever they feel like it.

mistersnappy · Mar 21, 2019

909Hemi said:
No; trying to find out exactly what I have, and trying to represent it as honestly as possible. If it makes you feel any better Tom; the values on this forum are far less than I would consider accepting... maybe I'll get stuck with it? la In any event, and for the greater good: another yet-unknown one-of-246-made '59 Les Paul's has finally made it's way out into the Limelight from the depths of a hidden collection. Is'nt THAT worth celebrating on it's own??
I know in my rare-car world (MOPAR'S Baby!) that we would be dancing in the streets if another rare/hidden one finally showed up on the radar after all there years
My '69 GTX... I brought it back from the dead after spending 30-years in someone's backyard rotting I've owned it for 15 years, and it did'nt look anywhere CLOSE to the way it looks now... still without a re-paint! Sometimes, you just gotta know what you're looking at!
View attachment 9256
View attachment 9257

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fu4lAGp2PHc

El Gringo · Mar 21, 2019

JPP-1 said:
You seemed to get very defensive right off the bat when there wasn't a flurry of posts lavishing praise on your guitar. When knowledgable forum members gave insights that you didn't like you dismissed them and suggested said members were rude. This is the LPF not the University of LPF. You asked for insights and that's what you got. Because folks didn't fawn all over your guitar or say please and thank you doesn't make them rude. Last I looked this wasn't a designated safe space.

Put on your big boy pants or as is politically incorrect to say nowadays "Man up" The LPF is a great place for insights into vintage Lesters. Even finding folks that could assist in transacting a sale. Be honest and open with the folks here and you'll find this place is a great resource.

You have a lovely vintage Les Paul. I wish you luck with the sale. Frankly, unless you definitely need the money immediately I suggest that you enjoy it for a time. Given the existing issues, some enthusiastically playing shouldn't lessen its value. Not too many folks have the pleasure of playing a vintage Custom whenever they feel like it.

Best post of the day award goes to you JPP-1. I loved your response and sentiment -Bravo !

wsaraceni · Mar 21, 2019

909Hemi said:
"I have only come here seeking knowledge"... I am the OP; I am sorry that some of you thought this was a "Pump and dump" post... an ugly term that I have never heard of before n any of my other forums over the years (cars/motorcycles/guns/Baseball cards). I had done some quick research, decided that LesPaulForum.com would be the best way for me to learn and represent my guitar as honestly as possible based on my (pathetic) lack of prior experience, and then, Yes: put it up for public sale.
Sorry (not?) that this offended some of you, I was only trying to be as honest as possible with the end result of getting this guitar that has been hidden away for decades finally into the proper hands of a collector who knows it, cherishes it, and shows it off as he should. I have several times the current bid amount invested in this Les Paul... quite possibly I'm an idiot.
Life has it's lessons, some rather expensive. If nothing else; I have learned about vintage Les Pauls... and I have learned about this forum :dang

I added a correction to the production total. Thanks.

why eBay though? if you truly believe this is a 100% genuine 59 Les Paul why not give both yourself and the buyers the proper information. and by proper information I mean an in hand inspection and appraisal from any of the many experts on vintage Les Pauls. you don't know what this is anymore than I do it seems. why not fix that? what is potentially a cool guitar with a cool story is going to get tarnished as a possible scam otherwise.

marfen · Mar 21, 2019

909 Hemi ...not A990Hemi?

Monroe · Mar 21, 2019

909Hemi said:
...I am still the FNG and I have ZERO cred :lol #AllGood #HereToLearn

909Hemi said:
I think I'll just crush the next one under a bus.

Maybe it's just me, but the OPs posting style doesn't come across as that of a 61 year old.
There are as many red flags in his posting style as there are in the guitar pics and back story.

JPP-1 · Mar 21, 2019

El Gringo said:
Best post of the day award goes to you JPP-1. I loved your response and sentiment -Bravo !

Thank you El Gringo. I appreciate that.

marshall1987 · Mar 21, 2019

wsaraceni said:
Is it normal for the screws on the pickups to be orientated that way? From what I’ve seen both the middle and bridge look flipped. But I could be totally wrong.

If you are referring to the pole pieces on the pickups, then no. The bridge and middle pickup appear to have been turned 180 degrees. No big deal. Simply means that someone took a peak at the bottoms at some point and got them turned around.

Tom Wittrock · Mar 21, 2019

marshall1987 said:
If you are referring to the pole pieces on the pickups, then no. The bridge and middle pickup appear to have been turned 180 degrees. No big deal. Simply means that someone took a peak at the bottoms at some point and got them turned around.

Doesn't that require more lead wire than normally found on a vintage Les Paul? :hmm

marshall1987 · Mar 22, 2019

Tom Wittrock said:
Doesn't that require more lead wire than normally found on a vintage Les Paul? :hmm

I'm not an expert......but you are right. It's likely the Gibson final assembly tech back in the day clipped the pickup lead wires to the pots without providing any additional slack. If this was the case it would be very challenging for some individual at a later date to reinstall the bridge pickup rotated 180 degrees without providing additional hookup wire.

The same limitation would not apply to the neck or middle pickup because flipping these pickups 180 degrees would free up an additional length of wire.

An in-hand examination of the guitar would easily disclose any splicing of pickup lead wire.

Another possible scenario is the bridge pickup is not original to the guitar.

I believe Gibson's pickup lead wire trimming spec continues today; i.e., they don't provide any slack lead wire to the pots.

brandtkronholm · Mar 28, 2019

The auction ended at $16,100 and the reserve was not met.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/ORIGINAL-1959-Les-Paul-Custom-Black-Beauty-guitar-NOT-a-re-issue-/113684708665?_trksid=p2047675.m43663.l44720&nordt=true&rt=nc&orig_cvip=true

Bloodspoint · Mar 28, 2019

And according to his listing, "If the reserve is not met, you will never see this guitar offered for sale on the Internet again. Not being pissy; just a heads-up

"

So, he owns it for life, right?

Full disclosure: I am a little jealous. I can't afford it even at what the bids ended up being, but I would love to own that guitar. I love BB's.

And I can almost feel sorry for him. Maybe. Maybe he paid more than it was worth, thinking it was a goldmine and he'd flip it for a fortune, and he's going to end up upside down on it. Unfortunately, that's pretty likely if you go speculating in a market you don't know. "It's 60 years old! It was owned by a famous guy! It's got to be worth a fortune!"

It can be an expensive lesson.

But he's still got a fun guitar. Were it mine, I'd put a little work into it to correct some of the screwiness, and love it long time.

marshall1987 · Mar 28, 2019

brandtkronholm said:
The auction ended at $16,100 and the reserve was not met.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/ORIGINAL-1959-Les-Paul-Custom-Black-Beauty-guitar-NOT-a-re-issue-/113684708665?_trksid=p2047675.m43663.l44720&nordt=true&rt=nc&orig_cvip=true

That really doesn't surprise me. For example, you can buy a relatively clean 1956 Les Paul Custom for just north of $22K. As others have alluded to previously, the market for vintage Les Paul Customs is somewhat precarious right now.

Repaired headstock break, no serial number, poor photography, and a grandiose eBay listing conspired to depress this auction. And there was never any authentication that this guitar was indeed a 1959 model year. :dang

Pat Boyack · Mar 28, 2019

I don't know about the Les Paul.....but this whole post (and comments) is vintage LPF!!!!

eace2

Rev.WillieVK · Mar 29, 2019

Tom Wittrock said:
I must have missed the post with the info showing this to be a 1959, and not some other year. :hmm

Could someone please point out that post? :salude

As Tom has said with all the information available on this guitar, it could be from any year from 1957 to 1960(1961).

If the OP still looks at this thread, here's a way to narrow down the year of manufacture somewhat: open the control cavity and with a decent camera, take the following picture of the side of the bridge tone control pot - there's a decent chance you might be able to read the pot code and date. This photo sometimes works on the side of the neck volume pot too.

:salude

Bloodspoint · Mar 29, 2019

He could always surprise us, but if I were betting, I'd bet he was gone as soon as he realized no on was going to tell him it's a half million dollar guitar.

izzwardo · Mar 30, 2019

Looks like it’s relisted for $29,350 “buy it now” on eBay

Noob with a '59 ... really?

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