Early 70's Custom Prices

[Deputy Dog]

Whats going on with the pricing on early 1970's Black Beauty Customs? Looking in my 2006 Vintage Guitar Price Guide (yes I realize its a "guide"), it stated the average price of a 71-73 BB is about $2300 in excellent shape. Seems like everything I look at on eBay and Gbase is almost double that. Did the BB's appreciate in price that much (almost double) in a year?

DD

 

[Billy Porter]

I posted a similar thread about UK prices rocketing and got lambasted for bringing it up. But in the UK they are going skywards with some dealers no longer listing their prices

I’ll guess the Norlin bashers will hi-jack this thread:bh

 

[AtomEve]

You want the answer try an ebay advanced search showing only completed listings for 1970-1979 Les Pauls.

The black customs in great shape from 1970 -1974 are commanding $4400.00 no problem......

The new guide comes out next month.... I wonder what it will say about all the crazy sky rocketing prices of Les Pauls over the last year......

 

[Deputy Dog]

The new guide comes out next month....

Crap!!!! I just bought the 2006 book last week.

 

[LesterP]

The early 70's Customs have been increasing in price quite a bit over the last few years.
I think condition is key with these, as quite a few were modded.

 

[Soulweb]

So these came out of the dogpound and are now desireable? At least enough to start the prices climbing? That's amazing. I know they have been scoffed at by a few. And the prices usually reflect it. But I always loved those things. Many were dogs, I agree. But the nice ones were really nice. When all the "crap" that they did to them comes together in the way it was meant to, those things sound great.

But damn are they usually heavy!

 

[kitchen]

Interesting it seems to be the black ones that command the higher prices or maybe it is just the ones I saw. I think prices will over time reflect what is good and I own a 74 and it is good, but wine colored.
Steve

 

[dlmorley]

I think a good white one will go for more than a black one.

 

[rufes]

I do not understand what makes them so interesting ....

 

[WordMan]

Based on my experience in the vintage guitar market - talking with dealers, reviewing published prices and price guides, buying a vintage Les Paul, getting it assessed, etc. - I would say that published values are typically under the market. There was a thread in the Vintage section about George Gruhn's online assessments and I seem to recall that a number of folks commented on this as well.

I have a lot of experience in other collectible areas - my parents were antique dealers - and this really varies by the category - some things are way overvalued in price guides vs. the market and some under-valued. Not sure why, and I am sure it changes over time depending on how hot the market it.

As it stands now, guitars and especially LP's are hot. So the prices are varying faster than the guides can keep up - and the guides are typically below market anyway...

 

[guitarchitecture]

Well for one thing- the 40 year old Ebony board can vibe very sweet tone.
Monster cutting tone-
Add to that the T top pups which are finally getting their rightful notice.
Listen to Clapton's cutting tone with a Black Custom on Disraeli?

Many of the early (70-74) LP Customs -
the ones w the big- open sounding neck T tops and
balanced stinging bridge T tops
are some of the meanest sounding LP's currently out there in the shops-
Commanding some attention now that the burst historic craze has peaked out-
Predict 70 -74 Customs will rise quite fast- now that the word is finally out -
Certainly at least in NYC this is becoming true.
Also players are starting to understand the basic idea behind the larger headstock: Sustain.
As players realize that they can simply have a pro refret to jumbo (6100)
for like $350 - these Customs begin to really make sense.
When you think about it- A nearly 40 year old LP for 4k- might not be a bad idea-

I recently played a '70 in NYC that was perhaps the lightest weight-
most stinging Custom I have played to date - thing sounded amazing -
through an old Supro on the floor-
They were asking 4K for the Custom - which kind o shocked me at first
but in retrospect - now wished had bought it.
FAT NECK ON THAT ONE TOO.
I have a funny feeling that the real early 1970 Custom's
might have some of that left over '50s wood in there.
Strangely light body for a Custom.
Still thinkin' about it- was very surprised by this player.

 

[TM1]

The black customs in great shape from 1970 -1974 are commanding $4400.00 no problem......

Why? Most of us from that era hated those guitars because we had been spoiled by the real ones from the Fifties. We all hated the 14 degree peghead pitch, the 6-7 degree neck/body pitch, pancake bodies and three piece necks. All those things detracted from the tone that the originals have. sure you can find the occasional exception, but for the most part they were shit. I've worked on a few hundred if not thousands of `70's Les Pauls
T-Tops are just O.K. BurstBuckers actually sound better. The `70's Norlin Les Paul's for the most part were crap and not close to the originals. The `68 & early `69's were great, but most of the ones made between 1970 to 1998 fall short of what the original guitars were. Really, the only decent made Les Pauls are the Historic's and the originals.
The Les Paul Custom that Eric Clapton used on D.Gears was made in the Fifties and had original PAF's. It also had a one piece body and one piece neck w/ebony fingerboard. His SG was a `64 that had Pre-T-Top pickups along with a one piece body and one piece neck w/Brazilian rosewood fingerboard.

 

[dege]

Stone Gossard, Pearl Jam - 76 csb custom

John Sykes, White Snake, Blue Murder - 76 blk custom

These are just a couple of great guitar players, songwriters that use these Norlin guitars as their main instrument to record and perform with. I will say it again, one mans trash, another mans treasure.

There are a lot of strats out there that to me are just plain junk. But they have a sound of there own and a majority of the guitar heavy weights use them as their main guitar.

 

[TT100]

Last fall I ran across a '71 custom in a local shop that was pretty beaten up. Not abused but played hard. The neck and action was incredible though. Price was $2100 and it lasted a day. If I'd had the scratch it would have come home with me.

TT

 

[Thump]

The black customs in great shape from 1970 -1974 are commanding $4400.00 no problem......

Why? Most of us from that era hated those guitars because we had been spoiled by the real ones from the Fifties. We all hated the 14 degree peghead pitch, the 6-7 degree neck/body pitch, pancake bodies and three piece necks. All those things detracted from the tone that the originals have. sure you can find the occasional exception, but for the most part they were shit. I've worked on a few hundred if not thousands of `70's Les Pauls
T-Tops are just O.K. BurstBuckers actually sound better. The `70's Norlin Les Paul's for the most part were crap and not close to the originals. The `68 & early `69's were great, but most of the ones made between 1970 to 1998 fall short of what the original guitars were. Really, the only decent made Les Pauls are the Historic's and the originals.
The Les Paul Custom that Eric Clapton used on D.Gears was made in the Fifties and had original PAF's. It also had a one piece body and one piece neck w/ebony fingerboard. His SG was a `64 that had Pre-T-Top pickups along with a one piece body and one piece neck w/Brazilian rosewood fingerboard.

Don't know what to tell ya. I've owned several LPs including my current '71 and '73 and a slew of other newer models. They were all great after I set them up.

 

[GlassSnuff]

The `70's Norlin Les Paul's for the most part were crap and not close to the originals.

:bigal :bigal :bigal

Where have you been hiding? The Historic District? Big Al's not around anymore. He longer works for a Gibson dealer, he's not shilling Historics like he used to, and the dirty truth that Henry has so feared was proclaimed years ago. The next best thing to a '50s Lester is an early Norlin. No, it doesn't look like one, feel free to pay for a Historic if that's important to you. But, if you want a kick ass guitar with a build quality and materials you can't get today, anywhere, get a Norlin. Sure, it won't sound exactly like Jimmy's #1 or Pearly gates, but neither does a Strat. You gonna tell us good music never came from a Strat?

AVH!! :rofl

 

[Litcrit]

I own a '71 and '73 Black Custom. The '71 is a real stinger, it just has "it". Big frets definitely help, the fretless wonder frets make it hard to judge what the guitar will sound like with real frets on it.

I've been around awhile: Black customs have ALWAYS been cool, and always will be.

 

[oldenphatt]

:bigal :bigal :bigal

The next best thing to a '50s Lester is an early Norlin. No, it doesn't look like one, feel free to pay for a Historic if that's important to you. But, if you want a kick ass guitar with a build quality and materials you can't get today, anywhere, get a Norlin. Sure, it won't sound exactly like Jimmy's #1 or Pearly gates, but neither does a Strat. You gonna tell us good music never came from a Strat?

AVH!! :rofl

This totally jibes with my experience. I have a '71 Custom and a '70 335 and both are amazing sounding and playing instruments. I've played some historics--both Les Pauls and 335s--and for me, they just aren't as good. I personally like the slimmer necks on the early Norlins. I'm more comfortable playing them. I haven't had much recent experience with 50's Les Pauls, but twenty-five years ago I worked at a shop that had several bursts and goldtops come through. I remember liking a couple of those guitars a lot but even for what they were selling for back then, there was no way they were worth the difference in price to the mid-70's custom I had at that time. Of course, from an investment perspective I should have bought every guitar that went through there, but as players, my $400 custom was a way better deal than a $10k burst.

 

[modoc_333]

Stone Gossard, Pearl Jam - 76 csb custom

John Sykes, White Snake, Blue Murder - 76 blk custom

These are just a couple of great guitar players, songwriters that use these Norlin guitars as their main instrument to record and perform with. I will say it again, one mans trash, another mans treasure.

There are a lot of strats out there that to me are just plain junk. But they have a sound of there own and a majority of the guitar heavy weights use them as their main guitar.

i always heard Gossard's referred to as being a '71

 

[dwagar]

Nice to see Norlin Customs getting a bit of attention.

IMO most of the guys that shit on them heard it from 'somebody that read it somewhere' so they can sound like an expert.

I've also noticed that a surprisingly high number of Norlin owners really love them.

I'm pretty happy with my white '74, it's served me nicely for the last 15 or so years thank-you-very-much. And yes it is a keeper.

How about Randy?