UK (and USA) Gibson prices in the 1970s and 80s

[dfmb]

Hello everyone, long time lurker, first time poster.

I've been having a conversation with my friend about the amount of punk bands who played Gibsons back in the 70s and into the 80s.
Many of those bands were penniless when they started out but were playing Gibsons from the get go, how did they afford Gibsons?

I'm looking at Steve Jones (Sex Pistols), Mick Jones (The Clash), both Buzzcocks guitarists, Johnny Thunders, Dead Boys, Frank Infante from Blondie etc etc

Does anyone know if (particularly used/second hand) Gibsons (especially LP jnrs) were cheap in the mid 70s?

If you have any classifieds/store adverts please post.

Thank you.

 

[somebodyelseuk]

Well, Steve Jones was known, and has said frequently, that he stole a lot of his gear, however, the white LP Custom was gotten for him by McLaren from (IIRC) Johnny Thunders.
I'd imagine, that by the time 'the music press' were taking pictures of them, the record companies had coughed up a few quid for better gear - you rarely see pictures of when anyone was playing at their local pub.
When The Buzzcocks first appeared on TV, they weren't playing Gibsons, I can assure you - they were a rare exception.
A lot of the bands had their gear bought for them, either by the management or the record company and, in any case, they were far from 'penniless' by the time they were making records.

 

[dfmb]

Jones said he stole 2 of Mick Ronson's Marshall stacks from the last Spiders shows at Hammersmith, right?

Bad lad!

 

[somebodyelseuk]

Hmm... he also said he had all the mics from (I think) Bob Marley's stage at the Shepherds Bush Empire between sound check and the gig...
There was a lot of bravado around about punk musicians back then. A lot of them weren't as 'poor', or as 'working class' as they'd like you to believe and didn't get up to as much mischief, either.
I don't doubt some of SJ stories, since he's often said he's sold the LPC many times, but he's still got it... implying he's sold a lot of the Gibson tribute models they did as 'the real thing'.
Like I say, they may have had Gibsons by the time the press and TV got interested, but they didn't start off on Gibsons, unless 'Daddy' paid for it.

 

[MarcB]

Steve Jones was known, and has said frequently, that he stole a lot of his gear

There’s a classic story of when Glen Matlock stole one of Steve Jones’s guitars and took it up to Denmark Street to flog it for “beer money”,
Store owner took it around the back to check it out.. Glen stood there for about an hour .. waiting for his money.. until the cops showed up and arrested him for trying to fence stolen goods.. Steve had previously nicked the guitar ..

 

[dwagar]

From Canada, I don't know what the exchange rates were back then to US or UK.

Late 60's, used Les Pauls were hard to find in my area. I bought a '55 Special (with Lifton case) for $300.

About 1970 I bought a '69 Goldtop off a friend for $325.

Mid-80s, I bought a '74 Les Paul Custom for $500 (with protector case).

You had to look for a good used one, but they weren't expensive.

 

[dfmb]

usually USA goods in the UK are premium priced ie. for most of the 70s we were looking at an exchange rate of USD2 to GBP1 yet we'd pay a similar amount in £ for goods as the $ price (customs duty, transport costs of course)

I'm wondering if that USD300 you paid in the late 60s would mean a similar LP would have been GBP300 in the shops here?

anyone?

 

[dfmb]

Found one...
Gibson Sonex in 1981 RRP GBP215

Gibson Sonex. Only the price is cheap. - Gibson advertisement (1981) >> Vintage Guitar and Bass

Vintage advert for the Gibson Sonex-180 custom electric guitar, Sonex-180 deluxe electric guitar, Sonex-180 standard electric guitar, originally placed in 1981 (490)

www.vintageguitarandbass.com

 

[dfmb]

a good page here of vintage 1960s UK shop adverts, so prices attached...

Vox AC50 amplifiers advertised by dealers and small ads from music papers - 1965-1967

The history of the Vox AC50, 1963-1975. Pictures of surviving amps, from the single channel small-box AC50 to the late large box version; schematics; material on components, suppliers and manufacture. Images of bands using the amp on stage and in the studio

www.voxac50.org.uk

 

[PaulD]

I bought my first "proper" guitar in 1976, it was a new Fender Stratocaster and if I remember correctly it cost £225. Gibsons were more expensive, I seem to remember seeing Les Pauls in the shops at the time which were around the £350 mark. (And to add a bit of context my weekly wage at the time was £22)

 

[dfmb]

I bought my first "proper" guitar in 1976, it was a new Fender Stratocaster and if I remember correctly it cost £225. Gibsons were more expensive, I seem to remember seeing Les Pauls in the shops at the time which were around the £350 mark. (And to add a bit of context my weekly wage at the time was £22)

It seems like the UK punks were playing cheaper Gibson models like MMs, LP jnrs, Sonex etc with the occasional LP player (once they got a deal?) when you look at old photos. Still can't get my head around the idea that they were passing over Teles for dearer Gibsons?

Not very punk, eh?

 

[MarcB]

Still can't get my head around the idea that they were passing over Teles for dearer Gibsons?

Never thought about that before
.. but it was probably a US punk influence.. via Johnny Thunders (New York Dolls), Ramones etc..

 

[dfmb]

this ia a good page - has USA store RRP for Gibson (and some Fender) from 1955 up to 1980

Historical Price-Lists for Gibson Electric Guitars - Wow. A blog.

How Much Does a Guitar Cost? You might be surprised to learn that when you adjust for inflation, a good quality electric guitar costs about the same now as a

wowablog.com

 

[dfmb]

Never thought about that before
.. but it was probably a US punk influence.. via Johnny Thunders (New York Dolls), Ramones etc..

also who knows how many of those guitars were shared around the London scene?
Thinking of Mick Jones (Clash) he was friends with lots of musicians and some of his guitars may have been loaned out for early gigs by Slits/Raincoats etc.

 

[MarcB]

also who knows how many of those guitars were shared around the London scene?
Thinking of Mick Jones (Clash) he was friends with lots of musicians and some of his guitars may have been loaned out for early gigs by Slits/Raincoats etc.

Definitely.. as everyone was skint.. if the guitars were loaned out I bet they were chaperoned by a roadie lol.

 

[somebodyelseuk]

Definitely.. as everyone was skint.. if the guitars were loaned out I bet they were chaperoned by a roadie lol.

By the time they were being photographed they were far from skint. Alot of them were not as 'working class' as they'd like you to believe, either.

 

[gitmohair]

It seems like the UK punks were playing cheaper Gibson models like MMs, LP jnrs, Sonex etc with the occasional LP player (once they got a deal?) when you look at old photos. Still can't get my head around the idea that they were passing over Teles for dearer Gibsons?

Not very punk, eh?

I suppose it depends on what you define as "punk" but if UK punk bands were all playing Gibsons (they weren't, by the way) then Gibsons would be the de-facto UK punk guitar. So yes, very punk. However, the assumption that they all used Gibsons is based on dicey evidence. Most used whatever they could get, and a lot of it was Japanese.