Members sh944 Posted February 14, 2007 Members Share Posted February 14, 2007 About a year ago, a guy I ran into told me about a friend who knew a friend who has an uncle, etc... who has an old guitar and was thinking about getting rid of it. Okay, I'm game, what is it? He didn't know, but promised he'd get me in touch with the guy. A couple of weeks later, we talked again, still no info on the guitar or the guy that owns it. I'm still interested, let me know if you find anything out or we can go see the guy. Two months later, same guy, same conversation, blah blah blah. At this point the "BS meter" is starting to rise. See him once or twice more, never get any info. No biggie, life goes on. Two weeks ago, ran into him again, only now he had a phone number for the guy who's uncle owned the guitar, so I call and find out he had gotten the guitar from his uncle, and they still wanted to sell it, was I interested? I almost told the guy "no thanks", as the only info he could give me on it at the time was that it was red and kind of "pointy". I was out of town last week but talked with him again on the phone. I had him open the case up and he tells me its a Gibson and it says Les Paul on the truss rod cover and its cherry red. No $h!t!?!?! Heck yeah, I'm really interested now! He gave me the serial number on the guitar, which places it as a 1962. He wanted to know what it was worth. I told him that without seeing it, there was no way of knowing, but that it was probably worth a lot more than he thought. I also told him to sit on the guitar and not tell anyone else about it until I got to see it, and that I would give him an honest appraisal and that chances are, I wouldn't be able to afford it. Earlier this week, I met up with him AND his uncle, Andy. Andy had gotten the guitar from someone who owed him money back in the mid 70's and had always wanted to learn to play but never found the time. It had sat in a closet for close to 30 years and he getting ready to go into a retirement home and was getting rid of stuff. They pull out the case and open it up, and inside sits one of the most beautiful SG's I have ever seen in my life! Its a Standard with a stopbar (no Maestro tailpiece) and Grovers instead of the Klusons, but in almost perfect shape. No fret wear to speak of, faded a bit but no rash or dings to speak of on it. Unreal! They were very curious what I though the guitar was worth, and I told them that the way guitars have been going up in price, it would be dishonest of me to tell them a price and that they should get it appraised by an expert like Gruhn, but it might bring as much as $20k for the guitar, based on what I know about SG's. I also told them that I would KILL to get that guitar but no way could I afford to pay them what it was worth. Andy couldn't have looked more surprised if Elvis had just walked in the room with Marilyn Monroe, and I must have looked pretty pathetic at the prospects of being so close to a guitar I wasn't going to get. We talked for a while longer, I gave them the number to Gruhn and a few other folks that know guitars that I thought they could trust, suggested that they look at ebay and if they needed any help, give me a call. And yes, I had that little devil sitting on my shoulder telling me to "lie!" when I was talking with them and the devil was giving me an earful while I was heading back to my car. I got a call about 30 minutes after I got home, and Andy asked if I really thought the guitar was worth that much money. We talked for a while longer, and evidently I did something right, as Andy asked what I would be willing to give him for it. I gave him a number that I said was guaranteed to get me in trouble with my wife, since I just bought a '59 LP Jr and a PRS a couple of weeks ago, but was way too low for what I think the value of the SG was. I also told him there was no way I could afford any more for it. He took his time, but said I could have it for $2k less than I offered him as he didn't want to get me in trouble with my wife (whom he's never met!). I picked the guitar up yesterday (second guitar from the left). It still got me in trouble with my wife, but its worth it. His nephew was pi$$ed as hell about it, but Andy pretty much put him in his place by telling him that I had spent more time talking with him in the short time I had known him than all the time that the nephew had his whole life. I can promise that I will be visiting Andy regularly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GreatDane Posted February 14, 2007 Members Share Posted February 14, 2007 great story~ congrats! oh, i mean, 'you suck' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members odo Posted February 14, 2007 Members Share Posted February 14, 2007 WOW, see how much it's worth =D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members anthony691 Posted February 14, 2007 Members Share Posted February 14, 2007 I love to hear about times honesty pays off! As a basic matter of ethics, if I'm asked to appraise an item which I'm interested in; I give my best guess and direct them to folks that might be able to help them better because I know I'd be partial. The "what would you give me for it right now?" response is shockingly common ---- but I've never had anybody accept... Congrats Good job, dude. You deserved that deal. I must admit that when somebody puts an item out there as being for sale rather than ask of its value, no more Mr. Niceguy. Lowball haggling, you name it... But integrity is worth way more than a totally schweet axe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members _pete_ Posted February 14, 2007 Members Share Posted February 14, 2007 Holy Schmoly! It looks mint. I'm speechless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 9-Pin-Phoenix Posted February 14, 2007 Members Share Posted February 14, 2007 Great Story! Great guitar! With a story like that, I would never sell the guitar, no matter what it appraised for. A perfect example of good things happening to good people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Crank-N-Jam Posted February 14, 2007 Members Share Posted February 14, 2007 Great story!! I'm also very curious as to the actual value. Regardless, enjoy it! Jason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AndersonTech Posted February 14, 2007 Members Share Posted February 14, 2007 Sweet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AshboneWish Posted February 14, 2007 Members Share Posted February 14, 2007 Wonderful piece of luck!How does it play??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BobbaFret Posted February 14, 2007 Members Share Posted February 14, 2007 man ive gotten some killer deals on old cars like that,through a friend of a friend who has a roomate in college.id love to run into a deal on a guitar like that tho Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members stork1122 Posted February 14, 2007 Members Share Posted February 14, 2007 so it has a les paul truss rod cover? Sweet sg man! Im jealous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wedgehed II Posted February 15, 2007 Members Share Posted February 15, 2007 This thread deserves better pics, & lots of them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Splendor Posted February 15, 2007 Members Share Posted February 15, 2007 Awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cletus Spuckle Posted February 15, 2007 Members Share Posted February 15, 2007 I once was in your position about buying a one-owner used race bike from the forties. I told him all about what I was worth and told him I couldn't give him a fair price. He was grateful for the info. A month later, he sold the bike to a friend of mine for $50. He just wanted it to be in the hands of someone who would use it well. I still haven't let go of that one... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rapmaster Posted February 15, 2007 Members Share Posted February 15, 2007 so it has a les paul truss rod cover? Sweet sg man! Im jealous. Normal LPs were discontinued from (I think) 1961-1963. The SGs were labeled as LPs. Sweet deal. Out of curiosity, how much did it run you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DRPool Posted February 15, 2007 Members Share Posted February 15, 2007 Congrats dude, nice guitar. More importantly though mucho props for doing the right thing. That's always the best way to go. This little story is proof of that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members stork1122 Posted February 15, 2007 Members Share Posted February 15, 2007 Normal LPs were discontinued from (I think) 1961-1963. The SGs were labeled as LPs.Sweet deal. Out of curiosity, how much did it run you? THEY DISCONTINUED LP'S!!! nooooooo....how could they. I never knew that. Thanks for clearing that up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rapmaster Posted February 15, 2007 Members Share Posted February 15, 2007 THEY DISCONTINUED LP'S!!! nooooooo....how could they. I never knew that. Thanks for clearing that up. Yup, a little more info. The SG name came to be after 1963 and the real LP wasn't reintroduced until 1968. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 2ifbyC Posted February 15, 2007 Members Share Posted February 15, 2007 Great story! You did well. Congrats! I try to do the same and sometimes I get a big break because the other party doesn't want the 'hassle' of advertising et. al. and I get the goods for a great price. Sometimes I get first dibs at a decent price. Then there's the situations where I do more than anyone can ask and poof... Proud of ya! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ESchmidt Posted February 15, 2007 Members Share Posted February 15, 2007 Honesty pays off! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jeverist Posted February 15, 2007 Members Share Posted February 15, 2007 According to my "Vintage Guitar Magazine Price Guide 2006", a 1962 Les Paul Standard with PAF's is worth 12 to 14 grand. It's even more valuable than if the guitar had a vibrola. If the pickups have an actual patent #, it is worth between 8 and 11 grand. This info is a year old though, I don't have the newest guide. Also, that is considering the guitar still has its original case, if not, it is worth somewhat less. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bluelegacy Posted February 15, 2007 Members Share Posted February 15, 2007 Thanks for writing up the story. Very cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members grimpanda Posted February 15, 2007 Members Share Posted February 15, 2007 Wow, nice story. Until I scrolled down and actually saw the pics, I thought this was another story fabricated by some troll. Honest pays off. You got a sweet deal and made an old man happy. Everyone wins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sh944 Posted February 15, 2007 Author Members Share Posted February 15, 2007 I'll try to post some more pics later, but after spending time this evening appeasing my wife for VD, I'm not gonna stay here too long, as I have a new guitar to play! I haven't pulled to PU's to see if they are PAF's or not, but it has a bit less output and a smoother sound than my '67 SG, so I am crossing my fingers that they are. I've had several PAF equipped SG's before, and they've never been as hot as the later pickups. The biggest difference between this and the '61's I've owned is that this one stays in tune MUCH better. I should have known better, since I have owned my '63 SG TV for years, and its been a stalwart in the lineup. The neck is definitely different between the '62 Standard (slim and wide) and the '63 SG TV (meaty/chunkier). It plays like a dream, and I'm already convinced this is a permanent part of the collection. The funny part of the whole thing is that I could almost swear the guitar is saying "thank god, I *finally* get to be played after being stashed in a closet all my life!". I told my wife that, and now she's making me swear off energy drinks... I know Andy didn't have any particular attachments to the guitar, but I think its time it gets used. Its like I took a time machine back to '62, and picked up a new guitar. It has the original tag, by the way. As for cost, I had offered him $6500, and he took $4500 for it. After we did the deal, he told me that if I had offered him $500 for it when I first saw it, he'd have taken it. This purchase finished off the rest of my discretionary funds for the year, according to my wife, unless I want to sell a toy or two or go without sex for a LONG time! lol 'nuff typing, time to shred... Regards, ...Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Fade2Grey Posted February 15, 2007 Members Share Posted February 15, 2007 Wow... beautiful story.... Nothing else to say except "Congratulations!".. and you suck..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.