Electric guitar

[RedhillPhil]

Luscious lady friend's number one son has a guitar in a soft case that's been clogging the spare room up. "Can you sell it on e-bay" she's asked me as he ignores her pleas to get rid of it.
So I took a look at it this morning. As I unzipped the bag I jokingly said, "wouldn't it be funny if it was a Gibson Les Paul".
It is...........!
Not all good news. The pick-ups are missing and there's a compartment missing it's lid on the rear of the body which may be missing something vital.
Anyone know what it might be worth?

 

[The Landlord]

Probably about a grand. Try & get some prices for the bits first.

 

[Markywhizz]

It depends on the model (eg custom, studio, standard), the year and the finish. I wouldn‘t get too hung up on the fact it has no pickups, it will still have a decent value as it stands. People often want to fit their own pickups anyway. If it’s a studio from the 90s it could be worth as little as £400. If it’s a custom from the 50s or 60s in really good nick it could be worth £10,000+. So a very wide range really. If you could post some photos and the serial number I could give you an idea.

 

[ukzero1]

It depends on the model (eg custom, studio, standard), the year and the finish. I wouldn‘t get too hung up on the fact it has no pickups, it will still have a decent value as it stands. People often want to fit their own pickups anyway. If it’s a studio from the 90s it could be worth as little as £400. If it’s a custom from the 50s or 60s in really good nick it could be worth £10,000+. So a very wide range really. If you could post some photos and the serial number I could give you an idea.

Just to add to this, the colour of it can mean a difference too.

 

[johng19]

Is it an original, there are loads on Ebay going from 150 to a 1000.and more. Dont no what makes the difference my self. Seems to me on looking the pick ups and even the way they are wired can make a hell of a difference.
If you think it is a goodin, take it to a shop and let them have a look. There are that many its probably the only way you will get to no.

 

[Markywhizz]

If I can see some pictures and the serial number (on the back of the headstock) I can give you a good idea. I repair and buy and sell electric guitars. I’ve owned quite a number of Les Pauls and although i wouldn’t be in the market for one at the moment I might be able to give you some advice on selling it.

 

[RedhillPhil]

If I can see some pictures and the serial number (on the back of the headstock) I can give you a good idea. I repair and buy and sell electric guitars. I’ve owned quite a number of Les Pauls and although i wouldn’t be in the market for one at the moment I might be able to give you some advice on selling it.

OK right. Here we are. The colour isn't quite as orange-y as it appears on the fotygrafs.
There aren't any chips or scratches that I can discern.

 

[TrickyD]

Gibson Guitar/Mandolin Serial Number Decoder - GuitarInsite

www.guitarinsite.nl

 

[nejohn]

Looks like a fairly new one probably late 90's early 2000's ...it would have been nice if that serial number started FON. It looks in fairly nice condition and it's a popular colour so you should have no trouble selling it price wise I would say you are probably looking at 100's rather than 1000's, given that it needs pickups I would probably be very happy if I got anywhere near £500 for it and in reality probably less than that

 

[Arry]

Lovely... gotta be worth getting fixed... can't be too expensive after all they are stock parts... wish it was a Southpaw, I might have made an offer

 

[RedhillPhil]

Lovely... gotta be worth getting fixed... can't be too expensive after all they are stock parts... wish it was a Southpaw, I might have made an offer

Never stopped Mr. Hendrix.

 

[Arry]

Helps if you can play.... I can't....

 

[ukzero1]

It's not a 60's jobby, it was made in 2005 going on the serial number. (Thanks for the link @TrickyD )

 

[Markywhizz]

It was manufactured in July 2005. It looks to be in lovely condition. Not worth the silly money but I’ll try and get some idea for you.

 

[Markywhizz]

The finish is called cherry sunburst and it looks like nothing is missing apart from the pickups. It looks like a custom but I’m suspicious of the fact the truss rod cover (on the headstock) doesn’t say custom on it. It could possibly be a heritage reissue. If you sell it to a shop I’d expect around £1000 with the pickups replaced or £900 as it is.

If you wanted to sell it on fleabay I’d spend around £120 on new pickups and £60 on a hard case. You may have to list it for a while but should be able to get £1500-1600 for it. A hardcase helps it sell but more importantly I wouldn’t ship it without one. A courier will cost around £60 if you insure it In transit (recommended).

 

[Markywhizz]

Oh and I’d put a new cover on the back as well.

 

[CarpCatcher86]

It looks like a Les Paul custom based on the diamond shaped logo on the headstock. If it was though then the truss rod cover should say Les Paul Custom on it instead of being blank. On the other hand it could be a fake chinese replica.
The plastic cable connectors in the open control cavity might point it out as a fake, even though they have been used on a few "real" Gibsons.
If it was a chinese fake the pickups would say Epiphone on them as that is what pickups are usually used in the fakes. But they are missing so impossible to tell.
Other ways to tell if it's a fake or real would be to look at the bridge (the thinnest piece of metal on the top not the thickest) if the has tiny flat head screws that you can see then it's fake, if the bridge is sat on dome head posts then it's real, maybe.
The other way to tell is to remove the truss rod cover (the little piece of black plastic on the headstock) if there is a nut head under there then it's real, if it has a nut that takes an alen key then it's fake.
You could also email Gibson with the serial number and ask for more information. According to the link above it was made july 19 2005 in Nashville or Memphis. But there is still a chance that a naughty chinese man has copied the serial number which they do a lot.
If it's real and if it still had the pickups it would be worth in the region of £3000 or more. A fake, even a good one will be worth about £150.

Here is a photo of what you are looking for on the bridge

And the headstock

And the truss rod nut, this one is real

I can't find a photo of a fake one, but it will take a 4mm (I think) alen key.
Good luck buddy. Hope it's not a fake as it's a beautiful looking guitar, as all Les Pauls are.

 

[davylad]

I'm real sorry, but I think it's a copy. On a Gibson the serial number and the made in USA are usually stamped into the wood, not just painted on. I really hope I'm wrong though Red, my lad had one very similar to yours, but it didn't cost that much. Like I said, I hope I'm wrong.

 

[Nicky Dodds]

Didn't Gibson license epiphone to make copies in the same way that fender did with squire and later tokai?

 

[Markywhizz]

Sorry to be a pain but there are a couple of things making me a bit suspicious about it. Can you post a close up of the front of the headstock and a close up of the white binding round the body.