Afternoon STW

Very long story cut short, but a friend of mine over in the USA is selling off some of his guitar collection.
He has offered me a couple of bits, with the sales pitch of them holding the value.

Now, I don’t play the guitar, but I can never turn down the chance to start a new collection! Plus it would be doing a fairly close friend a favour.

A couple of models are –
Gibson Les Paul Traditional Mahogany Top 2015
Gibson Memphis ES-LP ebony
Gibson Memphis 1959 ES-175D VOS
Gibson USA Flying V 2017 Alpine White
Gibson Les Paul Premium Plus Myrtle GH

Obviously I have googled, and he is offering them to me at around 20% off the ‘normal’ eBay second hand price.
These are fantastic condition too, the photo below is the actual Mahogany Top –

Situation simply, he is needing to sell them off in order to get over some financial problems.
I would be buying them, with the view of selling him them back in around 18 months time for the same price. Think of it as a secured loan.
However if he can’t buy them back, I would look into selling. BUT I obviously don’t want to loose money due to the used price going down over a 2 year period.

Does this make sense?
Can anybody shed any light?

Thanks all
J

So basically, you’re acting as amateur pawnbroker.

Hmm.

Can’t really help with an proper answer, but I can say two things:

1. That’s a lovely looking guitar.

2. I once had a Fender Stratocaster that I sold after two years for more than I bought it for.

Fairly recent models will probably not hold their price for 18 months, it is too short a time and they are too new. In 30 years they will be worth more but only because everything will cost more.

How will you realise your investment if you need to sell them, is he going to sell them in the US for you or are you going to have to ship them over to the uk and get stung for duty and VAT?

Shame you can’t play them, that’s what they’re for after all.

Value, maybe even loose money on unfashionable models but without doing some research you may just end up holding them whilst your friend gets in a position to buy them back.. at pretty much the same price IMO.

Nice guitars Gibbos.

are you going to have to ship them over to the uk and get stung for duty and VAT?

This. It seems like a pretty unprofitable arrangement all around, really.

It’s really tricky with guitars, some command a lot whilst others not so much.

My dad had a Gibson marauder, in natural wood, it’s a weird hybrid before the les Paul became what it is, les Paul body with a flying v style neck. Produced for a short time.

With it being a niche oddity I thought it would be very collectable, he got a grand for it in used condition, it had stage use in a pub/club band and associated small dings, strap rub, and a missing knob.

From what I’ve heard from Gibson users is that the new ones aren’t a patch on the old ones, with poor quality control, and , as such, I’m not sure whether they’ll hold their value as well as the older models. I don’t think I’d buy new-ish Gibsons as an investment.

20% off the going rate isn’t that attractive, as said above, they may take a while to shift, and there’s shipping and import cost to consider.

I don’t think I’d buy new-ish Gibsons as an investment

I don’t think I’d buy any new guitar as an investment, unless it’s a boutique hand made one off. it might hold its value if it’s pristine and you’re lucky.

All very good points.

I wasn’t particularly looking at this as a profit making activity. It was more trying to help out a friend without having the risk of loosing money of it came to it down the lines.

As per the UK side of things, to be honest I would probably keep the whole process over in the USA. And wouldn’t bring them back to the UK unless totally needed in the future.

My thought process was to store them safely, insured and protected for the 18 month period and then sell in the USA if it came to it.

Forgive my ignorance in this. But my first thought was the lend the cash needed without any security, which my other half pulled ‘the face’ at!

just tell your mate to keep the one he likes playing best and sell the rest.

Here’s quite a good classified forum, granted it’s American, and acoustic, but to give an idea
https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/theunofficialmartinguitarforum/1952-gibson-southern-jumbo-sold-please-close-t187918.html

From what I’ve heard from Gibson users is that the new ones aren’t a patch on the old ones, with poor quality control, and , as such, I’m not sure whether they’ll hold their value as well as the older models.

This. Quality was never their strong point but I heard the got rid of their luthiers and employed ‘guitar makers’ instead.

~10-12 years ago I desperately wanted a gold top les paul standard but it would’ve meant a customer order and I wasn’t prepared to take the risk… (for what was £1600 back then, more now!).

Think about 2005 was the changeover date…

Tell him to sell the guitars!

If he’s strapped for cash he needs to sell them.

Most are recent, he could just buy new ones to replace his if he wants to in the future.

Sounds weird to me! Plus storing them in the US? Stay away from this deal!

I’ve got an older Les Paul and a newer Zappa SG that are going up in value but those your friend has won’t except in the long run for some. I wouldn’t touch the deal. Tell your friend to just sell them off himself, maybe keep that nice looking Les Paul 🙂

To be fair, I’m swooning over this 62’ Les Paul Goldie..

You didn’t mention if he had one in his collection..

Has he ?

they look nice, I can just never take to les paul style guitars though, heavy and uncomfortable to me, and the smaller scale length doesn’ suit either(a tiny difference but noticeable I find, could be the flatter fretboard radius being a factor there too mind..

As for value, new ones are like cars they’ll basically half in value soon as they leave the shop, mibbe no that much, but you get the point. older ones will defo keep value.

those are all nice guitars but I wouldn’t be buying any of those you listed as an investment as they are all pretty new. Shame you don’t play as from that angle they would be great.

To be honest guitars aren’t investments they are living breathing things each with their own character. That’s why you can’t just have one!

I say buy them and learn to play then learn each one’s personality and enjoy them you then won’t want to sell them even if they doubled in price!

Shall we have another?

A 59’ burst..

And a 70’s Flying V, just where it ought to be.. by a stack..

Or a 70’s 335..

To add to the above (old ones, yes. New ones, no) the guitar market is shrinking. Gibson aren’t doing to well and are transitioning into a lifestyle brand.[/URL]

from that article… [the head of Gibson] wants Gibson to “become a powerhouse on a par with Nike” 😯

This man needs to be stopped.

Hold that thought a moment, generally guitars Gibson’s included are much more expensive in the UK. So shipping a few over may well be worth it. I paid circa 1500 dollars for my gold top in the USA, they were closer to 1500 quid in the uk at the time and the haven’t got any cheaper.

I have a 1994 Gibson Flying V, having a quick look on eBay it’s worth the same as I paid for it in 2006.

I didn’t buy it as an investment, even if it lost me money I’d still have bought it as it’s the awesomest shape of guitar ever created 🙂

Considering buying a 2008 Robot V to go with it…

If you’re thinking of shipping them be aware they’re likely contain controlled wood like rosewood.

https://blog.andertons.co.uk/guitars/cites

Unless it’s a vintage model I don’t think they will provide any kind of investment. It’s not as if they are in short supply.

If you played then may be worth buying one as they probably won’t lose much value, but I would not buy it to keep it in a box somewhere.

I have a Smart Wood Les Paul – it is epic. Think it was 2008, so it has the PCB innards which I may rip out and get it handwired at some stage, more for some modifications than anything else (it may get some Bareknuckle pups at the same time). It probably isn’t an investment though 😉

I think the quality issue is a bit overhyped myself – there are good and bad guitars by most large manufacturers, which is why I wouldn’t buy a Gibson/Fender etc off t’interwebs.

None of my kit is investment material though – not even my very, very old Boogie since it has been gigged to hell and back!!!!

There’s no investment value, Gibsons are common as muck.

Gots me a ’78. 8)

think the quality issue is a bit overhyped myself – there are good and bad guitars by most large manufacturers, which is why I wouldn’t buy a Gibson/Fender etc off t’interwebs.

I resolved my LP want by buying a MIJ Tokai Loverock (off the interwebs) then (after a year or two) upgrading the pups to BKP Mules and replacing the caps with oil paper ones at the same time… a mate has a ’95 standard which he lent me. He couldn’t swap his with mine even if he wanted, the Tokai is the better playing and sounding guitar. All for under £1k. Bugger all resale value though… 😆

I bought a ’90 LP custom on the never-never when I started working, was a couple of years old at the time. Paid about 900 quid, but with the interest on the loan it’s probably only now that I’d break even if I sold it.

Which I wouldn’t! Anyway, it’s aged from white to yellowy white, and has all the battle scars of ten years’ gigging. The ones I’ve seen on eBay from the same year look in much better nick.

I once had a very quick play on a vintage Les Paul in a sunburst finish. It belonged to the director of a company who rented out professional musical gear and it was coincidence that it was at the chap’s home when I was returning some gear we had rented as it was usually in a vault somewhere. The price….thirty grand! And that was twenty years ago.

Yeah, but the key in that equation is ‘vintage’.

The original les pauls are seriously holy grail sought after and a ’58 will go for mega bucks. Good luck finding a genuine one though, there are more ’58’s out there than Gibson actually made….

I’ve played a few Gibsons and worked on one. Two older Les Pauls were nice to play, and pretty well finished. An old ES 335 I worked on didn’t feel any better than an Epiphone and sounded dreadful which is why the owner asked me to change the pickups. A newish Les Paul badly needed a set up, I handed it back after a few seconds. The nice surprise was the cheapest, a new stock SG which played nicely and sounded AC/DC going on ZZ Top right out of the box.

What I’m saying is that they are highly variable beasts. If you’ve got a good one it will sell, any issues and it’s almost worthless. On a Fender you can change a twisted or damage neck, work on the neck socket to adjust deck height – it’s a kit of parts. A Gibson is either right or not, and too many aren’t right.

the only reason to sell is if you don’t like playing it…. I bought a Yamaha sg2000 in 1979 for £275 current value is irrelevant as it’s the nicest guitar I’ve ever played in the 38 years i’ve owned it, nothing else has come even close.

I bought a Yamaha sg2000 in 1979

If ever you do sell PM me.

no chance, the lad sulks when I tell him I’m going to be cremated with it (in a coffin make from my marshall amp and cab ) 😉

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9I6QTipR03Q[/video]

If you buy second hand, rather than new, then even new Gibsons hold their value very well. I’ve bought and sold a lot of guitars over the past 10 years, and I don’t think I’ve ever sold a Fender or Gibson for less than I paid for it.

But I was focussed on not losing money – I wasn’t trusting them as an investment. And I bought them used, not new.

The second value would be much, much less than 20% off the new price.

even though i did like big country this is more the reason

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmeHLLrwSNQ[/video]
[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0amnDYGHfE[/video]