'77 SG Special Fretboard a deal breaker?

[Psychic_Fuzz]

Pre

It is very odd to take a fretboard down like that, not something I have ever seen or heard of before. I will hold off on slamming the Luthier because I don't know what the condition of the fretboard was or why he/she did what they did. If it plays good, then they did at least something right because after removing that much material, only a full setup done correctly would make it play well.

It still doesn't mean it is "good as new" or worth the asking price. If the seller won't budge on the price, all you can do is wait and see if they drop it at some point. I doubt anyone else will pay what they are asking either, so they will either have to lower their expectations or they will be keeping it. Their call.

The changes will affect the entire neck geometry which might just make it a great Player for someone who's hand likes the new dimensions around the neck profile, but it is still a Player's Grade axe and should be priced accordingly. You are wise to hold off for now.

Previous owner said there was some damage on fretboard but liked how it played and asked luthier to not sand any further. But as we see luthier didn’t listen.

I really love the guitar other then the fretboard. If it was like $800 I’d grab it and get the fretboard replaced lol

 

[PermissionToLand]

I don't care if it's mint condition, a 1977 Special is not a $2,100 guitar, ever. They're dime a dozen and that is not a particularly highly regarded era for Gibson. That's even high for a Standard, nevermind the workman's guitar that is the Special. When you can get a brand new Special with '60s specs including a bound neck and P90s for $1599, why would you ever pay more than that?

 

[Psychic_Fuzz]

I agree it is overpriced but I wouldn’t say they are dime a dozen. Maybe I just don’t see many of them. And standards tend to be around the price or more, at least from what I’m seeing online. But not an expert.

I’d rather pay $1599 for a cool vintage guitar than new personally, that’s just me.

 

[Chuteboxehero]

I'd say good call on passing on that one. Keep an eye out and stay patient and you'll find something affordable from that era. Unfortunately supply has grown smaller and prices have crept up considerably over the last few years. There are definitely quite a few gems still out there and every once in a while you'll find someone that's asking a reasonable price for one. Just a waiting game.

 

[MR D]

Yeah I don’t get it man. I don’t know too much about luthiers and what’s normal but I feel like I’ve never seen someone sand that far into the fretboard.

I almost want to save the guitar and buy it, but at 2100 I can’t justify. I’ve tried talking with the store owner but he’s not budging.

OH WOW, that's right, $2100...that is a laugh and a half, BWAH HA HA !!! Tell em you have $1100 !!! coz the only way they are getting $2100 is from someo0ne who is a newbie and doesn't know wtf they are doing !!!

IDB they sanded the fret-board ...I can see cleaning the FB AND MAYBE TAKING a slight bit off, but that us it !!! IDK WTF ....IDK if I could even go $1100, just pass, eh ?

 

[Psychic_Fuzz]

Is there any price point in which you’d consider buying the guitar? Or does the fretboard condition make it a lost cause for you guys

 

[Go Nigel Go]

How much to spend is a complicated proposition if you really want to dig into it.

I think a market value estimate of around $1100 for a similar guitar in similar condition would not be out of line, and I think the instrument would sell at or near that price in a reasonable amount of time.

That said, many people wouldn't touch it for $100 bucks, never mind that the parts alone are worth more than that. Some people expect and will only accept perfection as they envision it. To a collector this would also be a "hard pass".

To a player, it will be a matrix of how it looks, feels, and sounds. How much does it inspire you to play and perform to your full potential? How unique is it? Are the modifications something you could easily duplicate? Would you want or need to actually do that?

I think in this case I don't see anything that would justify spending almost double my estimation of the market value, but I haven't played or inspected it myself. If I really liked it I could see spending a couple of hundred above what I think "market" is, but it would have to be very special indeed to justify paying double.

Now, throw in some "famous provenance" and the collectors are back in... and then you can see some REAL stupid money getting spent for something that is arguably of very dubious value from my perspective.

So market value is a good starting place, just not very precise or meaningful, but it generally applies in most cases. Personal value is just that. I have paid over market value by five or ten percent before on a few things that called out to me, or were uncommon enough that I didn't want to wait for the next one to come along. When you really want something, overpaying a little (or even a lot) can grease the skids and put something in your hands quickly and certainly.

This is a totally different perspective than if you want to "flip" something for a profit, investing for the future value, or just think you might want to trade up later for something better. Everybody is going to value differently based on their wants and needs, and some people will have radically different views on what that value is. I would take "market value" as a good starting place to figure out what I was willing to pay and go from there.

I can't imagine what would make me pay double the market, but I can't say I never would. I think about the only group that wouldn't are the quick buck flippers who by definition are always trying to beat the market. They are just doing some grade school math. The rest of us are doing algebra, geometry, and calculus.

 

[Psychic_Fuzz]

I really appreciate your assessment @Go Nigel Go and I agree with that 100%. Thank you!

 

[chilipeppermaniac]

Here is a whole other scenario.

My having limited but significant repair experiences under my belt, plus having seen "real pro guitar builder/repairer" personnel here on the forum and elsewhere in the US and world wide, just about any damage is repairable. The situation is the dictator of choices made or to be made. Price of acquisition vs price of repairs and what is a person willing to pay. Then what is the reason for doing so? Preservation or rescue of a great player, or Collector value etc.

Pretty sure the questions needing answered will fall into 2 camps. A damaged guitar will likely never be worth much even with repairs. BUT, if the damage was to a really exceptional player guitar, then a repair cost could indeed be worth undertaking, especially if the guitar will be used to gig with and essentially pay for itself in the long run.

 

[chilipeppermaniac]

I don't care if it's mint condition, a 1977 Special is not a $2,100 guitar, ever. They're dime a dozen and that is not a particularly highly regarded era for Gibson. That's even high for a Standard, nevermind the workman's guitar that is the Special. When you can get a brand new Special with '60s specs including a bound neck and P90s for $1599, why would you ever pay more than that?

Hey Permission,


Not picking on you, and really asking sincerely. On these 2 guitars, 1979 LP STD KM ( missing the 2nd Double White T Top, but has a pair of micro switches and the Dimarzio AL DiMeola pup in the bridge. And my 1976 SG STD.

What would you guesstimate the values of the 2 of these to be?

 

[Psychic_Fuzz]

I ended up trading in a some gear that was collecting dust, gave them $500 and walked out with the guitar today.

My philosophy is as long as it doesn’t hit my bank account it doesn’t count, so $500 not bad right? Lol

I’ll post some pics in the next couple days

 

[Go Nigel Go]

Hey, as long as you are happy it sounds like a win.
Clearly this was meant to be yours, glad it found it's way home.
Can't wait to see what you got!

 

[Chuteboxehero]

$500 plus some trades sounds good to me. Hopefully it turns out to be a great player. I've got a '74 Standard and it's definitely one of my favorites!

 

[Psychic_Fuzz]

Yep it plays nicely and the original tarback pickups actually sound decent to me. Not crazy about the huge headstock but hopefully I’ll get used that that! Lol

Overall happy I took it home for what I paid. I have a thing for these misfit guitars no one wants :)

Not to derail, but Is 77 the biggest SG headstock?

 

[Psychic_Fuzz]

Here’s a quick pic this morning. Light isn’t the best. I assure you guitar is way more beat up irl lol

 

[edselman]

It sounds like most of you need to have a good look at current Norlin SG prices. I have a fairly nice ‘76 SG Standard in walnut, and I’ve been thinking about upgrading to one in better condition over the past year. I can’t even touch one as good as mine for under $3,500.00. Mine has all original parts and I would expect no less in an upgrade.

 

[edselman]

Here’s a quick pic this morning. Light isn’t the best. I assure you guitar is way more beat up irl lol
View attachment 49986

Looks amazing! Good move.

 

[Chuteboxehero]

Here’s a quick pic this morning. Light isn’t the best. I assure you guitar is way more beat up irl lol
View attachment 49986

Looks great in that pic! The only larger headstock I've seen on an SG is on my '79 The SG. I haven't measured but it definitely looks bigger than the '74. Both killer guitars. Tar backs are fantastic sounding pickups and have proven to be pretty versatile for what I like to play. They do edge of breakup well, classic rock overdrive, and they can chug if needed running into something very heavy. Again, nice score on that one!