It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Subscribe to our Patreon, and get image uploads with no ads on the site!
Base theme by DesignModo & ported to Powered by Vanilla by Chris Ireland, modified by the "theFB" team.
Comments
But I also think they are worth the higher prices they sell for when they’re made properly usable - it simply reflects the amount of work they need.
The problem is that a lot of people then see the ‘restored’ prices and think they’re all worth that when they haven’t had the work done.
This is also not unlike the vintage car market...
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Even if you've spent £150 on the best set up in the world, its still a £50 guitar and there's no dressing it up. Any "value added set up costs" are just bullshit IMHO.
"I've recently acquired this very solid old Les Paul. I imagine it's from the 70s, has an oddly upside down neck plate, and plays pretty well despite some heavy fret wear in places. Are they worth bothering with to upgrade or generally considered junk?"
So as he has already said that it plays pretty well the question is what does he feel needs upgrading ?
As it is a very cheap guitar to start with then it is not worth spending much money on IMO, expensive pick ups etc are not worth the cost.
However as I have already posted, it need not cost much to greatly improve the sound, tuning stability etc if the correct budget parts are sourced & fitted.
I have found that I like "fettling" cheap guitars.
If they have a reasonable neck & body then hardware need not cost that much & if the guitar has been bought cheaply then the original parts can always be re-fitted to sell the guitar on & recoup the original cost should you so wish.
My cheap LP copy originally cost me £25 & now owes me £95.
I could probably (possibly) sell it on as it is & recoup my £95 or re-fit the original hardware & get £50-£60 for it.
Is it as good as a Gibson, obviously not, but it is a playable nice sounding guitar for under £100.
FWIW I bought a Columbus LP last night for £30.
It had obviously not seen much use.
The action is very high, 2 of the pots are crackly & the tone is very thin, especially considering it supposedly has 2 humbuckers.
However the neck is solid & true & doesn"t feel to bad & the body only has a few light scratches.
I will swap out the pups & replace the pots & at the same time make up a new wiring harness.
That will only cost about £45 for the parts I am going to use.
I am then going to give it to my stepson to mess about with as he wants to try an LP shaped twin HB guitar before spending any cash on a proper one.
I'm not just talking about a set-up either. What I've done to the ones I've worked on is fix all the faults that made them crap in the first place, and turned them into perfectly good, playable guitars which also happen to have a more interesting sound than a generic modern guitar, and a bit of nostalgia factor.
If you were to take one and just set it up, you would be right - but taking it completely apart and rebuilding it as a good guitar, fixing or replacing all the bad bits, is a different thing entirely. The people who have bought the ones I've done clearly thought so...
They're certainly no worse than any other old cheap guitar like a Danelectro or a Hofner, and plenty of people will pay good money for those too.
To take the car analogy, it is very much like buying an old Morris Minor, but one that has been stripped to the bodyshell, fully repaired, rustproofed, repainted with modern paints, had the mechanical parts completely overhauled and tuned, good modern electrics fitted where necessary, modern tyres... the result will be better, more reliable, easier to maintain and probably even nicer to drive than it ever was when it left the factory, but it will still be a Morris Minor and not a modern Eurobox. You still probably wouldn't want to use it for your daily commute, but you wouldn't buy one for that.
And it will be worth a lot more than a typical unrestored example.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Talking of Morris Minors...I'd love another!
HarrySeven - Intangible Asset Appraiser & Wrecker of Civilisation. Searching for weird guitars - so you don't have to.
Forum feedback thread. | G&B interview #1 & #2 | https://www.instagram.com/_harry_seven_/
They wooden work...
I do really want to get the junkiest guitar I can now though. Play some of that sort of music, and then convert it to slide or something...