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Posted by: AK Rich Apr 4 2018, 06:39 PM

As some of you know from Ken's thread about his Big Apple Strat, I found a Les Paul that looked promising and I am happy to say that my hunt for a Gibson is over. This is the first Gibson I have even owned and at almost 30 yrs old It is the most money I have ever spent on a guitar. The seller was asking $2000 and I was prepared to pay that if it was in top condition but was going to offer $1800.

It is not quite in top condition but it really isn't bad for a 29 year old guitar. There are a few dings and some buckle rash on the back and around the edges as well as a very slight crack in the top finish next to one of the pots but for the most part this guitar looks great. More importantly it plays great with very low and consistent string action with very little fret and fingerboard wear. there are barely any scratches on the pick guard so I don't think it was really played a whole lot. I looked very hard at the frets to see if I could find some that looked more worn than others but they all pretty much look the same, so either they are all worn down evenly which doesn't seem likely, or they really aren't worn at all which is the way I am leaning.

I looked it over quite a bit before I even plugged it in to find all the cosmetic damage, the biggest thing being a slight dent on the bottom edge of the back and then plugged it in and played for a bit looking for any buzzing and making sure all the pots and switch worked correctly which they did, and smoothly as well with no scratchy pots. After all of that I offered him $1600 for it which he accepted saying that his best offer so far was $1500. So now I am the proud owner of this 89 LP Goldtop (57 reissue) I have always loved LP's and especially Goldtops and now I finally own one. Far out!






More about this model here if interested
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvLnZSKGq2Y

Posted by: Mertay Apr 4 2018, 07:01 PM

Congrats!

Given its almost 30 years old, I would be more worried if it was any cleaner than that very nice find for a very reasonable price.

Posted by: AK Rich Apr 4 2018, 07:10 PM

Thanks Mertay! I have been reading up on the Bill Lawrence pups that are in this guitar. Some people love them , some hate them. So far I really like them , they seem to have a pretty high output. Also it seems to be a buyers market for used gear, at least here in Alaska.

Posted by: klasaine Apr 4 2018, 07:17 PM

$1600.00
Now that is a super score!
Nice work.
It looks great too.
Long live gold guitars.

Posted by: AK Rich Apr 4 2018, 07:27 PM

Thank's Ken and thanks again for your input as well. The hunt is over and as they say, "good things come to those who wait." Now I think I am going to sell the Carvin Dc-400 I bought a while back to recoup a bit of dough.
Oh yeah PS: According to my bathroom scale which could be off a bit, this LP looks to weigh about 6 lbs or so. It definitely doesn't weigh 9 lbs.

Posted by: Todd Simpson Apr 4 2018, 08:27 PM

NICE! It's a keeper or in a bit could be a flipper if someone offers you what it's worth!

Posted by: klasaine Apr 4 2018, 09:03 PM

Ok, now I'm jealous!
That's an ideal weight for an LP. The average for that axe (a real '57 and the '57 re-issues) is around 7 lbs. *The new Strat I just got is around 7.3 or so. Which is on the heavier side for a Strat.

If you change out any of the parts, obviously keep the old ones sealed in a ziplock bag and don't lose them. That guitar (all original) is gonna be worth some dough. The Bill Lawrence pkups weren't used for very long by Gibson so they are relatively rare. I never tried any of his PAF style pkups but I'll admit I always hated the sound of his Strat and Tele pkups. But that's just me. I've played a few '89 LPs and they always sounded great so ...

Congratulations!

Posted by: yoncopin Apr 4 2018, 09:21 PM

Very nice, awesome find! Have fun with it

Posted by: Phil66 Apr 4 2018, 09:32 PM

Brilliant, I have its poor brother, Epiphone 56 Gold Top with P90s in. That is lovely mate. Nice one.

Posted by: Mertay Apr 4 2018, 09:46 PM

Its similar where I live these times of the year, good to buy used or wait for discounts from stores.

I also got curious and searched that Bill Lawrence PU's, reviews are mixed but they do seem to be hard to find and might even be considered collectible so as Ken pointed out even if someday you want to change them.

Posted by: AK Rich Apr 4 2018, 10:08 PM

Thanks Todd. Yes, a good investment I think as well as a great playing guitar. I will be gigging with it this summer for sure. Still wondering and waiting to see what is going to happen with Gibson this year.


Thanks again, Ken. The only thing I had considered that I might want to change were the tuning keys, provided I could do so without making new holes. But after playing it for a while, I don't see any reason to do so or to change anything. The tuning keys seem to be very stable as the guitar is holding tune very well.


Thanks yoncopin!


Thanks Phil!

Posted by: klasaine Apr 4 2018, 11:16 PM

Good Klusons work really well.
I changed out the 'modern' Schallers on my Heritage with vintage style Klusons like on your new LP. They transfer sound better into and through the headstock. *The headstock has a big impact on tone.

Posted by: bleez Apr 5 2018, 07:04 PM

that's an awesome guitar, rich If I ever get another LP it will probably be a goldtop, there's something ultra cool about them.
My LP is from 1990 and my mate has two from the late 80s and all of them play and sound great. A damn fine era

Posted by: AK Rich Apr 5 2018, 08:03 PM

Klusons eh. I had no idea what they were, thanks for the info. When I look at them they just look vintage and say Gibson Deluxe on them so I was just concerned that maybe they wouldn't hold a tuning but they seem to be just fine which is great because I really didn't want to change anything on this guitar.


Thanks Bleez. I am happy to join the LP club! I have read that Gibsons from that era where of a good quality. I have been searching for an LP for a while now but getting a Goldtop was bonus. I have always loved them.