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  #1  
Old 08-11-2011, 10:46 PM
IanS IanS is offline
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Default Value of a 'stored' 1978 Laskin?

A local lady is selling a 1978 Grit Laskin. I think it is an OM, and do not believe it has his signature inlay work, but I'm not certain. I am seeing the guitar tomorrow. It has been in 'storage' - I'm not sure what that means. Is there any thing I should be looking at for possible negative climate effects? What are the first problems to arise if a guitar has been stored for a while (Vancouver, B.C. climate)?

Does anyone have any idea of the value of a '78 Laskin?

Thanks.
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Old 08-11-2011, 11:00 PM
Wade Hampton Wade Hampton is offline
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Ian, as an early example of Grit Laskin's work, this guitar probably isn't worth as much as later ones would be. The best thing to do is look it over carefully, get a good sense of its condition, and perhaps bring along a fresh set of strings and the tools to change them so you can get a realistic of how well it plays and how good it sounds. Taking pictures of it is also a good idea.

Then the next thing I would do is talk to the folks at the 12th Fret in Toronto, because they probably have a better sense than anyone what these older Laskin guitars would be worth. Other folks you might talk to include Stan Jay at Mandolin Brothers and Stan Werbin at Elderly Instruments, but the first call I would make would be to the 12th Fret folks.

Please let us know how your visit goes and what you then hear from these various experts. Laskin guitars don't come up for sale all that often, so I'm interested to learn what you find out.


Wade Hampton Miller
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Old 08-12-2011, 06:19 AM
Tunes Tunes is offline
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Ian,

To address your question on what to look out for, I would look initially for signs of dryness, which would be a sinking top or back. If the top and back are still more convex than concave, chances are the rest of the guitar is fine. Of course extreme dryness will cause obvious cracking, often at the seams.

Ideally the guitar would have been stored with strings at or near concert pitch. If not, this might cause the neck to warp. This would be the worst thing to look out for I think. Playing up and down the neck can usually tell you if the neck is straight, but take along the longest straight edge you can find and use it to make sure the nech is straight.

Vancouver can be pretty wet also, but I am less familiar with this. I would expect the guitar would simply sound "muddy" from being kept in overly humid conditions for too long. Tone should be reasonably crisp and clean.

I would not fret (no pun intended) too much about worn frets or fretboards, as these can be relatively easily dealt with.

I have seen these Grit Laskins come up on the 12th Fret site from time to time, and they are indeed worth consideration. Good versions seem to fetch a pretty penny. Sorry - can't recall price point.

P.S. Wade - if your following up, I am curious why you would say these earlier Laskins are worth less than later versions? Is it because he had not perfected his craft at this point? I am in the middle of "Outliers", so am sensitized to the "rule" of 10,000 hours of effort to hone your craft to the highest degree. This would usually be equal to 10 years of effort for most folks. Do you know when Laskin started building?
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Last edited by Tunes; 08-12-2011 at 06:25 AM.
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Old 08-12-2011, 06:34 AM
handers handers is offline
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I could imagine this guitar may still have Old strings so it will need a new set and possibly some time and playing to open up. Has it ever been Played? You should be able to get s good sense of it after an hour or so but it may take that long to wake it up.

Price will depend alot on woods and inlay. I'd guess his noninlay guitars sold new for $2-3k in those days but may be paying a premium for hard-to-find guitar. if it were a simPle inlay with nonexotic woods and a good not great guitar it would be worth $4-5k to me. If it's a great guitar tone-wise then it depends on how bad u want it.

Hans
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1987 Lowden L32p (sitka/ind RW)
1992 Froggy Bottom F (19th cent. german spruce/koa)
2000 Froggy Bottom H12c (adir/ind RW)
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Old 08-12-2011, 06:51 AM
handers handers is offline
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You didnt say but I assume this is a steel string. Laskin built lots of classicals in his early years.



hans
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1971 Papazian (swiss spruce/braz RW)
1987 Lowden L32p (sitka/ind RW)
1992 Froggy Bottom F (19th cent. german spruce/koa)
2000 Froggy Bottom H12c (adir/ind RW)
2016 Froggy Bottom K mod (adir/madrose; my son's)
2010 Voyage-Air VAOM-2C

http://www.soundclick.com/hanstunes (recorded on Froggy H12c)
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Old 08-12-2011, 06:54 AM
handers handers is offline
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A 1997 Laskin steel with significant inlay and armrest/ribrest in master sitka and brazilian RW sold at 12th fret for roughly $9K.

hans
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1971 Papazian (swiss spruce/braz RW)
1987 Lowden L32p (sitka/ind RW)
1992 Froggy Bottom F (19th cent. german spruce/koa)
2000 Froggy Bottom H12c (adir/ind RW)
2016 Froggy Bottom K mod (adir/madrose; my son's)
2010 Voyage-Air VAOM-2C

http://www.soundclick.com/hanstunes (recorded on Froggy H12c)
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  #7  
Old 08-12-2011, 07:13 PM
ship of fools ship of fools is offline
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Default It depends Ian

While most guitars are fine in Vancouver Ian it really depends on where she stored it, I live across the bridge in Richmond and have had a few guitars that needed more care when it came to moisture ( yes your right who would think with our weather right ).
I remember several years ago seeing a Laskin( early model ) that was selling at the Croatian Center during the Vancouver guitar show, that one had a repaired ( cleated nicely ) split in the top.
Sorry I can't give you an idea what that one is worth, but the one I saw a
they were asking $2200.00 Canadian or you could talk to the guys at Rufus Guitar shop on Alma ( much closer then the 12th Fret ) they have had one or two through their store.
Hope it is what you are looking for they can be a delight when you find one that speaks to you.Ship
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Old 08-14-2011, 11:36 AM
IanS IanS is offline
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Default Laskin ...

Thanks for the help guys.

I saw the Laskin on Friday. It is ~ an OM, with no inlay work at all. Nothing at all on the headstock. The first thing that struck me was how heavy it was - the neck was made from a very heavy dense wood. The second thing was that the body was extremely scratched all over. There were tons of nicks in the finish past the pickguard, and lots of buckle rash ... but the finish on it is so thick that it appears that none of the scratches go through to the wood.

The big surprise to me was the playability. The neck was straight, action low and frets perfect. The guitar played beautifully! The lady claimed it had basically not been used since 1981, so I was surprised.

The guitar didn't have the voice I was looking for. It was too heavy, with too thick a finish for my liking. She was asking $2800 CDN. I have some high-res pictures that I will post when I can figure out how to shrink them.
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Old 08-14-2011, 03:33 PM
Wade Hampton Wade Hampton is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tunes View Post
P.S. Wade - if your following up, I am curious why you would say these earlier Laskins are worth less than later versions? Is it because he had not perfected his craft at this point? I am in the middle of "Outliers", so am sensitized to the "rule" of 10,000 hours of effort to hone your craft to the highest degree. This would usually be equal to 10 years of effort for most folks. Do you know when Laskin started building?
This would be an early example of a Laskin guitar, Tunes, and, yes, that's why I was guessing that it wouldn't fetch as high a price. But I didn't know for certain, which is why I recommended that he talk to some folks who are more knowledgeable about Laskin guitars.

Considering how expensive his more recent guitars tend to be, even the used ones, the relatively low price of $2800 CDN the shop is asking would seem to support my educated guess.


whm
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