Anybody interested in a 1960 Les Paul
 

A bargain at twice the price.

https://guitars.com/inventory/eb7196...-paul-standard :D

Lessee...Buy a house? Buy a guitar? Buy a house? Buy a guitar? :D

Wow!

$315,000! Uhhh... I may have to pass on this one! :lol::roll::lol:

- Glenn

IMO he's about $40K out of line on this one; not too long ago Norman's had a dead-mint-with-tags/NOS-condition unfaded flametop '60 @ $325K, and he was sitting on it for a long time. Credit where credit is due to the good Mr. Gruhn (as well as Messrs. Jay and Werbin) for helping to establish the vintage-guitar industry, but quite honestly I always found his prices on the high side vis-a-vis other equally-reputable/knowledgeable dealers on comparable-rarity/condition items...

Yes, the market decides the value of a guitar like this. If it doesn't sell at the high price of $350K, the price eventually gets lowered until somebody decides they are willing to buy it.

I imagine the seller is thinking that the only way to know what the guitar is worth is to set the price high, and then if it doesn't sell, slowly lower the price until you find out where the selling point is.

I am guessing that most of us here aren't into this kind of collecting, so we are pretty much looking in from the outside. :D

- Glenn

very optimistic seller!

Steve, how well do you think a brand new, top-of-the-line, Gibson Custom Shop modern equivalent model would compare to this 1960 Les Paul Standard as far as tone, build quality, etc.?
Of course, a modern equivalent model wouldn't have original PAF humbuckers and other original hardware but likely the savings would be around $300K.

I'll let Steve give you his thoughts but mine are that you have a better chance to get an exceptional new Les Paul than a great 1960 model. The original PAF pickups were not consistent with their windings so some were overwound and others underwound which contributes to less consistent tonal aspects. Some of those PAFs were very bright.

Regardless, the '60 is a piece of history, along with the '58 and especially the '59. 1960 is the last year before Gibson discontinued the Les Paul and replaced it with the Les Paul "SG". Those three years of Les Pauls contributed to some amazing music that came out years later.

The difficulty that you have with old guitars in this price range is the variability in the quality of the sound. Not every vintage Les Paul sounds as good as Pearly Gates. Therefore it is very difficult to determine whether there is any level of value here.

The 1960 Les Paul Standards generally have the thinnest necks of the 3 models from 1958-60. However this is also not guaranteed. Each guitar has it's own personality. The bottom line is that you have to play several of them to appreciate the differences. Of course given the price tag and the relative scarcity of these instruments, good luck doing that.

My suspicion is that you could outfit an entire band with the money you would have to pay for this one guitar. And then you have to find a vintage Marshall Plexi to play it through. Not a simple or inexpensive proposition either. Good luck!

I don’t think you buy this guitar to play. Unfortunately.

Welcome to the AGF! Great first post.

no.. ya don't. that's true..

I would play that sucker.

Yes for me I am way outside,, like in the wilderness,,, and its price is flying well over my head by about 20k feet (and I am 8k already ) so pushing Everest :D

Thanks, Dru! Yeah, I get the whole nostalgia thing, and if I was a billionaire it wouldn't phase me to consider buying a guitar like the 1960 Les Paul in the ad. I guess if it is really worth its asking price of $315,000 on the collector's market, and I bought it, it could be sold for a goodly sum if I didn't like it and I could resume my search for a "holy grail."