1996 Gibson SG '61 Reissue: Is this a good deal?

[ElCamino]

If you wanted an SG, prefer a narrower neck (as I understand this model has) and this one is indeed as the seller states, is this a good deal? Appreciate all related thoughts, opinions, conjecture, whatever. Thank you!!

http://miami.craigslist.org/pbc/msg/4989976635.html

[The Old Gaffer]

It is OK, but not a great price. If it is a local sale, I would offer $950 or $1000 cash. The listing price is an Ebay price from which the buyer would lose 15% in fees and then go through the hassle of shipping it. Cash is a great medium to work in.

[moon]

I wouldn't buy a 2nd hand guitar without assessing the fret wear carefully. Flattened tops can probably be fixed with some levelling & crowning but it's best to assume that any noticeable grooves worn in the frets will need a full refret and that ought to be factored into the price.

[aknow]

Not a great deal.
But maybe a great electric guitar. If you do buy it, get a good set-up.
You'll love that guitar.

[Steve DeRosa]

I owned one of the first-run models (and yes, they did have the period-correct narrow neck) so I have some experience here; maybe it's just the pictures, but something about the lower bouts and finish don't look quite right to me. FYI the infamous TradeTang was hawking near dead-on '61 SG RI copies a few years ago, good enough to fool 90% of the Saturday-afternoon GC crowd, apparently made in the Epiphone factory as a sideline (the photos showed them in a warehouse packed to the rafters exclusively with Epiphones in boxes awaiting shipment), and shipped with Gibson-style cases and paperwork. If you're seriously interested I'd ask this guy for a photo of the back of the headstock showing the serial number, as well as a photo of the case lid - it's easy to check the serial number through a variety of sources (including knowledgeable people on this forum) and compare the case to the genuine article; I love those narrow-neck SG's as much as anyone and I'm sorry I got rid of mine, but in today's market there's just too much potential for ripoff - caveat emptor...

[ElCamino]

Thanks much for all your input. I think I'm going to let this one cool down a little and not jump as is my usual propensity. There are a lot of SGs out there. Love this forum for just this reason. Folks in the know. Thanks again.

[The Old Gaffer]

For nearly the same money you could get a new SG Standard. Which has recently been upgraded to '57 Classics. From a reputable dealer you would have 0 concerns about its authenticity.