Hey, what year is that Gibson?

[The Kid!]

I had a guy come up to me and ask me that yesterday on my Sunday afternoon patio gig.

I said, "1952."

He asked if I was nervous playing it, and I said absolutely not. Life is too short for a "B-rig."

Maybe I'm crazy, but I always want to gig my best sounding and best playing guitar. That's my '52 J-45 at the moment.

[maxtheaxe]

Yes I agree. That being said, my prized 1957 Les Paul Special was stolen at a gig in the late 70's. It was worth about $500.00 at the time...they peaked at around $15K or so in the past 15 years....still asking $10k or more for nice examples.

Just sayin'...

[The Kid!]

Originally Posted by maxtheaxe

Yes I agree. That being said, my prized 1957 Les Paul Special was stolen at a gig in the late 70's. It was worth about $500.00 at the time...they peaked at around $15K or so in the past 15 years....still asking $10k or more for nice examples.

Just sayin'...

That's awful, and believe me I get it, but it doesn't leave my sight. When I go to the bathroom, I'll ask someone I know to make sure nobody goes on stage.

[Chipotle]

I had someone ask me the same question not too long ago, about my 1978 ES-335. I've only played out once with my 1937 L7, but that's as much due to not having amplification as it is the age of the instrument. I try not to buy wall-hangers or case queens.

[beatcomber]

I know a guy who gigs out with a 1960 Stratocaster worth about $30k.

[hat]

I was in a band for a while with a guy that had 2 1930's Martins, a D18 and a D28 - both were on stage with him every time he played.

[Goodallboy]

Good for you! Play that monster! Congratulations!

[rokdog49]

Luckily, I can't afford any such guitars so it's a moot point for me.

If I did own one, I would build a room in my basement with a beautiful display area where I would place the guitar. The room would be humidity-controlled, temperature-controlled and hermetically sealed. There would be security cameras etc. to protect it and viewing hours for the public would be limited. Only folks like Eric Clapton or my buddy Lee would be allowed to touch it and even then just for a minute or so.
I would visit it twice a day at sunrise and sunset and recite mantras so as to keep it in good Karma.

That's it, have a great day everyone.

[zombywoof]

I played a 1958 Tele for decades. Never really thought about what it had become worth. It was just a used guitar I had bought way back when. But yeah, towards the end I started toting it around in a new case just to try and not draw as much attention to it.

These days I still walk out the door with old guitars but now it is something like my 1932 Gibson L1 or 1942 J50. I actually own one guitar which is the only know surviving example. As it is a 1942 Harmony H165 Stella though nobody pays it much mind.

To me 1951 was the beginning of the "modern" Gibson era. They had finished re-tooling and re-organizing and old trademarks such as the tapered headstock and stiffened fabric side supports were disappearing. The guitars were heavier built than they had been in the 1940s and the day when a part was finished when it looked "close enough" were gone.

[The Kid!]

Originally Posted by beatcomber

I know a guy who gigs out with a 1960 Stratocaster worth about $30k.

My buddy gigs his '53 tele. Strats and tele's are pretty indestructible compared to an acoustic though.

[The Kid!]

Originally Posted by zombywoof

To me 1951 was the beginning of the "modern" Gibson era. They had finished re-tooling and re-organizing and old trademarks such as the tapered headstock and stiffened fabric side supports were disappearing. The guitars were heavier built than they had been in the 1940s and the day when a part was finished when it looked "close enough" were gone.

Interesting. My '52 is alarmingly light.

[Goat Mick]

I gig some with my '59 J-45 but not much. And it's not because I'm afraid of dinging the guitar, a house fire in '78 pretty much took all the finish off of it, but mainly because it's my dad's guitar and all I've got left of him is that guitar and fading memories.

Besides as soon as you plug in, the playing field gets level pretty quick. My newer guitars sound just as good as that old J-45. If I'm doing an acoustic radio or tv spot, then the J-45 comes with me.

[The Kid!]

Originally Posted by Goat Whiskey Picks

Besides as soon as you plug in, the playing field gets level pretty quick. My newer guitars sound just as good as that old J-45.

The Tonedexter changed that for me. I have some killer profiles with my '52.

[1Charlie]

I played my '31 Gibson L-0 at an open mic last night, and the next three performers after me played it as well ( I knew them all).

It is certainly not as valuable as some of the guitars mentioned in this thread, but it might be one of the most fragile at under 3 pounds.

I figure it made it through almost 90 years of life without major injury, so it must be tougher than it looks.

With my older guitars, I use a Baggs M-80 soundhole pickup, with a Tapastring vintage jack wired to a 1/8" plug into the Baggs. The plug is narrow enough to pass through the existing end pin hole, so I can assemble the rig in about 30 seconds, leaving the guitar completely unaltered when the rig is removed.

[gfirob]

I always play out with my best guitars, but while old, none of them are really that valuable (in vintage terms). But I have had two pre-war Martins stolen from me, so it does happen, for sure.