1959 Gibson Les Paul - Are These Worth Hundreds Of Thousands Of Pounds?

[Xpensive Wino]

 

[MarcB]

Jedd Hughes (YouTube Jedd in the shed) has recently said, after playing three nights with Uncle Larry and using his ‘57, ‘58 and Vince Gill’s ‘59, that’s he now “gets it”.. and will now consider getting a ‘59, as playing them live has set off a spark and a feeling with his playing that he’s not had for a very long time..
So I guess there is something about these vintage pieces that is magical.. could it be the well worn in feel or the fact that the guitar is so rare and vintage?
My only comparison was I played a vintage 335 once and comparing it to the three new(ish) 335’s I own.. I didn’t like it.
To answer your question.. I guess they must be worth it.. if everyone is saying they are magical and sound amazing and paying up for them!

 

[S. Weiger]

Maybe...?

You buy a piece of history along with the finest Gibson instrument ever made.
And they're worth whatever someone is willing to pay.

 

[TM1]

What's a shame is that 40 years ago they were affordable to us mere mortals..

 

[Xpensive Wino]

What's a shame is that 40 years ago they were affordable to us mere mortals..

I can categorically state that I didn't think they were worth the money back then.

Little did I know.

Although, in my defence, £5,000 in 1984 is the equivalent of over £15 K in today's money.

Inflation calculator

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www.bankofengland.co.uk

I wasn't earning that kind of money in 1984. Damned few were.

https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/1984-11-26/debates/b87b0ec6-0e87-4839-ad33-f0b02d053e2c/AverageWage

 

[Xpensive Wino]

Jedd Hughes (YouTube Jedd in the shed) has recently said, after playing three nights with Uncle Larry and using his ‘57, ‘58 and Vince Gill’s ‘59, that’s he now “gets it”.. and will now consider getting a ‘59, as playing them live has set off a spark and a feeling with his playing that he’s not had for a very long time..
So I guess there is something about these vintage pieces that is magical.. could it be the well worn in feel or the fact that the guitar is so rare and vintage?
My only comparison was I played a vintage 335 once and comparing it to the three new(ish) 335’s I own.. I didn’t like it.
To answer your question.. I guess they must be worth it.. if everyone is saying they are magical and sound amazing and paying up for them!

"Ruined by Kalamazoo slabs from the golden years.."​

Jedd's words, not mine.

Thread 'Ruined by Kalamazoo slabs from the golden years'

Aug 8, 2024

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• Xpensive Wino
• Replies: 0
• Forum: Vintage 1952-1960 Les Pauls

 

[bern1]

Some of them are extraordinary guitars.

 

[Arch D. Bunker]

From a musical perspective, no.

 

[GlassSnuff]

Some of them are extraordinary guitars.

You have to remember there was no quality control back then, just highly skilled workers who took pride in their work.

 

[S. Weiger]

You have to remember there was no quality control back then, just highly skilled workers who took pride in their work.

HUH

 

[ppgf]

it’s an existential question. with some folks money, a burst is the equivalent of a happy meal. if purchasing one only requires 10% or less of my walking around money? sure, though i would always prefer a “58-“59 explorer, in this hypothetical.

when i played my first burst, they were $500.00.

 

[ourmaninthenorth]

I'm simply glad I've never had to put a price on em, it would significantly deflect from the real question to answer, how highly do I value em?

Which for me is a piece of piss to answer.

The highest of my preferences.

They give me the strangest feeling, I think it's called contentment.

Trying buying that.

 

[JPP-1]

It’s worth it if you want an original of the most iconic rock guitar (along with the strat) of all time that appears to still be an appreciating asset although not at the level of previous decades.

If people are considering the purchase because they believe it will sound appreciably better than a good historic or replica then frankly, I think they are delusional.

The vintage guitars I own are cool and sound great as do my historics, my replicas etc. Do certain guitars have that something extra -absolutely -but I have found that specialness is a quality that can be found in both vintage and more recently built guitars

 

[GlassSnuff]

HUH

Remember, we're talking about finished guitars, not parts for guns that need to fit together. What's considered to be QC these days didn't really gain a foothold in American factories until the Eighties. We learned from the Japanese.

When we became a Gibson dealer in the early Seventies, it was right in our contract that we'd have a repairman on the premises to fix the new guitars and handle warranty work.

 

[goldtop0]

I like 'em but I don't love 'em.
However I do love the sound of 'em on a good night with one of my marshalls or fenders, that's LPs, 335s, 330s.

 

[S. Weiger]

Remember, we're talking about finished guitars, not parts for guns that need to fit together. What's considered to be QC these days didn't really gain a foothold in American factories until the Eighties. We learned from the Japanese.

When we became a Gibson dealer in the early Seventies, it was right in our contract that we'd have a repairman on the premises to fix the new guitars and handle warranty work.

This is not what I read about quality control at Gibson in the 50's.
(Gibson guitars: Ted McCarty's golden era, lots of interviews with former employees)

I can't really get that to fit with your statement

"You have to remember there was no quality control back then, just highly skilled workers"

 

[Xpensive Wino]

Remember, we're talking about finished guitars, not parts for guns that need to fit together. What's considered to be QC these days didn't really gain a foothold in American factories until the Eighties. We learned from the Japanese.

When we became a Gibson dealer in the early Seventies, it was right in our contract that we'd have a repairman on the premises to fix the new guitars and handle warranty work.

1950s ≠ early Seventies.

Gibson Norlin-era guitars (and CBS-era Fenders) were produced under the sway of corporate bean-counters who were tasked with maintaining profit margins and shareholder dividends during a period of high consumer demand and rapidly expanding production.

That wasn't the case during the "golden era".

 

[GlassSnuff]

1950s ≠ early Seventies.

Gibson Norlin-era guitars (and CBS-era Fenders) were produced under the sway of corporate bean-counters who were tasked with maintaining profit margins and shareholder dividends during a period of high consumer demand and rapidly expanding production.

That wasn't the case during the "golden era".

Gibson Norlin-era guitars ≠ CBS-era Fenders

 

[GlassSnuff]

This is not what I read about quality control at Gibson in the 50's.
(Gibson guitars: Ted McCarty's golden era, lots of interviews with former employees)

I can't really get that to fit with your statement

"You have to remember there was no quality control back then, just highly skilled workers"

Believe what you want, but some were extraordinary, as noted, and some were not. Some had "50's wiring".

 

[Xpensive Wino]

Gibson Norlin-era guitars ≠ CBS-era Fenders

Good job I never said they were, then.

There are parallels. The playing public's perceptions of those two brands at the time gave impetus to the rise of the vintage guitar market, remember?