Thoughts wanted on a trade for my 1962 LPSGJ

[chard]

I've got a 1962 LPSGJ which in all honesty has been well gigged over the years and so carries the scars. It's mostly original other than the plastics which have been replaced although it also has a SG standard hard case from the 60's.
I've been offered a trade for a as new SG 61 TV yellow 2008 custom shop, does this seem like a fair swap or am I mad to even consider it? Opinions most welcome. Thanks

 

[JohnnyGoo]

I love JRs so could you post a pic of it. I probably wouldnt trade it off but only you can determine what ya like.but we like pics here.got to remember once its gone its gone.

 

[lineboat]

Personally, I'd NEVER trade that guitar!

 

[gball]

Money-wise it's likely to be a pretty fair trade, but only you can decide what works best for you. Personally I would go with the CS and never look back, but I know plenty of guys who would think I was crazy for it.

 

[Kris Ford]

don't.....
Please don't!!
You will regret it!!!!!!!!
Serious downgrade...
please don't...

 

[Kris Ford]

You're not actually serious are you??

 

[PermissionToLand]

Don't do it. I love my Custom Shop but I played a '63 Jr and I would have bought it if I had the money. Vintage P90 > modern HB any day. Not to mention there's a certain resonance in vintage guitars that you rarely get with newer ones. Even my '86 Epiphone just has that something special in it's tone.

 

[Six String]

Welcome to ETSG! :)

You will have a better chance of finding another 08 and maybe it will be a Custom shop git... but how often will get another 62 SG come along? If it still plays then it is worth hanging on to and if it's rough, then it is worth putting a little money into by a good pro.

 

[Voxman]

Whatever one sounds better, if the action plays like butta and melts in your hand like butta well .....

 

[Col Mustard]

I think if you let go of your vintage guitar, you'd always regret it.

I'm not one who says the new ones are no good, but I just don't think even a
new Custom Shop guitar has the kind of specialness that your old one does.

ETSG wisdom on this subject says:
"FER CRY-SAKES WHY NOT HAVE BOTH?"
There's no law that says you can't have both. Only financial constraints, or spacial
concerns if you have a lot of other guitars.

Oh and if you have a lot of other guitars and feel like you just don't appreciate this old
warhorse like it should be, and that's why you'd consider passing it on, then here's a
few suggestions for you:

1. don't listen to advice from strangers (like me) on internet fora. Get your Gibson appraised by someone who knows their stuff: Elderly Instruments in Lansing Michigan,
Gruhn's Guitars in Nashville Tn... there are a number of places that (for a fee) will give
you a written appraisal. Just doing that might help you get re-acquainted with its value.
It will also help you fend off people who covet your '62 and want to jip you out of it.
Very worthwhile to pay the fee and get the papers.

2. Don't trade this guitar for anything you have not played thoroughly. IMHO, for another guitar to take its place, it would have to WOW you seriously. It would have to be remarkable indeed. The kind of guitar that you bond with instantly, and that you don't want to let out of your hands. A man can have this kind of experience with a new
guitar or a used one, but that's the kind of thing that might make you trade away your old one. BUT THIS IS ALSO WHY WE HAVE CREDIT CARDS. If you found another fine instrument that you have to have, you put it on your credit card and bring it home. Then you look around and see what you have to sell in order to pay the bill. Keep your SG
and play the hell out of it.

3. Once you have got this guitar appraised, offer it to someone on these boards.
(not to me... I couldn't afford it). There are a number of us who appreciate vintage Gibsons. Don't consider low-ball offers. Find a home for it where it will get played.
Don't sell it to someone who's going to lock it away in a vault.

4. (actually, it's your instrument, so sell it to whoever you want to and don't listen to me).

I dislike the whole vintage guitar market, because it's full of shysters and fakers
mixed in with honest guitarists, genuine afficianados and starry eyed prospective owners. That's a bad brew, IMHO. There isn't much in the way of market police.
As an arena, to me it smells. I actually own several vintage guitars, but I paid normal
prices for them a long time ago and they are not for sale. So I'm not down there in
the arena, and don't intend to go. I would never pay the kind of prices people get
for these fine old instruments.

 

[Kris Ford]

You're willing to sacrifice old growth Honduras Mahogany for Mystery Mahogany? And BRAZILIAN rosewood for lower grade Madagascar rosewood? Kalamazoo Golden Era for a dime a dozen, mass produced "Custom Shop"??
A piece of Gibson history for something that a few thousand were made of??
I WILL speak badly about the Custom Shop, I had an '09 LPSG, and it was DOGSHIT compared to my '65 Junior. Even my "Norlin" '76 SG Standard walked all over it..the bodylines are all wrong in the horns, it felt stiff and unmusical..even after I tried every tone trick I knew, a very expensive and regret filled lesson learned there..oh yeah, resale value goes right in the toilet too. You WILL take a huge hit...

 

[Col Mustard]

there it is... from someone who's got experience to back it up.

don't sell (or trade) your old Gibson... get it?

 

[lineboat]

I couldn't imagine trading that guitar. I had a 72 SS Chevelle. One owner, really nice car. I wanted a 67, so I sold the 72. Here I am, 15 years later with NO Chevelle, and a sweet 72 that was once mine now resides 5 miles from me. I was young and dumb.......

 

[eS.G.]

Keep the LEster, get an Epiphone SG tv yella with the P90's to cure your "GAS" and move on.
That 62 is as once in a lifetime man. Hold on to it.

 

[eS.G.]

Keep the LEster, get an Epiphone SG tv yella with the P90's to cure your "GAS" and move on.
That 62 is as a once in a lifetime man. Hold on to it.

 

[Six String]

... worth repeating eS.G.....!?!

 

[alexander paul]

if it was my guitar it wouldn't be yours!

 

[njpaulc]

Keep the '62. If you want a new one, buy a faded special. The 2004/05 are nice readily availabe and some come with dot markers and a ebony fret board. Look awfully nice refinished in TV yellow.

 

[DoodoaXD]

Is that Angus in that gif Alexander?

To the OP: I have only one Gibson, and only one guitar, my 2007 SG Special and I will NEVER EVER part with this baby, mostly because this guitar... They just don't make it anymore. You know how awesome it feels to have something they don't make anymore? I mean I know they still make the special and all, but the same exact version of 2007? I don't think so.

You've got a 62', something that really is the definition of something that they don't make anymore! Hold on to it man! Give it to your sons, let them give it to theirs! But please don't let go of it!

 

[chard]

Ok thanks for the advise guys. To put it in context the LPJ could probably do with a touch of TLC as the action is a bit high for my liking and the high E tends to buzz past the 11th fret. I've also struggled to get hold of a replacement scratch plate which matches the patina of the guitar, but see what you think of the images: