reissue '56 epiphone les paul gold top

mity88

I hope I'm in the right thread here guys...
I went into a cash crusaders today and the epiphone caught my eye, basically its in a good condition and I want to know if the R4000 they are asking for it is a bargain or rip off?
Hope you guys can help, thanks

inflames

Great guitar and the price is not bad at all!
Make sure you play the guitar first before buying!

Banditman

If the guitar's condition is good (needing a setup-s not the end of the world) & the tone is nice, then R4K is a fair price.

mity88

Thanks guys,before I look at it seriously tho I will play it and do some research,like I said,I went in for something else and it just caught my eye

josh

mity88 wrote: Thanks guys,before I look at it seriously tho I will play it and do some research,like I said,I went in for something else and it just caught my eye

Definately do some research. It pays of in the end ? I recently bought an EPIPHONE GOTH FLYING V. I 1st did some research when I saw that it was at a great price then I tried it out & then I fell inlove with it!! ? Epiphone's guitars are real quality(well not the new chinese les pauls). Remember to play the guitar & get a feel for it ?

singemonkey

Erm... has no one else noticed what I noticed (and others have confirmed for me) that the new Epiphone LPs are built like low quality Pakistani toys?

Don't advise the OP based on an older Epiphone that you've played. If you disagree with me that the new Epiphone LPs are utter crap, then say so, but don't mislead him by telling him the quality of previous versions.

flatfourfan

singemonkey wrote: Erm... has no one else noticed what I noticed (and others have confirmed for me) that the new Epiphone LPs are built like low quality Pakistani toys?

Don't advise the OP based on an older Epiphone that you've played. If you disagree with me that the new Epiphone LPs are utter crap, then say so, but don't mislead him by telling him the quality of previous versions.

I concuur, if you do a bit of research in here OP, the general jist of the latter epi LP's is that they are not upto par to the older ones and are overpriced.

singemonkey

Ok crap. He's talking about a guitar at Cash Crusaders which is probably an earlier one. Probably a decent Epi.

Kalcium

Take some pics and post them here ?

Kalcium

Slow internet causes double posts... :/

mity88

Hey guys,after doing some research I went to check it out today, its made in korea, in the Unsung factory, in 2005, its in pretty good shape, I noticed two dinks on the back of the neck that won't hinder playing but they are visible(from the back of course).also,the one knob is chipped,how that happened I can't say coz the chip is in a wierd spot...So,would anyone recommend me buying it? The p90's are quite something I must say...

flatfourfan

mity88 wrote: Hey guys,after doing some research I went to check it out today, its made in korea, in the Unsung factory, in 2005, its in pretty good shape, I noticed two dinks on the back of the neck that won't hinder playing but they are visible(from the back of course).also,the one knob is chipped,how that happened I can't say coz the chip is in a wierd spot...So,would anyone recommend me buying it? The p90's are quite something I must say...

at the end of the day you're the one who has to be happy with it.............any chance of pitching up there with cash and bargaining a bit?

mity88

I hear your point flatfour,I did that today,negotiate that is,the best they could offer me was an "incredible" R100 off...

flatfourfan

mity88 wrote: I hear your point flatfour,I did that today,negotiate that is,the best they could offer me was an "incredible" R100 off...

This is what I did when buying all my guitars.

1) Search the web to see what's being paid for them overseas and where possible locally. Ignore the vat and shipping etc
2) While on the net, have a look at what hardware comes on them, so that you can see if any work or hotrodding has been done to the guitar that you want to buy. I have known a pawn shop to swap out pups on a Ibby RG and try and pass them off as the original V1's. Check the back of the pots as well. I'm very rarely phased by strings. An educated buyer is a good thing.......
3) Phone a few local places getting an idea of what's in stock and what prices you can expect to pay. Most major shops have websites anyway. Also find out if they have stock and if not, how long you're going to wait to get one and if the price may change.
4) Play it.....if possible have someone tag along that can check for any issues or repairs.

R100 is a still a R100 in my books, if you've done the sums and it still sounds like a good deal, then go for it.

singemonkey

I think for an older Epi R3,000 is a great price, R5,500 is too much. I think R3,900 is not bad if it's in good nick. Ideally it's great if you know a really experienced player who can vet it. But that doesn't sound like a bad deal. But maybe try to push them to drop another hundred bucks ?

vic

Check this one....

http://capetown.gumtree.co.za/c-Stuff-for-Sale-musical-instruments-Electric-Guitar-Epiphone-Les-Paul-W0QQAdIdZ269583121

mity88

Thanks Vic,interesting that the same guitar goes up on gumtree,pitty I don't stay in the Cape tho I hav emailed them...
One more question,obviously a reissue isn't worth much compared to an original,but does the fact that its a reissue make it any different than say a standard '05 model?
thanks guys,its really great knowing you are so open to sharing your knowledge!!!

vic

mity88 wrote: Thanks Vic,interesting that the same guitar goes up on gumtree,pitty I don't stay in the Cape tho I hav emailed them...
One more question,obviously a reissue isn't worth much compared to an original,but does the fact that its a reissue make it any different than say a standard '05 model?
thanks guys,its really great knowing you are so open to sharing your knowledge!!!

I'm not sure what you mean by a re-issue ? This Epiphone guitar is based on the '57 Gibson Goldtop with humbucker pups. The one you saw at the "pawnshop" is based on the '56 Gibson Goldtop which had P90 pups.

The one in this Gumtree ad is presumably one of the older/better ones and has been extensively upgraded which makes it a very good buy at the price.

singemonkey

As Vic's saying, both guitars are based on different Gibson models from the 1950s. Although those 1950s models were made to a whole different quality standard than these Epiphones. So the real difference here compared to standard Epiphone models is simply the colour and the pickup configuration.

The real advantage of the one on gumtree are the great upgrades and the hard case. Epiphone pickups are not good. So if you see one with name-brand pickups like Seymour Duncans installed, you know you're getting quite a big extra compared to doing the upgrade yourself. Also this guitar has been used by a gigging musician who's had it refretted, and consequently you can assume that it's been professionally set up to be as playable as possible.

If you get the one from cash crusaders, you'll probably want to swap the pickups out at some point. There are great, cheaper alternatives for good P90s now in the form of tone-rider pickups.