If Only We knew!

[gundog]

Just getting back into playing seriously after about a 15 yr. layoff. (Motocross and guitars don't mix) First thing I did was hit a few sites to find info. on repairing my old Boogie and I was amazed to see the value of these things today! I've never been a collector and haven't had a lot of gear but I started thinking about the gear I've had, sold and traded over the years and thought ...If only I knew what the stuff would be worth today! Thought it would be interesting to see what some of the older guys have had slip through their hands over the years. My list somewhat in order of acquisition:

1st guitar - Silvertone (sears) -don't laugh it wasn't bad!
1961 SG Junior
1968 Les Paul Gold Top
early 1960's strat - bought for $100 from an insurance saleman
early 60's SG
70's? Les Paul Recording Model
1957 Gibson Switchmaster (w/3 gold PAF's)
Early Mighty Mite Tele
Gibson LGO

Amps
Silvertone Tube Amp - don't laugh John Lee Hooker used 1 for recording
1960's Ampeg tube amp (model? covered w/blue vinyl)
1960's Marshall 50 watt head w/ 8-10" bottom
Black Faced twin reverb (yes.. from the insurance saleman..$300 for both)
Pig Nose
Original 60 watt Boogie ser.#A425

Survivors include the Les Paul which I "bastardized" by removing the gold top and refinishing the natural maple top (looks nice but...if only I knew); replacing the P-90's w/humbuckers, replacing all hardware, etc. w/ aftermarket brass. :roll:
Mightly Mite - nice little guitar that I custom finished; who would have thought a fender type guitar would play so nice after 40 yrs. of Gibson's.
Gibson LGO acoustic
The "Boogie"

I can't even remember how some of these passed through my hands but I do remember that the most I ever paid for any one item was $300 for my Les Paul. The moral of this story..never sell or modify anything and you'll never have any regrets!

 

[ibanez4life SZ!]

Wow....how are you handling this? I don't think I'd be able to.

 

[gundog]

It only hurts when I look at my son's college tuition bill! Really the $$ doesn't bother me but I sure would like to step back in time to re-evaluate what I had. The LP will be buried with me so the reduced collectors value is no big deal; besides I hated the gold top and the p-90's at the time and I was in search of my "guitar hero" Peter Green's LP PAF sound at the time so.... . I will say though that as much as I love my Boogie I would kill to get that 50 watt Marshall back!

 

[Elpelotero]

3 pafs alone could pay for many things, such as a new house, a boat, AND microsoft.

 

[gundog]

Yea tell me!! Was thinking of replacing the DiMarzios on my LP so I did a little searching and found original PAF's for "only" $4,500 ea. :shock: Even the old hardware; knobs, pots, plastic parts, etc. is going for big $$$. Maybe I should part out the LP and retire to Fla. I still have some parts of my P-90's laying around that I will try to hunt down and post a picture of in case anyone is into rebuilding vintage pups.

 

[RR]

... My list somewhat in order of acquisition:

1st guitar - Silvertone (sears) -don't laugh it wasn't bad!
I'm not laughing, these are cool amps
1961 SG Junior
1968 Les Paul Gold Top

early 1960's strat - bought for $100 from an insurance saleman
early 60's SG
70's? Les Paul Recording Model
1957 Gibson Switchmaster (w/3 gold PAF's)
Early Mighty Mite Tele
Gibson LGO

Amps
Silvertone Tube Amp - don't laugh John Lee Hooker used 1 for recording
1960's Ampeg tube amp (model? covered w/blue vinyl)
1960's Marshall 50 watt head w/ 8-10" bottom
Black Faced twin reverb (yes.. from the insurance saleman..$300 for both)

Pig Nose
Original 60 watt Boogie ser.#A425

Survivors include the Les Paul which I "bastardized" by removing the gold top and refinishing the natural maple top (looks nice but...if only I knew); replacing the P-90's w/humbuckers, replacing all hardware, etc. w/ aftermarket brass. :roll:

I probably would have done the same thing in the 70's. At the time P90s weren't cool. But now? .... P90s maybe my favorite Les Paul pickups, still like a Les Paul w/ Fralins or Tom Holmes humbuckles though

My list:
Just a '68 or '69 SilverFace Princeton (but not the sought after Princeton Reverb).
An later 60's or early 70's Telecaster (I think it was alder)
Randall Stack of Celestions G65s. Should have replace them with G12-30's ($40 each at the time). The Celestion G65 Celestion are like the "flag ship" of what is now the Celestion Vintage 30s. Even Weber reissue a similiar model G1265

But my list is not so extensive as yours gundog, I feel your pain.

 

[eldi]

I had a '74 Gibson Flying V that I had a repaired broken headstock that I let go for cheap about 12 years ago. And I remember about 16 years ago, when I was shopping for my first "pro" guitar, seeing 70's Fender 3 bolt Strats going for about $300 and 70's LesPauls going for less than $500. (Back then they were only used guitars, not vintage) I eventualy settled for an Ibanez RG-550 (for $300), mainly because Dave Navarro was playing those with Jane's Addiction at the time. I also remember at the music store that I got that guitar from, they had a "used" '73 Marshall 1959 Super Lead with a basket weave cloth marshall 4-12 for $700. I wanted to buy that amp but I fell for the salesman's sales pitch at another store & bought a Crate solid state instead...it was cheaper......

 

[Russ]

Eldi,

If I knew 15 years ago what I know now I would be a rich man with lots of killer gear. Remember when 800s were just an average typical Marshall? Or how people were getting rid of their heads to go rack and they were really cheap? I miss those days. I would love to go back just for a week. I remember looking at a Black Beauty that was $500 thinking that it was a little too rich for me. Duh.... Had I bought it the thing would be worth at least 5x that much. That would be the case if I had played it all this time too. I remember when the Silverbursts were not so popular too and when Goldtops were cheap because people thought they were kind of disco. I bet you wish that you hadn't bought that Ibanez now... I just got a G&L back after 14 years that I should never have sold in the first place. I have gone through a lot of gear but regret having gotten rid of a lot of it now. I must say that I have come almost full circle a couple times too. Had I known then what I know now I would be sitting on top of a bigger stack of gear too.

I just can't believe anyone would strip a Goldtop...