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Big Daddy B
Well-Known Member
My first guitar was a silverburst strat copy. That color always holds a special place in my heart.
NGD Pt. 2: R0
- Thread starter Big Daddy B
- Start date
gball
Ambassador of Boogie
The prices of a lot of the Norlin-era guitars are starting to get crazy as people are beginning to realize how good they actually are. The silly unfounded stigma of the word "Norlin" has been around for so long that people wouldn't even pick up the guitars and give them a chance. I got some great guitars cheap because of that, but folks seem to be catching on now and the original Silverbursts are starting to get more and more valuable. I just bought one and I am glad I got it now before the prices get truly stupid.
Guess what I am saying is, Robert, do not let her sell that guitar!
Guess what I am saying is, Robert, do not let her sell that guitar!
She is afraid to play it. You know, afraid to bump it or scratch it...LOL
gball
Ambassador of Boogie
Nothing wrong with that. Keep it in the case and hold on to it - even if you don't play it the value of that guitar is only going to increase. They may never have the cachet of the 50's and 60's guitars, but clean examples are around $4k now and only going to go higher.
We sold her 1958 Les Paul in 2012 when the values started to climb. This is the only Gibson left in the stable.
gball
Ambassador of Boogie
Well, I don't thing these will ever get to '58-'60 money. The prices of the 50's guitars are so out of whack that it defies all logic. You and I are old enough to remember when they were just considered old guitars and sold for old guitar money. There is just too much lore surrounding the guitars from those years, whether it makes sense or not (quarter million dollars for a guitar? no.). But the Norlin LP's will definitely keep going up and the silverbursts in particular.
I agree. The 70's Gibson's will never amass this much following/financial status in our lifetimes, IMHO. In the case of Mom's '58, she wasn't playing it (she is scared she might drop one) and I found a very motivated collector in Fresno who paid Mom a very good price for that guitar. Neither Mom and Dad had anything more than a modest IRA, so I saw this as an opportunity to invest on their behalf. Then, I had the black Les Paul Custom replica built locally so she would have something she wasn't afraid to play. The guitar has significantly lowered her blood pressure. She's been playing 30 minutes to 1 hour a day.
gball
Ambassador of Boogie
I bought my '79 Silverburst to play, but it is nice to know it's a solid, if modest, investment. I had an all-original '57 Les Paul Special back in the '80's for a few years. It was a sub-$500 guitar then, and now I wish I had held onto it - they are not worth crazy money nowadays, but enough that It would have made a lot of sense to keep it.
We had no way of knowing! In 1983, I paid $659 for a brand new Ibanez DT555 Destroyer. Those things are selling for up to $3,000 now. Not as big a jump as Gibson of course, but who knew they would appreciate like this???
When I bought stock in Tesla in 2012, it was around $33/share. Look where that has gone!!!