The Last Bass Outpost
Gear Discussion Forums => Gibson Basses => Topic started by: Dr. Aquafresh on July 29, 2010, 08:17:05 AM
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That is the question.
I can't decide if I like my Les Paul bass or not. Here is a bad picture of me with it about a year ago...
(http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q126/hootiemcfly/untitled-1.jpg)
I think I would be more into it if it were a gold top and not the honey plain top it is now.
My questions are;
What is the collector value of this piece now, of course, who knows what it will be in the future.
Did Gibson ever offer this as a Gold Top?
What say ye ladies and Gentlemen?
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I don't know the value, but to me it looks great. The natural-type finish is really appealing.
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My answer would carry a caveat...
But first let me explain my why - pretty much every quality instrument I have ever bought I have intended to keep (I'll include the Squier Jazz I recently bought as it is a great player and has a great sound) and the only concern I have is the necks playability and the output to the amp, which is why I have had some people view my antics as at best buffoonery and at worst outright butchery - I personally do not care about the value of the instrument - something only has a value if you intend to sell it on...
A gold-top, to me (instantly thinking Duane and Dickie) is the classic Les Paul fin, end of story...
... and now back to the caveat... whatever floats your boat, as long as you are never going to sell on, as any refin detracts from the value as it is no longer original...
Now Doc... I've seen your 8) workmanship, and with green boilersuits...
(http://i1.squidoocdn.com/resize/squidoo_images/-1/draft_lens7769571module66081541photo_1257018459Agile_baritone_guitar_AL-2800_Baritone_Camo_big.jpg)
... with maybe a shark mouth WWII fighter motif... ;)
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That honey finish is my favorite LP color. One of these days I'd love to have one (I have an LP guitar in a lemon drop finish that's similar). That being said, if you want a gold top, then go for it! The LP bass isn't all that collectible AFAIK, but either way it's yours and you should feel free to finish it to your satisfaction.
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I don't think that the LP Standards will ever be worth more than their original asking price except perhas in twenty years from now. I like the honeyburst on those and think goldtop looks are overrated (and not period-correct for this specimen), so I'm obviously the wrong person to ask.
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It's a beauty as it is, I'd leave it...
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I've never seen a factory goldtop in this series.
There's no collector value at present. Who knows about the future. Still, you know that a refin will diminish whatever value it might have, now or later. OTOH, if it will please you more as a goldtop, go for it.
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It's a beauty as it is, I'd leave it...
+1
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Go for it! I'm not a big fan of natural finishes. There's no "collector value" on these basses. If the finish is done right, it just may be worth MORE than in stock form in 20 years, or at the very least make for a quicker sale. Just my 2 cents.
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"There's no "collector value" on these basses."
Someone probably said the same thing in 1974 about Les Paul Triumphs and Recordings!
Which reminds me of an especially damning New Musical Express ieview in the nineties when they wrote one sentence on a freshly released Iron Maiden album: "Undoubtedly one of the better albums of 1972." :mrgreen:
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Well, seems like the jury will have to be out on this one for a while.
I'd like to see it before I did it, alas, there is that whole having cake and eating it too dilemma.
BTW Kenny, that camo LP is great.
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All part of the service... ;)
(ps... go for the gold-top :popcorn:)
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If it ain't broke don't fix it...it's a beautiful bass as is.
I would love to be able to afford an instrument like that. (With the original fin).
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It's a beautiful bass as it is, in my opinion, and I wouldn't change it if I owned it. Maybe you can find a beat up one at some point that you could gold top?
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IMO, since I never let any of my instruments go, I'm not really concerned about resale. I love that honeyburst. I can see doing a refin if it was damaged or an ugly finish to start with, but unless you have your heart absolutely set on making that particular bass a goldtop, I wouldn't do it. A finish change isn't going to make the bass play or sound significantly different enough to change the way you feel about PLAYING it.
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Play it ten years more and if it is then all mojo'd and you don't like it for that give it a refin - any color you like then. I'd prefer my LP Sig in honeyburst anytime - never much of a godttop fan and besides its very guitarish. The LP Standard bass already suffers as is from looking so much like a guitar.
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Typically they are worth $1200 night & day in good shape.
Nothing vintage about them, so a gold top I think would be fine, next add some bass soap bars
A photoshop gold top
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v104/Fenderbird/lespauldeluxebass.jpg)
Bass soap bars here-
http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/custom-shop/specialized-1/duncanmosrite_f_1/
I think it looks great I would go for it if you do it professionally. I think it could add value if you are replicating a Gibson design, due to its non vintage nature.
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Daniel posted these a while ago from some site-
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v104/Fenderbird/lespauljrbass2xs.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v104/Fenderbird/lespaulcustombb.jpg)
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Great mock-ups and shorties to boot........ I love it ! Only thing wrong with those plans is that darn ol' ( and I'm trying to be civil here ) 3 point bridge ......
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IMO, since I never let any of my instruments go, I'm not really concerned about resale. I love that honeyburst. I can see doing a refin if it was damaged or an ugly finish to start with, but unless you have your heart absolutely set on making that particular bass a goldtop, I wouldn't do it. A finish change isn't going to make the bass play or sound significantly different enough to change the way you feel about PLAYING it.
He speaketh sooth. Well spake.
(Am I writing in the second person plu-perfect subjunctive????)
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Typically they are worth $1200 night & day in good shape.
Nothing vintage about them, so a gold top I think would be fine, next add some bass soap bars
A photoshop gold top
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v104/Fenderbird/lespauldeluxebass.jpg)
Bass soap bars here-
http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/custom-shop/specialized-1/duncanmosrite_f_1/
I think it looks great I would go for it if you do it professionally. I think it could add value if you are replicating a Gibson design, due to its non vintage nature.
Admittedly, that does look cool.
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Does look cool but need to cut back on the elephant ears and put Schallers on.
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Well, y'all have never heard me play... Hell, I need my gear to look as cool as posible to make up for the god awful noises blasting from my SVT.
Those photoshoped LPs look great, I want to say I have seen them before, maybe that is were I got the Gold Top idea? Oh yeah, mine has a bridge and a stop tail, but I like the 3 pointers too.
I think if I wait 10 years to do anything it's going to look the same as it does now, I never play the thing but I would hate to sell it. I'm just wondering if a new paint job will bring it to life for me.
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I suspect that if you invest the work to turn it gold top, you'll start using it more...that's how it works for me. At the least, you may will more reluctant to part with it after putting in the work.
ReRanch does sell their own Gold Top paint formulation in rattle cans. They have very specific instructions about how to apply it.
Myownself, I'd stay with the existing finish, but it's-a no my bass!
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Then goldtop it. It'll be a rare fin to say the least.
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Add a pickguard like Uwe did on his and you will be set.
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Pre-owner did that!!! I always thought it a bit :-[ "aping a guitarist"!
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Gold top it! But first turn it into a Mockingbird or a Warlock!! ;D ;D
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gold would look nice,but your finish is in great shape. beat the crap out of it.refin it later.
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gold would look nice,but your finish is in great shape. beat the crap out of it.refin it later.
That is a good idea. If you really want to refin it, first you could try to make some simple cosmetic changes, like drawing with a sharpie, or maybe get some nice stickers and stuff.
Maybe draw a big skull on the whole body? Or even get some gold color sharpies and fill the whole top with it to get the feel of the real thing.
Then later you can refin it properly.
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OK... Sometimes the simplest answer is the best one.
I've decided to do nothing and leave it be, for now.
I'm going to give the Dan Armstrong and the 8 string the week off and give the LP another shot.
In other news I picked up a Micro Pog this weekend. I should know if it will give me a reasonable 8 string sound at practice Tuesday.
Later
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The sound can't be the issue, can it? LP Standards are the "rockiest" bass Gibson ever made.
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Oh no, the sound is great, though I have been getting some strange buzzing recently.
Mine has the T-bird pickups and the Bart pre-amp and it pretty much kicks out the jams.
Maybe one day I'll figure out what the knobs actually do.
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I have the passive version as a four-string and the active as an eight-string. I prefer the passive sound though. The TB Plus chrome pups are already so forceful, channeling them through the Bart TCT electronics for further boost is too much cherry pie.
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That was why I installed that push/pull pot on mine so it could be active or passive. It had plenty of balls in passive mode, and active just pushed it over the top IMO. Sometimes I wish I still had it but we never really bonded like I thought we would.
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Andy's was a great player! And "kicks out the jams" pretty much sums up that active setup. Holy cow that thing was a real face melter (in a good way)
I would have got on well with that bass (or one like it), but have been trying to eliminate some redundancy as it is...
Gold top that sucka!