70's les pauls?

Illini1330

Illini1330

New member
How are they? I've heard that was the worst LP year. True?

I have a chance to buy a 79' les paul custom in tobacco burst. All original parts and the guitar is in overall great condition. I've played it for about 2 hours today, and I like it a lot. It fits my hands well. They guy said I could make him an offer, so what do you guys think? What would be a good offer price? He hasn't told me what price he was lookin for, and I don't think he know much about the guitar.

thanks
 
The 70's is my least favorite decade for Pauls, but not all of them.
A lot of them were REALLY heavy, had bad wood seams, especially when they used 3 pieces for the top, and flat frets
(fretless wonders) were popular during that decade.

Don't let that sway your decision, because many were perfectly good, if not great. To see the going rate for those, search for ended items on Ebay and see what they sold for.
I'd pay $1000 for a decent one, but more for a real nice one.
I wouldn't pay vintage prices ($1500 - $3000) for one, unless it was a super-nice one.
 
YES, mrid is right !!! One of my Pauly's is a 79 Custom, Cherry Sunburst. It is a bit heavier than, say, one of my Standards...but it is a FINE Guitar. :)
 
It's a crap shoot. Norlin-era LPs do not represent the pinnacle of Gibson's build quality. Some sound good others don't. There was some poor-grade mahogany going thru the shop in those days. Guys at the plant were able to pick silica out of some of it with a pocket knife. Hence, weight-relieved bodies. But if the guitar speaks to you, go for it. You know what's best for you. Gearjoneser's about right on the price, but I wouldn't make $1000 my first offer ;) You could also get a used Hamer Studio on eBay for around $700 that will be better made with better wood, and great tone, IMHO. They're great guitars, and come with SD pups. Or you could save your pennies and hold out for a used Gibson Historic goldtop LP. They show up sometimes in the $1700 range.
 
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I specifically wanted a 70s LP.. played a 77 standard.. loved it.. bought it.. still have it.. it rocks :)

I choose to be an individual lol :D
 
I have a 79 custom and I love it. It`s also alot lighter than my 82 custom. Even though I paid a high price, pay no more than 1.5
 
I used to have a 71 LP Deluxe and a 74 SG Standard and both were great guitars. You played this one for two hours and you like it a lot. I don't know about US market prices but I say if you can get a guitar you like a lot for a price you're happy with go for it!
 
If you like it, buy it!!
Click to expand...

This is good advice; les pauls I've tried from the 70's are variable in quality and tone - try a few and get a feel for what the better ones are like.

They do tend to be heavier, but if one does feel abnormally light, make sure there's been no selective routing inside to reduce weight. Some also have volutes behing the bottom of the headstock (especially on early Deluxes) that were put there to try to reduce breakages - I'd avoid them personally as they look nasty, and I've heard techs say they don't work either.
 
Like stated above, it's a crap-shoot with the 70's guitars. Both Gibson and Fender. However, one of the best playing/sounding Les Paul's I've ever played was a '74 Standard. And yes, I had to have it. Bought it for $999 two years ago and had a guy offer me $1200 for it a few months ago. It's got everything that LP purist hate, but it's got the 'mojo.' However, I played a '76 LP a few weeks ago that was a complete dog. That one was priced at $1099, and I wouldn't have given $400 for it. Note, that the 70's models are starting to go up a bit in price. Note much, but they're creeping up as the 50's-60's stock dries up. If it speaks to you, buy it.
 
Ask Dystrust about his 70's LP Custom he ended up selling because he needed money. That was a damn nice guitar - Heavy, and ugly - but after he did that refret, it was awesome!
 
i didnt read the posts, but if it sounds and feels right for you, its perfect for you. go for it.
 
Shnook said:
It's got everything that LP purist hate, but it's got the 'mojo.'
Click to expand...
:)
And the purists can worship their guitars while we play ours :D There are lots of gear snobs that don't seem to focus on things that matter. You really have to weed through the BS.

I have played lots of Les Pauls and there are dogs from every era.
 
I loved that '77 Custom. Weighed about 10.5, so it wasn't too terribly heavy. It was probably the brightest guitar I've ever owned but once I changed the pups to CC/Jazz and had it refretted with 6100s, it was an awesome guitar. The thing was one of the ugliest cherry bursts I've ever seen, but I have a feeling I'll have to track down another one someday.
 
Re: 70's les pauls?

If you like it.. then it is good... I have found some that are good and some that were ...less than perfect...
 
Re: 70's les pauls?

A wine Red ´78 LP Custom was the best Les Paul I´ve ever played bar none, belonged to one of my ex-GFs.
 
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