Les Paul market value after a pickup / pots swap

[AniML]

Does swapping pickups and/or pots in a newer LP Studio affect market value? I am reasonably happy with the tone of mine, but should curiosity get the better of me I don't want to devalue my LP in case one day I want to sell or trade it. I realize I could always swap back in the stock pickups and pots, but assuming I didn't...

 

[marvar]

Re: Les Paul market value after a pickup / pots swap

Well, IMO, the newer LP's are so plentiful, and since yours is a Studio model, I don't think you have to worry too much, these models won't be considered valuable for many years to come, if ever. With a pickup and parts swap, you might be able to get a bit more than market value. Or, you can always put the original parts back in.
I've never heard of an non-vintage LP losing value because of upgrades.
btw, why do you want to change pots? THe ones you have in there are most likely as good as anything you would replace them with.
Make the changes you need to make the guitar more enjoyable to play, and don't worry about it. If you are like the majority of us, you will trade/sell it within a few years anyway.

 

[jimlp]

Re: Les Paul market value after a pickup / pots swap

Does swapping pickups and/or pots in a newer LP Studio affect market value? I am reasonably happy with the tone of mine, but should curiosity get the better of me I don't want to devalue my LP in case one day I want to sell or trade it. I realize I could always swap back in the stock pickups and pots, but assuming I didn't...

A swap with quality pots/pickups should not hurt you, a lot of people swap out the Gibson pickups (prematurely) anyway.

 

[AniML]

Re: Les Paul market value after a pickup / pots swap

I don't know that I would make a pots swap. but I've got some 59s and 57s on the way. The 57s will most likely land in my Epi SG so I was playing with the idea of a Custom/59 bridge + a 59 in the neck in the Studio.

Nothing being done prematurly here. I've owned the guitar for 1 1/2 years and as I said I am reasonably happy with it, but with pickups sitting around on a quiet rainy spring day, who knows what could happen

 

[Zerberus]

Re: Les Paul market value after a pickup / pots swap

In my experience swapping out the pickups on a newer Gibson knocks about 150-200$ off the resale value unless you find somebody that´s looking for precisely that set. Same goes for all other components, if they´re not exactly what the buyer planned to do anyway you´re looking at a hit in value.

And after about 15 years, the older it is the more important it is to have the original pickups and hardware installed

 

[marvar]

Re: Les Paul market value after a pickup / pots swap

In my experience swapping out the pickups on a newer Gibson knocks about 150-200$ off the resale value unless you find somebody that´s looking for precisely that set. Same goes for all other components, if they´re not exactly what the buyer planned to do anyway you´re looking at a hit in value.

And after about 15 years, the older it is the more important it is to have the original pickups in it

Heck, you lose at least that much, just after purchase, and walking out the door with it.

 

[some_dude]

Re: Les Paul market value after a pickup / pots swap

Heck, you lose at least that much, just after purchase, and walking out the door with it.

I bought a Les Paul last year for $2200US that's now retailing for $4000US on MF. I could probably sell it used for $3000 easily and walk away with $800 profit in my pocket.


Anyway, I wouldn't worry about it too much with a Studio. I don't think that a pickup swap will affect the price too much one way or the other, and most people who're in the market for a Studio probably won't be too picky about what pickups are in it.

 

[Christopher Caruana]

Re: Les Paul market value after a pickup / pots swap

For me, a guitar is more valuble to me with the pickups that I want in there to the sound that I want (I usually always change the stock pickups out of my guitars). But I always keep the original pickups just incase I ever decide to sell a guitar, I can put them back in. So in other words........dont worry about how it will effect the value, the point of putting new parts on a guitar is so it will do what YOU want it to.

 

[guitarded]

Re: Les Paul market value after a pickup / pots swap

You could always store the old parts and offer them up if asked about during a sale. I've seen that done before.

In my experience swapping out the pickups on a newer Gibson knocks about 150-200$ off the resale value unless you find somebody that´s looking for precisely that set. Same goes for all other components, if they´re not exactly what the buyer planned to do anyway you´re looking at a hit in value.

And after about 15 years, the older it is the more important it is to have the original pickups and hardware installed

 

[guitarded]

Re: Les Paul market value after a pickup / pots swap

People who buy studios are more concerned about the sound than anything else. The studio is basically a cost saving work horse.

I bought a Les Paul last year for $2200US that's now retailing for $4000US on MF. I could probably sell it used for $3000 easily and walk away with $800 profit in my pocket.


Anyway, I wouldn't worry about it too much with a Studio. I don't think that a pickup swap will affect the price too much one way or the other, and most people who're in the market for a Studio probably won't be too picky about what pickups are in it.

 

[Philcguitars]

Re: Les Paul market value after a pickup / pots swap

Custom p/ups mean a custom sound.

I guess it all depends on who wants to buy it, and what sound they are after.

At least with S/D's or other name brand, the purchaser knows he has a sale point for un-wanted spec p/ups.

 

[uOpt]

Re: Les Paul market value after a pickup / pots swap

For a Classic, which usually has 496R/500T you probably increase the value. Just make sure you get Gibsons or go Boutique. Gibson snobs don't like Seymour Duncan, much less DiMarzio.

Studios and Standards with 490R/498T will probably stay where they are with Burstbuckers or go up with 57 classics.

Other LPs - nobody understands which guitars come with which bloody Burstbuckers in which year anyway.

Overall, however, it seems financially best to get a set of 490R/498T off ebay for a guitar that had them originally. They are pretty cheap and you can keep the more expensive replacements. Of course it's soldering work.

 

[uOpt]

Re: Les Paul market value after a pickup / pots swap

Another alternative is offering it without pickups. There are lots of people who have drawers full of humbuckers and want to get a sub-$1000 for $150 cheaper.

 

[idsnowdog]

Re: Les Paul market value after a pickup / pots swap

Unfortunately upgrades to guitars often don't raise the value of an instrument. The reason is not everybody sees their logic, understands their value or has the same tastes as the person doing the upgrade. The upgrades therefore don't increase value, unless someone gets why it was done and thinks the upgrades are worth paying for. People would rather buy something stock and then hack it up, rather than take a risk of someone else hacking it up.

 

[Zerberus]

Re: Les Paul market value after a pickup / pots swap

Heck, you lose at least that much, just after purchase, and walking out the door with it.

I meant on top of that