alcohol_ Posted August 25, 2004 Share Posted August 25, 2004 I bought a used 67 SG. Cosmetically left something to be desired. I couldn't keep it in tune so I brought it to a luthier. He found: Neck needed to be leveled. All the frets are very worn. Fret job needed New nut needed Then he inspected the electronics and found that both coils were shot and so were two pots. Repair costs estimated at $600 to $700 I paid $1550 for this guitar. Was I ripped off? I want an older SG. I understand they sound in a way that new one's can't duplicate. Was the guitar unfit for the store to sell at that price? Should I go back to the store and complain or just buy a couple of 57 Classic plus humbuckers and have the luthier do his thing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabriel E. Posted August 25, 2004 Share Posted August 25, 2004 Not sure if you were "ripped off". All the things that you mentioned seem to be things that would have been apparent when you tried the guitar. Those are not the kinds of flaws that a dealer can hide. Worn frets, a wonky neck, inoperable pots and bad pickups should have been blaringly obvious in the store. Did you crank the guitar through an amp and give it a good working over before you bought it? "You never can vouch for your own consciousness." - Norman Mailer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gifthorse Posted August 25, 2004 Share Posted August 25, 2004 I agree with Gabe, have you tried to go to the store and complain? http://flagshipmile.dmusic.com/ http://www.myspace.com/gifthorse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitarzan Posted August 25, 2004 Share Posted August 25, 2004 well if the frets and neck are really wore, then someone really liked it enough to play the hell out of it. the guitar has aged nice to, new wood is not gonna sound the same, i would bet the grade of the mahogany is better as well than what you will see in a new guitar. put some nice buckers in there and bring it back to life, but do check the store for possible compensation. maybe they will do some of the work to make you happy? do you have a pic? i love SG's. http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=193274 rock it, i will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Compact Diss Posted August 25, 2004 Share Posted August 25, 2004 kinda funny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitarzan Posted August 25, 2004 Share Posted August 25, 2004 who me? http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=193274 rock it, i will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shoes Posted August 25, 2004 Share Posted August 25, 2004 Okay... the first thing to remember is that you wanted a piece of history. That you've got, an original 67 SG is a classic guitar. More so than my 70 standard. Mine needs a fret job, neck repair, I've got a wonky pot and I had to repair a coil myself. Part or most of this happened while I've owned it and it's just the outcome of owning and loving a guitar too much. All neck related maintenance with older guitars should be expected because it's the most fragile and temperamental part of the instrument. The price, $1550 is likely book value for this condition and would it have been "clean" you would have looked at $2000 - $2500 and mint would be $3000 so you have a fair deal with this instrument at your current investment. I've successfully sought and found vintage parts so you can get replacement pots if you take some time and search for them. A refret is natural at this age and you're likely in a better position given that it's going to be done (perhaps) for the first time with a new owner who will give a shit about how it's done. As for the neck condition, relief adjustment or any leveling of the fretboard (adjust first / level lastly) it's an SG neck! Be careful with it. Check the pickups yourself with a ohm meter. Check the solder joints and if they are shot you may want to send them to a pro who can repair them properly. These should be Patent Number pickups and are a large part of the sound this thing generates. They're worth repairing or replacing with vintage originals or SD Antiquities to keep that look and sound consistant. Be patient. An investment like this can take some time to be fully appreciated and in the end it's very worth the time and effort. ps. If there are any parts you don't want to keep if replacing with new pickups... call me! There's also a vintage SG case for this on eBay right now if you're interested. I still think guitars are like shoes, but louder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alcohol_ Posted August 25, 2004 Author Share Posted August 25, 2004 I expected to have work done on the neck. When trying the guitar at the store, the volume output of the guitar was noticeably less hot than a new guitar and had less bass output but to our ears was a more pleasing sound. The pots worked to our observation. It was at the luthier's shop, and his judgment, when he put some meters on the pots that they were sub par and also when he put some meters on the pickups. He said that the condition of the pots would have the symptom of excessive brightness, which has been my observation at use since buying the guitar. He also demonstrated the difference in output volume at his shop. We noticed that at the store, but I was ignorant that that meant a significant flaw in the guitar. We preferred the overall sound of this old SG to the new ones in the store. The luthier got indignant at the store when examining the pots and the pickups. That's when I got concerned. After reading some of the posts here, I'm inclined to believe I got a fair deal and will have this luthier at least repair the neck and replace the pots. I'm not sure what I should do with the pickups. I'm wondering about replacing them with the Gibson Classic 57 plus pickups or having the pickups on the guitar now, repaired, which I believe will be significantly more expensive. Any advice on this quandary on this would be appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.Fuzz Posted August 25, 2004 Share Posted August 25, 2004 I would get the pots replaced and put in temporary replacement pickups, getting the originals repaired when you can afford it. Be sure to keep the original pots... drfuzz "I'm just here to regulate the funkiness" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitarzan Posted August 25, 2004 Share Posted August 25, 2004 a nice pair of Seymour Duncan 59's or antiquities. where is the pic? please http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=193274 rock it, i will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabriel E. Posted August 25, 2004 Share Posted August 25, 2004 If you want to maintain the "vintage value" of the guitar save up and spare no expense in the repairs. Get the neck fixed and refretted with vintage spec. frets. Get the pickups rewound (there are a number of businesses who advertize in the back of Vintage Guitar Magazine that do this). Replace the pots with vintage units (have to track these down). Do not refinish the guitar - an original finish that's in poor shape is worth more than a shiny new paint job. If you don't care that much abut resale value(hey, it's not an early 60s model) and just want a really good player that will sound killer, get the neck work done, have it refretted with your choice of fret wire (you might want taller than vintage spec.), replace the PUs with Seymour Duncan Antiquities or some nice hot Duncans or DiMarzios and replace the pots with sealed Clarostat RV4N units. Don't refinish it because an old, beat up guitar looks REALLY COOL. "You never can vouch for your own consciousness." - Norman Mailer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alcohol_ Posted August 25, 2004 Author Share Posted August 25, 2004 Thanks all, I'm going to take the advice of replacing the PU with the Seymour Duncan antiquities and the pots and save for later repair. Here's a picture with its brother guitars: http://music.multifarity.com/guitars.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the stranger Posted August 25, 2004 Share Posted August 25, 2004 Cool pic, alch! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shoes Posted August 25, 2004 Share Posted August 25, 2004 Those marks below the tail piece make me thing it had a Lyre tremolo originally mounted on it. The bridge and stop piece are pretty sparkly and but for that difference it looks just like mine. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v258/pek63/70SGb.jpg Nice family I still think guitars are like shoes, but louder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Red 67 Posted August 25, 2004 Share Posted August 25, 2004 It looks clean in the picture! My Dad sold a mint '68 corvette because of a 50 dollar oil plug. He admits he freeked out and shoudn't have sold it! Big Red's Ride Blog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgstrat Posted August 26, 2004 Share Posted August 26, 2004 I installed Duncan Antiquity Humbuckers in my '66 SG Standard and they will NOT be removed. It's a magic combination! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Posted August 26, 2004 Share Posted August 26, 2004 Is it just me or does anyone else think this luthier sounds like he's exagerating things to up his fee? If the pots work, they work. If they're scratchy or have drop outs they need to be replaced. Vintage pickups are not as hot as modern ones so of course they're not as loud. You already said they sounded better than the others so why change em? I'd definately get a second opinion. Anyone who would be uncool about these things I wouldn't trust doing fretwork on my axe. PS I always thought SGs didn't have nearly enough wood in their necks. Folks like the thin feel but you need more meat for stability FWIW. -David http://www.garageband.com/artist/MichaelangelosMuse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alcohol_ Posted August 26, 2004 Author Share Posted August 26, 2004 I'm going to get another opinion. I'm no expert on guitars. In the things that I am expert on I've observed a wide divergence of opinion by other self acclaimed experts so who to trust in something that needs to be researched. I've had him set up a new Strat for me and other players who have tried the guitar, with decades of playing experience, have noted how well it plays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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