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Many thanks to all of you for sharing your knowledge and insights!
I really appreciate it.
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07-21-2015 03:44 AM
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The way he's holding the pick is more conventional like in his early days, not as exaggerated as his later grip.
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If I were in the market for a 175 I would be en route to archtopheaven's house!..especially at such a good price for a blonde 175!!
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Mine does. Doesn't bother me!
Originally Posted by Stringswinger
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Sorry last time I was in Sweden the SEk was about 11 to 1 on sterling. I just checked the currency converter and its gone up (sterling), so £1,700 is now SEK22,801 Originally Posted by orri
Thanks everyone for your input.
The general consensus seems to be that it is a bit overpriced and that I should ArchtopHeaven's gibson.
As has been mentioned, guitar prices are a bit higher in Sweden where I live. If a guitar on ebay costs $1000 + shipping in a non-EU country, I need to pay 25% sales tax, so it is $1250 + shipping. (the greco is actually at $1900 (the $2000 was a rough fiurue) so paying ~$650 for superior condition, being able to see it and try it and avoiding shipping costs, doesn't sound that unfair )
New guitars in local shops also have a 25% sales tax and that affects second-hand prices too.
If I buy something from another EU country it usually includes that counties sales tax which tends to be lower (15%-20% is common).
I will definitely give ArchtopHeaven's Gibson a good consideration.
But his currency translations and calcluations seem to have gotten a bit off track somewhere
1700 GPB = ~2650 USD = ~23 000 SEK, so less than 40% (or ~6500 SEK) more than the Greco without the shipping, but it skill seams like a better deal deal.
(I didn't bold text to offend or belittle or anything like that. This post of mine just has a bit massive amount of text and this is perhaps the most relevant input for the threads current discusion, in case someone just wants to skim through my post.)
Yes I had read about the serial dating and wondered where that 69 number came from. It might be information that came with the guitar to the shop or something, but it could be false.
The shop is called Jam, and is in Östermalm.
they have very limited information and just a small photo on their website:
Greco FA80 ES-175 blonde -69, beg. (Stockholm) - Jam.se
The descibtion translates to:
This one looks very similar (to me at least): EXC 1970s Greco ES175 ES 175 Archtop RARE Lawsuit Hollow Jazz Japan Vintage | eBay
apart from that the tuners were different, didn't have a star on them, and the pickup covers didn't have the Greco logo.
The neck felt quite narrow. Much more like my strat (43mm) than my Loar (44,5 mm) (but though with a deaper neck profile than a strat). It might have been 41mm, but regardless of what specs it has or has not the neck felt really great.
But there will always come a new craving anyway
I guess part of a satisfaction is finding a great deal too
Owning a great guitar that you make a connection with is really great, but it is even greater if you think you feel you got it for a good price, rather than thinking about every now and then if you perhaps paid a bit too much for it.
Pus shipping SEK 1,000? ruffly
You're looking at about SEK-24,000 all in.Last edited by Archie; 07-21-2015 at 08:59 AM.
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it was also the amount of zeros you got wrong Originally Posted by ArchtopHeaven
at one point the Gibson was estimated at 195 000 SEK including shipping.
and at another point it costed 300 SEK more than the Greco (with its 16 500 SEK price tag)
I think it caused some readers to think they were the practiacally the same price, when really the difference would be enough to buy for instance both a new MIM Fender tele and a new Roland cube 40.
Anyway, I've sent ArchtopHeaven a private message and pulled the trigger on his Gibson.
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Congrats !!!
No matter what other gear you think you could get with the difference in price on the Greco/Gibson once you PLAY the Gibson you will KNOW the difference... Like decent wine, you get what you pay for. And you're getting a terrific guitar from an upstanding individual who took care of all the little details one might need adjusting when buying any guitar...
Again Congratulations !!
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Originally Posted by BigMikeinNJ
Thanks Mike, thats very kind of you.
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Wise move Orri. At the end of the day, it is hard to beat a 175 for jazz guitar.
Congrats!
Cheers,
Marc
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That was a feel good story..
Orri- you are gonna love that particular 175. You have no idea how "right" your decision was at this point. If you keep it for a long time, you are going to remember all the great advice you got from the fine people here and you will smile.
You didn't just buy a guitar. This is an event!
Enjoy.
Joe D.
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Well we are still working out figures but if I can make it work then great.
If Orri decides to go ahead or not its all good. It can be tricky buying from abroad :-)
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Well sometimes deals sour over the financial part. You gotta be wise enough to see that a truly great guitar appreciates in the hands of the owner (you) if they love it and play it enough.
Six years ago I found a truly gorgeous guitar on eBay, it had been listed four times and hadn't sold. It was a dead wringer for a Benedetto Manhattan and made of almost obnoxiously gorgeous spruce and flame maple, all solids woods, all hand carved body. What caused it not to sell for $1100.00 American back then ?? It had no name on the headstock and no label inside. I contacted the seller and we spoke a number of times, obviously I was excited and yet cautious. The seller assured me the guitar played and sounded fantastic. And he was such a man of character I was totally comfortable dealing with him. I took a chance and bought it and an OLD Benedetto hand wound floating pickup (a old Kent Armstrong) from him. When I finally paid the money to finalize the deal it was all I could have hoped for and more.
About six weeks ago on the Facebook Eastman Guitar Group page one of the moderators, one of the original guys with Eastman, piped up when he saw this photo and told me how he and the principles at Eastman hand picked the woods for that guitar personally, it was the FIFTH guitar Eastman made and back then Eastman didn't have anyone who could do inlay work, thus the no name on the headstock issue was explained... And I learned the provenance of my guitar from someone who was there. This is one guitar I'll starve before I'd sell.
Sometimes you gotta have a little faith, don't get too distracted by the numbers, look at the guitar for it's potential.
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That's a very nice looking guitar!! Originally Posted by BigMikeinNJ
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Thanks for the compliments on my guitar, right now I have those stick on block MOP things on the fingerboard, I'm just too lazy to detune the strings and remove them. Here's the front of the guitar before the stick on decals, next to it an early Yunzhi 810 5th Anniversary copy. Wish I had kept it. On the far right another great guitar, an Eastman T146smd with Seth Lover 4 wires and push pull pots. Should have kept that one too.
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ArchtopHeaven, what about holidays in Sweden to deliver the guitar...
Orri, what about holidays in UK to pick up the guitar...
Or you can meet somewhere in the middle ....
Just sayin' ....
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Originally Posted by 339 in june
I hear the North Sea is nice this time of year ......
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WOW! Mike that's beautiful. That's a keeper for sure. Originally Posted by ArchtopHeaven
And you, you handsome devil.. You make a good pair!
Joe D (medium size Joe from NJ)
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Originally Posted by Joe DeNisco
The funny thing is after getting this one I saw at least TWO more just like it on from the original early batch mine came from. I contacted both sellers and got cordial conversations going (at first thinking I'd grab a 2nd one). Turns out both guitars were given by Eastman as artist promotions. One kid who now goes by the handle DaveySuicide on Facebook was a singer in the Baltimore area where Eastman offices are located. Imagine, being GIVEN one of these. You can spot them a mile away, they had these cheap curly que pot metal tailpieces, the Jinko stair step tuners (mine still work fine) and that crazy pretty wood.Last edited by BigMikeinNJ; 07-21-2015 at 05:32 PM.
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Hi june, Originally Posted by 339 in june
I actually had a guy come over from Spain (yes on the plane) to buy my Guild X-175 (1981). It cost him £45 for a return flight, he arrived at 11:00am I took him for lunch at 1:00pm and by 3:30pm he was taken back to the train station for his journey home. He put the guitar +case in the over head language compartment, so no troubles there.
I used to fly to Sweden on a return for sometimes as little as the air tax's (about £25).
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