Gibson restoration?

[asedas]

Hi,

I'm looking for some new axe. I wanted to buy some old Gibson ES-125 at first but it's VERY hard to find a good one. Then searched for ES-150, ES-350 (which I like less as 125 has different scale) but the same problems: shape of guitar and high price.

In general I think those guitar are overpriced. It's not sth very special (most are in bad shape, need refretting, a lot of dings, missing lacquer, etc.) and only difference from current factory builds is the solid wood used.

There are ES-125 for good price (<2k EUR) but not in good condition so my idea now was to maybe buy one and restore it? What do you think? Is it worth it? Probably this should be restored to original state:
- complete lacquer renovation
- fill the lacks of wood (if needed)
- change tuners
- refretting

so question is: is it worth it and how to do this right to increase the value of instrument and not to harm it (ofc I won't do this but it's project for fine luthier). I haven't seen any restored Gibsons like that so maybe it's not worth it?

[GNAPPI]

My opinion only...

Refretting never hurts value unless done by a ham fisted "tech"

There are plenty of solid modern tuners that fit most gits without drilling and reaming that wont kill value especially if you keep the originals theres no argument.

Neck reset is common and a playable git is desirable where one thats not playable is a wall hanger

Once you get into refinishing you are on your own. Maybe a prospective buyer will be ok with it but for sure some will not.
Value is set by the buying audience.

The best mods IMO are those that are reversible AND if you have the OEM parts.

[Just Russ]

When I see “refinish,” I go cold and back away from the guitar, but that’s just me. I’m good with re-frets and even different tuners, but filled cracks and refinishes throw me off immediately.

That said, I love the idea of a project guitar I could tinker with and make my own. I hope to modify a Jaguar in the future during my off time, but I would do so knowing it’s a passion project for me to make the guitar best suited for me and my playing, not an investment piece for resale.

[asedas]

In general I was thinking about guitar to play not to hand at wall But you never know, someday maybe I would sell it and then would like to have some money back. I saw that Gibson offers also restoration as service so not really convinced that "refinish" (restore original lacquer and colour) would lower the value... but maybe I'm wrong

[Just Russ]

It’s definitely a divisive issue in the used market. Frets and tuners can easily be rationalized away as they make the guitar play better, but filled cracks make me start thinking about tonal impacts and most refinishes I’ve seen have been poly and too new-looking (for me - but I like the character of old finishes).

I did have a friend who had his Les Paul refinishes bun gibson and he said he was happy with it, but it was quite pricey. I don’t know how accurate that is now, though since that was something like fifteen years ago.

[icr]

I'm not a dealer or collector or guitar investor, but from prices I have seen, it seems original guitars in excellent condition demand the highest prices. Restored, re-finished or otherwise modified or repaired guitars exchange hands for less money.

[Cincy2]

It is possible to find older Gibsons in near mint condition for a price that is significantly lower than brand new but you have to be patient. Case in point: My L5 was made in 2002 but was unused. Put in a closet for 17 years and sold for half the price of new. Still a little pricey but if you have your heart set on a Gibson, you have to accept that you will pay market price.

Cincy

[asedas]

I've found this:
Gibson ES-125 Sunburst 1955 | Vintage Obsession Guitars | Reverb

is it possible to have this lacquer in such good shape after many years (looks like no scratches)? what do you think?