-
That damaged label would concern me. There may be an innocent explanation. I would bring a mirror with and examine the inside of the guitar for water damage myself.
That said, labels do fall off and it is possible that it somehow got damaged outside of the guitar. Ask the seller when you have the guitar in hand, before forking over the cash. Good luck!
-
01-12-2021 01:08 PM
-
Yes, that is the first thing the luthier did after purchase this morning. We saw the two glue points where the label came off. It all checked out with the luthier, tip top shape!
Originally Posted by Stringswinger
-
Originally Posted by tomvwash
-
I have a 2002 ES-5N Switchmaster with a label that fell off. The dealers who had it left it unglued. Tom Gould was the first dealer who listed it on gbase. It remained unsold as Tom asked over $4400 for it. That was way above market price back in 2012. Tom Gould traded it in part to Dave's Guitars for the Super 400 Charlie Christian Natural and Super 400CESN Thinline Switchmaster. These latter two guitars found their way to two forum members here eventually. I bought the 2002 ES-5N from Dave's. Dave's had the Super 400CCN for sale priced at $8000 as a used guitar! I know because I nearly bought it from Dave's in 2012. The Super 400CES Thinline Switchmaster was higher priced at over $12500.
Sorry for the ramble. I wonder what kind of Gibson appropriate glue I could use to reattach the label. It is in a ziplock sandwich bag in the case.
-
Interesting story. Mine is in a ziplock now as well. I want it back on (inside), of course, but probably will have the luthier do it, along with a setup. Originally Posted by Jabberwocky
-
They must be using some weak glue, the "Master Model" label in the only modern Gibson I own was floating around inside the guitar when I bought it. I never glued it back in, the next owner can if they please.
-
It is this called resale value that concerns me: how much does an unglued or lost label affect the resale?
I am aware of the feigned conniption fits lowball buyers go into when the dastardly Gibson invention of the Noughties called the COA is missing. It is just a ploy to get a lowball price. My answer is that there was a time when Gibson issued no COAs with their guitars. Would they be any less authentic then? I hate the damn COA. Who knew that buyers would put a value on it?
Sorry for the ramble again.
-
I figure that buyers who are ignorant enough to demand a COA for a guitar that never had one in the first place are too much trouble to deal with in any case. Originally Posted by Jabberwocky
An unglued or lost label should not affect resale value, but it can scare buyers who do not have the sophistication to determine if the guitar is real or fake. It is easy enough to reglue a label that has come off. Missing labels of some years can be found in reproduction.
-
Hi
could this be the signature of James D. Culberson?
It's from a 2015 L-5 Lee Ritenour
Thanx, Rainer
-
If you can't read it, it probably is. It took me a while looking at guitar labels to decipher my label.
Thanks John
-
Just found this...
A Master Luthier's Desk (James D. Culberson?)
This video is quite reassuring regarding the Gibson Custom Shop.
I was under the impression, they stopped building Archtops.
I was wrong :-)Last edited by Rainer; 03-17-2024 at 05:08 AM. Reason: Video in wrong spot
-
Thanks for posting the video- it did sound like he said “Doug Culberson’s desk”
I thought the Crimson Shop guitars were every bit as good as the Hutch period guitars and was mortified when they closed the Crimson programme (and when they closed Memphis too- those 59 R/I 175’s were often fantastic).
I fear that new Gibson archtops will be incredibly expensive though given their pricing on existing custom shop solid bodies and limited editions.
When they start to release these to shops, maybe it might at least cool the secondhand gibson archtop market prices, which have gone crazy in since Crimson closed.
-
Originally Posted by Ob Com
Thanks for posting the video- it did sound like he said “Doug Culberson’s desk”
I thought the Crimson Shop guitars were every bit as good as the Hutch period guitars and was mortified when they closed the Crimson programme (and when they closed Memphis too- those 59 R/I 175’s were often fantastic).
I fear that new Gibson archtops will be incredibly expensive though given their pricing on existing custom shop solid bodies and limited editions.
When they start to release these to shops, maybe it might at least cool the secondhand gibson archtop market prices, which have gone crazy in since Crimson closed.
There have been some new 2020 to 2023 Gibson L5s pop up on the forum here from members who bought them in the last year or two and I've seen a few for sale out on the internet.
The prices I've seen were around 9 or 10 thousand US.
Not as crazy as the list prices on the Crimson era guitars, but they were a little more than you would have paid when the dealers forced to buy the Crimson archtops were trying to get rid of them.
Not sure if there have been enough new ones recently to affect the prices of the old ones. They do seem to be rare or flying well under the radar since Gibson has yet to put archtops back on their website. Although, these factory tour videos certainly show them in production.
They also seem to be filling backorders so ordering one now may not be possible, yet.
-
Hey there, I recently stumbled upon this post while searching for information on an L-5ces guitar that I’m contemplating purchasing. It appears that this is the same guitar you inspected in Rome back in 2019! (I compared the serial numbers from both the selling ads.) Originally Posted by v281
The guitar is currently available for sale at the store in Rome, and I’m considering traveling there to check it out.
Could you please share the reason behind your decision not to purchase it? Additionally, do you recall the asking price?
-
Hey Ronkin, there’s a blast from the past! Brings back fond memories from my pre-Covid 2018-2019 L5 hunt Originally Posted by Ronkln
As I recall, it really came down to the fact that I was only in Rome for 2 days for a business meeting - didn’t have much time for guitar shopping and had that nagging concern that there might potentially be an issue with the neck (probably nervous jitters on my part - more than likely just a matter of the guitar needing a set up at the time, rather than anything serious). I was quite tempted and was strongly considering returning to have it set up + inspected by a recommended luthier so an informed decision could be made when I came across another L5 online, for sale by a reputable dealer in the Netherlands. The terms offered by the dealer allowed me to have the guitar delivered and inspected by a trusted local luthier within the 30-day ‘money back guarantee’ window, thus removing most of the risk from the transaction (see NGD thread here, 2002 Gibson L5CES ).
Unfortunately I can’t remember the asking price for the ‘88 guitar in Rome. The guitars I was looking at then were mostly in the 5200-5700 EUR range, however, so odds are it was somewhere in that ballpark. Prices seem to have risen quite a bit in the 6 years since so that’s probably not particularly useful information.
Best of luck in your search and be sure to post a NGD-thread when you find what you’re looking for
Last edited by v281; 01-08-2026 at 04:04 AM.
Reply With Quote
Looking for a artchtop
Today, 01:09 PM in Guitar, Amps & Gizmos