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Black and White advert for the Gibson Citation in Down Beat December 1969. Note the price!
DG
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08-09-2023 03:31 PM
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I punched that into an inflation calculator. That's $19,950 today.
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that was double the price of a '69 Super 400.
no wonder they barely sold any then....
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In around 1970 I was offered a '59 sunburst Les Paul for $2500....
That was a lot of money back then!
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That was a lot of money even in '69.You could go into a Sam Goody back then and a get new Telecaster for around $200.
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That sounds about right for the going price today. Mine was appraised at $20k for insurance purposes.
Originally Posted by BigDaddyLoveHandles
Tony
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Dont you guys wish it was 1969 again?
I remember, and I hope I dont screw this up..
My cousin Sandy and her friend baby sat me and my brother (I was 6yrs old at the time) the night we landed on the moon. My parents went to see Stevie Wonder and Gladys Knight and the Pips that night at the Harlem Cultural festival.
We were glued to the TV that night, watching the Moon Landing. My memories of that year are all beautiful. More memories of 1969 than any other year of my childhood.
A Gibson Citation would have been TOTALLY out of the question for me at the time. But a NY Yankee uniform with a "7" on the back and a Pitchback was all I ever wanted.
Life has been great.
JD
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Around '69 I traded a Casino for '61 Les Paul / SG Standard. The one with the horrible side-ways vibrola. I see there's one at RetroFret at just south of $30K. If it didn't get lifted in '75 I might still have it... and might be able to retire!
(or buy a Citation :-)
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Though I remember those times you mention, I don't wish it were 1969 again. The reason is that two years later, I was in Vietnam. Perhaps the second time around I might not be fortunate enough to make it back home. But what I do wish is that I had the foresight to buy up some of those guitars that are worth a mint today and then to hang on to them until they were worth that. Originally Posted by Max405
Tony
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I’m sorry Tony.
Thank you for your service.
JD
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What makes the Citation so special vs a Super 400 or Le Grand or other high end Gibson besides the price tag? I was looking at Le Grands, beautiful, but I don't see where the rather substantial price difference lies between it and a Citation. What am I missing?
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DB, The volute on the headstock of the Citation is a unique feature not found on Super400s or Legrands. It is one of the most strikingly beautiful features on a guitar that I've ever seen.
The same volute was replicated (by probably the same brilliant luthier) on the Unity Guitars. I remember picking up Patricks Unity, and shipping it to the buyer. I stared at that Volute for hours that weekend. In retrospect, I wish, I never shipped it out.
Its basically like an option package on a 911. For a mere $10,000 more, you can get Porsche logos embroidered into the seats, a leather dashboard and some contrast stitching. Is it gonna drive better? No. Is it gonna go faster? No. Is it going to make the buyer happier? Well, that depends on the buyer.
I wish I had a Citation. Maybe it would stop me from looking for better.
Ha ha.. Probably not.
JD
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Originally Posted by DawgBone
I used to wonder that myself ... now I have all three ... Super 400, Le Grand and a Citation
They are all outstanding guitars.
I can't speak for all Citations and other archtops, but my Citation is a few levels above my already fabulous Super 400 CES and my Le Grand.
Maybe the biggest thing for me is that I find the highs on the Citation to be crisp, clear and beautiful, while I usually dislike the highs on my other archtops and try to tame them down a bit. Supposedly they only used the best woods they could find on the Citations, and they spent that extra effort tap tuning the tops and backs on them.
Overall, the Citation has richer fuller tones to me and the "acoustic sound" of the guitar comes through the pickup in a very pleasing way.
I could see a really nice Le Grand coming close. but I suspect they were going for a different sound with the Le Grand.
And Super 400s come in many flavors and from many eras so who knows what you'll find out there.
Is it worth the price difference? Maybe. Maybe not.
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I have a Legrand 2001 and my friend down the road has a Citation maybe from 15 years ago or something like that. I actually like the sound of my Le Grand a little better it is more even and warmer. But either one works. My 2003 L5c Custom Shop carved specifically for acoustic though sounds better than both of them and at least as good with more power.
Moral is don't judge guitar by the Gingerbread, judge by the sound, especially Dangelico's and L7's.
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Sam Goody sold guitars? Originally Posted by nyc chaz
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I think he meant Sam Ash. Originally Posted by John A.
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I bought my first guitar, a Yamaha flattop that my brother still has from Sam Goody in the early 70s Originally Posted by Stringswinger
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That luthier was the late Aaron Cowles who was with Gibson for many years and built many of the Citation guitars. He eventually left Gibson and opened his own shop where he built the Unity guitars. He was indeed a brilliant luthier and I rate his archtops among the most beautiful ever made. I have sometimes regretted that I didn't try to order a guitar from him while he was still alive and active, but he was not well known here in Europe where I live and I only became aware of him from Patricks posts about him and his guitars here on this forum. Originally Posted by Max405
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there was one @ Carters for the longest time until recently but looks like it's gone Originally Posted by oldane
Unity Royal Diamond 1992, Natural | Carter Vintage Guitars
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No I meant Sam Goody.In fact two guitars were bought there in the Green Acres mall.The Tele was on sale for $189.99.,Blond and brand new and i still have it . Originally Posted by Stringswinger
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Thanks Max. No problem. We all have some kind of history. Originally Posted by Max405
Tony
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Were Oliver and Lisa Douglas there then? Arnold the pig at least? Originally Posted by nyc chaz
Sorry, couldn't resist.
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I have not had the pleasure of playing a Le Grand. It seems to me that: Originally Posted by Bluedawg
I used to wonder that myself ... now I have all three ... Super 400, Le Grand and a Citation
They are all outstanding guitars.
I can't speak for all Citations and other archtops, but my Citation is a few levels above my already fabulous Super 400 CES and my Le Grand.
Maybe the biggest thing for me is that I find the highs on the Citation to be crisp, clear and beautiful, while I usually dislike the highs on my other archtops and try to tame them down a bit. Supposedly they only used the best woods they could find on the Citations, and they spent that extra effort tap tuning the tops and backs on them.
Overall, the Citation has richer fuller tones to me and the "acoustic sound" of the guitar comes through the pickup in a very pleasing way.
I could see a really nice Le Grand coming close. but I suspect they were going for a different sound with the Le Grand.
And Super 400s come in many flavors and from many eras so who knows what you'll find out there.
Is it worth the price difference? Maybe. Maybe not.
1. A guitar choice is a very personal thing and a given guitar may be just right for one person and not another. So judging whether a given guitar is better than another really depends on the individual player.
2. Whether the price of a given guitar is worth it is again a personal thing. To me, my Citation is the finest instrument I have played. I suppose if I could find and play a whole bunch of instruments in the higher price ranges, I may find something I like better, but wouldn't my time be better spent enjoying what I have instead of constantly searching for more, more , more?
3. I would think that when you get into the price ranges of the better Gibson archtops, one could find something that works for him or her across that range, assuming that such guitars are available to that person to try before buying. So whether the guitar cost $10k or $20k, if it is the right guitar, it is worth it whether it cost $10k or $20k.
I never planned on spending what I did on the Citation for any guitar - until I played it. As far as I was concerned, I had the cash and the guitar was there and I was deeply affected by the experience of playing it. So I bought it.
Tony
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Green acres mall was one of the first to become an enclosed mall in the U.S.King of Prussia mall in Norristown Pa was the first.Happy to enlighten you. Originally Posted by wintermoon
Were Oliver and Lisa Douglas there then? Arnold the pig at least?
Sorry, couldn't resist.
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I live within an hour of the KOP mall, the guitar show was there for years before moving up the road to Oaks.
There was a report on the news a few weeks ago that it's the 3rd largest mall in the US.
.
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