How Much for 72 Les Paul, Beat Up?

That is a fair price for what the guitar is--as it is described. It's really not too beat up at all; it's just old, and it has a few minor mods.

It won't last long.

 

I agree.

It's a bit rough, but looks solid. Probably a nice player. Beat up guitars almost always are.

The changed tuners/pickups aren't issues for me....but the hole drilled in the top for that mini toggle bothers me more than anything else. Could be a good bargaining point once deal making begins.

I'd also ask about weight. 70's Gibsons can be real war clubs.

 

there's currently a very informative thread about this...

 

Yeah, doesn't look too bad. The early 70's LP are known as boat anchors and can be VERY heavy sometimes. I dont know that that is a bad thing though, (other than your shoulder!) and one thing about them is they seem to deal with very low action well. They also were not that popular for those reasons and the company change in that time period. They used to be a bargain. It appears not so any more...

 

Oh, and about the case - seller is correct, though it lowers value when it is missing, the originals were pretty flimsy. The body of the case flexed at every step as you went upstairs - even back then. Not awe inspiring. I've got a period case for mine ('74 Standard) but hilariously, it lives in a much sturdier early-'70s Univox LP case.



That's the case behind me, here:



This one has played more gigs and sessions than I can count since I bought it used in '77.

Bob

 

I agree with everyone else. If you want it, buy it. It won't last long at that price. It's up on Reverb for one day and he's already gotten an offer.

 

My 75 Deluxe was just shy of 14 lbs. But man, it was probably the sweetest playing LP I’ve ever had. And sounded fabulous.

 

I had a Norlin era goldtop that just weighed way too much for me. It had a minor headstock crack repair and it bought and sold for about $2k. But it was also still in its original Deluxe configuration with original pickups. This is one of the many Deluxes that were routed out for full size HBs. I think the price is very fair, too, if it sounds good and feels good in your hands.

 

Yeah, wow 14lbs! I had a new goldtop back in about 71. I think it had minis? i remember trying to gig that guitar and even though I was only 24 years old it was too much!

 

Um, a 70s Deluxe would have come with mini humbuckers, so the "not modified" kinda isn't true. That said, done well it could be a good guitar. But it will be heavy.

I have no idea what it is worth.

Edit: I'm not sure about those tuners either.

 

Joining the chorus.
It’s a fair price.
That said, sometimes deals can be found on CL.
Norlin era stuff is considered vintage now.
I guess, cause it is.
I occasionally see player grade Gibson stuff on CL here going for good prices.

 

This just came up locally...

https://sacramento.craigslist.org/msg/d/placerville-1972-us-gibson-lespaul/7240209034.html

 

Bingo!

 

My first electric guitar was a 70's Norlin Blonde LP Deluxe and it was one of the years that had a mahogany neck like this one vs a maple neck which most have (if my memory is correct). Yeah the mini hb's are gone. I'd be all over that like...fill in the blank, for $2500 if I had the dough. And yes...it was a boat anchor.

edit...I'm not 100% positive about the mahogany vs maple neck but I believe it was a thing during those years. Plus I've seen one particularly in worse condition for $2800 and was gone in five days...ya snooze ya lose. I lost on that one.

Good luck one way or another.

 

In 1972 or 1973 I bought a new, black Les Paul Custom with gold hardware from Arnold Morgan in Dallas. I then moved to Austin and foolishly sold it there to a private party in 1974. I always wished I could get that guitar back somehow but reality says it won't happen.
It once feel onto a hardwood floor when the strap came off the end pin. I couldn't even find a scratch on it.
I wouldn't rule out a guitar just because it's from the Norlin era; there were a few good ones.

 

Mine had a maple neck and I actually really liked that aspect of it. Definitely a little brighter tone, along with the mini humbuckers.

 

There were no Standards built in 1972. The pre-production special-order run of LP Standards was from 1973-1975, with only about five coming out of the 1975 year. Whoever chop-shopped this one took off just enough parts that there's probably no way to tell if it ever was a Standard. The bridge is from Mars. The tailpiece is rusted but the Standards had chrome tailpieces that typically last really well like mine above. It was de rigueur to replace the Kluson keys with Grovers (even if I didn't do it). You might get a date off the pots if they aren't relplaced. You could look under the P/U covers and find out if there were mini-hums or P-90s before it was routed for large humbuckers.

Bob

 

I can't see the ad in the OP, what was the price?

Notable is the fact that the year in question is AFAIK harder to nail down, because those numbers didn't work the way we are used to.
And of course affordable pricing suggests changes.
My '71 was a Deluze and got full size HBs, also it seems that those came with pots that had some sort of issues and got replaced, along with tuners and hardware etc.

 

that's probably a fair price for that guitar, not a bargain but fair.