Sharks

[Bob S]

I tried not to post this but...
My jam buddy next door passed away suddenly 5 years ago.
His wife finally decided she could sell some of his guitar stuff on craigslist.
Offered me pick of the crop, but it would feel strange playing one of George's guitars.
His LP & Jeff Beck sig strat stand out from the herd.
The strat is probably the best I've ever played. No fret ware - low action - no buzzes - butter that you can beat with a stick & it will stay in tune.
I told her no less than $1200 for it.
Anyway, this guy shows up in a new Merc & offers her $800 with lots of spiel about how he'll look afetr it always.
Probably on ebay right now.
If it is, may the fleas of a thousand camel's infest his arsehole.
Might be getting a bit cynical in my old age.

[Zippy]

You did what you could - what happens from there is done.

May the healing continue.

All the best to you and yours.

[LeftyStrat]

It's creepy buying gear off of a dead friend. But at the same time. I would hope my friends got my stuff rather than a stranger. And I would hope they help my wife out by paying a good price for it.

[briane]

In my will - Some specific pieces of mine must be given to friends. Thats my way to protect certain pieces.

That is after he taxman and creditors get paid though, of course, if theres anything left.

[Gibsonman63]

In my will - Some specific pieces of mine must be given to friends. Thats my way to protect certain pieces.

That is after he taxman and creditors get paid though, of course, if theres anything left.

I have been thinking about doing the same thing. Of course, some of my gear will be like the proverbial white elephant. Too big to use, too valuable to give away and no reasonable person will buy it from you for what it is "worth".

[Scumback Speakers]

To the OP:

It works both ways on those types of sales. One of my best friends died 3 years ago and his widow needed to pay the property taxes on the house. She had me come over and do extensive research on what his guitars/amps/etc were worth. I gave her "real world" pricing.

When she need to sell some of it six months later, she'd gotten appraisals from someone in So Cal about their value separately, which were all a good 20-30% higher than what they were selling for in the vintage market, eBay, etc.

Long story short, I wound up paying $300 more than what I thought his 59 LP Junior was worth/appraised for because it was his, and she needed the money.

But that just goes to show you not every widow falls for a "sob story" and can be quite tenacious at making a deal.

I'm quite happy with the guitar, don't get me wrong, but I did overpay due to the situation.

[Bob S]

Thanks for the words of wisdom guys.
It ticked me off - but I'll get over it.
Something about that Strat though - you know when you pick up your main squeeze (guitar) & it just feels right. It was like that.
I'm not keen on signature series guitars as a rule, but that one is something else.
Someone, somewhere will get a hell of a guitar.
George would be happy with that.
Gotta make some provision for what happens to my gear on my demise.
Old age sneaks up while you're having fun.

[SoundPerf]

I had a 93 JB Signature Strat in surf green. It was the best Strat I ever played. The necks on those are not like most Strats and were perfect for my larger hands. I have to say though, that I bought mine used in perfect condition for $850 US back in 2001'ish from a music store. I would love to have that guitar back. I was big dummy for selling it.

[Bob S]

Georges strat was from the early 2000's at a guess. White, roller nut, locking tuners, noiseless pickups & a very nice neck profile.
I put a clone together myself with all of the above except the neck.
Nice but no cigar...

[LeftyStrat]

Speaking of the one that got away, back in the eighties, I walked into a music store with a big fat tax refund in the bank. There on the wall were two left handed Gibsons. A Jimi Hendrix Signature Flying V for $1300, and a black Les Paul Custom for $1500.

I played the V and it was okay. I picked up the Les Paul, played a note on it without it plugged in, and that note just bloomed and sustained. It was like the guitar was alive. It just seemed to respond to every little nuance, and this was with no amp.

Dumbass Mr. Responsible raised his ugly head and convinced me that the V would be a better investment, and indeed, I sold the guitar years later for a handsome profit.

I've played every left handed Les Paul I could get my hands on since that day, and none have come close.

That guitar still haunts me to this day. I'm sure I could spend a fortune and never find another guitar like that.

And the money I made off the V will never equal the years of joy I could have spent with that woman... Just kidding, kind of...

[Easto]

Before I get into my 2 cents I would first like to say that I am in no way am trying to diminish the tragedy of someone's death and I am sorry to hear about your loss.

With that said...
If you feel creepy about the situation just walk away. But stuff is stuff and you can't take it with you. I personally think there would have been nothing nobeler than you purchasing the stuff in the first place.

If I see a deal I snatch it up. About the only thing I'll immediately walk away from would be if I thought the equipment had been stolen. If someone is selling something of their own free will then it's an open market.

[Buschman]

Lefty I am a firm believer that 99% of that bloom and sustain is in the setup. Keep after it man. I personally hope to liquidate my stuff before a tragic ending, Have a great meal and some Jamison, maybe hit a high dollar titty bar-although that is nowhere near as fun as it once was. Last time I went one of our baby sitters was dancing. Four kids and no serious musicians. I am 53 and still have a Gibson from when I started playing at 8 years old. I would love the old Gibson 125 to stay in the family but not if they can't make it vibrate and moan through a cranked tube amp. I would truly want my stuff working and making people sweat and cry. I hope a pro and not some collector that has never played a 4 hour gig ends up with my stuff. Especially the things I have built.

[ampmike]

I hope Im not straying to far from the thread,but When I was 16 back in 1976 all I wanted was a black custom les paul.It was always just out of my financial reach.So my Mom made me go to comunity college.
I found out anybody could get a student loan for things,and your parents wont even know about it.So I got 1500 bucks and bought a 79 les paul brand new and a 69 firebird.I dropped out of school the next day because I knew I could become a rock star now Well that didnt quite happen,I wish I had stayed in college and become an engineer.On the good side I still have the guitars at 50 and I guess they are vintage now.We really dont own a thing in this world we just have it in our possession for a brief time.Then they go to the next person,This Les Paul is all stock.It has a KM on the headstock truss cover,I think they only made 200 and it will always be my favorite.The fire bird has a great easy neck to play up in the higher frets allways loved these 2 guitars.

[Reeltarded]

Mike, you have a Kalamazoo. It's the first stab at making a reissue.

What is the serial number application? Is it directly on the wood in ink, or something a little more odd?

Funny!

[ampmike]

Thanks Buddy,I thought I heard something like that from a guy who had one on ebay.I remember Ricky Medlock had his for sale in NJ when I was 18.That one had a fatter neck.Mine took some getting use too it has a really slim neck.But Ive played it for 32 years now.Ser#72289092 Thanks,Mikey