Gibson R6 Relic

SRD81

Hi guys,

I'm after some advice if possible? I'm in the market for a Gibson Les Paul Gold Top R6 with P90s. The trick is, I love the look of a beaten up Gold Top with age checking and the gold turning to green in places. I don't have the dosh for an authentic vintage guitar but I'm gassing for this beaten up look which leads me to the following questions:

1. What's a fair price for a well used R6 right now?
2. Should I really have such a guitar (professionally) reliced? Surely I should be shot at dawn for this, as well as losing a chunk of the guitars value?
3. Should I just get a 2018 LP Classic (GT with P90s) and relic that instead? These seem to be decent enough guitars (played one recently at Peach) but are obviously a step down in quality from the R6 and quite heavy - but at least I'm not butchering a custom shop model, right?

Thanks!

designerseye88

SRD81 said:

Hi guys,

I'm after some advice if possible? I'm in the market for a Gibson Les Paul Gold Top R6 with P90s. The trick is, I love the look of a beaten up Gold Top with age checking and the gold turning to green in places. I don't have the dosh for an authentic vintage guitar but I'm gassing for this beaten up look which leads me to the following questions:

1. What's a fair price for a well used R6 right now?
2. Should I really have such a guitar (professionally) reliced? Surely I should be shot at dawn for this, as well as losing a chunk of the guitars value?
3. Should I just get a 2018 LP Classic (GT with P90s) and relic that instead? These seem to be decent enough guitars (played one recently at Peach) but are obviously a step down in quality from the R6 and quite heavy - but at least I'm not butchering a custom shop model, right?

Thanks!

Sounds like it may be worth speaking with some of the builders on this forum. I'm sure most of them could make what you want at probably a better price / quality than some of the big names. 

SRD81

Thanks, I think that would be a great plan - the only hiccup is that I'd want 'Gibson' on the headstock and this usually proves to a be a sticking point (quite understandably!)

tone1

I’ve got a Navigator P90 Goldtop which is ace....Don’t rule out Non Gibson stuff

SRD81

I think Gibson is just so ingrained in expectations when I look at a LP style guitar that I just can't seem to break myself away from wanting to see that logo on the headstock - it just feels right! Ridiculous I know!

p90fool

SRD81 said:

I think Gibson is just so ingrained in expectations when I look at a LP style guitar that I just can't seem to break myself away from wanting to see that logo on the headstock - it just feels right! Ridiculous I know!

It's not ridiculous at all, guitar buying is not a totally pragmatic decision, there will always be an emotional element.

Personally I can't stand Les Pauls with a different logo and a 1980s Hondo-style headstock, whether they cost four quid or four grand.

Sometimes.....

http://i68.tinypic.com/28rczeq.jpg

chrisj1602

There’s this...

https://www.coda-music.com/catalog/product/view/id/18536/s/gibson-custom-heavy-aged-1968-les-paul-goldtop-on-order/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI4oi_07CV3wIVQrDtCh0bIQqvEAQYAiABEgIDx_D_BwE

SRD81

Ha! Bizarre, but I actually quite like that!

Skipped

I would get the used R6.

You are absolutely correct when you say that older Gold Tops look great, but I don't think they have to be beaten up. 10 year old Historics look great. Even the gloss ones, because the gold has the beginnings of patina. VOS would be even better.

A pre 2012 R6 should be "affordable" because it has the older inlays (not celluloid), it has a sheath over the truss rod, and a few other differences. Not that important. The inlays are not expensive and you could probably do that yourself.

So, I would look for that guitar. And then think very carefully about the drastic checking and greening. I think we are just at the point where relicing will get more impressive and will be delivered by temperature more than by Tom Murphy's knife technique. The right person to do the job will turn up. It might even be you after extensive research.

I would pick a used Historic over a new Gibson USA guitar every time.

p90fool

Or just lend it to me for a while (here's my 2012)

http://i66.tinypic.com/2qk2o7n.jpg

thebreeze

It's sounds like you know exactly what you want.  Buy the R6 and have it aged, you'll be really happy.  If you have it done well personally I don't think it will affect the value much either.

SRD81

Skipped said:

I would get the used R6.

You are absolutely correct when you say that older Gold Tops look great, but I don't think they have to beaten up. 10 year old Historics look great. Even the gloss ones, becasue the gold has the beginnings of patina. VOS would be even better.

A pre 2012 R6 should be "affordable" because it has the older inlays (not celluloid), it has a sheath over the truss rod, and a few other differences. Not that important. The inlays are not expensive and you could probably do that yourself.

So, I would look for that guitar. And then think very carefully about the drastic checking and greening. I think we are just at the point where relicing will get more impressive and will be delivered by temperature more than by Tom Murphy's knife technique. The right person to do the job will turn up. It might even be you after extensive research.

I would pick a used Historic over a new Gibson USA guitar every time.

Thanks for the advice, I think you're right, I should hold out for a used R6 over the USA model. What do you reckon I should be paying for a pre 2012 R6 - £2,500? Or is that wildly optimistic?

As for the relicing, I found this guy online (French-based) who looks awesome: https://www.relicartguitares.fr/

Was thinking of asking either this chap or Vini at Vini's Relic Guitars to take on the challenge (or I could just lend it to you! Love the P90 in the bridge BTW)

Skipped

chrisj1602 said:

There’s this...

https://www.coda-music.com/catalog/product/view/id/18536/s/gibson-custom-heavy-aged-1968-les-paul-goldtop-on-order/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI4oi_07CV3wIVQrDtCh0bIQqvEAQYAiABEgIDx_D_BwE

There you go.

The raw image has decent detail.

https://www.coda-music.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/l/p/lpstd68psl12597.png

Nobody is going to confuse that with the  "Snowy White" GT, but it is not bad. It looks too uniform for this critic.

Just imagine how good it could be.

Skipped

p90fool said:

Or just lend it to me for a while (here's my 2012)

Amazing...

That is exactly what I was thinking.

Lend it to p90fool !

vairish

SRD81 said:
Should I just get a 2018 LP Classic (GT with P90s) and relic that instead? These seem to be decent enough guitars (played one recently at Peach) but are obviously a step down in quality from the R6 and quite heavy - but at least I'm not butchering a custom shop model, right?

I'd say go with the R6. I've recently bought a Goldtop Classic and an R9 and there is no comparison between the two, the R9 is just a better guitar in every way.

If you got a good relic job done on an R6, I don't think it would effect the resale value that much. 

SRD81

Skipped said:

chrisj1602 said:

There’s this...

https://www.coda-music.com/catalog/product/view/id/18536/s/gibson-custom-heavy-aged-1968-les-paul-goldtop-on-order/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI4oi_07CV3wIVQrDtCh0bIQqvEAQYAiABEgIDx_D_BwE

There you go.

The raw image has decent detail.

https://www.coda-music.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/l/p/lpstd68psl12597.png

Nobody is going to confuse that with the  "Snowy White" GT, but it is not bad. It looks too uniform for this critic.

Just imagine how good it could be.

Agree. This relic looks really 'clinical' to me. Doesn't have enough variation. In short, it looks like a relic rather than an old guitar, which to me kind of defeats the point a bit...think I'll have to pass for nearly £6k!

SRD81

Skipped said:

chrisj1602 said:

There’s this...

https://www.coda-music.com/catalog/product/view/id/18536/s/gibson-custom-heavy-aged-1968-les-paul-goldtop-on-order/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI4oi_07CV3wIVQrDtCh0bIQqvEAQYAiABEgIDx_D_BwE

There you go.

The raw image has decent detail.

https://www.coda-music.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/l/p/lpstd68psl12597.png

Nobody is going to confuse that with the  "Snowy White" GT, but it is not bad. It looks too uniform for this critic.

Just imagine how good it could be.

Agree. This relic looks really 'clinical' to me. Doesn't have enough variation. In short, it looks like a relic rather than an old guitar, which to me kind of defeats the point a bit...think I'll have to pass for nearly £6k!

dazzajl

SRD81 said:

I think Gibson is just so ingrained in expectations when I look at a LP style guitar that I just can't seem to break myself away from wanting to see that logo on the headstock - it just feels right! Ridiculous I know!

I don’t understand that particular prejudice but I have enough odd ones of my own. 

Seems to me you actually know exactly what you want. And since you do, I doubt anything else is going to do it for you. 

DB1

About £2500-£2700 sounds about right. I paid £2500 for my 2001 R6 about three months ago, and it seemed to fit in with other prices that I'd seen. 

WezV

I hate the Gibson style of relicing, even though I use some of the same techniques.

Here is my stab at it... Step by step after the bridge talk
http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/136099/recreating-a-dogbone-bigsby-bridge-and-goldtop-relic-content/p1

Danielsguitars

Don't get Gibson aged stuff, it looks truly hideous and shit imo, the last murphy thing i saw was a joke

This is the last one i did, i love aged goldtops they always look better than heavy aged bursts to me