I would like your oppinion on this matter

Hello,

Im in a bit of a dilemma... My dream guitar is pretty much for sale on ebay by some guy in england (i live in Denmark, so i won't have to pay taxes). I have been writing back and forth with this guy about the price, and he is willing to sell it to me for around 4000 dollars without shipping and insurance.
But im unsure if i should actually make the purchase of him, if it's worth it. it's alot of money :confused:
The guitar was made back in 2004 by Gibson custom shop and had a price tag of about 5500 dollars.. I have heard many videos on youtube where it's played and it sounds amazing. But you know, it's alot of money for a guitar i have not even played...
Also in my oppinion there is alot of bucklerash on the back of the guitar since he has gigged a bit with it. View the pictures in the link below.
So i just want a second oppinion from you guys. Do you think it's worth it?
check the add on ebay below:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/slash-gibson-les-paul-/161319848399?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item258f6989cf

Have you played this particular model/year at another time? I can understand why you are hesitant - that's a lot of money to drop on something you've never laid your hands on. The only way I'd consider it were if I had played that guitar or a similar one at another time.

Maybe you can work a deal with him where you could have a week to return it to him if it isn't to your liking?

Well my Epiphone has the exact same neck profile as this one. so i have basically played on this neck before.

I don't really know if the one week thing could work out :/ it would be crazy expensive in shipping costs.

also, what do you think of the pictures?

It looks to be in decent shape. The buckle rash isn't bad - it's not like it's worn down to the wood, which I've seen. There also appear to be some scuffs in the finish by the cable jack.

The scratches look like they may be small enough to be buffed out by somebody that knows what they are doing.

It's definitely been played. At least it's already had it's first scuffs and stuff so you don't need to be ultra careful with it regarding the finish.

Just some observations in case you missed them (which is easy to do when you have found your "dream guitar":

Tobacco burst paints the back of the guitar black, so there will be no wood grain on the back of the guitar or neck. There's also no pickguard...you are cool with that? Vintage tuners as well - not locking. Uncovered pickups...I always perfered the look of nickel covers on the pickups.

Neck profile is very important, so that's good that you've played that profile already.

Shipping costs may be crazy expensive, but the guitar is crazy expensive too :-).

I would NEVER pay that much for a guitar I hadn't played, held, petted, fed and named first.

but in some strange sense i HAVE played it since i have an epiphone with the same neck profile. Ofcourse it's not the same but in a way...

I don't know what to do about this :(

and yes, im aware that there is no pickguard (i like that)

''Tobacco burst paints the back of the guitar black, so there will be no wood grain on the back of the guitar or neck''

What do you mean by this?

I'd have to +1 w/Bob99 on this one. It might be (probably is) a really good guitar and the price might be a fair/appropriate price but thats an awful lot of money to be rolling the dice on. I once drove 5 hours, each way, to first-hand a pricey instrument I was pretty set on buying - and ended up passing on it. Never regretted it. A long day and $80 in gas well invested. Good luck.

Originally Posted by: caponi14but in some strange sense i HAVE played it since i have an epiphone with the same neck profile. Ofcourse it's not the same but in a way...

I don't know what to do about this :(

and yes, im aware that there is no pickguard (i like that)

''Tobacco burst paints the back of the guitar black, so there will be no wood grain on the back of the guitar or neck''

What do you mean by this?

The color scheme of tobacco burst looks similar to desert burst. Desert burst guitars have the back painted solid opaque black, meaning you can't see any woodgrain. If you research desert burts, you'll find it's a complaint about the finish. It's hard to tell from the pictures if that's the case with this guitar.

Just one of those things you want to be sure of if you buy this guitar without ever putting your hands on it.

I understand your dilema - I recently bought a guitar (new) without ever touching it. I knew it was a roll of the dice, but all that was at risk was some dissapointment since I had a month to return it for a full refund. You don't have that luxury...

Is there a decent used guitar market in your local area? Do you think it's possible that this model and year of guitar could show up locally for you?

Something else to consider...

yes i know it's problematic that i can't try the guitar. but i really can't see when i will ever get a chance to play one, in the danish republic. It was only made in 1200 copies and i doubt they will get sold in the near future...

But as i said im pretty sure i know what the guitar will feel like. Since i have an epiphone with the same neck profile

maggior this guitar is long gone sadly :( only 1200 copies made in 2004.
Alot of people on the forums say that it's the best Les Paul they have ever played....

This is very frustrating

I didnt' realize how highly regarded this guitar is.

When I meant "can you get your hands on one", I assumed used. Sounds like that isn't very likely.

Perhaps you can research EBay to see how often it has sold for in the past and for how much? This way you can be prepared to resell it if for some reason you don't like it.

I don't know about in other countries, but in the US, Ebay is really good about getting your money back in the case of fraud. I spent over $100 on a DVD set that seemed too good to be true...and was because they were bootleg copies. Ebay got me my money back.

The seller has good feedback.

If you are certain that this is the guitar of your dreams, I'd say go for it. Even if it turned out to have some issues that might require a tech to fix, it would be worth it assuming that this guitar is really "the guitar of your dreams".

Ultimtely, only you can answer the question :-).

Having just spent 2 months agonizing over buying a guitar, I have a sense of what you are going through. It's a big investment and you are afraid of making a bad choice.

exactly, im afraid of making a mistake that im gonna regret. But damn... that guitar is a beauty...

Thank you for the good advice!

I've can't offer any advice on the guitar but you're only a couple of hours flight away so for the sake of €3k+ I'd spend the extra 100 and get a flight over.

If the seller is resistant to you coming in person and paying cash I'd be concerned about the offer and would leave it all together.

I understand what you are saying. I am considering flying over there to see and play it...

But yeesh!... frustrating