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Les Paul Juniors. Is everyone insane?!

crashbelt

Active member
Joined
Apr 10, 2016
Messages
103
In mid-2020 I sold my scruffy refin 55 LPJ and bought a nearly identical collector grade 55. That cost me net around $4,500. I thought that was a great value 'upgrade' and shows that if you're buying and selling its all swings and roundabouts in this heated market. I'm happy with the outcome - these are just incredible sounding guitars.
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Amp360

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 16, 2012
Messages
851
I don't get it mysellf. They're cool guitars but at five figures no thank you. About three or four years ago I bought a '55 Special in a pawn shop. It had been refinished a long, long time ago but everything was original except for the tuners (originals in the case). It came with the original pink and tan case as well. For $325 it was an amazing find. I think $3250 would have been about what I would have paid for it had iI seen it in a real shop.

I still have it and it's fun to play but I wouldn't want it as my only guitar. YMMV.

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agogetr

Active member
Joined
Jan 22, 2019
Messages
451
I had not noticed this change until reading this. I'm not surprised though given the time I have now being home bound so to speak. I wonder how crazy it will get. Do you think to the level before 2008? Glad I got mine back in the early 2000's. A 57 TV and 58 Jr.

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In mid-2020 I sold my scruffy refin 55 LPJ and bought a nearly identical collector grade 55. That cost me net around $4,500. I thought that was a great value 'upgrade' and shows that if you're buying and selling its all swings and roundabouts in this heated market. I'm happy with the outcome - these are just incredible sounding guitars.
Pnj7Ie5.jpg
love that 55. a lot of 55's had more black in the burst love that look. juniors could surge in price, i feel they have always been sleepers any way. ironically 2 buddies in different towns just hit me up for a junior this week. luckily they made thousands of them. and so many variations in pickups you dont know what you will find. my 56 tv sounds like a strat real trebly!
 

wernerg

Active member
Joined
Jan 27, 2002
Messages
754
I miss my '55 which I sold recently on Reverb.

Looking for full-scale 1957 single cut, "player grade". Refin ok, leaning posts, replaced parts OK.
 

agogetr

Active member
Joined
Jan 22, 2019
Messages
451
I have a real 58 special and the new reissues of the specials (I'm actually a Gibson Artist so I have most of the 2020 line) and both are their own animal, but I am looking for the vintage one because of the differences I notice between the special and the real one. Both are great, in some ways the new one is way easier to play, but the vintage has its specific uses for recording that I would like to utilize.

I miss my '55 which I sold recently on Reverb.

Looking for full-scale 1957 single cut, "player grade". Refin ok, leaning posts, replaced parts OK.
you may have luck posting les paul wanted in the instrument section of craigslist, its the only way i get a deal anymore.or from dealers back dooring me high end stuff but then its online sales prices minus 20 percent at best which i,l take with a ribbon on it if its something thats been on my radar for a long time.
a random craigslist add has paid off for me a few times, 52 lp, pre war 18, last month i posted wanting an old martin and a guy contacts me with a 47 gibson, and since i never shut up after an hour on the phone with him he announces he has a 60 strat i snagged and it was probably 5k under what it would actually bring. its a hardtail under 7 pounds!
i had advertised in 4 areas so i had to drive 5 hours. you may have to drive but i bet you will get a deal on a junior, last year a guy had a 56 junior for 4500 but i have juniors and didnt want to drive the 7 hours, if i could have seen what was going to happen with prices i would have told my wife a story so i could sneak over and get it
 

irishbog

Member
Joined
Feb 14, 2018
Messages
36
Indeed crazy.....
A few days I bought a 57 TV (neck repair) for more than I thought I would ever pay - which will mean at least that I will have had all the different LPs from the 50s - a 52 Goldtop, 55 Jr, 56 Special and now a 57 TV Model - I'm assuming I'll never get to have a PAF Standard or Custom.
I actually let those 3 Les Pauls go in trades so I went from 3 50s Les Pauls to zero in 2 months ! - Looking forward to when the 57 TV arrives next week.
(BTW - the trades were for Fenders - 57 Mary Kaye and 59 Esquire, and 61 Strat).

The 55 Jr I got on Reverb from Canada 2019 - stripped of finish and only 2600 USD
The 55 Custom (headstock repair)- for only 9000 and the Special from Rumble Seat (less said about them the better) for 8000
52 Goldtop (conv to 56 specs) for 12500 mid 2020 - those prices seem like a long passed time now don't they?
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ScumbackSpeakers

Active member
Joined
Dec 20, 2016
Messages
245
About 15 years ago during the "refi / cheap money" loan days, Juniors were priced up to around $15k. So the insane prices you see now are not the peak for Juniors and Specials.
 

jrgtr42

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 24, 2005
Messages
2,307
|When I was selling guitars, around turn of the century, 50's Juniors were a couple grand. Man, if I knew then what I know now... but at the time I really didn't dig the single pickup thing; I really liked the neck pickup (still do, as a matter of fact,) and couldn't see having a guitar without one. But I do like the single pickup thing now, with a Junior, now I'm kicking the idea of an Esquire build.
 
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