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Top Ten Guitar Buys Under $1000 - Updated by Larry Meiners I wrote an article in 1997 that listed what I thought were the best Gibson electric guitar buys under $1000. These guitars were selected because I believed in 1997 that they were great values, fine playing instruments and that these guitars were exceptional values. All the guitars have increased in value along with the rest of the vintage and collectible guitar market. Today, the article could have been titled, Top Ten Guitar Buys Under $2000, if it were not for the 1975 Flying V in the number 2 spot that appreciated the most… a whopping 174% in four years. The original article pricing came from the 1995 VG Price Guide that was current at the time. I make the assumption that the price range listed in this updated article represents market prices for an all-original, excellent-condition instrument. This popular article has been updated with additional comments and current pricing (highlighted-bold). I don't know what will happen to the prices of these guitars in the future. Obviously, they could increase, decrease or stay the same. Only time will tell. 10) 1979 Firebird 76, natural finish, $700-$950 Original Firebird V models sell for $3500-$9500 depending on color and features. These 76 models are the preferred reverse body style produced in recognition of our country's 200th birthday and show the Firebird logo in red, white and blue. They are well built (neck-through construction) and the second reissue after the 1972 Medallion series. Only 67 were finished in natural during 1979 and less than 3,000 Firebird 76 models were produced between 1976-79. Firebird guitars do not have many "rock stars" using them, which has kept the price of this reissue guitar reasonable. March 2001 Pricing: $1300-$1600 These guitars are still a great value and a well-made reissue model. 9) 1979 Flying V2, natural finish, $400-$750 The original Korina Flying V guitars from the late 1950s only became popular long after they were introduced. The V2 was not successful when it was introduced and is now, over 20 years later, approaching their original list price in terms of market value. They are very unique instruments with multi-wood laminated construction, body contours and pickups only found on these guitars. Production numbers are only available for the first year (157 in 1979) and they were discontinued in 1982. As with the Firebird reissue, not many "stars" play the V2. March 2001 Pricing: $800-$1200 Several players said they don't like the sound of the Boomerang pickups and some mention the weight of the guitars. For the player grade V2 guitars, install a Seymore Duncan stacked humbucker inside the heart-shaped pickup cover and the tone should sound more contemporary. 8) 1969 Firebird I, sunburst finish, non-reverse, $650-$950 Original Firebird guitars were called 'reverse' style and these are the non-reverse models. The non-reverse model does not share the same neck-through construction as the original. These redesigned Firebird instruments were introduced to avoid legal action by Fender. Fender asserted that their design patents were violated with the offset waist design of the original reverse Firebird. I find this interesting, as the non-reverse models look more like Jaguar and Jazzmaster guitars than the reverse style. Only 34 sunburst "I" guitars were produced during 1969 with less than 2,000 "I" models total. Less than 6,000 Firebird guitars were produced between 1965-69. Very few 1960s Gibson electric guitars, other than short scale and student models, have market values below $1000 today. March 2001 Pricing: $1300-$1600 This is a cool Honduras mahogany Gibson with a unique sound and is much less than a reverse model. 7) 1976 Les Paul Signature, gold finish, $600-$950 Top lists of Gibson electrics must include the Les Paul model due to the importance of their flagship product. Although, this model is not your garden-variety Les Paul guitar. These Signature models are hollow-body instruments with Mr. Les Paul's favorite low-impedance pickups. In 1976, low/high impedance humbuckers were added. Traditional Les Paul trapezoid inlays and Gibson headstock logo were used on these guitars. About 1,400 were produced during the life of the model and 146 were made in 1976. March 2001 Pricing: $1400-$1900 A few guitar players from popular bands played this model during the late-1990s and increased the demand and the market price for this guitar. 6) 1967 SG Special, cherry finish, $650-$900 SG models are unique sounding and mean looking Gibson guitars. Few 1960s Gibson models are priced below $1000 and this version usually is equipped with a vibrola tailpiece, pearl logo inlay and P-90 pickups. SG Special models were produced in relatively large quantities compared to other Gibson electrics during the 1960s and averaged 1,800 guitars a year. March 2001 Pricing: $1200-$1600 It's still a 1960s Gibson even if it's not a Les Paul. 5) 1977 Les Paul Custom, black finish, $700-$950 Gibson Les Paul guitars are to the vintage guitar market what IBM is to the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Les Paul Custom guitars from the 1970s are very popular and have been used by many bands during the last 30 years. Who could forget the cover of Frampton Comes Alive with Peter and his triple-pickup black Custom? A 1977 model is considered a utility guitar, but is a mainstay for the bands wanting that fat Gibson tone. With the list price of a new Custom north of $3000, this model represents a good value. March 2001 Pricing: $1300-$1500 The Rolling Stones and countless other bands have used Les Paul Custom guitars. As player guitars, they fit the bill nicely. 4) 1969 ES-330TD, cherry finish, $550-$850 These are hollow-body guitars and different than the semi-hollow-body ES-335TD, although they look similar. Production began in 1959 and lasted until 1972. The 1969 model was changed to include a full-scale neck like the ES-335, versus the short-scale necks of the predecessor. Single-coil P-90 pickups were installed and the guitar has a pearl logo. About 1,000 were produced in 1969 with a little over 500 finished in cherry. March 2001 Pricing: $1400-$1600 The long-scale neck and the powerful P-90 pickups make this a 'big' tone machine. 3) 1976 Explorer (reissue), natural finish, $650-$850 This model was Gibson's first attempt to reissue the 1958 Explorer. These reissues were made with mahogany instead of Korina and that doesn't entirely explain the $74,000 difference in market value. Very few original Explorers were produced during Gibson's golden era of solid-body design during the late 1950s. More than 2,000 Explorer guitars were made in 1976. March 2001 Pricing: $1100-$1500 The Explorer has been a misunderstood model since its introduction in 1958. A great solid-body guitar with wicked cool looks and a giant humbucker sound. These early mahogany, 1st reissue guitars are finally being discovered. Twenty-five years of age for the tone-o-files and a hefty discount from the original Korina model to boot. 2) 1975 Flying V, sunburst finish, $625-$950 Flying V and Explorer reissue guitars were popular from the late 1970s to the early 1980s with the explosion of heavy metal music. They tend to be trendy instruments although the early reissues have demonstrated consistent demand. The 1975 V was the first year of this fourth Flying V model introduction. It is made of mahogany and not Korina (similar to the first Explorer reissues) and over 1,800 were made in 1975 alone. March 2001 Pricing: $1800-$2600 The 1975 Flying V has appreciated greatly since 1997. Collectors began to realize the importance of this first year guitar from the 1975-1982 Flying V model. This guitar is similar to the 1971 Medallion Flying V and half the price. The sunburst, black and white models are considered rare compared to the natural finished guitars from 1975. 1) 1983 ES-335 Dot-neck reissue, cherry finish, $850-$950 The ES-335 guitar is a workhorse instrument and is one of the market's favorite Gibson models. With semi-hollow-body construction and vintage features, this guitar compares favorably to the 1972 walnut ES-335TD in the same price range. The '72 model has a volute and a trapeze tailpiece, whereas the Dot-neck reissue does not have a volute and uses the preferred stop tailpiece. Early reissue ES-335 guitars represent good value in the marketplace. The original 1958 Dot-necks sell for well over $10,000. March 2001 Pricing: $1200-$1600 The ES-335 represents a remarkable design that is essentially a semi-solid-body guitar. The tone signature is amazing and artists from Eric Clapton to Eric Johnson have recorded with ES-335 guitars. That's the update folks. Happy hunting... and playing!