1957 Les Paul Goldtop

[roadsweeper]

I have owned for a few years now a beautiful goldtop Les Paul that plays like a dream. When I last got it serviced, I was told that it was very old, probably from '62. After doing a bit of research into the very confusing serial numbers issued it seems to me that it may possibly be from '57. I have included pictures here for analysis, please let me know if further pictures are required and I will post them.

The reason why I am curious is because I only really play acoustic guitar these days, have not really played my Les Paul properly for a couple of years. Therefore, I am considering selling it in order to buy a nice acoustic, however I am not sure of this yet! Therefore, if anyone has any idea what it is worth approximately then I would be very interested. The serial number is: 7 6766.

[VintAxe]

Sooooo roadsweeper, just how did you acquire this Les Paul?

I agree that the serial number looks authentic for a 1957. Here is an example from a 1955 model:



I'm no Les Paul expert and you should probably seek one out for help. If it turns out you do have a 1957 Les Paul Gold Top, you won't be selling it to buy an acoustic guitar, you'll be selling it to buy a house.

If your guitar is genuine, value is somewhere in the $100,000 to $150,000 range. You may want to check out some of the 1957 Les Paul gold tops listed for sale on Gruhn's Guitar site.



Good luck, I hope you hit the jackpot. sb

[Spud1950]

I'm sure you're right about it being '57.Check out this page.



Scroll down to "Gibson Serial Numbers, 1952 to 1961, solid body models. " It's pretty clear about the serial number on your peg head. Ink stamped, five digits, space between first digit and the other four, first serial number digit is last digit of the production year,so 7 would be 1957. It can't be a '62 anyway because 1958 was the last year for the gold top finish until it reappeared in 1968 and by then the serial numbers were actually pressed into the wood instead of ink stamped.Your guitar is the transition model when sometime in '57 Gibson first came out with the then new PAF humbucker,replacing the P90's found in the earlier Gold Tops. As far as value, the '57 Paf humbucker Gold Top is probably the most valuable of all the vintage Les Pauls. I've seen asking prices of ones in perfect condition as high as $150,000! Of coarse,as far as value,condition and originality are everthing.Yours has two obvious problems that I can see. First,the pickups are missing the chrome covers.It may be a case that someone removed them,or that the pickups were replaced.That needs to be looked into. Removing the covers hurts the value somewhat,but replacing the original pickups would do some serious damage to the value.Also, as I'm sure you're aware,the tuners aren't oringinal.That too hurts the value.Even with those issues,you still have a valuable and historic guitar,but you really need to have a hands on examination and certified appraisal done by a reputable appraiser to determine it's actual value. You've got a real valuable jem there, so don't do anything hastey until you've got a professional appraisal on it!

[roadsweeper]

Thankyou for the quick reply.

I bought it around 5 years ago in Birmingham (UK) for around £1400. I always thought that it was especially nice, but just thought that was Les Pauls in general as I haven't really played any others.

As you can see from the pictures, the previous owner must have fitted those locking mechanisms (sorry I don't know the technical terms) on the pegs so surely this might affect it's value? Also, I don't know if the pickups are the original ones but again I know very little about guitars apart from playing them.

[Spud1950]

[VintAxe]

[jeff mercer]

Roadsweeper, where did you purchase the guitar ? Private sale or at a Music Shop ?
What with the internet, the wide range of books available, & the ever-growing awareness of the value of certain vintage guitars, it's hard to believe there would be a music store left on the planet that would'nt recognize a '57 Goldtop if one was brought in for trade in, consignment etc. so I'm guessing private sale ?
Like the others have said, an expert could tell you in two seconds flat if it's a bona fide '57, a doctored re-issue, or a forgery.
One thing that stands out is the condition of all the plastic hardware. The pickguard, pickup rings, toggle switch tip etc. are all remarkably clean for a 50 year-old guitar, as there is normally at least SOME discolouration or shrinkage on guitars of that vintage.
Good luck, mate, and PLEASE let us all know what you find out !

[jamesthomason]

Hey there. I just wanted to say that you have a beautiful Les Paul. I am not as Gibson savy so I can't really help on how much it is worth but if you go to the blog I think you can buy a Vintage Guitar pricing book somewhere on the page which really helps. Again very beautiful guitar!

[Spud1950]

[jeff mercer]

Truss rod cover is completely wrong, check your books , no 50'/60's or even 70's Gibson guitars sported that shape..this will be very interesting

[roadsweeper]

[roadsweeper]

In relation to the truss rod cover, I have done a bit of research online and images from other 57's seem to have very similar covers to mine. However, I did find one example where the bell at the top of the cover is more pronounced, is that what you meant jeff?



As can be seen in the larger picture the bell is more pronounced. However, in the almost unintelligibly small image this is not the case.

This may get interesting!

[Riotonsunset]

Not to be a downer or anything but are you sure your guitar is not a Gibson Custom Shop 57 Reissue? they have serial numbers like your guitar and that case is from the 90's or early 2000's.

[roadsweeper]

Surely if it was a re-issue the serial numbers would be nothing like the originals as this would suggest forgery? In regards to the case, the seller had a few Les Paul cases and it was only after a bit of bargaining that I managed to get him to throw one in. Therefore, I know that the case did not originally come with the guitar as I chose it out from about 4 or 5. On the link to the guitar on ebay the serial numbers are in yellow but I have read that this was normal for the dark coloured backed goldtops. I am tempted to take the pickups apart to check for the 'Patent Applied For' marking although that would only really tell me if the pickups are original and not the guitar. I am trying to find experts in the area but have had no response so far. Will just keep trying.

Thanks

[roadsweeper]

Also, I just remembered that when I last got the guitar serviced (about 3 years ago) the woman doing the job phoned me up very excited to inform me that it is from '57. She said that it was either original or the best forgery that she had ever seen. Sorry that I forgot to mention this, I completely forgot about it. She did give me a signed document verifying the guitar which I don't have any more. However, obviously I need to get an opinion from a Les Paul expert as I'm not sure how much knowledge she had in this area, she did do a very nice service though!