Broken Les Paul on EBay - Many tips in this post!

I discovered a very honest merchant whilst scouring the Ebay want ad for guitars. This ad screamed "Truth in advertising," because the merchant verbally listed all the defects of the guitar and then included excellent graphic images detailing the defects. This merchant is honest but not all of the Ebayer's in this universe are honest. Look for ads that do the following but not limited only to this list:

• Describe the defects.
• Show the defects.
• Explain that the guitar is sold "as-is".
• Ask questions of the merchant if you have any inquires.
• As a merchant - List everything and detail everything and over do it!

I purposely didn't include the ad I am speaking about because though it is a great example of salesmanship - I wouldn't want to affect the sale positive or negative. The pictures speak for themselves but I'll throw in my two cents...

The following photos show excellent examples of what happens if you think you know how to fix a guitar but really don't know what you are doing. The logic is there but the application is flawed and the detail is rushed. The results is a guitar that a skilled luthier can fix but probably never recover the actual value lost due to errant repairs. This guitar was mid-way through it's bidding process on Ebay and was up to $800. If it is completely repaired and brought back into shape - It probably will be worth about $1200. The caveat being "professionally repaired." which in reality would probably take hours to fix over a series of days. At $60 per hour (conservative), this guitar isn't a worthy prospect for a repair hobbiest. Safe to say you could buy a decent guitar at Guitar Center for about $800.00.

Therefore, don't get in over your head and do what this barnyard mechanic did to this once fine Gibson Les Paul Custom. Take your guitar to a professional luthier. An now with no further delay... The pictures... Enjoy!

Photo details heavy scratches - Also, none original jack (evidence - long jack shaft)

Nails used as dowels. Don't try this at home!

Wood screw dowel = Fail. Not refinished Fail by a magnitude!

Hidious metal dowels - Whiskey tango foxtrot?

I guess the original replacement weren't good enough?

Awesome - Original pickup - detail in photo and words!

Not original - Also, the pickup bracket screws are too long!

Distinct difference in pickup appearance is an unsettling clue about the originality of the instrument's parts.

Most likely non original pots and definitely not factory wiring!

These circa late seventies Gibson cases were great in concept but failed in reality because the plastic became brittle and over time the latch key stops broke off - Kudos to the merchant for detailing the defect!

The Gibson Logo was epoxied to the case - It's gone from the rectangular recessed area on the case face.