# When sellers confuse rare with desirable...



## StevieMac (Mar 4, 2006)

...you get something like this:









Very rare Gibson SG 1974 Green Burst | Reverb


Hello Everyone, I am really excited to show this very rare Gibson SG. This green burst SG was made by Gibson in 1974. It is my understanding that it was a limited run. I have owned the guitar for 20 years and I have never seen another one. Therefore, I will assume its rarity. The guitar is entire...




reverb.com


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## FatStrat2 (Apr 7, 2021)

Wow, $16K...


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## Mark Brown (Jan 4, 2022)

I like the cut of your jib 

Yeah, its "rare" because someone came down off a cocaine infused weekend of bad decisions and pulled it from production.


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## BlueRocker (Jan 5, 2020)

Barf. I'd bet that's a refin.

This looks off.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 4, 2022)

BlueRocker said:


> Barf. I'd bet that's a refin.
> 
> This looks off.
> 
> View attachment 426785


Nah man, that just cements the validity of my theory


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## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

BlueRocker said:


> Barf. I'd bet that's a refin.
> 
> This looks off.
> 
> View attachment 426785


Double barf!!!


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## Mark Brown (Jan 4, 2022)

SWLABR said:


> Double barf!!!


Wanna hear something gross?

I kinda like it =)


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## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

Mark Brown said:


> Wanna hear something gross?
> 
> I kinda like it =)


Weirdo.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 4, 2022)

SWLABR said:


> Weirdo.


We have been over this....

Y E S


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## nonreverb (Sep 19, 2006)

Mark Brown said:


> Wanna hear something gross?
> 
> I kinda like it =)


I'd kinda like it too....at $750


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## Relic (Mar 19, 2011)

Fugly.


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## BGood (Feb 20, 2015)

That is a seriously ugly guitar. Who thought a teardrop burst would work on a SG ?

I think it's a Green Lantern Especial


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## GuitarT (Nov 23, 2010)

May be original. I found at least one other older Gibson on line with the same putrid burst.


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## Roryfan (Apr 19, 2010)

So that's what Paul Reed Smith uses as a template for spraying a 'burst. Mystery solved.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

How on earth is that a "burst"? It's an incomplete paint job, is what it is.
And if it WAS done at the factory, it was done by someone who was in a hurry to leave work for reasons of a hot date, a court appearance, or a game they wanted to catch.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 4, 2022)

nonreverb said:


> I'd kinda like it too....at $750


I can tell you right now I won't be coughing up the 16K to see how much I like it in person.


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## elburnando (11 mo ago)

I've never actually seen a cockroach. So those are rare too?


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## Sketchy Jeff (Jan 12, 2019)

Mark Brown said:


> Wanna hear something gross?
> 
> I kinda like it =)


what about it? the novelty? the color combo? the awfulness of the shape combining with awfulness of the color and the mathmaatical principle of two negatives making a positive?
j


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## Permanent Waves (Jun 2, 2020)

GuitarT said:


> May be original. I found at least one other older Gibson on line with the same putrid burst.


If so, Gibson needs to put a trademark on the "Putrid Burst". Awesome name, I think it would be a seller!


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

mhammer said:


> How on earth is that a "burst"? It's an incomplete paint job, is what it is.
> And if it WAS done at the factory, it was done by someone who was in a hurry to leave work for reasons of a hot date, a court appearance, or a game they wanted to catch.


This may be true. It looks that way. But if it is original, and as old as it states, then the burst could have faded to look terrible like it does.


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## tomee2 (Feb 27, 2017)

mhammer said:


> How on earth is that a "burst"? It's an incomplete paint job, is what it is.
> And if it WAS done at the factory, it was done by someone who was in a hurry to leave work for reasons of a hot date, a court appearance, or a game they wanted to catch.


Maybe this is an example of the drop in quality in the 70s that Gibson is often accused of. A museum piece example of just how bad it really got?


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## nonreverb (Sep 19, 2006)

Permanent Waves said:


> If so, Gibson needs to put a trademark on the "Putrid Burst". Awesome name, I think it would be a seller!


Same with this one...the infamous Latte Cream Burst. When I was at Steve's, we dubbed it the "Barf Burst". A far more fitting moniker.
When Gibson misses, it's usually big.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 4, 2022)

Sketchy Jeff said:


> what about it? the novelty? the color combo? the awfulness of the shape combining with awfulness of the color and the mathmaatical principle of two negatives making a positive?
> j


I think mostly the novelty and I really like that green as translucent. The back however, that looks wretched.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 4, 2022)

nonreverb said:


> Same with this one...the infamous Latte Cream Burst. At Steve's we dubbed it the "Barf Burst". A far more fitting moniker.
> 
> View attachment 426875


See, I really like that one too.


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## nonreverb (Sep 19, 2006)

Mark Brown said:


> See, I really like that one too.


There's always one....


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

nonreverb said:


> Same with this one...the infamous Latte Cream Burst. When I was at Steve's, we dubbed it the "Barf Burst". A far more fitting moniker.
> When Gibson misses, it's usually big.
> 
> View attachment 426875


Yeah, whatever. I love that.


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## jimmythegeek (Apr 17, 2012)

Mark Brown said:


> I think mostly the novelty and I really like that green as translucent. The back however, that looks wretched.


I’d play that. Not for $16k but assuming it has T Tops it early Shaws it probably sounds OK. Aesthetics are important but they aren’t everything. FWIW Smoke Green is my favourite Gretsch finish 

The first guitar I ever fell in love with was a 97 or 98 Les Paul in translucent green that I saw on a magazine. I totally get why you like that.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

elburnando said:


> I've never actually seen a cockroach. So those are rare too?



I guess you never played at the Wellington Hotel in Barrie (AKA the Smelly Welly).

Fun bar to play in but what a freaking dive.

We had to hang our suitcases from the ceiling light fixtures to keep the roaches out.

I slept in the equipment truck.


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## Verne (Dec 29, 2018)

Moss may not grow on a rolling stone, but if an SG sat still long enough................... EWWWWWWWWWW. I like some of the oddballs, but even I have my limits.


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## 2manyGuitars (Jul 6, 2009)

nonreverb said:


> Same with this one...the infamous Latte Cream Burst. When I was at Steve's, we dubbed it the "Barf Burst". A far more fitting moniker.
> When Gibson misses, it's usually big.
> 
> View attachment 426875


I guess you guys never got a Gecko Burst in?


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Well, as the saying goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but if that orange peel nightmare was done at the Gibson factory, I have renewed confidence in my nitro finishing skills.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Agai


2manyGuitars said:


> I guess you guys never got a Gecko Burst in?


Again, not really a "burst", insomuch as the green simply ends and is not a gradual fade from one colour to another. The green itself is actually not that bad. If the entire guitar was translucently stained with that, and showed off the flame, it could actually be attractive. But the way it appears to be used here is appalling. Maybe not as appalling as the infamous "Zoot Suit" Gibsons (I saw one up close and it was seriously whupped with an ugly stick), but appalling nonetheless. As the saying goes: just because you *can* doesn't mean you *should*.


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## Ti-Ron (Mar 21, 2007)

I like it! Not to justify 16k but I like the color sheme!


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## Rollin Hand (Jul 12, 2012)

One of the few times I looked at the "Make an Offer" button and immediately thought "No."


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## Parabola (Oct 22, 2021)

Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should do it.

I read somewhere that Gibson back in the day, allowed employees to do a build of their own outside shop hours (I think this is still policy at PRS),.:the idea being they build up a skill set and hone it , and that translates into improved production quality. Perhaps that’s what this guitar was, an employee project that eventually found its way to the used market.


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## nonreverb (Sep 19, 2006)

Mooh said:


> Yeah, whatever. I love that.


Ok...two.


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## nonreverb (Sep 19, 2006)

2manyGuitars said:


> I guess you guys never got a Gecko Burst in?


Another gawd awful miss....


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

Milkman said:


> I guess you never played at the Wellington Hotel in Barrie (AKA the Smelly Welly).
> 
> Fun bar to play in but what a freaking dive.
> 
> ...


Seen lots of cockroaches at the Shorline in Thunderbay in the 80's (always played there on our way out west) It was actually a fairly nice place. I was told because its down by the water they get roaches.


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

I’m always find it funny when people refer to a black or other common colour left handed Strat as rare. WTF? Sure, maybe it’s less common than right handed but it’s not rare. Plus, your potential market is much smaller, making your interested buyer….rare.


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## nonreverb (Sep 19, 2006)

JBFairthorne said:


> I’m always find it funny when people refer to a black or other common colour left handed Strat as rare. WTF? Sure, maybe it’s less common than right handed but it’s not rare. Plus, your potential market is much smaller, making your interested buyer….rare.


...and when it doesn't garner enough interest....they pull the Hendrix card.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 4, 2022)

JBFairthorne said:


> I’m always find it funny when people refer to a black or other common colour left handed Strat as rare. WTF? Sure, maybe it’s less common than right handed but it’s not rare. Plus, your potential market is much smaller, making your interested buyer….rare.


There you go, you can start buying guitars and listing you as a "rare" buyer, commanding a discount


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

There is one thing much rarer then that green sg. A buyer who would pay 16k.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

guitarman2 said:


> There is one thing much rarer then that green sg. A buyer who would pay 16k.


I wiash that were so.

There are a surprising number of people who seem to think the more an instrument costs, the better it is. 

People are paying $7,000 ~ ??? for a CS Les Paul (and considerably more to have one artificially aged).

There's a buyer for a $16k green burst SG out there.


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

Milkman said:


> I wiash that were so.
> 
> There are a surprising number of people who seem to think the more an instrument costs, the better it is.
> 
> ...


It would really, really surprise me if there was a buyer out there that would pay 16k for a 74 SG even if it wasn't that ugly. I'm sure I've seen early 60's SG's that were half that.
Sure there are stupid people but anyone with that kind of money is going to know the vintage market and if they don't know the vintage market then they likely won't understand what the difference is between a vintage guitar and a new one at a fraction of the cost.
And I would pay 7k for a custom shop les paul before I'd spend the money on a vintage. And although I do like lite fake aging on Fenders I'm against it on Les Pauls. Les Pauls can be such pretty guitars and I really enjoy the shiny new look of my Les Paul Standard 50's.


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

About the only thing I have learned from watching Pawn Stars is old/rare <> valuable in many cases.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

guitarman2 said:


> It would really, really surprise me if there was a buyer out there that would pay 16k for a 74 SG even if it wasn't that ugly. I'm sure I've seen early 60's SG's that were half that.
> Sure there are stupid people but anyone with that kind of money is going to know the vintage market and if they don't know the vintage market then they likely won't understand what the difference is between a vintage guitar and a new one at a fraction of the cost.
> And I would pay 7k for a custom shop les paul before I'd spend the money on a vintage. And although I do like lite fake aging on Fenders I'm against it on Les Pauls. Les Pauls can be such pretty guitars and I really enjoy the shiny new look of my Les Paul Standard 50's.



Consider what matters to a collector. Quality, playability, material costs......none of those really matter. Those things matter to players. I'm not saying a person can't be both, but based on the asking prices I see for instruments and components alike, someone selling what I consider an ugly guitar for $16k is not all that unlikely.

What matters is how many there are and how many people want one (often simply because of how few there are).


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## Powdered Toast Man (Apr 6, 2006)

nonreverb said:


> Same with this one...the infamous Latte Cream Burst. When I was at Steve's, we dubbed it the "Barf Burst". A far more fitting moniker.
> When Gibson misses, it's usually big.


Fondly remembering the incredible strike out that was the Firebird X.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Powdered Toast Man said:


> Fondly remembering the incredible strike out that was the Firebird X.



The sad thing is, if you were to gut a Firbird X you might have a very good guitar according to some of the clips I've seen. Instead, they ran over a huge pile of them with a tracked excavator to make sure nobody could ever do so.


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## BlueRocker (Jan 5, 2020)

Milkman said:


> The sad thing is, if you were to gut a Firbird X you might have a very good guitar according to some of the clips I've seen. Instead, they ran over a huge pile of them with a tracked excavator to make sure nobody could ever do so.


I'd buy a Firebird X in a second if one came up at a decent price.


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## Powdered Toast Man (Apr 6, 2006)

Milkman said:


> The sad thing is, if you were to gut a Firbird X you might have a very good guitar according to some of the clips I've seen. Instead, they ran over a huge pile of them with a tracked excavator to make sure nobody could ever do so.


Gibson gonna Gibson.


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## nonreverb (Sep 19, 2006)

BlueRocker said:


> I'd buy a Firebird X in a second if one came up at a decent price.


I'm thinkin' $12 might push me over the edge.


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## polyslax (May 15, 2020)

I'd say Suhr drew some inspiration from the toxic burst SG. You can pick this up for a cool $8 Gs.


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