In December of 1980, I saw an ad in the Musical Instrument classified section of the Saturday Chicago Sun-Times. The whole listing read “Les Paul Goldtop. $400”. I already had one Les Paul (69 Custom, paid $650, still have it), but if one is good, two is better. I had the cash, I checked it out, rectangular case, it looked decent, so it bought it. Later that afternoon, Jim Beach at Wooden Music offered me $1,200 for it. Turns out, it was a 69 Les Paul Deluxe in great condition with its original gold-lined rectangular case (still have it). I did not believe that it was worth that much. Jim pointed to his wall; he had a 68 Deluxe hanging there for $1,500. (That was the day I learned something about 68-69 Gibson headstocks.) 1980 was ending, the serial number was 81 and four 7s, an omen! That day, I was bitten by the bug, and infected for a lifetime!
While we do not operate a brick-and-mortar store, we do have over 40 years of experience in buying, selling and collecting vintage guitars, as well as selling other desired and collectible objects online. We are fortunate to have the opportunity to offer guitars from the collections of several of our former customers, current associates and working musicians. And while we consider ourselves “educated” about guitars, we are hardly “experts”, so if you see or read something that doesn’t quite seem right, please let us know. We will look into it and totally appreciate the feedback!
Since we do not keep regular store hours, the best way to contact us is via email. We can setup a phone call or video session with an in-hand description of the instrument. Check out what we have posted so far and enjoy! If you do have some immediate questions that just can’t wait, or it you’re an old friend and just want to say “hello”, email us at virtuallyantique@comcast.net.
