Video! 1986 Gibson Les Paul Custom Charcoal Metallic / Gun Metal Grey
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Listed:8 years ago
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Troglyville, OH, United States
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The Trogly's Guitar Show!
See, Hear, Learn About and Experience your new guitar... before you buy!
youtube.com/watch?v=uVfWOdM133w
The Case...
This guitar comes in it's original Generation 3 Gibson Chainsaw Case with Blue interior. All 3 latches are still present and functioning. It is free from any major odors and it just has average light wear and tear from storage/transit.
The Guitar! 10lbs 2oz | 60s Neck
This has been a search for the holy grail for me. In the Mid-80s, Gibson experimented with a few exotic finishes such as Pearl White, Bahama Blue, Ferrari Red, Silver/Pewter, Purple Burst, and Harvest Gold Burst - all of which are very rare and hard to locate - however, one of the coolest ones, Charcoal Metallic (aka Gun Metal Grey) has been a true pain-in-the-butt to find.
Why is it so hard to find? First off, this finish was only offered from 1985-early 1987 and not many were made. Due to the cool finish, metal-heads loved these Customs and it was very popular to route them out for a Kahler which destroys their collectible value. Also, due to the metallic nature of the finish, it is HIGHLY prone to finish checking and there is usually ALWAYS wear to the finish on the back of the neck. They're great looking guitars so they usually get played hard.
These Mid-80s LPCs in this finish are famously used by Mike Sullivan of Russian Circles and Bill Kelliher of Mastodon.
My hunt was to document one with minimal finish checking, NO finish wear and NO Kahler. I've been looking for close to 7 years...
Condition
This thing isn't 'mint' condition, but finding one cleaner than this would prove quite difficult. There is no finish wear on the neck and a Kahler has never ruined this beautiful guitar. It is all original EXCEPT for a new toggle switch tip and the plastic speed knob on the bridge pickup volume control has been replaced. The Tim Shaw pickups and electronics are untouched and original.
At the corners of the headstock there is some finish wear from brushing against something. There are light finish/polishing scratches on the face of the headstock. The neck is straight and the truss rod has plenty of adjustment room left. The frets show pretty heavy flattening wear up and down the neck. These are huge divots so a level, recrown job would make them look like new again. The guitar plays well as-is with low action, but with some fret buzz from the flattened frets. The ebony fretboard is in great shape!
There are a few minor dings on the top of the guitar, but it maintains a very clean appearance. There are some polishing swirls/scratches, but much fewer than you normally see. The switch tip and one of the speed knobs have been replaced - everything else is stock.
The back of the headstock has some light checking marks around where the guitar would rest on a hanging stand. There are no actual breaks, cracks or repairs to the guitar though. These checking lines aren't visible at all angles, but they do play peek-a-boo from time to time. This finish is very prone to finish checking and this is the least 'checked' example I've seen. The back of the neck as two small impression dings in the clear coat, however, the finish is still perfectly intact!
The back of the guitar has buckle worming marks, but none that break the finish. The sides has light play ware as well.
Conclusion
This isn't mint, and was obviously played quite a bit, but well respected. It is likely one of the cleanest Charcoal Metallic Customs out there as far as not having a the finish damage. I tried my best to note every little flaw that I could find as I am very particular about the condition of my guitars - especially when it comes to hard-to-find color variations. I'm PICKY about Charcoal Metallic and Gold Burst.
If you need a Charcoal Metallic / Gun Metal Gray Les Paul Custom in your collection - this is the one you want! If I was building a personal collection at this time - I would NEVER sell this one. It would be too hard to find one that would rival it's condition. Unfortunately, it plays too good and sounds awesome so I need to stop playing it before I wear the finish off the neck! haha
See, Hear, Learn About and Experience your new guitar... before you buy!
youtube.com/watch?v=uVfWOdM133w
The Case...
This guitar comes in it's original Generation 3 Gibson Chainsaw Case with Blue interior. All 3 latches are still present and functioning. It is free from any major odors and it just has average light wear and tear from storage/transit.
The Guitar! 10lbs 2oz | 60s Neck
This has been a search for the holy grail for me. In the Mid-80s, Gibson experimented with a few exotic finishes such as Pearl White, Bahama Blue, Ferrari Red, Silver/Pewter, Purple Burst, and Harvest Gold Burst - all of which are very rare and hard to locate - however, one of the coolest ones, Charcoal Metallic (aka Gun Metal Grey) has been a true pain-in-the-butt to find.
Why is it so hard to find? First off, this finish was only offered from 1985-early 1987 and not many were made. Due to the cool finish, metal-heads loved these Customs and it was very popular to route them out for a Kahler which destroys their collectible value. Also, due to the metallic nature of the finish, it is HIGHLY prone to finish checking and there is usually ALWAYS wear to the finish on the back of the neck. They're great looking guitars so they usually get played hard.
These Mid-80s LPCs in this finish are famously used by Mike Sullivan of Russian Circles and Bill Kelliher of Mastodon.
My hunt was to document one with minimal finish checking, NO finish wear and NO Kahler. I've been looking for close to 7 years...
Condition
This thing isn't 'mint' condition, but finding one cleaner than this would prove quite difficult. There is no finish wear on the neck and a Kahler has never ruined this beautiful guitar. It is all original EXCEPT for a new toggle switch tip and the plastic speed knob on the bridge pickup volume control has been replaced. The Tim Shaw pickups and electronics are untouched and original.
At the corners of the headstock there is some finish wear from brushing against something. There are light finish/polishing scratches on the face of the headstock. The neck is straight and the truss rod has plenty of adjustment room left. The frets show pretty heavy flattening wear up and down the neck. These are huge divots so a level, recrown job would make them look like new again. The guitar plays well as-is with low action, but with some fret buzz from the flattened frets. The ebony fretboard is in great shape!
There are a few minor dings on the top of the guitar, but it maintains a very clean appearance. There are some polishing swirls/scratches, but much fewer than you normally see. The switch tip and one of the speed knobs have been replaced - everything else is stock.
The back of the headstock has some light checking marks around where the guitar would rest on a hanging stand. There are no actual breaks, cracks or repairs to the guitar though. These checking lines aren't visible at all angles, but they do play peek-a-boo from time to time. This finish is very prone to finish checking and this is the least 'checked' example I've seen. The back of the neck as two small impression dings in the clear coat, however, the finish is still perfectly intact!
The back of the guitar has buckle worming marks, but none that break the finish. The sides has light play ware as well.
Conclusion
This isn't mint, and was obviously played quite a bit, but well respected. It is likely one of the cleanest Charcoal Metallic Customs out there as far as not having a the finish damage. I tried my best to note every little flaw that I could find as I am very particular about the condition of my guitars - especially when it comes to hard-to-find color variations. I'm PICKY about Charcoal Metallic and Gold Burst.
If you need a Charcoal Metallic / Gun Metal Gray Les Paul Custom in your collection - this is the one you want! If I was building a personal collection at this time - I would NEVER sell this one. It would be too hard to find one that would rival it's condition. Unfortunately, it plays too good and sounds awesome so I need to stop playing it before I wear the finish off the neck! haha
This item is sold As-Described
This item is sold As-Described and cannot be returned unless it arrives in a condition different from how it was described or photographed. Items must be returned in original, as-shipped condition with all original packaging.Learn More.
| Listed | 8 years ago |
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| Condition | Very Good (Used) Very Good items may show a few slight marks or scratches but are fully functional and in overall great shape.Learn more |
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