Hi StratoRat
"Super high price" ?
My mate in UK, Greg, has bought a couple of Springys over the last year to 18 months on on eBay (one just a couple of weeks ago). He payed around US$850- $890 each for them, plus shipping from Japan. That appears pretty standard.
He tells me that apparently the rosewood neck ones (both his are rosewood) can typically go for a hundred or two more than the maple-neck equivalent so I guess you may get a maple around $700-ish.
He did ia lot of research & watched many other Springys over a couple of years, so he knows pretty much what to bid on them.
I think the prices are actually cheap compared to some of the new Fenders I see in the music stores here - remember the Springy's are about the 'equivalent' of the Custom Shop vintage, relic, closet-classic, NOS etc. He has one of those too (we picked it together out of more than 30, it was the best one in the store) and says his first Springy kills it - easily - on every level.
I got very lucky last year & picked up a 1981 Tokai LS-60 (Love Rock) for $535 plus shipping from Japan, but my friend had to pay around $800 for the two he picked up shortly after, which is more like the current going rate (pics on my homepage - link below).
I haven't been watching as intently or as long as him (though I check at least once every day for Springys & have them on my e-bay watch list), but I think to get one for $3-400 under those prices, as you seem to expect, would be very rare, espescially as this one, that you bid on, apparently has - in the seller's words -
"a Nitro finish so I believe it has to be at least an LS-80" (LS-80 would be
Les Paul
Standard 80, he means a ST-80, which is VERY rare compared to 90% of the Springy's on eBay which are just ST-50s. I've seen ST-80s go for $1,000 - $1,200 before now.
Guitar Gai usually has a couple on his site
http://www.guitargai.com/html_folder/gai_others.html
- there's one on there now for $1250.
- & remember, Springy's offered in the US tend to be a little more (perhaps refelecting the cost of shipping from Japan?)
Anyway, I hope that helps put things in perspective, & good luck getting a Springy at a good price!
