My dream finally came true...almost

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Anonymous

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For 10 years now I've been waiting for a EGF-1800 to come for a lower price than 3500 euros. Sitting here on sunday searching with google for EGF-1200 the following offer came up :

https://www.vintage-guitar.de/detailsitem_3447.html

I did not believe my eyes and gave this shop a call on monday morning asking for detailed pics because the pics in the lower section with the pickups out and were not there yet. I also asked for the crack and they told me they will have a look on it and make some pics. Later in the afternoon I called again and they told me they can not be 100% sure but they belive it is only a laquer crack and nothing that goes deeper into the wood. Pics have been uploaded in the evening and it was clearly visible that there is no veneer. The lines left from the neck pickup are going through the maple cap and the pickups came with the Z as well. I was sure I will buy this guitar but zooming into the newer pics from the crack made me feel not so happy. So I called a luthier well known for repair and restoring vintage guitars and asked him to check the pics from the crack. 5 minutes later my dream was gone as he told me this looks bad enough for a broken headstock even if it was hard to tell without having the guitar but the pictures only. So I gave the shop a last call to say I have to quit. Called another luthier who already built me a guitar and he sad immediately that a blind man could see the broken headstock here and not only a laquer crack. Looks like I still have to enjoy my two 1200
for a while but maybe someone here is brave enough to go for the 1800. The first luthier I called told me to make a perfect invisible repair would cost around 800 euros. After this one has paid 3200 and has still a guitar that had a break in the neck. So maybe it is easier to buy a good one for 3500...
 
That's a bummer but yeah, it looks broke. Find a silver lining and move on.

Happy hunting.
 
To be honest it is unnecessary or even nonsense as I have already 2 EGF-1200. One of them is almost a 1800 as it has a one piece body and the larger frets you normally find on 1800s and they are genuine from the factory. And the second is the best sounding Les Paul I ever had. But I've paid more for each of them as I would have had to pay for the 1800 here. So it would have been a bargain but in the meanwhile I think this shop knows what it is worth in perfect condition and they also know that this is more than a laquer crack and therefor offer it for much less. What I do not understand is why they do not say the neck is broken. The risk is high to get the guitar back or to get it back with a bigger damage after shipping and they are in business since 1985 and have a good reputation. No idea why they do not tell it like it is...
 
That's what Mark said when I bought it from him

https://photobucket.com/gallery/user/generalunrest2/media/cGF0aDpHcmVjby9HcmVjbyBTdXBlcnJlYWwgRUdGLTEyMDAgSEIyIDE5ODAvRFNDRjE0NzVfenBzZmI4NmYwNTMuanBn?ref=

It looks like a 2 piece with the seam right in the center but at the bottom where the pin for the strap is located there is no seam and the lines go transverse
 
comparing a 1200 to an 1800 makes no sense, as one is a veneer top & the other is a solid top.

maybe I'm missing something but I really don't think so.
 
I don't know. For me a dream guitar is one you play and it blows you right away. Specs and condition are exciting mainly at the moment of buying it online, but quickly forgotten once you get a good one. For all you know, it's a totally boring piece of wood, and it sounds like you have a great 1200 already.

About 7-8 years ago I bought this 1981 EGF-1200 on Yahoo auctions for 68,000 Yen. It had suffered a nasty headstock break, refret, has a non-original bridge, some of the veneer peeling off, some of the inlays lifting up, etc.. Frankly it was mainly curiosity about these guitars, so I threw in the opening bid thinking I could always take out the Dry-Zs. I have many nice LPs and seeing those pics didn't give me any GAS. I remember muttering "****!" to myself when a few days I ended up winning the auction.

Anyway, when the guitar came I quickly realized it was quite special, and there's no way it's going anywhere. Wouldn't even think of trading it for an 1800.

On the other hand, maybe you can find an excuse to travel to that city where they have it for sale and perhaps it's a great one to buy on the cheap.
 
I reviewed the seller photos of the (claimed) 1800 from the OP.
I have to say that for a solid top it looks terribly plain; actually boring.
I have seen better looking solid plain tops & also I have seen better looking veneer tops.
You must really want an 1800 really bad to want that ugly duck with the broken neck. :cry:
 
Yes it does not look very spectacular. Both 1200 I got look much better. And I am not a huge fan of the cherry sunburst. So no need to feel unhappy ;-)
 

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