The Chetboard

FOR SALE = Mary Ford's 61 LP SG on Pawn Stars . . .

http://www.history.com/shows/pawn-stars/videos#pawn-stars-less-is-more

Now, THIS IS HISTORY ! ! !

This guitar was discussed at length on another site and of course opinions may vary about any such item.

Personally, I think the guitar itself is vastly overrated and overpriced. When Gibson went to that design two things happened. Les severed his ties with Gibson because he disliked the design and he and Mary got divorced. I remember the period well and it sent a lot of reverberations in the industry.

That guitar had nothing to do with any of the hits associated with the duo and was, at best, a road guitar, provided by Gibson, used (and damaged) in performances.

I can’t imagine Mary having the instrument long enough to warrant a refret under those circumstances. I know some publicity shots and album cover photos were taken showing both of them with these things but by the time this design came out Les and Mary were in a decline.

It was kind of embarrassing to see that guy “testing” the guitar by making all that distortion and noise on a guitar allegedly belonging to a woman who sang gentle ballads and novelty songs.

The paperwork has more historical value than the guitar does but that’s just how it looks to me.

I think the nephew made out like a bandit...

Norm wrote:It was kind of embarrassing to see that guy “testing” the guitar by making all that distortion and noise on a guitar allegedly belonging to a woman who sang gentle ballads and novelty songs.

The paperwork has more historical value than the guitar does but that’s just how it looks to me.

I think the nephew made out like a bandit...

Yer RIGHT on that one Norm, there was alotta waste band flyin' around the store that day ! ! !

I AGREE, the paperwork was much more interesting than the guitar itself.

And as far as the guy playin' it. I wasn't expectin' him to break out inta the How High The Moon into or a chorus of Via Con dios ! ! !

Funny coincidence this item surfaced today. I watched an old episode of NYPD Blue last night, and partly it was about a 1956 Les Paul Gold Top being pawned by a musician who stole it. The value was said to be $8000.

This is one of my favorite shows, but I've noticed that there is frequently an abundance of historical mis-information bandied about by Rick and Cory, as well as "the old man"!

These things are most noticeable of course, when they get into items or subjects that one is personally familiar with, but I can only assume that the same would apply to nearly anything they're dealing with. The monetary "values" of some of the things they deal in are also quite questionable in my opinion, as the nephew of Mary Ford's (the owner of this guitar being discussed in this thread), started out by asking $250,000 for it, and settled for $90,000 as I recall! As Norm and Mike have pointed out, both these figures are totally "wacky", and how Rick would have possibly offered that much for it I can't imagine!

I've also wondered how there happens to be so many "experts" and/or "authorities" on so many different diverse subjects (musical instruments, the Civil War, military memorabilia, etc.) residing in Las Vegas, Nevada, and available for consultation on such a rapid, same day basis, as is frequently shown on the show! The "expert" often brought in to establish a value on guitars for example, appears to be in his mid twenties or so, and I think before I would offer $90,000 for a guitar, (based on this youngster's opinion) I would probably want to get a "second opinion!"

Just my take on the matter...it's still an interesting show!
David

I get a kick out of Pawn Stars too. I play with toy trains as well as guitars. I would never take a collectable item to a pawn shop to sell it. In my train value books it says right up front if you take collectable trains to a dealer you will only get half of the value as he must turn around and sell it for a profit. If you have a collectable take it to an appropriate auction for what you are selling. You have to go where the market is and that is not a pawn shop.

My first guitar was a Kay electric. A year later in 1961 I bought a red Gibson SG special. I sold in in 1998 to buy a Gibson CG. I now have 3 Gretschs and a Taylor. I have lots more trains.

I have a feeling the "Mary Ford" guitar may have spent sone abusive time in the nephew's garage band. The gold on the vibrato shows a lot of wear, the refret and I'm not sure Mary (or Les) would have been interested in pulling the covers off the pickups in those days since they didn't like the guitar to begin with. (they divorced in 1963)

The paperwork should be preserved, perhaps in a Les Paul memorabilia HOF. There must be one somewhere.

I havta agree with ya Norm; it looked BEAT ! ! !

Also, I'd figure that if Les or Mary had dropped it, breaking the output jack, it would have gone back to Gibson, run through the bandsaw and a replacement sent out . . .

The only one of Les' guitars that I'd pay any money for was the black custom with the stealted-out pick-ups under the pickguard and the Kauffman Vibrola that he played on those Listerine commercial shows from the 50s.

It is episodes like this that just don't past the smell factor, on several levels. The guy has to know that when at least two people want something, you stand to make more money. When you walk into a pawn shop there is only one person interested in what you have and that person's main goal is AT LEAST a 50% profit.

There was an episode a year or so ago where a guy brought in a "60's" strat. Well the expert said that it wasnt that special and they offered and he kept...but...my son recognized him as being a lead guitarist from a pretty popular band...and of course nothing like that was ever mentioned...he was just portrayed as a regular joe with an old strat.

It is an entertaining show...but it is too neatly packaged for a run of the mill pawn shop with a ton of big ticket items for me to believe it isn't staged.

Yah . . .

I got an e-mail from a fellow CB'er pretty much saying the same thing. But if you think about it, they're not gonna have a camera crew in that pawn shop 24/7 so there has to be a certain amount of: "That can't be!!!" factored into the equation . . .