The Gibson Les Paul.....................up there with the Fender Stratocaster as one of the most easilly recognised electric guitars in the world.  Played by guitar heros from Les Paul himself, through bluesmen like Freddie King, then into the hands of the British Bluesmen and fathers of what is now known as Classic Rock.  Eric Clapton started the ball rolling with the amazing sound he was able to create with a Les Paul and a Marshall amplifier on John Mayals 'Bluesbreakers' album, which then lead other leading guitarists of that era to adopt the instrument.  Jimmy Page of Led Zeppellin, Pete Townsend of The Who, and Jeff Beck are three who also produced some of their best work on the Les Paul guitar.  These instruments are still used today by modern guitarists such as Slash from Guns N Roses and now Velvet Revolver, Justin and Dan Hawkins from The Darkness, and Joe Perry of Aerosmith.

How do you buy one on eBay though?  And what should you look for?

One good starting point is to consider within what boundaries are you going to search?  As these guitars rely on the metered down voltage of an amplifier to help them produce sound you don't have to worry about buying one from anywhere in the world.  As long as your amp is of the correct voltage for your country, and is in working order, any electric guitar from anywhere in the world will work with it.  So you are not restricted to just searching within the confines of your own country.

Maybe buying from a foreign country and shipping to your own puts you off?  Modern couriers (e.g. FedEx, UPS, DHL etc) are exceedingly adept at delivering fragile articles all over the world within very short timespans - order something from the US on a Wednesday evening from the UK, and FedEx Priority will have it on your doorstep by Friday - and are very good at delivering things in pristine condition.  However, if you are purchasing anything from abroad it does make sense to make sure that it is covered properly with the carriers insurance, and most importantly that the seller has a good method for pacming the instrument prior to shipping.  Do realise that you will be charged Customs on any package arriving in the UK, unless it has come from within the EU.

What to look out for.

Undoubtedly there are some very reliable eBay traders in China, but unfortunately a Gibson Les Paul offered from China normally tends to be an earlier listing that has simply been cut and pasted.  Avoid Chinese listings from zero feedback eBayers.

If a Les Paul looks too good to be true.................IT PROBABLY IS!  There are a lot of dodgy traders out there who will offer the guitar to you privately if you ask a question of it, as they're trying to get your money without you having the security of eBay to get you out of trouble.  Most of these eBayers will have zero feedback and if you hunt through the rest of the Les Paul listings you will often find the listing that they've stolen the pictures from.  You simply are not going to find a Historic 59 from the Gibson Custom Shop for under £1000..........think about it.........there's a reason why no-one else seems to be bidding on it.

If a serial number is shown on the listing, or is offered to you by the trader, please feel free to check it out with Gibson.com.  The forums on Gibsons Custom Shop website are very good, and serial number checks will usually be given out within 24 hours.  I've seen a lot of eBayers checking listings on that forum only to find out that what they're bidding on bears no corelation to anything in Gibsons books.

If you're a first time Les Paul buyer

The first and most major rule is..................know your stuff!

There's a lot of lemons out there in eBay-land waiting to catch the unwary.  One great example was a Slash Signature edition that was up for sale recently.  The seller had been told it was a Slash when he brought it, but the headstock was the wrong shape (just because there's the words 'Gibson' on the headstock doesn't mean it is one) not to mention a catalogue of other discrepancies.  I eventuall tracked the headstock shape down to that of a VERY basic 'Encore' copy of a Les Paul.  Slash Signatures tend to sell on eBay from between £2200 and £2500............that Encore would only have cost £99 brand new!

Buying from a recognised eBay store is going to help, as is buying from a private seller who has good feedback with guitars featuring highly, but do know your area before jumping in with both feet.  Don't buy the first guitar you fall in love with (as I did), as there will be something better out there and you will feel a bit let down by your own instrument.  Good prices and great instruments are out there for the taking if you're just prepared to wait for the right one.

NEVER buy without seeing a photo of THE ACTUAL instrument you are buying.  I would NEVER buy an instrument from a stock photo, as Gibsons can vary hugely from instrument to instrument.

Buying a keeper

Les Pauls, because of the name and the quality, do tend to hold their value well, but a good one will always go up in value over time, whereas a lesser one will slowly depreciate.

Always buy the best you can afford.  A used bargain might be just that.......a bargain......but the tatty case, the area of buckle rash on the back, and the dinks in the top are not going to be attractive to buyers should you wish to move it on at a later date.  And think as to what you are buying.

Lesser Les Paul models start out cheaper and depreciate faster.  Studios are coming down in price over here in the UK almost every six months.........a used one will lose even more money.  Classics are not well respected due to their cheap ceramic magnet humbucking pickups, and Rossetti have flooded the market in the UK now with cheap Standards.  The reason there are lots of cheap Standards available now in the UK is because Gibson USA seem to have flogged all the rather plain topped Standards to the UK...........you'll find Standards in shops in the US with A LOT more flame than in their British counterparts.

Rare models are always a safe bet (Raw Powers, Manhattan Midnight Limited Editions, Supremes) but the best way of getting a depreciation proof Les Paul is to buy Custom Shop.  The Custom Shop at Gibson handmake their guitars with the best materials and the best components................and VERY few of the Custom Shop guitars make it over to this side of the pond.

I would recommend any guitarist out there seriously considering a Les Paul to get out there and play a normal factory Standard alongside a Custom Shop instrument and just listen to the difference.  They are worth the extra money, and you are also safe in the knowledge that in a few years time you'll also stand a good chance of getting your money back.  The only downside is that you'll never be able to back to playing an ordinary factory Gibson again!