Hi everyone, I stumbled upon this ad in my area and I was wondering if this could really be a RG-GOLD 1
I apologize for the low res pics, but this is what I got from the guy who is selling it ...
Looks pretty beat up (and without PU and bridge) but if the neck is ok, for the price is asking is a steal
Boy, it sure is rough. I would be surprised if it were an RG-GOLD1, but I can't completely rule it out from these pics.
The thing that differentiates the RG-GOLD (other than the obvious finish) is the ash grain that shines through the gold leaf. It's hard to say for sure, but it does seem like I can pick up some ash-like grains under that finish. But again, with pics like this those could be reflections or glare or just finish imperfections from a rattle-can gold respray.
Even if it is an RG-GOLD the condition is really going to hurt the value. I'd want to get more and better pics (including a pic of the back of the headstock with the serial number) before I invested even a couple hundred dollars in this thing.
Deejayk wrote: Even if it is an RG-GOLD the condition is really going to hurt the value. I'd want to get more and better pics (including a pic of the back of the headstock with the serial number) before I invested even a couple hundred dollars in this thing.
Yeah I know, but it's liste for less than 200€ so I was thinking I could invest some money into it.
Pics are horrible, I know, but sometimes you have to deal seller who really don't care about selling their stuff, I guess (lol?)
For the Serial, I got this: F9935551 which seems to somewhhat validate my guess
The listing is also filed under RG 1.479.480 which you can also glimpse in the headstock pick above the Ibanez logo
Yeah, maybe it is a diamond in the rough. The fact that the SN shows it's a '99 is a good sign. The way the finish is worn off the headstock doesn't look like typical paint wear. I'm not sure what gold leaf wear looks like, but that could be it.
For 200€ it might be worth a gamble, I guess. I'm not really sure what the value of a clean RG-GOLD1 is...haven't seen one sell for a while. I'm guessing it might be in the US$2500+ range.
If it does turn out to be an RG-GOLD1 and you want to set it right, you'll have to track down a gold Lo-Pro, which might not be easy (or cheap)...maybe find one for 200€. The pickups will be another 100€+. That would put you in it say 600€. Gold leafing isn't particularly tricky (although I've never done it on a guitar), so that part should be within your grasp. Gold leaf itself doesn't come cheap, but 100€ worth should cover whatever is missing on that guitar.
Or, if you don't want to mess with it, if you can establish it's a legit RG-GOLD1, you can probably flip it in the condition it's in and make a decent buck.
Now, assume it doesn't turn out to be an RG-GOLD1. As long as it's not a complete Chinese clone, and assuming the neck isn't warped or otherwise ruined, the neck and body of a FujiGen RG are probably worth 200€. So you're covered as long as it's not completely worthless junk (which, based on the pics, seems like the least likely possibility).
Maybe go for it? <shrug> If you do jump on it, come back and let us know how it turns out.
Deejayk wrote: Yeah, maybe it is a diamond in the rough. The fact that the SN shows it's a '99 is a good sign. The way the finish is worn off the headstock doesn't look like typical paint wear. I'm not sure what gold leaf wear looks like, but that could be it.
For 200€ it might be worth a gamble, I guess. I'm not really sure what the value of a clean RG-GOLD1 is...haven't seen one sell for a while. I'm guessing it might be in the US$2500+ range.
If it does turn out to be an RG-GOLD1 and you want to set it right, you'll have to track down a gold Lo-Pro, which might not be easy (or cheap)...maybe find one for 200€. The pickups will be another 100€+. That would put you in it say 600€. Gold leafing isn't particularly tricky (although I've never done it on a guitar), so that part should be within your grasp. Gold leaf itself doesn't come cheap, but 100€ worth should cover whatever is missing on that guitar.
Or, if you don't want to mess with it, if you can establish it's a legit RG-GOLD1, you can probably flip it in the condition it's in and make a decent buck.
Now, assume it doesn't turn out to be an RG-GOLD1. As long as it's not a complete Chinese clone, and assuming the neck isn't warped or otherwise ruined, the neck and body of a FujiGen RG are probably worth 200€. So you're covered as long as it's not completely worthless junk (which, based on the pics, seems like the least likely possibility).
Maybe go for it? <shrug> If you do jump on it, come back and let us know how it turns out.
From what I saw on the net, the last "mint" GOLD1 went of for crazy prices on Reverb: 4300€
Given the fact that the seller is local, I'll go watch the guitar. I'm positive that I can snatch it away for 150€ or maybe even less. Which might be a steal even for the body itsel given the crazy prices you can find now (at least on reverb).
Gold comes new for 234€ from Thomann. For PU I've some unused (even a pair of V7/V8 lol), but I think going 100% full original specs is out of the question.
If the neck isn't warped it's the best bargain of my life LOL
PS also the serial is just 2 numbers lower than the one you can see on a past Reverb listing (saw just now)
