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PE-R60 In The Works
http://www.matsumoku.org/ggboard/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=13654
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Author:  Crusty [ Wed 29 Jun 2022 01:57 PM ]
Post subject:  PE-R60 In The Works

I had a PE-R60 some years ago. The header pic on the main site and here on the forums is it. In a fit of idiocy I sold it. I am currently working on a deal on one for $399 plus the trip. It is nearly pristine. This guy hardly played it and the owner before must have bought it to learn, gave up and put it in a closet. Supposedly it comes with a case but not hard shell. It may be the original or it may be chipboard. I really don't care though. Looks to have the original Protomatic-III pickups as well.

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Author:  Crusty [ Thu 30 Jun 2022 04:15 PM ]
Post subject:  Re: PE-R60 In The Works

Looks like I'll be into it for a grand total of $549. Far less than I would spend on a similarly equipped Les Puke (if that even exists). Still it is more than I have spend on any guitar save for my PRS SE Standard 24 but this IS a PE-R60 we're talking about.

Author:  Wutz [ Fri 01 Jul 2022 07:01 AM ]
Post subject:  Re: PE-R60 In The Works

Looks good.

However, old guitars that still look pristine are not necessarily the best players.

Did you have a chance to play it?

Author:  Jorg [ Fri 01 Jul 2022 08:19 AM ]
Post subject:  Re: PE-R60 In The Works

I love it!! :love:
That sounds exactly how I got mine. Rarely played and not a scratch on it. IIRC, mine was $540 shipped to me and I spent about $60 on a les paul gig bag.
I have received many compliments on both its sound and beauty.
I know you're stoked. :rockwoot:

Author:  Crusty [ Fri 01 Jul 2022 09:05 AM ]
Post subject:  Re: PE-R60 In The Works

Sorry for the long winded post but much has changed in the last 20 years with regards to finding Uncle Matts here in the US, particularly in good shape at reasonable prices.

About the only way to find these guitars in the states is online which means I can't play it first. It is less risky when I know the quality standards of the manufacturer. The closest REAL guitar store to me is over 40 or 50 miles away (Guitar Sinner or MusicgoGrind) and they seldom have what I am looking for or if they do they want an exorbitant amount for their "vintage" and "rare" gear. Two terms that turn me off immediately. There are closer stores but they primarily focus on cheapie Chinese guitars for beginners and overpriced American guitars whose design has not changed in over 65 years. Pawn shops are all but gone here and they usually only have junk like Ibanez GAX or Squire Stratocrappers. If they do have a nice guitar it is always WAY overpriced and they refuse to bargain. Not like the old days when I would head for the door and they'd stop me and work with me to sell the guitar. That's how I got the Vantage Ghost. They wanted $250, I said $100. We settled on $150 with OHSC.

There is just as much if not more risk buying new guitars online as they are most often made by manufacturers that are more concerned about price point than they are about quality of materials and workmanship. At least guitars under $1500. The PRS SE Standard wasn't much of a risk because PRS is directly involved with the manufacturing process and quality of materials used. There again I paid for that level of QC as well ($579). The Harley Benton was cheap enough that I wouldn't be out much if I didn't like it and considering they come exclusively from Thomann in Germany are hard to find here in the States should I decide to sell it.

I have been lucky so far. Just like back when Matsumoku was unknown, by looking in nooks and under rocks I have been finding unsung gems like the Drive Wildfire X2s and X3s, the CastleRock, the Silvertone SPN5, the Greg Bennett series and the JR Beck. All turned out to be great players. When I got them I factored in the possibility of changing out components such as pickups or the hated ABR1 bridges which dictated how much I was willing to go. For every guitar I have I walked away from 30 or more.

I probably gauge "pristine" a little lower than most. I expect some player wear for something this old. Pristine to me is relative. Especially on the hardware plating with the bridge and tailpiece in particular. As far as playability goes 95% of it is in the setup and sometimes it takes me several weeks to get a guitar dialed in to suit me. I've even had to cook a few necks. If this guitar were truly pristine by my standards then by all rights it should sell for a LOT more than what I am paying.

I have a couple of very nice graphics programs and can explode pics to show hidden flaws. The pickup ring and height screws, tuner buttons, bridge/tailpiece posts and the pointy bits of the headstock will often show how a guitar was treated. All are clean save for a small amount of tarnishing on the bridge and tailpiece (which will probably clean up like they did on the PE-450) and the bridge posts are a little chewed up from someone using the wrong size screwdriver to adjust them but this happens on a LOT of guitars.

I see a lot of Uncle Matts for sale on eBull located in Japan and the prices are most often inflated and the shipping is outrageous. Some as much as $190 but I have seen higher. There may be some bargains to be had there yet but the trip across the pond costs more than I am willing to pay. I've not seen a single set neck PE for under $1000 on Reverb save for a PE-600 at $700 all totaled which is in line with common asking prices. I already have a PE-450 which is close enough.

https://reverb.com/item/49358458-aria-p ... e-600-1980

Here is a perfect example of what I find most often. It is beat to cr4p and they want far more than it is worth not to mention it is misidentified as a PE- R60 but in reality is a PE-60. No way I'd pay anywhere near that much! I got a PE-60 in about 2003 for just under $300. I might go $100 plus the trip on this one. No way in H E double toothpics is this worth $800 plus the trip. In their dreams maybe. I don't do relic either. Another term that turns my stomach. "Let's trash a perfectly good guitar! It'll be fun!"

https://www.musicgoround.com/product/41 ... ric-guitar

Here is another. Everything that made this a unique guitar is long gone. And they want $750 plus the trip? And no, it is not lawsuit. I may have a pair of underwear in my drawer that were probably made during the "lawsuit era" but that doesn't make them special. Even trade maybe???

https://www.musicgoround.com/product/40 ... ar-ca-1977

If they aren't apparently beat senseless the prices are outrageous. Maybe I'm spoiled having had so many at a reasonable price.

$500 for a CS-250??? BTW great pic guys! It tells me a lot. I have a 15 year old phone that takes better pics.

https://www.guitarcenter.com/Used/Aria/ ... ia&index=9

On occasion there is something reasonable but still more than I would pay.

https://www.guitarcenter.com/Used/Aria/ ... a&index=20

Most often I run across guitars like this.

https://www.musicgoround.com/product/41 ... ric-guitar

Way more than I would pay but it's not like they are asking for your first born. That TS has seen better days though. The crack in the neck pocket and mis-matched saddle is enough for me to say :toopidlol: . Not to mention the dings and the mushy pointy bits on the headstock. This thing was rocked HARD.

There are some really nice set neck Uncle Matt PEs on Reverb but the price is much nicer to the seller than the buyer. I paid under $400 for the two I have (one brand new) so there is no way I am paying $1200 or better. Let the Richie Riches pay that. It's like trying to find a Carvin now. They start at $1000 and go up from there and that is here in the states where they were made.

Author:  Crusty [ Fri 01 Jul 2022 02:45 PM ]
Post subject:  Re: PE-R60 In The Works

Here is another prime example.

https://reverb.com/item/49902950-aria-p ... ef-no-4364

What is wrong here. Let me count the ways.

$165 shipping to me. $165! I got a guitar from Germany for $77 shipping.
Fingerboard is filthy, they didn't even clean the guitar.
Good luck finding a tailpiece for it. If I'm not mistaken the new ones are different.
3-way switch is broken. Requires replacement.
Dual Sound switch for the bridge pickup is missing the nut. Requires replacement.
The hardware is badly corroded.
Truss rod unknown? All you have to do is take out two tiny little screws to check it!
No sound check due to no string? Ever heard of a tap test? Any guitar tech worth anything knows how to do that!
Chips and dings throughout. I've played one of my PE-R80s for 37 years and looks a heluvalot better than this poor thing.

$549 for a PE-R60 in at worst excellent shape is not bad when compared.

Author:  Crusty [ Wed 06 Jul 2022 04:05 PM ]
Post subject:  Re: PE-R60 In The Works

It's on the way. I got some better pics of it. Turns out it comes with the OHSC as well.

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Author:  Jorg [ Thu 07 Jul 2022 08:14 AM ]
Post subject:  Re: PE-R60 In The Works

Crusty wrote:
Turns out it comes with the OHSC as well.


He shoots, HE SCORES!!! :rockwoot:

Author:  Crusty [ Thu 07 Jul 2022 03:15 PM ]
Post subject:  Re: PE-R60 In The Works

Got it in today. Only minor tweaking to the intonation, relief and action. Just as nice as the PE-R60 I had years ago. Not much of a fan of the series/parallel but I'm a little reluctant to convert it to coil cut. Great 80s tone as well! Pickups look to be stock and peg in at around 11.5K. They sound a little like DiMarzios. Bright but not brittle, beefy but not muddy. It is in excellent condition. I suspect it was bought years ago to be "learned" on and instead was "leaned" in a closet somewhere all these years. Neck is perfectly straight. Next to no tarnish on the hardware. The case is even better than the earlier OHS cases.

Now, back to playing it! :hyper:

Author:  Crusty [ Thu 07 Jul 2022 04:55 PM ]
Post subject:  Re: PE-R60 In The Works

MMK 53s! They are getting dipped now.

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