Noob and NGD!

Hello everyone. Nate here from kingwood texas. I am super happy to be here. I was lucky enough to find what I believe to be a killer G&L score that maybe some of you G&L experts can help fill me in on. I was at Kat's guitars in the woodlands Texas yesterday and came upon what I believe to be a G&L custom shop piece.

The history behind the guitar is that it's a 1994 custom shop piece built for the guitar player from the 80's rock band AXE. It has titanium tuners, a duncan 59 in the bridge, and a duncan Jeff Beck in the neck. the serial number is CS***R. I guess my question is that is this indeed a custom shop? what is the value placed on a custom shop piece in ballpark terms? This guitar won't be leaving my posession thats for sure! I LOVE the ebony board on it and it plays so smooth!

anyways I am excited to be a G&L owner and here's a quick snap I took of it!

Rgds,

Nate

Welcome Nate!

1990s G&Ls aren't my strongest area, but I believe this is a Climax XL. They went into production in the early 90s and eventually morphed into the current Invader line. Photos of the headstock and back of the body would help identify it for sure. The Climax models had some sculpting on the back near the bouts that was not found on any other G&Ls.

G&L didn't have the Custom Creations shop yet, but all G&Ls in that era were built entirely by hand and made to order. The company was one big custom shop (and really still is).

The only thing I find puzzling is the serial number. That doesn't fit G&L's format. It should have been stamped on the neck attachment plate, and been in a "GXXXXXX" format, where the Xs are numbers. Where is the CS***R number located?

Other folks on the board may be able to give you a good idea of pricing. The couple of Climaxes I've seen have gone in the $700-900 range.

Ken

Welcome Nate!

1990s G&Ls aren't my strongest area, but I believe this is a Climax XL. They went into production in the early 90s and eventually morphed into the current Invader line. Photos of the headstock and back of the body would help identify it for sure. The Climax models had some sculpting on the back near the bouts that was not found on any other G&Ls.

G&L didn't have the Custom Creations shop yet, but all G&Ls in that era were built entirely by hand and made to order. The company was one big custom shop (and really still is).

The only thing I find puzzling is the serial number. That doesn't fit G&L's format. It should have been stamped on the neck attachment plate, and been in a "GXXXXXX" format, where the Xs are numbers. Where is the CS***R number located?

Other folks on the board may be able to give you a good idea of pricing. The couple of Climaxes I've seen have gone in the $700-900 range.

Ken

Welcome!

I think Ken is on the mark here, and I would also like to see the headstock showing the model decal and the neck plate which should show the serial number.
I will pass this and the photos to Dave and Paul at G&L and see if they have any additional information on this particular guitar.

wow thats a beauty !! ..

Ok Folks,

I got the guitar out of lawaway today and here is the scoop.

the neckplate says G&L
The serial number is a waterslide decal and says CLF37107

the model on the front of the headstock says Invader with the G&L Logo and Guitars By Leo under the G&L Logo.

I did confirm with the original owner who is the guitarist for AXE that it's a custom shop and he had seven of them built and states he still has the COA that he's going to dig up for me.

Can anyone here help me authenticate this to be true?

Ok Folks,

I got the guitar out of lawaway today and here is the scoop.

the neckplate says G&L
The serial number is a waterslide decal and says CLF37107

the model on the front of the headstock says Invader with the G&L Logo and Guitars By Leo under the G&L Logo.

I did confirm with the original owner who is the guitarist for AXE that it's a custom shop and he had seven of them built and states he still has the COA that he's going to dig up for me.

Can anyone here help me authenticate this to be true?

Welcome Nate!

1990s G&Ls aren't my strongest area, but I believe this is a Climax XL. They went into production in the early 90s and eventually morphed into the current Invader line. Photos of the headstock and back of the body would help identify it for sure. The Climax models had some sculpting on the back near the bouts that was not found on any other G&Ls.

G&L didn't have the Custom Creations shop yet, but all G&Ls in that era were built entirely by hand and made to order. The company was one big custom shop (and really still is).

The only thing I find puzzling is the serial number. That doesn't fit G&L's format. It should have been stamped on the neck attachment plate, and been in a "GXXXXXX" format, where the Xs are numbers. Where is the CS***R number located?

Other folks on the board may be able to give you a good idea of pricing. The couple of Climaxes I've seen have gone in the $700-900 range.

Ken

Welcome!

I think Ken is on the mark here, and I would also like to see the headstock showing the model decal and the neck plate which should show the serial number.
I will pass this and the photos to Dave and Paul at G&L and see if they have any additional information on this particular guitar.

Please post a photo showing the headstock and I will pass this and the other photo plus the serial number on to Dave and Paul to see if they
can provide additional information on this guitar.

Ok I took these with my Iphone so they are not the best quality...

just to expand on what ken said, all g&l's are custom shop. there are standard options and available options, but all guitars are built to order, and there is no separate custom shop at g&l. also no extra value for that either. the custom creations department makes limited run special design guitars, on those options are usually not available so, those are more non custom instruments in a way than a regular g&l. yours is just an invader xl with a metal flake finish. may i ask what you paid for it?

I paid 1200 for it with the HS Case.

thanks for the information! I really appreciate the help. I have always wanted one. Even if it's worth half of what I paid for it, I'm still happy with it and it plays and sounds nothing short of awesome~!

Ok Folks,

I got the guitar out of lawaway today and here is the scoop.

the neckplate says G&L
The serial number is a waterslide decal and says CLF37107

the model on the front of the headstock says Invader with the G&L Logo and Guitars By Leo under the G&L Logo.

I did confirm with the original owner who is the guitarist for AXE that it's a custom shop and he had seven of them built and states he still has the COA that he's going to dig up for me.

Can anyone here help me authenticate this to be true?

Welcome Nate!

1990s G&Ls aren't my strongest area, but I believe this is a Climax XL. They went into production in the early 90s and eventually morphed into the current Invader line. Photos of the headstock and back of the body would help identify it for sure. The Climax models had some sculpting on the back near the bouts that was not found on any other G&Ls.

G&L didn't have the Custom Creations shop yet, but all G&Ls in that era were built entirely by hand and made to order. The company was one big custom shop (and really still is).

The only thing I find puzzling is the serial number. That doesn't fit G&L's format. It should have been stamped on the neck attachment plate, and been in a "GXXXXXX" format, where the Xs are numbers. Where is the CS***R number located?

Other folks on the board may be able to give you a good idea of pricing. The couple of Climaxes I've seen have gone in the $700-900 range.

Ken

Welcome!

I think Ken is on the mark here, and I would also like to see the headstock showing the model decal and the neck plate which should show the serial number.
I will pass this and the photos to Dave and Paul at G&L and see if they have any additional information on this particular guitar.

Please post a photo showing the headstock and I will pass this and the other photo plus the serial number on to Dave and Paul to see if they
can provide additional information on this guitar.

I contacted Dave and here is his reply:

Hi Craig,

That's an Invader XL in Silver Metal Flake with a Rosewood fingerboard shipped on July 12, 2005. Looks like it was shipped to a store called Banhagels in Spring, TX. I see a couple of Invaders and Invader XLs as well as Legacy Specials etc. Nothing about a band called AXE. They're custom in the sense that all made-in-Fullerton G&Ls are, no more, no less.

Dave

I paid 1200 for it with the HS Case.

thanks for the information! I really appreciate the help. I have always wanted one. Even if it's worth half of what I paid for it, I'm still happy with it and it plays and sounds nothing short of awesome~!

wow, that is really overpaying. i guess you can expect that at a pawn shop. the hs case should come with it. the owner only was off by 11 years. hmm, hard to imagine how that happens. i am glad you like it. for future reference, if you post here and give it a day or two, you'll get a good idea about the value of the guitar. that can be a great help with the negotiations. seems like this guitar was misrepresented by the owner a bit.

Invaders aren't my thing, but the couple I've run across used have been north of a grand. Regardless, you found a guitar you really like, with an awesome finish and apparently in great condition, for well below what it would have cost new. As long as you aren't wishing it had some different feature or another, it seems like a great deal to me. You would probably have to do a bit of searching to beat this price by much, and even then it might not have the perfect neck profile or finish for your tastes and playing style.

G&L guitars and basses are addictive. You can always hunt down the ultimate bargain on your next one...

Ken

I paid 1200 for it with the HS Case.

thanks for the information! I really appreciate the help. I have always wanted one. Even if it's worth half of what I paid for it, I'm still happy with it and it plays and sounds nothing short of awesome~!

I've paid a premium for rarity on the right G&L as well. Silver Flake does not come up on the market very often. You could not order this guitar today with a sparkle finish for what you paid. Glad to see another happy G&L owner!

I like it !! .... I would also pay extra for sparkle .... my next guitar will have sparkle new or used ...... wish I could of purchased that "Buck Owens" ASAT

I have two flake finishes: a John Jorgenson Signature ASAT and a gold flake ASAT Bass. I'm very careful handling my guitars and have yet to inflict a noticeable ding on any of them, but honestly those finishes make me nervous. Both are mint, and I cringe at the thought of putting the first mark on either of them (aside from some guy writing his name on the back of the ASAT...at least it matches the headstock ). I envision both of them being traded out at some point when the right swap opportunities come along. They are gorgeous finishes though. There would definitely not be any hiding in the corner of a stage with one hanging around your neck!

Ken