hey i take offense to the gibson snob comments! I own 4 gibsons and im not a snob about them! However i will admit...there are gibson snobs but even gibson owners hate them! There are Fender Purists also, owning a gibson isnt a bad thing they are solid guitars.
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The used market is fantastic for Gibson's right now used, fades etc are going for low prices same for the R9's they sell new for 5k but are selling for as low as 2k on ebay currently, granted its still not cheap but 3k is a nice chunk of change to save if you had 2k. I'd check the used market for studios,faded,and vintage mahoganies, you might also be able to score a standard if your lucky or Les Paul Specials are good! Check around the market is great now for buyers!