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Best Place to Sell a Vintage Electric Guitar?


Millvale1

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I've done a bit of googling on this and haven't gotten a definitive answer.  I have a pre-CBS strat and want to get what I think it's worth, and not have to hassle with the bargain hunters.  Any suggestions?  Is Ebay still a good bet? 

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Millvale1 wrote:

 

 

I've done a bit of googling on this and haven't gotten a definitive answer.  I have a pre-CBS strat and want to get what I think it's worth, and not have to hassle with the bargain hunters.  Any suggestions?  Is Ebay still a good bet? 

 

i had my strat appraised by Gruhn.  it doesn't guarantee you'll get that price, but it does help limit the sheer number of deadbeats, tire-kickers, con artists and shady dealers who will try to convince you there are mods, repro parts, and other such things in attempts to get you to accept a much lower offer than the guitar might be worth presently.  

simple fact though- the market is down a lot from a few years ago, and may never rebound to those levels.  so you really will need to be honest with yourself and set a realistic price based on what the current market will bear.  that, or just let it sit at some high price and hope a rich fool comes along to buy it from you.  not too many of those types around these days, i'm guessing (plenty of the latter; not so much the former).

if you want to pm me with pics and details, i may be able to help find you a dealer/broker who might be able to find you a buyer.  

eBay is a wretched place to try to sell vintage, IMO.  i would never buy a vintage guitar without being able to inspect it and have it gone over by a trusted tech first.  that rules out 99% of eBay auctions for me.

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GreatDane wrote:

 


Millvale1 wrote:

 

 

I've done a bit of googling on this and haven't gotten a definitive answer.  I have a pre-CBS strat and want to get what I think it's worth, and not have to hassle with the bargain hunters.  Any suggestions?  Is Ebay still a good bet? 

 

 

i had my strat appraised by Gruhn.  it doesn't guarantee you'll get that price, but it does help limit the sheer number of deadbeats, tire-kickers, con artists and shady dealers who will try to convince you there are mods, repro parts, and other such things in attempts to get you to accept a much lower offer than the guitar might be worth presently.  

 

simple fact though- the market is down
a lot
from a few years ago, and may never rebound to those levels.  so you really will need to be honest with yourself and set a realistic price based on what the current market will bear.  that, or just let it sit at some high price and hope a rich fool comes along to buy it from you.  not too many of those types around these days, i'm guessing (plenty of the latter; not so much the former).

 

if you want to pm me with pics and details, i may be able to help find you a dealer/broker who might be able to find you a buyer.  

 

eBay is a wretched place to try to sell vintage, IMO.  i would never buy a vintage guitar without being able to inspect it and have it gone over by a trusted tech first.  that rules out 99% of eBay auctions for me.

I agree 100% with everything said here.  Good advice.  You might have some luck at a guitar show, but you should have it appraised and have a pretty good idea of its value first.

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Thanks for that...  I actually had it appraised for insurance purposes many years ago by Mandolin Bros.  I suppose with their records, and the fact that the instrument is as they saw it, they could give me an updated estimate.

Nevertheless, I understand why someone might want a more recent look at it before buying.

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What about a private auction full of high rollers?....I NEARLY had my hands on a pre-war Martin acoustic that someone was going to sell for a crazy low price (I waited 12 hrs , and it got sold grrrr) and all I could think about was sending it to one of those ritzy auction houses to go to the highest bidder, though I had no clue who , when or where :D

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Thanks for all the responses and advice.  It's a '64 Olympic White strat, all original except for new nut, a re-fret, and the neck re-sprayed 20 years ago.  I'm the original owner so, of course, know its exact history.  I notice OW strats are less common.

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daddymack wrote:

 

 

get it appraised by someone qualified, like George Gruhn of Gruhn Guitars or Norman of Norman's Rare and Used...they can give a good idea of the market value...but they will charge you a fee.

 

+1. Get a really good appraisal by a reputable shop with really solid documentation. Have them take it apart and document numbers, take lots of pictures and all that. That will set you in the direction toward a good resale value. Also, being that you are the original owner means a lot in its resale -- as you say, it means you know the guitar's exact post-sale history. (And if you can produce a receipt for its purchase, that's gravy, man!)

But realistically, if I were you I'd sit on the guitar (not literally!). As said, the market right now is crapola, and it will be a while before it comes back. It will come back, eventually, it's just a matter of how long. IMO if you try to sell it now, you'll only find a buyer who'll be very happy to take it off your hands in a buyer's market, and he will sit on it for a number of years and sell it for a sweet profit down the road. So I'd make that additional profit mine, if I were you.

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