Electric Guitars

[Millvale1]

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? 

[daddymack]

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.

[GreatDane]

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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? 

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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.

[BydoEmpire2]

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GreatDane wrote:

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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? 

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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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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.

[Millvale1]

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.

[johnnytuinals]

I like the tiny store of Mandolin Bros on forrest ave,have not been there in years but I do enjoy

Joe and Pats Pizza when I am in the area........JT

[Funkwire]

I don't have much in the way of vintage guits (A 1981 G&L is the best I've got), so I'm not an expert...but people I trust swear by the Emporium on The Gear Page.

[TeleFromHelly]

Ebay is the best way to reach a large audience. I sold an original '73 strat on ebay to a buyer in Japan. It took 3 months to get the price I wanted, but I did. The guy in Japan wouldn't have seen it any other way. I agree I probably wouldn't buy a vintage guitar off ebay, but that doesn't mean there aren't thousands of people that will

[genesis3]

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 

[SGRocker30]

No one is getting their asking price these days, but then most sellers are asking too much in this down market. As with anything, your guitar's actual value is whatever you can get someone to pay you. 

[bjcarl]

Consignment

[Millvale1]

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.

[soundcreation]

What do you think it's worth?

[GreatDane]

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soundcreation wrote:

What do you think it's worth?

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+1.

BTW, great seeing you around here, sc.

[soundcreation]

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GreatDane wrote:

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soundcreation wrote:

What do you think it's worth?

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+1.

BTW, great seeing you around here, sc.

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thanks! 

yeah....I'm too lazy to go anywhere else!..haha..

[Millvale1]

I was originally thinking upwards of 20K, but more realistically believe it to be somewhere between 15K and 20K, like someone had mentioned. Yet, I've seem them here and there for nearly 30K. A re-appraisal is definitely in order.

[SGRocker30]

My buddy picked up a 63 burst last year for 10k. From your description his was pretty much the same shape as yours except your finish might be cleaner than his(his looks like SRV's). I think the ship has sailed on 20k, but I wouldn't be surprised if you could get 15k from the right buyer. I imagine there might be some patience involved though.

[soundcreation]

Yeah I think you're dreaming on that price, and that's kind of the reason I asked in the first place.  I think many owners of fenders like yours aren't accepting reality.   You may have seen the advertised for 30 but nobody is getting that anymore.  Hardly anyone is getting 15. 

Check completed listings on ebay and pretty straight 60's strats sell anywhere from 8 to 15k, but mostly hover around 10.   Oh sure there are a lot of people trying to get 20K but those sit on ebay and pretty much never sell.   Only absolute perfect "closet finds; original everythings" might fetch  over 15. 

Other's might be right that with a LOT of patience you might be able to get closer to 15. 

As SG mentioned the bubble burst long ago on the vintage market.

There are varying opinions on what could happen.  Some people think that it's basically because of the economy and when things get better prices might creep up again.  Maybe.  I'm a pessimist though and don't believe that either.  I think the main market for those guitars (the people who really care about them and value them), the baby boomers, drove up prices cause they had money to burn.  But they will all be dead soon and the generations after that A) aren't as big in numbers, and B) really don't care about those guitars in the same way...to create another high like that.  

Personally I think they could fall even more, and if I were you I'd be happy to get 10 to 15 now. 

Ultimately you've got a difficult choice to make though.

[SGRocker30]

I also subscribe to the boomers driving the market price theory. I don't think you are going to find yourself holding the bag on a worthless investment if you don't sell now, but if in 10 or 15 years your guitar was worth only $5,000 or so I wouldn't be shocked. Let me ask you a question. Would you be willing to part it out?

[Chad]

As prices drop on vintage gear, it's interesting to think about how close the prices will get to the prices of Custom Shop "vintage" recreations.  It's crazy what some of those new vintage items are priced at.  I wonder if they're actually selling? 

The whole entire guitar market is kinda scary right now and not just vintage and reissues of traditional guitars.  This month has been especially bad.  I have watched several listings on Ebay and can't believe how low nearly everything is selling for be it a MIA Jackson shredder or a MIJ Gretsch.