Hi, anyone can help?

Tim · Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2007 5:49 pm Post subject:

Good point though.

I know nothing about guitars (6-strings anyway) and yet I regularly offer my opinion! There must be people out there who do know stuff and/or have good/bad experiences to share...

1bassleft · Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2007 12:28 am Post subject:

More posters always welcome here. Anything that prevents me from mentioning "Lee", "shift key" and "first person singular pronoun" in the same sentence is a good thing.

jbunston · Joined: 07 Dec 2005 Posts: 7 Location: Toronto

Interesting to see how the pricing issue is perceived by the experts here.

I had such a question some time ago as well, and have learned it's a very dodgey question to ask up front.

Perhaps a good follow up question then: if someone were coming to this forum to find the best means of disposing of a good guitar, what would be the best place to go? The most suitable owners might not pay more $$, but the result is that the guitar might not be stripped for parts.

I have a guitar I'm seeking an owner for, and I see plenty of guitars listed on eBay and elsewhere, however in my case I would prefer to see this thing go to someone who will treat it with as much care as I have for the last 16 years. I imagine many are merely out there to valuate something like the 5th in a line of 1000 guitars they're trying to dump. How does everyone here filter out the sincere requests when valuing guitars seems to be such a subjective affair?

JB

1bassleft · Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2007 12:13 am Post subject:

That's an interesting Q, jb.

To my mind, watching the final bids on Fleeb for a guitar is the most brutal but honest evaluation of a guitar's worth. Most (AFAIK, and that involves a bit of conjecture, certainly) are sold as playable instruments and bought by people who want to play them. A basketcase that's too expensive/time consuming to bring back to standard may be bought purely for parts value and stripped out; but that's fair enough. A decent axe is usually worth more than the sum of its parts.

The exception that springs to mind (for me) is the Fender Mustang/Duosonic etc guitar. You'd see the 60s-dated neckplate, "F"-marked tuners, 60s-dated pups and CTS pots (all useable gold-dust on a Strat or Tele) listed with big BIN prices and the alder body languishing at <$100 with no bids. Things are changing now, as a complete Mustang will fetch >$1000 fairly easily.

I have to say I'm not sentimental. If I loved the guitar so much, I wouldn't sell it. If I am prepared to post it off in a box, I might as well get the most money I can - no point hoping it "goes to a good home".
(a) it's not my wife; it's an assemblage of wood and electronics
(b) I don't believe for a moment any "I'll offer you half-price, but promise that my war-veteran, twice-decorated, victim of a mugging son will cherish it like his own goolies" story.

If you absolutely have to sell a cherished guitar to a loving owner, there's only one way. Sign up to the relevant forum (a quick search), make enough posts to qualify for posting a "for sale" topic, and offer it at a good price to any member with, say, >100 posts. Wait for the PMs to arrive.

jbunston · Joined: 07 Dec 2005 Posts: 7 Location: Toronto

Interesting and very helpful advice 1bass.

I have tons of fun watching the yearly "too awful to look at" lists of guitars for sale so I'm well aware of the inflated self-worth some owners ascribe to their FS postings Wink

I will do as you suggested. Sentimentality is what got me dragging my stuff across the continent six or seven times as a struggling pro athlete (distance runner) with no driver's license. It's friggin hard to barter your way onto a flight with two extra carry-ons since 2001.

JB

1bassleft · Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 6:08 pm Post subject:

, Having just gone through John Lennon Airport to get over to Malaga, I´d say your chances would be very slim. I think a distance runner´s trainers count as a WMD all by themselves. I virtually stripped (and paid two quid each for "speedy security" - even the security forces are in on the act), was about the only person not to set off the ding-a-ling but still some bloke decided to give me a routine frottage.

Crikey, the bloke knew I hung to the left after he´d finished. Here atGuitarsite we have a FS/WTB section but it´s really to keep the one-post offloaders away from the main boards. If you have some nice guitars, particularly the Fenders and Gibsons, you´re best looking at regular posters to such fora as your best source.

Over on Plexi Palace (a vintage amps forum I frequent) there are plenty of players who would rather sell their kids than part out a nice guitar.

Tim · Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2007 9:53 pm Post subject:

Sounds fair to me.

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