Instrument appraisals, valuations and selling advice
If you have an interesting guitar (or another stringed instrument) that you might have been given, or inherited from a family member or friend, I can help with accurately identifying the guitar in question and provide you with a guide valuation. I will also be able to determine the originality of your guitar. I can make you aware of any changed, replaced or updated parts, signs of any re-finish work, or whether yours happens to be a completely unmolested example of a very unusual guitar.
Valued advice
Either way, you’ll go home armed with the knowledge of what your guitar is worth and what to insure it for, should it have significant value. Indeed, if you are not interested in keeping the guitar, then I can assist you with a successful sale.
Buried treasure
Sadly, now is the time that some original owners of vintage guitars start to pass on. By way of a will, or by simply handing these instruments down through their families, younger family members do not always know what they have inherited – especially if they have no interest in playing the guitar. Even today, some original first-time owners are oblivious to knowing that the guitar they paid £150 for back in the mid-1960’s, might well be a fortune in today’s money. The current baby-boomers who are now reaching their later years, might have bought their brand-new-for-1963 cherry red ES-335 from Selmer’s, or their 1961 Fender Stratocaster from Macari’s. Check with your relatives and family friends!
A valuable vintage guitar could also remain unplayed in their closet or under the bed, forgotten about for years. This in itself can potentially damage the guitar with prolonged inactivity, damp and neglect. Like any fine stringed instrument, a guitar has to be played or it will quite literally fall to pieces. That said, there are remedial solutions to any signs of instrument neglect. I know some fantastic luthiers the world over, whom I could refer you to. They can assist with any restoration work that might need doing to a particular instrument, it it happens to be neglected or damaged.
This is the time when relatives and close friends might well end up inheriting something wholly special and not be made fully aware of what they’ve actually got (for whatever reasons). I can help you to decide if it is an instrument you wish to keep, or potentially offer to the marketplace. I can also advise how to sell yours successfully, either privately or through a trustworthy dealer, to help find you the most deserving new owner.
If you have an old Gibson, Fender, Gretsch, Epiphone, Guild, Kay (or similar) guitar you are wishing to sell, then you may have something special on your hands. I can advise you on the true UK values – taking instrument condition, originality, market desirability and just sheer rarity into consideration. The same applies to vintage amplifiers. You might have an early Vox, Orange or Marshall amp that’s been gathering dust in the loft or a cupboard for years. (I know this scenario is becoming more unlikely these days, but it’s still not completely unheard of).
Nowadays, armchair internet research will get some people somewhere towards knowing what they have, but buying and selling rare vintage guitars and gear is a minefield, if you don’t know what you’ve got, or who to approach for advice on a sale. Take it from me – there are some real vultures and charlatans out there. Some of the best reissue and replica guitars get sold on as original vintage examples, by a handful of unscrupulous sellers looking for a quick buck.
The instrument appraisal process
When selling, don’t simply opt to use eBay, social media message boards or the like. You may get a quick sale but you could lose out and end up suffering ‘seller’s remorse’ for years!
Initially, an email with detailed photos will provide me with basic information about your instrument or amp. We can then gauge whether something is worth seeing in-hand for a proper appraisal. A thoroughly detailed typed-out appraisal with detailed photographs will cost £40. For your records really, but having an authentication document like this can save a lot of time if you wanted to hand the instrument down to a member of your family. Useful too if someone ever needs to sell privately or consign with a reputed dealer in London, Bath or Manchester for example. Being armed with knowledge and information will prevent you being taken advantage of!
Guitar values and fluctuating markets
High-end vintage (1920-1965) Gibson, D’Angelico, Epiphone, Gretsch and Fender guitars have always been collectible and valuable. Since the mid-1970’s, in the USA, professional guitar players and singer-songwriters started to seriously seek out older guitars that their earlier heroes played – for their quality of sound, better tone timbers and overall build quality. Old pre-war Martin flat top acoustic guitars suddenly became VERY sought after among players like David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash & Neil Young, Joni Mitchell et al.
Brand new 1970’s branded name guitars were often poorly made due to bigger corporate takeovers at the time). Broadly speaking, 1970’s Gibsons, Gretsches and Fenders are no way near as good as they were during the 1950’s and 1960’s. However, some 1970’s-era instruments are going-up in value and collectibility, since the older ones from previous decades have increased so much that players and newbie collectors cannot justifiably afford them.
During this same period of time, vintage prices started to increase for particular instruments such as the 1950s Gibson Les Paul Standard and Flying V. Players such as Mick Ralphs (Bad Company), Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top), Joe Walsh (James Gang & The Eagles) could be seen on 1970’s TV performing their current hits using their recently acquired, used, late-1950’s Flying V’s and sunburst Les Pauls. Thanks to YouTube, some of this archive footage can be found quite easily too.
There are many more specific manufacturing eras, brands and particular guitar models which have commanded premium interest and gained exponential values since the 1980’s. Some of these models today are unobtainable to most players and collectors due to their extreme rarity, desirability and today’s equivalent ‘house price’ values. Knowing just what is what here, is vital.
Today, even some older budget brand guitars, like ‘Kalamazoo’ (a Gibson subsidiary), are gaining pace on the vintage market. Ten years ago you could have found one of these on the market for around £250. Now, they are routinely selling for between £600-£800, in some cases even more. Fifteen years ago, mid/late 1950’s Gibson Les Paul Juniors were a relatively cheap vintage guitar to buy (£1250 and under). Now they routinely run at between £4,000-£6,000 depending on their condition, originality and who’s selling. All this value gain within just ten years. Twenty years ago, a mid-1950’s Gibson Les Paul Custom (Black Beauty) would list at around £5,000. The same guitar now is worth about £20,000 or more. Early 1970’s Fender Stratocasters and Telecasters are gaining value very fast. No-one wanted them ten or twenty years ago – instead, the earlier ‘pre-CBS’ Fenders were all anybody wanted for 20 years. 1950s and 1960s pre-CBS Fender guitars are now priced out of reach for most players and even most collectors.
1970’s Fenders were £800-£1000 guitars all day long, for many years. Now, really clean original examples can sell for anywhere between £4,000-£8,000 depending on their originality, finish colour and condition – particularly the earlier 4-bolt neck variants.
Buying a vintage Guitar
Have you ever thought about buying a vintage guitar or bass as an investment to play and enjoy?
I have over 30 years experience and knowledge of vintage and rare American guitars. In that journey, I have made some trustworthy, reliable friends and contacts in the trade the world over. I also keep track of the rise and fall of vintage guitar values, year in – year out. I’m aware of the ‘sleepers’ – vintage guitars that are still quite affordable and could well become the next savvy, surefire investment.
If you are at that stage in life where you want to find the guitar of your dreams, I can help point you in the right direction, where to go and what to buy, and above all, who to buy from and what to pay… without getting ripped-off. I’ll save months off your life and you’ll retain your sanity in an otherwise cruel, often murky world!