Guitar Blue Book, Price guide, is it a good reference?

[nonameguitar]

I found that mostly the prices in the books are very low, comparing to what I saw the guitar being sold on Ebay or this forum. Some models are even $1000 higher from the books.

Is it a guideline for the guitar store to buy them to resale to make a profit, not for us?

Sincerely, I would be very happy if I can find acoustic or electric guitars at the price indicated in bluebook but usually I don't see that price in the market.

[jwenting]

All such lists are mere guides. Actual price depends on region, supply and demand at a specific time, etc.
And of course on eBay anything can happen. Once a few people start bidding against each other many of them loose all track of reality and will often end up paying far more than the actual value of the item on sale.
I've seen accounts of things being sold there (and on similar sites) for far more than the price those same items would sell for fresh from the factory had the buyer gone to a store a few blocks down the road from him.

[rmyAddison]

Interesting,

I find the prices to be a "decent" guide, but I do agree accuracy probably vaires with region/country. For the US I think they are pretty good not very low in my experience, but guitar condition plays a big factor.

[ljguitar]

Hi NoName...
My experience is Pawn Shops (and some Music shops) like to use the blue book to buy (or trade), and they always lean to the low side of the estimates. The Blue Book will list every deduction for condition, age, wear etc. and it is subject to a lot of interpretation if you know what I mean.

Pawn shops also do this with guns, jewelry, and electronic equipment. It has little to do with real-world prices, unless you are running a pawn shop.

They price instruments to sell compared to current suggested retail - which has nothing to do with the Blue Book or reality - and they tend toward the high side.

If you peruse Craig's List or E-bay histories, you can get a good sense of the street worth of a guitar.

[brian a.]

Originally Posted by rmyAddison

Interesting,

I find the prices to be a "decent" guide, but I do agree accuracy probably vaires with region/country. For the US I think they are pretty good not very low in my experience, but guitar condition plays a big factor.

+1

Also, there are several different pricing books. Some are better (?) than others. It is a good way to get a range of value in a "normal" market. Whatever that may mean. They also provide other interesting make/model/manufacturer information. To name a few:
Vintage Guitar Price Guide
Blue Book of Acoustic Guitars (Electric Guitars or Guitar Amplifiers)
The Blue Book

[devellis]

I think the less common the instrument (i.e., the less often they change hands), the farther off the estimates may be. For popular models, there's enough of a data base that the estimates are roughly reasonable (with the caveats Larry noted). For some more rare instruments, they can be way off recent sale prices.