what is a good deal?

[Mrbirdog]

Originally Posted by Goodallboy

Good deal, you’re kidding right?

It’s not a good deal, not a fair deal, or any other kind of deal but a bad one, IMO.

You can build a new one for 7300.00 and get 10% off that or 6570.00
EIR and Addy top
The one I'm talking about has coco binding and Italian spruce top which I don't care about....

The new build seems to me the way to go......the journey continues
Build time is only around 4 months.

[Napman41]

It’s a great deal - for the seller.

[zombywoof]

A friend of mine who has been in business for 25 years says you know you have reached a deal when nobody is overjoyed with it.

[Graylocks]

Originally Posted by Mrbirdog

You can build a new one for 7300.00 and get 10% off that or 6570.00
EIR and Addy top
The one I'm talking about has coco binding and Italian spruce top which I don't care about....

The new build seems to me the way to go......the journey continues
Build time is only around 4 months.

Interesting. I placed an OM Grand Custom order two weeks ago. I was told I probably won't see it until October.

[buddyhu]

Originally Posted by macmanmatty

A good deal would be <2000 for a Santa Cruz.

I think that is EXCEEDINGLY LOW. In other words, a major steal for an SCGC on mint condition.

As others have noted, we need more info. Since some SCGC OM’s are close to $20K new, it could be a great deal. Or it could be a terrible deal. Or anywhere in between.

It does seem like, in general, used guitar prices are much higher than they were a years ago.

There was a used mint condition SCGC H13, stock (mahogany and spruce) in the AGF classifieds very recently. IIRC, asking price was $3250 (plus expensive shipping from Hawaii and add PayPal fees. So it was maybe $3500, all told. It lasted about two days. A very good deal. But a dealer would certainly ask for more.

[Br1ck]

Maybe I'm cheap, but if you can't find an absolutely dreamy guitar used for between four and five grand, you aren't trying. But I've got friends that just aren't thrilled until they pay a boatload for stuff. Whatever gets you off. My thing is dreads, I've played a lot of them, and honestly, other than prestige, I've found nothing much better than a D 18 Authentic, and I've seen them for $3500. You can't hear or feel prestige, and pretty sounds no better than plain. It is only vintage that I'd pay for. I'm not saying there is nothing better, just that 5% and smoke isn't for me, worth it.

[Tony Burns]

During this time - becasue of you know what !

prices are going threw the roof , a guitar i bought used about three years ago -
and paid a little over three grand for -sells for over twice that amount
at present used in good condition - If i didnt love that guitar if would be listed and sold . I went threw something like this last year trying to buy a moderately priced bicycle - actually got an older bike and did the work on it myself ( I got lucky ) Today i spend quite a while trying to find a .008 string for a 12 string ( a G,s -secondary string in light gauge ) no local music store had 8's ,nor in the surounding area -one site on amazon wanted over 6 dollars for one plus shipping - absolutely crazy .

luckily I can put it away and play something else - till i can find strings for it .

Id say if you can wait for the madness to stop Id wait , i wouldnt pay that much for that guitar !

[rule18]

Perspective for @Mrbirdog - I just bought a 2016 Santa Cruz OM, European Spruce over Cocobolo and paid around 20% less than than the "deal" you're looking at (and that included shipping).

[Goodallboy]

Originally Posted by Mrbirdog

You can build a new one for 7300.00 and get 10% off that or 6570.00
EIR and Addy top
The one I'm talking about has coco binding and Italian spruce top which I don't care about....

The new build seems to me the way to go......the journey continues
Build time is only around 4 months.

You asked, many have advised.

You need to go ahead and buy it. And I’m wondering, why did you even ask if you had arrived at the answer before hand?

[Godfather]

Originally Posted by Pickcity

A "good deal" is subjective, and only you can decide if it is a good deal for you. Some may say you are spending too much, and some may say it is the deal of a lifetime, but ultimately any item is only worth what you are willing to pay. You probably already know this, but you asked, and it is the most honest answer I can think of...

This right here ^^^^^

[colins]

Hey Mr Birddog,

You have found the price for a particular new guitar and now it is worth considering the range of pricing for used guitars. There have been several threads on this topic over recent years so you may do well to search the AGF. My personal experience in looking, buying and selling many guitars in many venues over the past twenty years is that for guitars in this price range:
• Dealers typically charge around 75% of the new price and take a commission of 20-25%.
• Non-dealer sales (like here on the AGF) typically go at around 50-60% of the new price.

This is for well-known guitars; incredible used guitars by less well known builders can be picked up for a song (pun intended). And of course there are exceptions that go well above these ranges; Kim Walker and Olson guitars being a couple of examples. I’m sure others will chip in and try to help you politely with their own experience.

So if I wanted a Santa Cruz that was currently available new at $7,500, I’d be angling for a well-cared for used one (i.e. with no issues) at around $5,600 from a dealer and around $3,800 on the AGF or a similar source. You can expect variations and haggling along with these ballpark guidelines.

I have been fortunate to order a number of custom builds over the years and in every case it was to get something that was not readily available on the broader market. I'm just as happy buying used, which was how I bought my most recent guitar. If I was looking for a Santa Cruz with fairly common specs I’d watch the used market for a while before committing to a custom build, and hope to save myself several thousand dollars. But if I really wanted a Santa Cruz in Italian over Claro walnut and with koa binding, a side port and a custom neck shape, I’d be talking with the SC custom shop.

[takamineGD93]

Originally Posted by Mrbirdog

....

EIR and italian spruce.....

There is no Italian spruce. I looked in to it when someone claimed "norwegian spruce" that I never heard of living next door..
There is only european spruce (the same species). You can buy "european spruce" from italy, norway etc.