Dealing with people selling guitars who don't have a clue

[Mbroady]

Buying and selling guitars for a few decades has given a me a solid foundation on what a guitar is worth. So yes, I’m the guy that some might get frustrated with. I guess I live in the past, those pre-pandemic days of “60% of retail”, unless it’s vintage or rare (collectable).

It can’t hurt to ask, and that is what i usually sell a guitar for when it’s time to let it go. Never had to wait more then a few days

[kizz]

The problem is in several cases that certain greedy people sell guitars at sky-high prices that are far from worth it on, for example, Reverb or Ebay. So when someone who knows nothing about guitars finds one in their closet, they go on Reverb or Ebay, search for the highest price, find the "greedy person's price" and think that must be the value. From there it's only uphill for those of us who know a bit about guitars and just want to make a fair deal and even a reasonable offer will seem insulting to the seller...i usually just let it go and move on because it will only be bad karma.

[Mandobart]

This thread is a reminder to me to finish updating my Word document cataloging all my instruments - builder, model, serial number, build year, original purchase price, features, issues, photos, etc. and then send it to my kids.

We're all old farts here with fewer playing days ahead if us than behind us. I want my kids to NOT be completely clueless sellers in the future when I'm gone.

[Humbuster]

Originally Posted by Mandobart

This thread is a reminder to me to finish updating my Word document cataloging all my instruments - builder, model, serial number, build year, original purchase price, features, issues, photos, etc. and then send it to my kids.

We're all old farts here with fewer playing days ahead if us than behind us. I want my kids to NOT be completely clueless sellers in the future when I'm gone.

Very smart. Did something similar with select books, artwork and CD box sets.

[donlyn]

Dealing with people selling guitars who don't have a clue

Originally Posted by RP

Yeh, like I said, you never know...

I bought a guitar from RP a few years back. I was hesitant at the time, but I did find out that he does know what he is doing. In spades. I am still very grateful to him for a great guitar.
Which I still have.

Given the date, it is a good day to play "The Rising of the Moon" on my Taylor 458e-R Grand Orchestra 12 string. And musically saying thanks once again to RP.

Happy St. Patrick's Day, which in Boston is also a city holiday for Evacuation Day. Commemorates the date in 1776 when the British left Boston under threat of the Ticonderoga guns, newly emplaced on Dorchester Heights overlooking the city. The British fleet in Boston harbor became instantly vulnerable and would leave no escape for the army. Similar situation to Yorktown a few years later after the French fleet defeated a British fleet and forced the surrender of the British army, besieged in Yorktown.

Be well and play well,

Don
.

[RP]

Originally Posted by donlyn

Dealing with people selling guitars who don't have a clue



I bought a guitar from RP a few years back. I was hesitant at the time, but I did find out that he does know what he is doing. In spades. I am still very grateful to him for a great guitar.
Which I still have.

Given the date, it is a good day to play "The Rising of the Moon" on my Taylor 458e-R Grand Orchestra 12 string. And musically saying thanks once again to RP.

Don
.

Thanks Don....

[Medford Guitar]

Originally Posted by abn556

Be careful with a guitar that’s been sitting that long. I recently traded for a Gibson LG-0 that had been sitting in closet for 35 years. Humidity was not controlled in the space. The guitar had 7 loose braces, some minor top and back separation, and a center seam crack that needed a cleat. In addition it needed a new bridge and saddle. Guitar plays great now, but it took $350 worth of luthier work to bring it back.

Exactly! But she wouldn't listen. She said it's pristine because it's been untouched in 25 years.

[RP]

Originally Posted by Medford Guitar

Exactly! But she wouldn't listen. She said it's pristine because it's been untouched in 25 years.

One person's treasure is another person's project....

[fpuhan]

Sometimes the gift horse can be a pleasant surprise.

Several comments about "sitting in an uncontrolled climate for 25 years" suggests this is an automatic no-no.

My 53 year-old acoustic 12-string, which I bought brand new in 1971, was shipped over the Atlantic, in a cheap, unpadded case, sat in my basement for years and when I took it out again, was as straight and playable as when it was new. I did recently take it in to have it "freshened up," but people who see/play it today can't believe it's 53 years old.

That's not all. A friend of mine was cleaning up his basement and came across a guitar his sister had built to order, with the intention of learning how to play (oh, the impetuousness of youth!), and then never did. She gave it to her brother, my friend, who promptly put it in his basement and forgot about it. Rather than donate it to Goodwill, he asked me if I wanted it. Never to look the proverbial gift horse in the mouth, I said yes.

When I opened up the case and took out the guitar, still with the original strings on it, it was in tune, intonated and looked and played beautifully. I posted an article about it online, and it was seen by the builder, who contacted me (his label was inside the soundhole). It turns out it was the seventh guitar he'd ever made, and he still makes about two guitars a year. Number eight, by the way, was in use by a professional gigging musician!

So, two guitars that by some estimates, shouldn't be worth more than kindling wood that have quite literally stood the test of time. Yes, I'd want to look, touch and play any guitar that is being sold second-hand. But I wouldn't dismiss it simply because it's got some years on it.

[Bluenose]

I believe the condition of a guitar that has sat un played for x amount of years is dependent on the environment in which it sat. If it was in a basement it may have had the benefit of higher year round humidity. I know of two Gibsons that were stored under beds in a climate with cold, dry winters and they both cracked and had loose braces.

[tadol]

I think if I were selling a guitar, and a potential buyer started off by telling me all the reasons a guitar they’d never seen, or played, was over-priced because of a bunch of potential problems, I’d just say thanks and goodbye. And if they said that there were many they could buy at a lower price, I’d advise them to buy one of those and we’d both be happy -

[Marshall]

Originally Posted by rllink

Maybe if she doesn't sell it she will learn to play it.

She'll probably have to take it into a shop for setup or maybe a neck reset first.

[tinnitus]

Over decades of buying used gear (to keep/turn around), 2-3 desperate would-be sellers tried to convince me that their (clearly) off-shore Fender Stratocasters were US-made. Craigslist pics (IF there were any) were Sasquatch-quality.

One fellow told me on the phone, "Hey, I paid $600 for it 20 years ago!" Hard pass. But I still wonder if he was blowing buffalo dust or really did pay too much for a piece of junk. Either way, YIKES!!!

[Jeffreykip]

I don’t know that it’s the seller (who seems to be just taking care of themselves) so much as buying without seeing & playing the instrument. Granted, 2500 is a lot, but if it’s truly mint, that’s not a crazy price (it would be the second cheapest on reverb right now with the most expensive at a 10k). When selling anything you get a lot of annoying offers and demands. It’s a natural expectation that a buyer will check out the item before they buy, but the phrase “I will need to inspect it very well” might sound like a challenging buyer assuming the seller is ignorant or dishonest and implies the buyer knows more about the product despite having never seen it. . Normal people are not Amazon, and there are all sorts of reasons not to mail a a valuable, vintage guitar back and fourth if it’s not a sure sale. It’s hard to judge if you don’t have it in your hand, but if the seller knows it’s mint (and it seems that it doesn’t even need to be mint to get 2500) it’s not a requirement that they lower the price for your doubts, or to give a counter offer - their offer is the price they have set.

[Howard Emerson]

Originally Posted by Medford Guitar

Exactly! But she wouldn't listen. She said it's pristine because it's been untouched in 25 years.

That's why you should have only said "When can I come by to see it?"

At that point, and only at that point, will any sort of "confrontation" be applicable. It's probably too late now, but it's never too late to apply a new lesson.

HE