Vintage, Rare And Collectable Guitars
Perth, West Australia
AUSTRALIA'S NUMBER 1 VINTAGE GUITAR DEALER!!
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What makes
a Vintage Guitar Collectable?
As with baseball cards, Barbie dolls and other collectibles, condition is very important. Instruments in "excellent" condition are always worth more than instruments in "average" condition.
Guitars must meet several other criteria’s to be worth money. One of the most important aspects is originality. Any modifications, replaced parts or repairs, no matter how practical, will decrease the value of a vintage guitar. Even replacing the original case or re-fretting the guitar (the equivalent to replacing a car's tires) will decrease value.
For example, a "beat-up" original finish guitar will always be worth much more than a perfectly refinished one. Even if the new finish is done professionally and looks perfect, it will be worth approximately half the price of an original finish guitar.
Also I need to explain the term "mint", as it is constantly misrepresented. "Mint" means as new, or in the same condition as if you purchased the item new today. There is no such thing as "mint for its age". Either an item is mint (brand new condition), or it's not.
Another thing that affects value is demand. The Fender electric mandolin, although very rare, is not worth very much. The reason is demand, or "who wants it?” If the instrument has limited popularity, for whatever reason, it will appeal to a limited crowd. Hence it will not be worth as much as a popular instrument.
To some extent, rarity has only limited connection to value. For example, the Fender Telecaster is very valuable, even though Fender made tens of thousands of them from 1950 to 1965 (Fender's most collectable era). The reason is demand. Although the Tele is not rare compared to their electric mandolin, it is a very popular guitar. Hence it is worth considerably more than the (much rarer) electric mandolin.
To
summarize, for a vintage guitar to be valuable there must be:
Demand for the model.
Originality (unmodified, no repairs).
Condition.
WHAT is it worth?
The question I get asked constantly is, "what is it worth?” Usually I value things based on what they are worth to me, not someone else. Most times that equates to market value, but sometimes it's higher and sometimes it's lower (depending on the vintage guitar). Really the best way to determine what a guitar is worth is to get some "cash offers" for the guitar. Ask around and see what people would pay.
If you want to know the true value of your vintage guitar, ask a couple dealers, "what would you pay, cash, right now, for my guitar?" This amount will be significantly less than the appraisal, but is the true value of what you can sell your vintage guitar for if your not prepared to wait or don’t have the time!. Yes of course we will try and sell your vintage guitar for more than what we are offering (after all we have overheads and expenses to meet). But we have access to an international market and client list that you don't have. As with any vintage item, you must be prepared to sit and wait for your buyer as nothing happens overnight unless you’re prepared to give it away!