zeeker Posted December 1, 2008 Share Posted December 1, 2008 When I was in the Air Force from "61 to '65 I learned to strum three chords on my buddy's old beater. After I got out I just knew I had to have my own piece. Ad in the paper...Two for sale...Come look. Well, late one night I finally found this guys place in some redneck trailer park. Sure enough he had a pair for sale. Believe me, I knew NOTHING about guitars. One was a gibson (I'd heard that name) the other was Who knows. I bought the Gibson. This was in late '66 or early '67. I took it home and played the same 3 chords. Soon I was raising wives, kids, houses, cars, hell you know how it is. It went under the bed and it's still there. Anyway, I would like to know how one goes about rating the condition of an old guitar. Since I'm older than dirt and I never learned how to play it I'm thinking about selling it. It's a 1966 Gibson J-160-E . It's certainly not like new. Has a few dings and dongs. The finish is plenty checked but I sure don't think it was played much. Should I take it to a Gibson dealer, Music store, The church? Help me out fellas, who can tell me the truth? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmngretsch14 Posted December 1, 2008 Share Posted December 1, 2008 Plenty of experts on here to help out if you post a few pictures. Also for a more professional appraisal a dealer may be able to help, particularly if you can find a store that deals in vintage instruments Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLiveSoundGuy Posted December 1, 2008 Share Posted December 1, 2008 E-bay is a fair market gauge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted December 1, 2008 Share Posted December 1, 2008 I agree. Regardless of what gbase or Gruhn have for prices, ebay is a good measure of what people are willing to pay. It's a good idea to throw out the highest and lowest to get an even better average. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfden1 Posted December 1, 2008 Share Posted December 1, 2008 Finish checking is common on an old guitar, especially ones with a nitrocelluose finish, which is what Gibson's have. That, and a few dings and dongs, generally don't affect value too much (although an otherwise desirable guitar that's in pristine condition will certainly be worth more). Things that affect condition more seriously (and thus, value) are a refinish, structural damage (i.e. ,loose braces, neck reset needed, cracks and breaks,, and so on), and non-original replacement parts. From what you describe, it sounds like yours is in pretty good condition. There's currently a '65 on ebay with a Buy it Now price of $2500. Gbase lists three, ranging from a low of $3250 for a 68 to a high of $5275 for a '63. Gbase is dealers listings though, and ebay is, as ksdaddy said, a better indicator of what people are actually willing to pay. Watch the one on ebay and see what it sells for, or , in this market, even if it sells at all. Hope that helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thermionik Posted December 2, 2008 Share Posted December 2, 2008 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeeker Posted December 4, 2008 Author Share Posted December 4, 2008 Thanks guys for the tips. I'll keep my eyeballs on E-Bay..........zeeker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 Keep some boric acid handy. You don't know what infections ebay can carry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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