1955 Country Western Advice

[Low Country Boy]

Hi Folks,

 

Long - long time lurker in need of some help. BTW, I really like this forum.

 

I am looking at a '55 CW in "fine" (as per Gruhn - structurally perfect but has been played hard; with the original tuners replaced) condition. I'm having a hard time placing a value on this giutar. Does anyone have any experience with this model & year (it sounds great!) and what it might be worth?

 

I'm not able to post pics but promise to do so if I'm luckey enough to buy it.

 

Thanks

[Guest]

This would technically be a "first year" for a CW model, although there are some reported CW's (or SJN's) from 1954 too.

 

A '55 would likely have the larger early batwing pickguard, and could have the heavier bracing, but might still have the lighter (earlier) bracing. A '54 would for sure have the smaller 'guard and the lighter bracing.

 

Value? -- my guess maybe $5-6K, possibly more, depending on condition.

 

Fred

[Low Country Boy]

Thanks shrimer. Appreciate your response.

 

It does have the batwing guard and lighter bracing. Guitar is structurally sound with lots of play wear. Do yo think the replaced tuners would have a significant impact on value?

[Rambler]

Minor. Nothing like, say, serious cracks or a refin. Hundred or two? give or take, depending on if the originals are still on hand. Or not.

[Guest]

Thanks shrimer. Appreciate your response.

 

It does have the batwing guard and lighter bracing. Guitar is structurally sound with lots of play wear. Do yo think the replaced tuners would have a significant impact on value?

 

No not much -- the main thing is that the guitar, from your description at least, is structurally sound.

 

Fred

[ballcorner]

My answer to what 1950s CandWs are worth is simple: Too much.

 

They don't have the tonality of many other models, both older and younger and at a lower price, and they will not hold value over time because there are so many of them around.

 

I have handled at least 70 of them in 20 years of casual dealing and I never found one that had enough tone to keep. That doesn't mean they don't exist - I just think five grand is a boutique price for a K-Mart guitar.

[Low Country Boy]

Thank ya'll for the input.

 

Hey ballcorner, what do you think would be a fair price for one with good (not great) tone? $3,000? Also, which lower priced models have better tone - I live in an area where there aren't any older guitars to try out so any advice will be helpful.

[glynsong]

LCB,for that price range there are so many really fine contemporary new/used guitars; gibson,santa cruz ,huss &dalton ,bourgeous,john walker,roy noble and the list goes on . I love old guitars but thy've gotten so out of the question for alot of us price wise and considering that you'll want to be playing it a bit, the daily handling of these gems has always concerned me.Just my thoughts, best of luck to you.

[Low Country Boy]

Thanks everyonr for the advice.

 

LCB

[ballcorner]

Thank ya'll for the input.

 

Hey ballcorner' date=' what do you think would be a fair price for one with good (not great) tone? $3,000? Also, which lower priced models have better tone - I live in an area where there aren't any older guitars to try out so any advice will be helpful.[/quote']

 

You can usually get a banner logo J45 that isn't perfect but sounds amazing for around $4500 - and you can easily get a 60s SJ for three grand or less. Small body Gibsons are everywhere for easy money and recent guitars like the Advanced Jumbo are total bargains. Older guitars like the CandWs are cool, but not $5000 cool to me.

[onewilyfool]

Just so happens to be one for sale locally for $2500. I have no affiliation with the seller.....

 

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/msg/1137303040.html

[brians356]

A '55 C/W just sold on Ebay for $3,150 w/ replaced tuners, otherwise original w/ minimal play wear to top, lots of play wear to fingerboard, a few minor dings. That guitar fetched about the right price IMO. (Ebay item #140316323289.) I bought a '57 C/W from the same seller last year, 100% original with major play wear, for about $500 more. These are Southern Jumbos w/ natural tops ("SJN") and yes they sound different from a J-45 but there are more variations between individual examples than between the two models, again IMO. My '57 is a great sounding guitar, but it does have a somewhat quirky sound, certain notes ring with almost mystical reverberation, overall there are a lot more complex overtones than many people would like, it almost sounds like two guitars playing in unison. Not a clean, dry tone center. My '57 was played hard, in a lot of tobacco smoke, probably in clubs, and it is very broken in. I have an almost pristine '59 C/W with minimal play wear, and it has a much less complex sound, and is not as loud as the '57. Its value is primarily its startlingly original condition, a true "under the bed" piece. I wouldn't like to tell you what I paid for it. :)

 

I would try to get it for $3k or less if it has newer tuners and lots of wear. That way, if you don't like the guitar you can probably flip it without getting hurt. But it just might be a keeper.

[Low Country Boy]

Brian - great info! Thanks! I had already decided on $3k net tax & will go for it tomorrow.

 

LCB