JShedd Posted May 18, 2010 Share Posted May 18, 2010 Hello, I found an auction for a water damaged 1990 ES-175 on... EVILbay, and I was wondering if any of you have experience with the value of a water damaged guitar? This particular guitar seems to be mostly damaged cosmetically, and the seller claims that there is no structural damge. There are finish cracks all over the place and some discoloration from the pink case lining. A guy like me would just use it as a workhorse jazz player with some history, and I wouldn't bother with cosmetic issues. I would just be concerned with fret board levelling down the road in case the neck ends up warped. Any advice on this sort of thing? I've never experienced a water damaged guitar in person before, I'm sure it could have different results in different guitars. (The ES-175 being laminate construction gives me some optimism however) And any advice on making an offer for this type of guitar? I thought I'd go to the library and look up the blue book value of 1990 ES-175's for starters. Thanks, sorry for all the reading! Oh, and for a little about myself, I am a classical, jazz, and contemporary musician. I am the proud owner of an SG supreme in firburst, which has so far been covering all contemporary and jazz duties. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L5Larry Posted May 18, 2010 Share Posted May 18, 2010 The type of water damage and how long it was exposed would make a difference. Besides the obvious, I would be most concerned about the glue joints, and the top de-laminating. Most adhesives used in instrument making are water soluable, and there are a lot of parts glued together to make an archtop. Because of the recent floods in Nashville there are going to be a lot of "water damaged" instruments hitting the market, or dumpster, after the insurance adjusters get done. I heard Vince Gill alone lost over 60 instruments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sok66 Posted May 19, 2010 Share Posted May 19, 2010 I'd be VERY cautious about buying any guitar that had been subjected to water immersion, etc. Aside from the mentioned issue with water soluble adhesives, the body woods will have swollen and it's unlikely they will dehydrate into their pre-soaking alignment. Finish damage is likely, and may take months to appear. Of course, the electronics will be suspect as well. OTOH, this type of damage is not unusual. If the guitar was serviced and rectified by a qualified luthier quickly after the incident it may be OK. You'd want inspection and rejection privileges on the purchase well agreed beforehand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamBooka Posted May 19, 2010 Share Posted May 19, 2010 I saw the pics on ebay last night. Doesnt look that bad (no.. it looks horrible.. but more cracks than anything else). At my skill level I would let it pass unless I could actually get my hands on it. lots of pics but nothing of the insides with a mirror. need fretwork too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lpdeluxe Posted May 19, 2010 Share Posted May 19, 2010 In his book, The Gibson Super 400 (GPI Books, San Francisco, 1995), Thomas A Van Hoose details the restoration of a 1939 S400 [pp 79-90]. It was a MAJOR undertaking and the author is silent on what it cost, but it must have been enormously expensive: the luthier essentially disassembled the guitar into its component parts and rebuilt it piece by piece. I'd pass on a water damaged guitar -- there is so much not visible that could have been ruined. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamBooka Posted May 19, 2010 Share Posted May 19, 2010 I MUST Get that book Edit: DONE .. thank you ebay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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