Silenced Fred Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 Just wondering, I hear all these stories of people getting amazing deals on used guitars in the 80s, 90s, etc. but nowadays, I have seen quite a few used late 90, early 2000s SG Standards on craigslist for 1500 in decent condition, more than price new! I know quite a few of you have been around guitars for some time and have seen the market for guitars go up and down, but do you think there are still a ton of deals out there or does it seem to be drying up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff-7 Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 There are, just have to be patient. Eventually they'll get the idea when it doesn't sell at that price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G McBride Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 Real deals are found face to face, cash in hand. Craig's List and ebay are people selling for the higher side of the market. There are some deals out there right now because people are still trying to climb out from under the debt they couldn't handle during the recession. Just be ready and have the money when someone else is in need of quick cash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L5Larry Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 There are still deals out there, you just have to turn over a ton of rocks to find them. Buying and selling used and vintage guitars has become big business, and the internet sites like e-bay and craig's list allow most anyone to be a guitar "dealer". Therefore there are now more "middle men" and that drives up prices. It used to be one guitar player selling a his guitar to another guitar player. As for the asking prices you're seeing, they are just that, ASKING PRICES. Many listings I see are extremely overpriced and are NOT SELLING. A two week auction on e-bay that doesn't generate a single bid should tell the seller his starting price is more than the guitar is worth, but they seem to just renew the ad (with the same results). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riverside Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 Well, anyone who bought a '70s Les Paul Deluxe in the '90s for $500 paid about twice the original selling price. It's all in the perspective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 The deals are fewer and fewer due, I think. to the Internet and eBay. I used to get some real steals in pawn shops that didn't really know the value of the gear they had taken in. Now they can look it up on their phones! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duende Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 Pippy said to me (and I hope he chips in here!!) that once upon a yesteryear, secondhand guitars - ie Gibson's - were just secondhand guitars and substantially cheaper too than buying new! He went onto to discuss the change in marketing due to the guitar consumer more and more (over the last two decades?), becoming more enamoured with guitars of the past, than the guitars of the present. Now Pippy, I spoke for you there, so please forgive me if I misrepresented you and I hope you will add and/or correct me... My view is that Gibson, aside from making some wonderful instruments, are also FANTASTIC business people. They are masters of feeling the pulse of the market and then responding to it and make in turn making great profits. They must be doing well as prices of Gibson guitars seem to have gone up in a much higher proportion than other brands over the decades - and the advertising and mystique they have encouraged in older instruments (and then more recently their custom shop re issues) responds to this demand in the market. The above surely has contributed to not only the rise in S/H prices, but also the idea that say a 1980's Les Paul Std is not to be regarded as a S/H Les Paul on a shop website but sold as a 1987 Vintage Les Paul. Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Well, anyone who bought a '70s Les Paul Deluxe in the '90s for $500 paid about twice the original selling price. Yep. In '96 I bought a refinished and extensively repaired 1946 Martin 00-18 for $500 and that was "about right". A year later I swapped it even for my (beloved to a disturbing degree) '71 Deluxe gold top.... so in effect I paid $500 for the GT, which at the time was "about right". Scary what people want for either nowadays. In '84 I bought my '64 Southern Jumbo for $350, which was the going rate. Another sticker shock in 2011. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dem00n Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 I see tons of greats deals. I got a vintage Gibson for $800 and it sounds amazing. Sure its a student model but still made the same of the same stuff of all the other guitars at that time. You just gotta have a good eye. Hell its even on the forum, some dude bought a 77 ibanez les paul for $400 with the super 70 pups, 70's ibanez les pauls are quite sought after. Ive seen one of those pickups sell for $100 by its self. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrosurfer1959 Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 deals are about perspective now - you won't find a great deal on-line anymore based on the simple truth if somebody has the ability to post on-line they also research value on-line and almost everybody thinks they have something special. E-bay and other similar tools removed the regional sales concept completely so people have a much greater market. If your in Boise it used to be that your customer was also in Boise so it was a smaller pool however the reverse is true also you can now find anything anywhere at anytime so that's the trade-off. the real thing that was killed off by the internet was the true collectables like sports cards, PEZ, Matchbox cars, etc. it used to be a real challenge to find some of these things in local markets which is now gone. As an example I collected PEZ when I was a child and it was difficult if not impossible to find some of them I had pen pals in Germany and Canada and we would trade the regional items back and forth to try and fill set's it used to be very difficult if not impossible to find something made and released in Germany or England and they had the same difficulty getting the American releases so it was a challenging hobby! In todays world a kid only needs a PC and daddy's credit card and in a few hours he could be done with what I spent years collecting. What's the driver for something to become valuable if there plentiful and easy to get. You can still get great deals but there at carport sales and church auctions or sorting boxes at flea markets, not many deals to be had in the pristine aisles of the internet stores. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrosurfer1959 Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Final Point The great deals of yesteryear seem a lot better in hindsight than they probably were. True I got my first Les Paul Standard for about $600 but I also earned about $3.70 a hour at that time so it's really all about balance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAS44 Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 They aren't gone. maybe a bit hard to find. I got my 2001 Les Paul Studio (wine red and gold) for 400 bucks, a fair deal I'd say :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 In todays world a kid only needs a PC and daddy's credit card and in a few hours he could be done with what I spent years collecting. I've got about 135 old transistor radios. A few are worth some good bucks in that circle, most are run of the mill. I don't discriminate, I just buy every one I see. I've bought some on ebay but it's an empty feeling. I get much more of a rush scoring one in a box of junk at a yard sale a few times over the course of a summer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
69 Son Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 What kills great deals is the idea that the seller needs to get what they've got in it. IMO, it just doesn't work that way. I bought x guitar for $1800 but I'll still sell it for $1600 or less if I want to move it or it won't sell. Some of the sellers just keep their ads running because there's always that one guy who didn't do the research and buys on impulse. I wonder if it's the region your in...CL here is booming with deals, $500 LP Studios and $750 SG Standards can be found a few times a week...95% of the other stuff on there is junk which keeps the good stuff's prices lower, if that makes any sense. Killer deals on ebay all the time, btw. Feburary is still considered a seller's month for guitars and after Feb swings more into a buyers market as it gets warmer, peaking in June & July baby! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy R Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 I agree to the points that it is somewhat relative to working wage etc.. but there was also the boom of the pointy guitars in the 80's, now ebay and craigslist add Guitar Center and Sam ash running all the smaller competing stores out of town and offering musicians a quick pittance for their instruments the onslaught of collectors and ridiculous costs for newer high end guitars I think it is much harder to find a deal on a guitar. There are still some decent MIJ's out there like the 80's charvels that can be had for a fair price but they are going up too. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 I ran into a pawnshop "deal" on a Dot Studio they wanted like $350 or so for. It was the "brown" one MF sells for like $269. I told 'em that... they shrugged. I can't believe more people don't do a little research. I've paid a bit more for a guitar I've played, though. And probably will again. Darn it. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dub-T-123 Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 I think I've done pretty well. I paid $800 for my SG new from GC (yeah whateva) when they were $1429.99. My brother's friend's brother worked there and he hooked me up. I paid $650 for my Tele used but in perfect condition. Not a mind blowing deal but I love the guitar and it's a lot cheaper than new for the same thing. I love lowballing people on craigslist. Every now and then they'll actually go for it and it's awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrosurfer1959 Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 What kills great deals is the idea that the seller needs to get what they've got in it. IMO, it just doesn't work that way. Isn't that the truth I recently bought a used 2007 SG Faded at a private sale for $260 dollars with a hard case. I was checking E-Bay and there were three listed at $800 which was kind of surprising as the guitar is selling for $699.00 new with a full warranty. It's just like the 50's tribute that everyone thinks is worth anywhere from $850 all the way up to $1200 for the rare Black color. Really the local guitar center has 2 still and next year after Gibson has dribbled out the 60, 61, and so on that guitar will be a $400-$500 dollar guitar. Guitar Center and other shops buy stuff used at 35% of value or even less on a regular basis, why would I pay 90% or even 130% for something used without warranty - amazing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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