Slim_Slam Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 My cousin has had this beauty locked away in his closet for the last 19 years and after a death in the family, we are looking to sell it. I am not a musician, but I need a realistic value on this. It's a 1961 ES-330TD... but that's all I know. It's not associated with anybody famous, but it's all original, in pristine condition, and I can't find anything exactly like it (online) to compare to. Does the Bigsby tailpiece make it worth more? Does the early (5-digit) serial number make it worth more? Any information is appreciated! Thanks all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Isaac Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 That is stunning. I don't know the real value of something like that but I suspect others here will advise you. I think you will be pleasantly surprised. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimR56 Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 Looks like a very nice example of the model. Bigsbys are somewhat controversial in my experience. Some would see that as a nice feature, and some would not. All in all it probably balances out to a non-issue. In terms of the value (and this is a bad time to be selling, due to the economy), your best bet is to look at completed auctions on ebay. You can also look at online sites like gbase to see what prices dealers are asking (http://www.gbase.com/gear/find?gs=y&fy=1960&ly=1962&keyword=gibson+es+330), but you'd have to adjust downward from there if you're selling it yourself. I would estimate that you might be able to sell it for somewhere in the $4,000 ballpark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slim_Slam Posted October 10, 2012 Author Share Posted October 10, 2012 Looks like a very nice example of the model. Bigsbys are somewhat controversial in my experience. Some would see that as a nice feature, and some would not. All in all it probably balances out to a non-issue. In terms of the value (and this is a bad time to be selling, due to the economy), your best bet is to look at completed auctions on ebay. You can also look at online sites like gbase to see what prices dealers are asking (http://www.gbase.com/gear/find?gs=y&fy=1960&ly=1962&keyword=gibson+es+330), but you'd have to adjust downward from there if you're selling it yourself. I would estimate that you might be able to sell it for somewhere in the $4,000 ballpark. Thank you, JimR56! I hadn't seen gbase.com, yet. Your link is exactly what I needed to see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave F Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 Like posted earlier, not a good time to sell. I'm currently in the buying mode and have been picking nice guitars about 25% below value. Having said that, the 2012 Vintage Guitar price guide has this guitar in the excellent condition listed for $3600 to $4500. Too bad it's not the natural finish, they're $7k to $9k. May want to hold on to for a while. If you find the right buyer you can get the price. I'm guessing an on-line auction would net $2600 but I'm no expert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobB Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 www.gruhn.com or www.mandoweb.com have appraisal services. An appraisal would be a good way to document current market value or insurance value. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabberwocky Posted October 27, 2012 Share Posted October 27, 2012 It might be worth $50 for a written appraisal by Gruhn or Mandolin Bros. But the crux of the matter is finding the right market for a guitar like this. Talk to an archtop specialist seller like Joe Vinikow of www.archtop.com or JG Stewart of www.myjazzhome.com or Laurence Wexer www.wexerguitars.com . They have the right market for guitars of this genre. Either person can advise you on setting a realistic selling price for it. I figure that it is worth the 20% commission or so that they charge to find the right buyer. Because if you sell it yourself, you may not realize a higher value than they after commission coupled with the headache of dealing with unknown buyers and possible fraud. The key to getting the highest value for this guitar is finding the right people who would buy it. Some buyers also feel more comfortable dealing with a reputable dealer and hence do not mind paying more than dealing with a private seller. If the Bigsby is factory original i.e. Gibson installed it and shipped it from the factory that way, it will not affect the value of the guitar. If it was installed after-market, then the guitar's value takes a hit because it is no longer "factory original". If it has its original frets, pickups, finish, hang-tags, case, paperwork, etc., great because these things (yes, hang-tags) add greatly to the value. Don't be tempted to touch up the finish or do anything to it to "improve' its appearance because you can only hurt its value. Leave it as original as possible save strings. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maestro Vibratoer Posted October 27, 2012 Share Posted October 27, 2012 I recently sold a cousin to this guitar (ES-335) albeit, a newer vintage, 1970. I did this on Ebay. Keep in mind, fees are about 10% of the final price (for private parties) on Ebay. I completely agree that the market for vintage and all other used guitars continues to soften, even from three years ago, when it was already considered soft. I am not talking about ultra rare - high end guitars as I don't know that market. It seems there is a fair amount of supply out there right now. If you do intend to sell now, perhaps watch the number of similar vintage ES-330 guitars on ebay, and wait until there are fewer similar ones offered. Try and strike while the iron's hot. On the contrary, did you ever consider learning guitar and hanging on to that gem? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinh Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 This is all good advice. If you have a little time, I'd also set up E-bay searches witn notification for ES330 1960, 61 , 62 etc. Nowadays, when something sells on E-bay its sometimes a better indiactor of what the market actually is, rather than looking at dealer asking prices. I emphasie sells, because you can find many example of a given vintage instrument offered for, say $6,000, but very few of them seem to actually sell at that price. By example, I have a 65 Fender precison bass in EC. Sellers on E-bay seem to be routinely asking $5,000 plus for these, but no-one actually appears to buy them at that price. Actual sales seem to be $1000 -1500 lower. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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