Identifying Classic and Vintage guitars

[dreamsongs]

I found a guy here in FL with an incredible collection of vintage guitars. He has over 130 guitars in his collection and wants to sell some of them. Most of the ones he's selling range from 1.2 - 1.5k...

Being that you can't get a truly good acoustic for under 2k, it sounds like a steal.

I'm not familiar with all the models but I think some of these are an incredible bargain and I'm going to check them out. I might have to look them up in the classic/vintage guitars book.

If any of you guys know these models and think they're a good deal, let me know...

This is what he's selling now:

MARTIN
2 x D28 1986 1996 / D17 / D16 electric / 2 x D15 / 1924 - 2-17.

GIBSON
1913 - 01 1918 L2 1924 L3 1929 L4 1937 HGOO natural wood finish approx $1,500 Selling in Vintage Guitar mag for $3,500/4000.

1948 L48 1950 L48 1966 LG2 ( 12 string ) 1967 B25 ( 12 string )
1969 Jubilee 6 1972 J45 Sunburst 1974 J45 Cherry.

1970 J5 1962 LGL 1963 LGL 1955 LG1 (or i ?) 1954 LG1 2 x J45 electric Gibson electric Ranger/ Acoustic shape, solid body.

The average asking price for most of these guitars is between
$ 1,200 - $ 1,500.

There might be a hidden gem in there. Let me know your thoughts...
__________________

[swankdoc]

On the surface it appears like some potentially amazing steals. The Martin D28 for example....yah.....

But guitar value has so much to do with playability and condition, not just year and model. You gotta check out the neck, the neck joint, the heel, the binding, etc etc etc etc. You could get a gem, or junk.
Look up a local vintage guitar shop guy, and ask them if you could bring some guitars in for appraisal. Thats the only way you're gonna know for sure.

But in that list, if those guitars are in great shape, there's potentially enogh value in there that you could buy the whole lot from the guy, turn around and sell them at market value, and pretty much make a years' salary.

[seaneldon]

'72 J45 in Sunburst for $1500? Why can't we get people like that in NY?

[dreamsongs]

Originally Posted by swankdoc

On the surface it appears like some potentially amazing steals. The Martin D28 for example....yah.....

But guitar value has so much to do with playability and condition, not just year and model. You gotta check out the neck, the neck joint, the heel, the binding, etc etc etc etc. You could get a gem, or junk.
Look up a local vintage guitar shop guy, and ask them if you could bring some guitars in for appraisal. Thats the only way you're gonna know for sure.

But in that list, if those guitars are in great shape, there's potentially enogh value in there that you could buy the whole lot from the guy, turn around and sell them at market value, and pretty much make a years' salary.

I agree, I need to get my ass over there and check them out to see their condition.

Initially and on paper, it looks very promising...

[dreamsongs]

I hope some of them are still for sale...

Which ones would you pick to look at first ? Which ones would be the more desirable ones ?

[dreamsongs]

I just spoke with him and he said he added a few more to the collection including a "Sheryl Crow" Gibson Hummingbird...

I'm foaming at the mouth...

[ALL*MYTEE]

Originally Posted by dreamsongs

I hope some of them are still for sale...

Which ones would you pick to look at first ? Which ones would be the more desirable ones ?

Hi DS,

If you're looking to play then the one that feels and sounds best to you. If for collectors value, then probably start with the full sized ones mentioned in the posts so far. It can be a challenge to sell guitars for what they're listed for in VG. So much depends on condition--up to 75% of the value on most guitars. Originality counts for a lot. As does playability.

Also, folks in NY may goo and gah over the prices but here in Chicago Ive seen two full-sized Gibsons (like the J-45s) from the early 70s in good original shape recently for under a grand. If he's a collector, he likely knows what he's doing so don't be afraid to make an offer.

With that said, my favorite acoustic of all time is my early 70s Gibson SJ Deluxe. I had a '56 J-50 and it blew it away. So I sold the J-50--it was worth probably three times what the SJ was--and was blue booked at maybe four times.

Good luck--and if you meet a truly magical instrument, trust your gut.

Best,

Eben

[dreamsongs]

Originally Posted by ALL*MYTEE

Hi DS,

If you're looking to play then the one that feels and sounds best to you. If for collectors value, then probably start with the full sized ones mentioned in the posts so far. It can be a challenge to sell guitars for what they're listed for in VG. So much depends on condition--up to 75% of the value on most guitars. Originality counts for a lot. As does playability.

Also, folks in NY may goo and gah over the prices but here in Chicago Ive seen two full-sized Gibsons (like the J-45s) from the early 70s in good original shape recently for under a grand. If he's a collector, he likely knows what he's doing so don't be afraid to make an offer.

With that said, my favorite acoustic of all time is my early 70s Gibson SJ Deluxe. I had a '56 J-50 and it blew it away. So I sold the J-50--it was worth probably three times what the SJ was--and was blue booked at maybe four times.

Good luck--and if you meet a truly magical instrument, trust your gut.

Best,

Eben

I'd like to find one that sounds good miced up in the studio.

I don't perform live that much anymore so I'm looking at studio guitars that could potentially sound awesome for when I do guitar/vocal only demos.

I'm thinking the J45 might sound too boomy but I don't really know since I've never recorded with that one.

[Pohaku]

I have a Martin 2-17 of the same vintage. Nice parlour guitar. Martin's first guitar that was constructed to use steel strings. While I haven't checked recently, I'm thinking that $1200 is about right if it is in very good shape. Condition counts for a lot and price can jump dramatically moving from "very good" to "excellent" or NM. Collectibility and price of Gibsons and Martins drops off after 1969 for specific models like the D-28 and J-45. Ideally you want 60s or earlier. Fixed bridge is usually better than the adjustable bridge models. I have a 65 D-28, a 66 B-25 and a 66 J-45. Asking for an excellent 60s B-25 would be about $1200-1500 here and an excellent 60s J-45 or J-50 would be about $2100-2400 here.

Once you get to the 1970s, you generally need to compare pricing with what you would pay for a new guitar of the same model. With many guitars in current mass production, a 35-40% discount off list is not uncommon (obviously not for boutique or very high end guitars where the margin is smaller).

Still got to play them though, as there are always exceptions -- vintage doen't always mean good and recent doesn't always mean mediocre.

Keep in mind that VG pricing is "full retail" and to some degree prices are posted by dealers in VG to attempt to set a "standard." I expect that actual selling prices are negotiated downwards from there, sometimes significantly. MIdwest prices for some items are also more considerably more moderate than what you see on both coasts. I have a friend with a vintage guitar shop here who sometimes sells to New York shops. He gets what he is asking and they simply mark up from there because their market is willing to pay.

Good luck. Let us know what happens.

[chetatkinsdiet]

I've got or owned a lot of these...or variations.....

If I were going in there, I agree the condition of each is the most important thing, but assuming they're all in nice shape, I'd first check out the J45/hummingbirds for an all round quality studio guitar. I'm not as fond of Martins for recording as they tend to be boomier than their Gibby counterparts.
Again this is all such personal preference it should really mean very little to you, but I seem to prefer Martins for vox/guitar tracks and Gibsons when it's mixed into a whole band.

For the record, I've got a 72 SJ Deluxe (basically the eary 70s version of the country & western/plain top hummingbird)....absolute fav in studio and for playing in general. But, as I was typing this, I dug out my first year (84) Martin D18V....one of about 50 made...and it's an absolute dream to play as well. I'd still reach for the Gibby in most cases, but the Martin is a damn fine gtr as well. D28 models are very cool....top dogs if you will for that marquee.

m

[dreamsongs]

Interesting posts...

I see that maybe $1,200-1,500 is an average price for some of those models.

I wonder how much of a deal I can get on the J45, but it's from 1972 and it probably won't be as good as pre '70's.

I don't know if I'm interested in any of the other models I posted since I don't know much about them. Maybe the hummingbird that he just acquired but let's see how much he wants for it and what year's it's from...