Many of my website visitors ask about vintage guitar values. Do you have a guitar that you would like to have information about? Do you have any questions about the value of a Fender guitar, the value of a Gibson guitar, or perhaps the value of a Martin guitar? Even if you don’t know what type of guitar you have, a little research will help you find the value of your guitar.
What makes a guitar valuable?
Several factors influence the value of a guitar. In general, the guitar should be something sought after by collectors and musicians. Demand for a guitar is generally determined by quality, beauty, and playability. This demand must be greater than the available supply. Age is a big factor in a guitar’s value, but a guitar isn’t necessarily more valuable just because it’s older. It must have been made to a high quality standard in the first place. A mediocre quality old guitar is just that: a mediocre old guitar! The actual year a guitar was made may not be as important as the PERIOD it was made.
For example, the most valuable electric guitars today include Fender Telecasters made before 1954, Fender Stratocasters made between 1954 and 1959, and Gibson Les Pauls made between 1958 and 1960. The most valuable acoustic guitars include Martins and Gibsons. prior to World War II. This is not to say that other guitars are not valuable. Many vintage guitars will fetch a good price. The trick is to know approximately how much YOUR guitar is worth.
How can I determine the value of my guitar?
In order for you or anyone else to determine the value of your guitar, you must have certain information available. Ideally, you should know the make, model, and serial number. However, the make and model can often be determined through the serial number. Then you need to determine the state of your guitar; prices differ greatly by state. Here are some guidelines: (these guidelines are from the “Blue Book of Acoustic and Electric Guitars”)
100% New – New with all factory materials, including warranty card, owner’s manual, case, and other items that were originally included by the manufacturer. On instruments currently manufactured, the 100% price refers to an instrument that was not previously sold at retail. Even if a new instrument has only been played twice and traded in a week later, it no longer qualifies 100%.
Excellent – this excellent condition range is represented by both high excellent condition and low excellent condition. High Excellent refers to an instrument that is very clean, looks almost new (maybe just a few light scratches/dents), and has hardly been used. Bass Excellent refers to a guitar that has been played/used and has accumulated minor wear and tear in the form of light scratches, dents, small chips, etc. The older an instrument is, the less likely it is to be in excellent alto condition. Even great bass is rarely found on instruments over 50 years old, since most acoustic instruments were originally bought to be played.
Average – Guitar Average Condition Factor indicates an acoustic guitar that has been in a player’s hands and worn due to player use (hopefully without abuse). Instruments in High Average condition have normal teeth, small chips and light dents on the body and/or scratches on the top and back. However, there should be no problems unless stated separately. Instruments in below average condition can reflect major finish issues, parts, previous repairs (especially on older instruments), alterations, and neck/fret wear is typically visible.
Once you have this information in hand, you can try to find the guitar’s value by consulting various sources on the Internet, or you can have it appraised by an expert. Researching the value of your guitar on the Internet can be free. The downside is that this research requires a large investment of time and extensive knowledge of guitar pricing resources. If you have your guitar appraised, remember that the appraiser may also be a dealer who, after all, wants to make a profit by reselling the guitar. For this reason, the assessment MAY be biased.
Because many of my website visitors have inquired about the value of their guitars, I have begun offering a GENERAL guitar appraisal service. This service is FREE. If you are interested, please visit:
Vintage guitar values at the May Music Studio website.
