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Topic: values |
Eddy Hupp
From:
Idaho, USA
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Posted 7 Feb 2018 10:36 am |
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| have a source to find values on steels, and amps |
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Lee Holliday
From:
United Kingdom
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Bill Sinclair
From:
Waynesboro, PA, USA
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Posted 7 Feb 2018 10:55 am
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| Many public libraries in the U.S. will have that Vintage Guitar Price Guide on their shelves as well. |
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Cartwright Thompson
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Posted 7 Feb 2018 4:07 pm
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| Price guides are often not accurate. Look at completed eBay auctions and completed Reverb sales, which show what things actually sold for. |
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Jim Sliff
From:
Lawndale California, USA
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Posted 8 Feb 2018 9:44 am
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The Vintage Guitar Price Guide is very well researched and is based on previous-year selling prices through dealers, eBay, Reverb, GBase and other sites. They then factor prices based on economic and market projections.
It's generally more useful as a pricing tool than single, random eBay "sold" prices, which can be isolated situations based on emotion, personal desire, need, lack of knowledge and other variables.
Knowledgable buyers use both. But as far as lap steels go, published Price Guide numbers are generally higher than the market will bear. The influx of cheap, "vintage-looking" imported steels has driven prices downwards. eBay and Reverb are a crapshoot because of market saturation and the number of marginal-condition instruments. The most "fair" lap steel prices seem to be obtained when they are sold here.
_________________
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional |
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Cartwright Thompson
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Posted 8 Feb 2018 1:56 pm
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Like I said, the price guides can’t be relied upon to be accurate, we’re talking about lap steels here not sunburst Les Pauls. I subscribed to Vintage Guitar Magazine for many years and their price guide was often laughable when it came to steel guitars. I used to wish I could buy guitars at the prices they listed.
And yes, eBay sales can be deceiving, but with completed auctions, looking at the bid history, you can see what multiple people actually bid, that is, what someone is willing to pay. The asking prices on the SGF don’t always reflect the actual selling price.
You have to look at all this stuff and learn how to interpret it. It is not an exact science. |
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Jim Sliff
From:
Lawndale California, USA
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Posted 11 Feb 2018 1:59 pm
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| Quote: |
| we’re talking about lap steels here not sunburst Les Pauls. I subscribed to Vintage Guitar Magazine for many years and their price guide was often laughable when it came to steel guitars. |
It doesn't matter.
If you talk to the staff, the Vintage Guitar Price Guide prices are based on a combination of factors but are meant to be more reflective of prices dealers ask for excellent quality instruments - private party selling prices are generally lower.
And what's often missed...or ignored...is condition. Few vintage lap steels I encounter are in "excellent" condition, yet sellers use Price Guide ranges anyway. Take an all-orignal but refinished vintage Br-9 as an example - it should be in the $212 - 300 range (with a case that's also in excellent condition) but asking prices are usually about double.
That's because most amateur sellers don't read the instructions and don't know there's a 50% deduction for a refinish.
IMO the Price Guide values are perfectly valid IF the qualifications listed in the front of the guide are applied. And yes, eBay "sold" values are useful - but again, auction prices are subject to emotion and "auction fever".
And if no nearly identical (brand/model and *condition*) instrument has been sold recently "sold" values of nothing aren't much help. 
As far as what non-winners have bid, those numbers are completely useless. I've thrown up numbers I was sure wouldn't win just to test the waters; sellers have friends bid, especially in "reserve" auctions to drive up prices; and many "interim" bid prices aren't physical "bids" but are created automatically.
_________________
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional |
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Cartwright Thompson
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Posted 11 Feb 2018 2:05 pm
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| I honestly don’t think I’ve ever seen a refinished BR-9 , why would anyone waste their time? But of course, I haven’t spoken to the staff at VG so what the hell do I know.. |
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Bill Creller
From:
Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)
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Posted 11 Feb 2018 5:07 pm
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I agree about the BR9 ! And I like the Ebay folks who claim that the BR9 they are selling as "rare " LOL !
People looking for "excellent" vintage guitars are mostly collectors & not players.
Some of the lap steels on Ebay are certainly way over priced, and usually because of the brand name... |
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Todd Clinesmith
From:
Lone Rock Free State Oregon
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Posted 11 Feb 2018 6:16 pm
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My last Vintage Guitar Price guide is about 10 years old and had T-8 Bigsby's listed for $2500. That was way off for that time. I think there were Spanish Bigsby quoted very low too. I need to dig it out again.
The Vintage Guitar Price guide gets there values from input from select music stores sales or quotes. Music stores can be higher priced than ebay, especially the high end or boutique shops. And I think where steel guitar is concerned, they can be way off base. It is a good reference, but ebay is very good too. Take each with a grain of salt.
_________________
face book page:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Clinesmith-Instruments/1457245817911268?ref=bookmarks |
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Jim Sliff
From:
Lawndale California, USA
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Posted 14 Feb 2018 4:02 pm
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| Quote: |
| The Vintage Guitar Price guide gets there values from input from select music stores sales or quotes |
I noted above what Vintage Guitar uses to develop the Guide and there's much more to it. If by "Select music stores" you mean a couple hundred vintage instrument dealers then yes, that's part of it. "Quotes" aren't, and they also use ebay "sold" prices.
10 years ago the instrument market was completely different - old Guides like that aren't even relevant to today .
I have a 1998 one if you want some real laughs.
_________________
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional |
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Todd Clinesmith
From:
Lone Rock Free State Oregon
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Mark Helm
From:
Tennessee, USA
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Posted 20 Feb 2018 11:41 pm Values
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Sorry, but there really isn't any such thing as a book that can accurately tell you the value of a vintage lap steel guitar. Back in the days before the internet and even as recently as 10-15 years ago, I wouldn't have traded my Gruhn's Guide for a new wife and a cow.
Your best bet is to use eBay's advanced tab and check what a guitar last sold for. Then fly it by the guys here, who have always been better looking and more reliable then any book (high praise, huh?!).
Best of luck!
_________________
Remington Steelmaster S8 w/ custom Steeltronics pickup. Vox MV-50 amplifier + an 1940's Oahu cab w/ 8" American Vintage speaker. J. Mascis Fender Squire Jazzmaster, Hofner Club bass, Ibanez AVN4-VMS Artwood Vintage Series Concert Size Acoustic Guitar. 1920s/30s Supertone Hawaiian-themed parlor guitar. Silvertone parlor guitar. |
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Nic Neufeld
From:
Kansas City, Missouri
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Posted 21 Feb 2018 4:39 am Re: Values
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| Mark Helm wrote: |
Sorry, but there really isn't any such thing as a book that can accurately tell you the value of a vintage lap steel guitar. Back in the days before the internet and even as recently as 10-15 years ago, I wouldn't have traded my Gruhn's Guide for a new wife and a cow.
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On a related note, I recently picked up an 80s era copy of the enormous "Jane's Fighting Ships", the huge annual catalog and recognition guide for virtually every naval vessel afloat. It cost hundreds of dollars new I'm told...but now it's been basically rendered pointless as virtually any class of ship in there, you could find a more exhaustive and up to date wikipedia article on in a couple clicks. Books are nice but are losing out when it comes to raw information like values, statistics, that sort of thing.
_________________
Waikīkī, at night when the shadows are falling
I hear the rolling surf calling
Calling and calling to me |
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