Lately there have been a lot of guys asking for an idea on a price of there guitar or asking advice on buying something that will increase in value, besides a few that have tried to show they had something to sell that might be of interest. I figured we could clear some things up with these topics.

Well lets face it I would believe we all have a bit of inner collector in us, as mine did not show up till I hit 41 which was 7 years ago but I will admit I think of resale value now and search around to get lucky with the prize at the bottom of the $@!&#* jack box.

For everyone that would like to know what the resale value of there guitar is be it you have 2 or 30 guitars I would recommend you pick up a copy of the Blue Book of Electric Guitars or The Vintage Guitar Priceline Guide. Personally I would say go with the Blue as it deals with guitars up to the present. These are good to help you find mostly any model you are interested in besides some facts about them. Do not take the prices given for guitars in them as set in stone as the books are very collector, dealer friendly. By that I mean a tool a dealer can pull out to try and tell you what your guitar is worth though I see many guitars sell for much more than listed.

There are many things that determine the value of a guitar and just because something is old does not make it valuable. The main things are condition and how original it is. No matter how good the job a refin will just about cut the price of your guitar in half and is probably the biggest no no, also swapped out pups, tuners, and bridges all cut the price. But as long as you have the original parts that you can put back in you are okay. Another big one is putting holes that dont belong like drilling peg holes for tuners or routing for pups.I know a lot of guys would like to know how a company relic is graded, well there is only a new and used price on those as additional wear cannot be measured.

Now for the guys who ask what is going to be valuable.lol I think if we all knew the answer we would have a pretty good 401K down the road. The most desirable guitars are still Fender, Gibsons, PRS, Gretsch, and Rickenbacker but a lot of other companies have guitars with a lot of interest in them. Vintage guitars still have the biggest value by far but there are models that are not that old that carry big value, mainly custom shop numbered pieces. If anyone is interested the Holy Grail of new Fenders would be the CS 100 made SRV#1s which sold for 10K a piece and now go for 30K or better. On the other hand the Lenny did not fair so well selling for 17K and now have a worth of 13K. So you can see just because it is a limited high price CS model does not mean it cannot drop in price. I have mentioned this before but since we are on the topic the hot Fenders that are not vintage are the first U.S reissues of the 57 and 62 Strats and Teles from the 80s that in great condition are in the 5K range. Also Strats from the 70s are very desirable.

So I hope this clears somethings up for some and that others have learned some things they did not know. The bottom line and most important thing is being the best player you can and making good music. On the other hand it is nice to score or own a desireable guitar. I have three guitars in three different rooms that are my main playing guitars and never go in there case and one is heavily modded to my likings but everything else is in there case and well maintained, After not really being able to play the last two years I have read a lot of things on collecting and how these guys look at things and learned a lot of cool things. I would advise others to do the same. I do not own a vintage ax nor am I a fan of relics but I have some great playing and cool guitars that I have garnered over the years and the best advice I can offer is take care of your axes as one day something you have might put a big smile on your face,

It would be cool to hear some feedback or hear something interesting or views on the matter. KEEP ON ROCKIN

Well written ... everyone interested in collecting should read your piece as a starting point. One other thing I tell people is to examine as many guitars as they can get their hands on. Look at the woodworking techniques, be familiar with what headstocks, decals and other parts were used during a given period or for a particular style.

The more authentic models you've seen, the better able you are to spot a fake. There are other points you can learn too -- such as that a screw that's supposedly been in a piece of wood for 50 years isn't going to come out quite the same as one put in 5 weeks ago. Modified guitars will often show signs of the work in areas normally covered up, and so on.

Straycat, well written treatise on guitars. I've read the the new Vintage Guitar Price guide is pretty much worthless; I've heard of the Blue Book...is it on line?

I don't have any relics, CS Fenders or any vintage guitars (yet ) but I do have 2 vintage Marshalls, one of which is in a UPS facility in RI (where's Jeff when you need him ) due to the weather. I am anxiously awaiting that one.

However, I didn't buy either one as a investment, though I would venture to guess that I will not lose money on either one. I bought them for that Marshall tone. The one in RI is an unmodded 1971 50w Tremolo head; the other is a slightly modded (and reversible master volume) 100w 1971 Super Lead head; that's the one in my signature; it belonged to Fred Taccone, the founder of Divided By 13, and he take good care of it.

One of the things love about this board is the amount of information available...keep up the good work, all of you.
Serge

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Current Gear: Ron Kirn Barnbuster Tele,
Marshall: 1971 SuperLead 100>1997 1960-TV, bunch of pedals
and a 1987 Porsche 911 Carrera coupe named Veronica

Very interesting and well written!!

I never considered myself much of a collector until the last few years - However, I am collecting more for my 4 year old little boy to have a slew of strats years down the road - I have one from his birth year, which I have posted pic before - and I have bought a new one each year since then - id like to be able to continue doing that as long as possible

I do have some vintage stuff, and I agree with what Straycat said about the guides being "dealer friendly" - My '75 Strat is 100% original, down to the case and hang tags - I wouldnt part with that guitar for 4x what the book says its worth! I have an '88 tele and a '91 strat too, I didnt realize that they are getting up there in years too - my '66 bassman is still one of my favorites!!

Nice post Straycat!!

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"Wait a minute, somethings wrong here!"

Hi Straycat,Well written post,I have the 2010 Vintage guitar guide and find it indispenseable.I have a small collection compared to many(25)but I'm always keeping my eyes open for what guitars are starting to rise in value.All it takes sometimes for a guitars value to skyrocket is to have some rock star seen with a particular model.I'm keeping my fingers crossed just in case someone picks something I have.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

My two guitars are some what collectable but I certainly don't treat them that way. My '92 SRV has the brazilian fretboard but I sanded the poly off the back of the neck right down to the bare wood and the body of my '78 is off getting refinished. Both actions have severly hurt the value but I couldn't care less. I didn't buy them as an investment, I bought them because they were damn good guitars. I'm a player, not a collector.

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Tune Low, Play Hard & Floor it!

No vintage guitars, but have two vintage amps that are played out all the time. I love the tone, and feel that all instruments, vintage or not, should be played, not stored. well written piece.

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2012 American Vintage Telecaster 1958
09 Fender american deluxe strat.
97 Gibson les paul special P90's double-cut
65 Princeton reverb re-issue
2010 Guild Gad-F40e

Thank you Straycat, very cool and informative post Bro!

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you can save the world with your guitar one love song at a time it's just better, more fun, easier with a fender solid body electric guitar or electric bass guitar.