I often wonder about some of the guitars I see on Ebay. 2009 Strats that are listed as "mint" and "played for 5 minutes" then up for sale at an obvious loss.

I guess it makes me wonder about the people more than the guitars. I just don't get who buys a $2000+ guitar last year, plays it for 5 minutes and then sells it on Ebay with the plastic still on the pickguard.

Then there's the Artist Signature "mint" loaded pickguard, and a further page on a "mint" neck from the same Artist Signature model guitar and then another auction for a "mint" body of the same Signature series model. All from the same seller, who has obviously disassembled a nice quality guitar and selling off the separate bits to the highest bidders.

I mean OK, it's their guitar and all, and it's probably just me being too precious about my love for guitars but there's something just plain "wrong" about it that I don't like.

Then there's the high dollar Custom Shop guitars selling without their cases and in separate auctions the empty cases up for grabs. I don't know, I just feel guitars of that calibre should remain in the cases the Custom Shop delivered them in, it's a shame to separate them.

Maybe it's just people who have won them as unwanted prizes or gifts and it's really their business in the end, but does anyone else feel the same?


Cheers,

Snowy

Nope. It doesn't bother me what someone else does to their instrument. It's their business if they want to be a tool.

_________________
You're only as strong as
the drinks you pour,
the tables you dance on,
and the friends you roll with.

No doubt the parted out guitars are from ReliableFender. I myself see his operation as a bonus to us all. Use his sales and you can get a guitar spec'd however you like. Say you already have a great neck but dont like the pickups on the guitar or the colour. Well you can buy genuine Fender parts from him. A real bonus if like me your no good with paint or want to keep the original body. Perhaps you dont solder or I dunno, theres a million reasons for buying similar items.

As far as customshop guitars and the sale of case's and case candy seperate to the guitar itself, I dont like it. You cant control what people do with their possesions though and quite frankly I dont want to live in a world where that level of control happens.

Same as everything theres a plus and a minus.

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No no and no

Yeah, you're right, it's definitely a bonus when you're looking for parts, I've actually bought a set of Texas Special pickups from ReliableFender that were in mint condition and obviously removed from a brand new guitar.

Like you say there's also a positive side to it, I guess I just couldn't see myself being the one dismantling a brand new axe and selling the bits.


Cheers,

Snowy.

You are looking at this as a guitar lover, not a businessman. As a lover of fender guitars, it seems like a terrible thing to do, to part out a nice axe. But as a businessman, you can see the point of selling a guitar for more in parts than whole. As Niki said, it benefits us who like to build our own stuff from genuine fender parts. Fender will only sell you a new neck under very strict circumstances(defective or damaged). Just wanting to build your own custom strat is not a reason for Fender to sell us a new neck. As far as Custom shop stuff, I wouldn't buy a CS guitar WITHOUT all the stuff(case, paperwork etc.). Heck, I can't afford one anyway, so it doesn't matter to me!!!!! If I bought a $3,000 Strat, my wife would have a BIG problem with me!!!!

I'd agree with what's been said about this...someones loss is our gain. My personal experience however, is that I can sell a parted out guitar for more than if I sell it as a single piece. (case, body & hardware, neck & tuners, pickguard assembly) It does seem a shame at times to take apart a perfectly working guitar and sell the pieces but for me it's about how I can make a buck.

If it's a vintage model or a CS strat, I'd leave it be, but for any run of the mill strat, the parts usually sell for more than the whole. Just my experience...

I guess they figure that once the play it or leave the store with it, it's no longer "new" so they can't demand top dollar for it.

Like with the HWY 1 Strat I bought 1.5 weeks ago and now want to sell. I have played it 4 times after the setup and if I sell it now, should I ask $700 for it? I was asking $650 and people are even scoffing at that.

It bothers me more when you see someone selling a guitar that is worth $500 and asking $850 for it. Always funny to haggle with those sellers and have them tell you you won't find one cheaper when that particular guitar sells for $450-550 all day long and this is trying to convince you they are cutting someone "great deal".

_________________
Blues with a feeling.

GUILD GUITARS: MADE TO BE PLAYED!

Me, too. I bought some Fender MIA Tele pups to drop in my Squier Tele for cheap.

_________________
Laughing out loud with fear and hope, I have a desperate plan ...

I really think you gotta be careful. There's alot of counterfeit stuff out there.

+1

_________________
-Kirk

GUITARS
'12 Sonoran Acoustic - black (dated 10/31/12)
'13 Standard Strat
AMP
Vox ac4c1-bl
PEDALS
Compressor
Big Muff
Vox Stomplab 1G
Carbon Copy Delay

It's all about making money my friend.

Seriously, a guitar is just a tool to make music (or noise in some cases). They aren't precious artifacts, or works of art, or any of that nonsense.

True some have a higher percieved value than others due to scarcity, but in 1957 that super valuable '57 Strat was just another guitar hanging in a music shop.

Custom shop guitars . . . are you kidding? They are the ultimate in blatant, self aggrandizing "look at how much money I have" bullstuff.

I don't care what anyone does with their own guitars.

Sell it whole
Parts it out
Turn it into a coffe table
Burn it for firewood

_________________
"Life is like eating jalapenos. What you do today may burn your arse tomorrow"

I find that some people do things from feelings rather than thought. They buy a guitar that they really could not afford. Their "desires" got the best of them, you might say. When reality sets in, they realize, Man I should not have done this, I can't afford it, my wife is upset and now i need to just recoup some of my losses. If indeed it is a new guitar the depreciation factor hits the seller pretty hard. Buyer's remorse = eBay bargains!!!

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Xhefri's Guitars
www.xhefriguitars.com

Yeah, i have no problems benefiting from someone else's buyer's remorse.

it's up to each of us to manage our money. if they don't, and it presents an opportunity for me, then great.

A lot of people will buy an expensive guitar with all the good intentions in the world, to learn how to play, using the faulty logic that a heavy investment will be incentive to practice. But for many of them, when it isn't easy right away, they give up. then some of us can snap up a nice deal on a barely used guitar.

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I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

Man, I have looked at some guitars that have been made and said, What a piece of art! Flamed Maple top, Birds Eye Maple necks, detailed wiring. Of even the Pyrocaster Ceri redid in his Thread on the Fender Forum (Touching up Nikininja's body). Now that is talent and art all in one. It is kind of negative to call the efforts and talents people put into making a wonderful creation "nonsense." Playing is only one part, a big part, of owning a guitar. Looks, feel, rarity, etc all play into as well. I used to own a lot of vintage 1930's cars and street rods. Fast, fun, collectable (artifacts), cool, art... Guess I do not see a lot of difference between cars and guitars. Guess one could say, A car is nothing but 4 wheels that takes a person from one place to another....but we all know they are way more than that.

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Xhefri's Guitars
www.xhefriguitars.com

I agree that lots of guitars are pretty to look at and some are made of gorgeous woods. Yes they take lots of work to make sometimes (especially in the case of a Ceri-style rebuild which was fun to watch progress in the thread). Please don't think that I'm knocking the craftsmen who make a living turning out a good looking, well built product.

All I'm saying is that when it comes down to it, no matter how pretty it is or how long it took to build or repair, it's still just a guitar. Unless it's your sole means of feeding yourself and your family, it's a luxury item, don't attach too much reverence to it.

_________________
"Life is like eating jalapenos. What you do today may burn your arse tomorrow"