Used Steel Guitar Prices

[SHAKEY]

I don't know if this is in the right section but I'll go on any way. Somebody tell me why people are asking ridiculous prices these days for second hand steels? I quite recently sold a second hand Bennett for a friend of mine to a guy for £700 which I thought was a fair and reasonable price, (single 10, 3+4.)Last week the guy phoned me up and asked if I wanted to buy it back or if I knew anyone who wanted it for £1500 as he couldn't get on with it. You can imagine what I said and where I told him to go. His reply was, "well that's what they're going for." Yes he's right, that is what they are going for but why. You buy a brand new car and try and sell it a month later and see how much you get for it, even a Rolls Royce.

Ok some of the new steels are superbly made and the cost of materials has shot up so yes your going to pay 2-3 grand for a new MSA or Zum, Mullen etc., and yes people are going to want to get the best price they can for their old guitar so they can buy a new one, but where does it stop. I recently sold a Carter starter for £500 which I think was a fair price, now I see on Ebay and Gumtree people selling Carter starter (with a few bits and bobs)for 900 quid and a Zum Stage One for about the same price. Surely this can't be right. They are student models. Ok taking inflation into account what makes an old Pro1 for instance, worth 3 times what it was worth 3 or 4 years ago. Yes lovely guitars but not a Rolls Royce. I don't mind paying a fair price for a descent guitar but at this rate there will be very few steel players left in this country and an awful lot of redundant steels. Wot d'ya think. ?????????????????????

[Nick Bidmade]

I agree but think there are a couple of factors to consider.
Importing new guitars is expensive - tax, insurance and shipping and these additional costs perhaps have to be passed on when selling second hand. Lots of US Forum members seem reluctant to sell outside USA so choice is also limited. Good psg's are a rare commodity here in the UK, so I guess it's also about market forces - and what people are prepared to pay.
I've got an old 'no-name' Sho-Bud, Curnow undercarriage, jubilee clips on all the legs - I could let it go at £2200. Buyer collects! Hurry!!

[SHAKEY]

I wish you luck with your "no name" Nick but what has import duties and tax etc. got to do with a British made Bennett Guitar?

[Tony Russell Davis]

Are you sure? I think you might have got a bit more for the guitar when you sold it - Bennett makes good guitars but they are often undervalued as secondhand.
I bought a Mullen D-10 just over a year ago, and one of my pals bought a EMCI D-10 a few months ago - both were under £1500. Also I bought, worked on, and then sold a ZB D-10, not long ago, for substantially less that £1500! These were private purchases like the guy wanting to sell "your" Bennett. I can imagine a professional retailer would need to charge more for the overheads etc. but - wow

[SHAKEY]

So Tony, what your saying is I'm selling too cheap? Well maybe next time I'll get myself a "NO NAME" and sell it for £2200. I'll have a holiday then!!!

[Tony Russell Davis]

Hey you deserve one mate

[SHAKEY]

"Hey you deserve one mate" Sorry don't quite understand??

[Tony Russell Davis]

A holiday!

[Nick Bidmade]

Shakey - Point taken about the resale price of the particular guitar in question - now, about the Sho-Bud - when you coming to pick it up

[john roche]

the Zum stage one is not a starter guitar, a session player in the states has three of them and got rid of his Franklin as the Zum sounded better..
http://www.steelguitars.co.uk/SteelGuitars.htm#New%20steels