Vintage guitar valuations

Warblington

ATB_Guitars said:

A ‘66 Tele in that condition we would market for just under £15k assuming the back is just as nice and it’s all original inside.  Hope that helps. 

Thanks very much. I’m underinsured ! Yes it’s all original.

ICBM

You may know this already, but the case is ‘original’ in the sense that it was bought with the guitar - I’m pretty sure that even as late as 1966, the UK distributor imported cases separately and they were sold as an option with the guitars, not included - people who could barely afford the guitar anyway would economise by taking a cheap case instead. So there is no ‘original’ Fender case for this guitar, and unless you were selling it there’s no point in buying one.

For insurance valuation I would take the highest price an all-original ‘66 blonde Tele has sold for and add about 25%. You’ll probably never find another one in that condition, and almost certainly not with the cast-iron provenance that one has.

The only other advice I would give is… play it. Don’t worry about minor wear to the frets etc - it deserves to be played and not just stuck in a case. It will also sound better if you do (really).

Warblington

ICBM said:

You may know this already, but the case is ‘original’ in the sense that it was bought with the guitar - I’m pretty sure that even as late as 1966, the UK distributor imported cases separately and they were sold as an option with the guitars, not included - people who could barely afford the guitar anyway would economise by taking a cheap case instead. So there is no ‘original’ Fender case for this guitar, and unless you were selling it there’s no point in buying one.

For insurance valuation I would take the highest price an all-original ‘66 blonde Tele has sold for and add about 25%. You’ll probably never find another one in that condition, and almost certainly not with the cast-iron provenance that one has.

The only other advice I would give is… play it. Don’t worry about minor wear to the frets etc - it deserves to be played and not just stuck in a case. It will also sound better if you do (really).

Yes I should play it more.I didn’t buy it to realise a profit or sell it on, it was just something that I had always wanted and saved for during my working life.I totally get your point about the case, the purchase docs state it comes with a second hand case and they kind of belong together.

ICBM

I also forgot to mention - the '3' in the neck stamp is not a date, it's the code for a Telecaster neck, so the Fender employees could easily identify them when they were stored end-on in racks. So if your birthday is *any* day in June, it was made on your birthday .

Warblington

ICBM said:

I also forgot to mention - the '3' in the neck stamp is not a date, it's the code for a Telecaster neck, so the Fender employees could easily identify them when they were stored end-on in racks. So if your birthday is *any* day in June, it was made on your birthday .

Brilliant! Thanks 

Skipped

ICBM said:

You may know this already, but the case is ‘original’ in the sense that it was bought with the guitar - I’m pretty sure that even as late as 1966, the UK distributor imported cases separately and they were sold as an option with the guitars, not included - people who could barely afford the guitar anyway would economise by taking a cheap case instead. So there is no ‘original’ Fender case for this guitar, and unless you were selling it there’s no point in buying one.

For insurance valuation I would take the highest price an all-original ‘66 blonde Tele has sold for and

As always, ICBM has nailed it. *

It was the same with Gibson. The UK distributor  did not import a number of cases equal to the number of guitars. Because.....many buyers could not afford the case. Hence.....many Es-335s are eventually sold with the Selmer case that was purchased with the guitar. That is the original case!

The case we are discussing looks old. And the bill of sale does say "guitar + second hand case".

I am very impressed that ATB Guitars were willing to give such a clear indication of a (dealer) selling price for a very, very clean example. Of course, that does not conclusively answer the question of how much a guitar is worth, because some sales are private sales. But it helps a lot for insurance purposes. I don't see much point, if any, in the price guide that was mentioned earlier.

* (I may want to disagree when the topic is JFK.  )

Warblington

Skipped said:

ICBM said:

You may know this already, but the case is ‘original’ in the sense that it was bought with the guitar - I’m pretty sure that even as late as 1966, the UK distributor imported cases separately and they were sold as an option with the guitars, not included - people who could barely afford the guitar anyway would economise by taking a cheap case instead. So there is no ‘original’ Fender case for this guitar, and unless you were selling it there’s no point in buying one.

For insurance valuation I would take the highest price an all-original ‘66 blonde Tele has sold for and

As always, ICBM has nailed it. *

It was the same with Gibson. The UK distributor  did not import a number of cases equal to the number of guitars. Because.....many buyers could not afford the case. Hence.....many Es-335s are eventually sold with the Selmer case that was purchased with the guitar. That is the original case!

The case we are discussing looks old. And the bill of sale does say "guitar + second hand case".

I am very impressed that ATB Guitars were willing to give such a clear indication of a (dealer) selling price for a very, very clean example. Of course, that does not conclusively answer the question of how much a guitar is worth, because some sales are private sales. But it helps a lot for insurance purposes. I don't see much point, if any, in the price guide that was mentioned earlier.

* (I may want to disagree when the topic is JFK.  )

I agree entirely.I wasn’t expecting that. I would have been nervous about calling a dealer and asking what they’d sell my guitar for! I have a clear idea of what it should be insured for and thanks to everyone who has pitched in.

p90fool

Warblington said:

ICBM said:

You may know this already, but the case is ‘original’ in the sense that it was bought with the guitar - I’m pretty sure that even as late as 1966, the UK distributor imported cases separately and they were sold as an option with the guitars, not included - people who could barely afford the guitar anyway would economise by taking a cheap case instead. So there is no ‘original’ Fender case for this guitar, and unless you were selling it there’s no point in buying one.

For insurance valuation I would take the highest price an all-original ‘66 blonde Tele has sold for and add about 25%. You’ll probably never find another one in that condition, and almost certainly not with the cast-iron provenance that one has.

The only other advice I would give is… play it. Don’t worry about minor wear to the frets etc - it deserves to be played and not just stuck in a case. It will also sound better if you do (really).

Yes I should play it more.I didn’t buy it to realise a profit or sell it on, it was just something that I had always wanted and saved for during my working life.I totally get your point about the case, the purchase docs state it comes with a second hand case and they kind of belong together.

I would definitely stick to the case it came with, as buying an 'original' Fender case half a century later actually diminishes the authenticity of the story. 

Great looking guitar by the way, and you obviously enjoy owning it. 

Warblington

I love it and it represents a lot of hard work and a forty year wait. The case has an unusual smell when you open it. Not damp or musty but just ‘old’!

ThePrettyDamned

Warblington said:

I love it and it represents a lot of hard work and a forty year wait. The case has an unusual smell when you open it. Not damp or musty but just ‘old’!

It's so beautiful. What an absolute treasure. 

rze99

Warblington said:

I love it and it represents a lot of hard work and a forty year wait. The case has an unusual smell when you open it. Not damp or musty but just ‘old’!

As an owner of vintage myself I know exactly what you mean. 

Gassage

C. £12-14000 would be my valuation if I were buying/selling it privately. It's a stunner.

Warblington

Gassage said:

C. £12-14000 would be my valuation if I were buying/selling it privately. It's a stunner.

Thanks, god forbid anything happens to it but I have a really good handle on what I should insure it for. 

GuyR

Warblington said:

GuyR said:

chris78 said:

If you were selling, I’d be talking to Mike at ATB. The right buyer will probably pay early 5 figures for it at a guess. The lack of original case knocks it back and it’s not a custom colour which fetch really top dollar.

I think you are in the right range here. I'd guess retail at £12k ish, maybe 13 max. ATB has had a number of very nice 66s around £9k, and also understands the extra value of a minter, so would be well qualified to offer advice. I think for a post CBS instrument the ceiling for a mint example is significantly lower than for 64 and earlier.
Lovely looking guitar BTW, does it play/sound as well as it looks? I have a blonde 66 of my own, they are fabulous guitars.

It’s very easy to play, a low action and a great sound. I don’t play it that often . When I was a teenager I could only afford a second hand Jedson ‘Tele’ and vowed one day I would get a real one.

A Jedson would give a decent incentive to get a real one. I'm pleased it is a good player as well a stunning to look at. These 66 Tele necks feel perfect to me. Less of a handful than the early ones, but not skinny. I think I might just have to go and get mine off the rack.
I hope you never need to move it on.

Zoonyboy

A 66 Tele is a great thing, and please never take it apart if anyone asks, let it be. I think you could get way more than 6k for it, plenty of people like guitars in that condition, and they are only going UP. Its a classic, a much over-used term, but 100% appropriate in this case.

Gassage

Warblington said:

Gassage said:

C. £12-14000 would be my valuation if I were buying/selling it privately. It's a stunner.

Thanks, god forbid anything happens to it but I have a really good handle on what I should insure it for. 

Try Allianz Music Policy- you should be able to do agreed value.

Gassage

Warblington said:

Gassage said:

C. £12-14000 would be my valuation if I were buying/selling it privately. It's a stunner.

Thanks, god forbid anything happens to it but I have a really good handle on what I should insure it for. 

Try Allianz Music Policy- you should be able to do agreed value.

Warblington

Zoonyboy said:

A 66 Tele is a great thing, and please never take it apart if anyone asks, let it be. I think you could get way more than 6k for it, plenty of people like guitars in that condition, and they are only going UP. Its a classic, a much over-used term, but 100% appropriate in this case.

I’d never dismantle it. I knew when I bought it that 100% originality was key and the provenance made it a no brainer.

Hattigol

As @guitars4you said, there are potentially many different 'values'. Mike's value at ATB is going to be towards the top, and justifiably so, because he has such a trusted reputation, whereas someone selling privately is going to get a lot less.

By way of example, ATB have just sold a fairly undesirable '69 Tele for just under £5k. A private sale of a very similar one on Ebay only fetched £2,750 - so the value is hugely dictated by the seller. 

guitars4you

Hattigol said:

As @guitars4you said, there are potentially many different 'values'. Mike's value at ATB is going to be towards the top, and justifiably so, because he has such a trusted reputation, whereas someone selling privately is going to get a lot less.

By way of example, ATB have just sold a fairly undesirable '69 Tele for just under £5k. A private sale of a very similar one on Ebay only fetched £2,750 - so the value is hugely dictated by the seller. 

True - but often easier to sell an exceptionally clean example with additional history at 15K then a dodgy example with debateable issues for 8K 

Plus often, as a dealer you find that you don't get a 15K card sale - More like 2-5K and the dog, volvo + kitchen sink coming in as well on a trade in