Since beginning this hobby about 2 years ago I have built 6 guitars, 7th on the way. All of these are genuinely very well made guitars, and probably each have upwards of £600 in parts and timber.
I generally prefer not to have more than 10 electrics at a time and only have 3 now (a Fender, a Gibson and a Gretsch) that are not self-builds.
So, the question that comes to mind is, if I were to sell any, how much would they be worth? I know it would depend on the specific guitar and its desirability but generally, would it be
- Value of used parts
- Value of used parts less a bit (like a partscaster)
- Value of used parts plus a bit
- Used Gibson USA prices
- Used Gibson custom shop
- Used luthier built prices
My inclination is that it would be somewhere around #3. For example, the les paul junior as a benchmark - could I realistically get £1000 for it or is that excessive?
I'm not actually planning to sell any right now as I love them all and built each to fulfil a personal desire, but if I continue to build 2 a year (because I enjoy the process of building), it's going to be tough to keep them all.
Also, I'd be interested in your own approach to this, as a builder.
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All I will say is it can be bloody frustrating trying to sell unique guitars for a decent price when you are relatively unknown. Your Junior and LP's will likely be an easy sell at the right price, although £1k for a junior from an unknown maker will likely be pushing it, but I wouldn't start below that.
The others, as much as people will praise them, will not sell easily. Unique guitars need a unique buyer, and finding that person can take time. It's a risk when the second hand value will be much lower
That may sound negative, but its likely because I am currently trying to sell a few guitars I am really proud of, and getting next to no interest at all.
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now there are a hell of a lot more guitar builders out there. A lot more horror stories too
Obviously its been harder to get them into peoples hands the last few years, so that doesn't help.
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I see from the difficulty you've had in selling your hollowbody, Wez, which is a stunning guitar, that this wouldn't be a moneymaker for me. It would just be nice to recoup most of the costs to keep funding the hobby when I get tired of the instrument.
Same reason why Fenders and Gibsons lose their value a lot slower than arguably better guitars from the likes of PJEggle, most people want the name as much as a nice guitar.
I think, now that I'm through the first few builds, is to try and build something I really want myself with an eye on what might shift in the future if I needed to. I'm also spending more time on each build so each one keeps me occupied longer and is more of an enjoyable challenge. The first few I was impatient to get playing.
Ultimately that means they'll not only be thinking about how much they want a guitar as whether they'll get their money back when they want to sell it on. That's an easier decision with a known brand.
I'm still trying to decide the best place to sell them. I have some listed here, reverb and a few facebook groups without much interest. I might have to resort to ebay again soon. One big issues is I don't currently want to offer postage. Partly due to risk, partly due to them being so unique. I might have to review that soon if things are still not moving
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At the end of the day, it's a hobby for me and no more expensive than many others. I have nothing but admiration for those that are able to make a business out of building guitars.
The challenge - persuading people to buy an unplayed instrument from an unknown builder - will still be the same, just that it'll be a bit easier if the price is £500 rather than £1000.
Either way, the buyer will have to be seduced by the look of the guitar, and being able to see the build process (to get some idea of quality of workmanship) by reading (hopefully) a build thread here. Oh, and they've got to have spare cash that they don't mind losing (resale value risk).
Yours are all slightly quirky, which is good - they'll appeal to someone looking for something a little different - and also bad - you'll not sell them to someone considering a Mex Fender!
Bottom line;
I'd say, if you can cover the cost of your parts, then as a hobbyist, you're doing well. You'll often see partsa-builds being stripped and sold for the parts instead because it was worth more (and easier to sell) as parts than as a complete instrument.
I think it might have been a bit too cheap though as it sold within 20 minutes of my posting!
https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/186317/sold-my-double-cut-london-plane-top-guitar
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This is it.
You are a well-known and respected professional. So, £600 probably is on the "affordable" side, IMHO.
In contrast, I just spent a few minutes looking for a build thread for that blue single-cut semi-hollow as it caught my eye.
Couldn't find a thread, so I'm guessing that there's £300-£400 of parts in there. At £300, I'd be tempted - it reminds me of a similar designed Crimson that I should have bought at a GBGS a few years ago. At £600, I'd not be tempted because I don't know Davros, so it'd be a pure gamble. Yours, at £600, wouldnt have been a gamble!
Fender and Gibson stuff sells easily because no one questions the heritage.
Anyway, they all look great and there are likely buyers out there willing to pay for them. If you’re building as a hobby and it isn’t a money making exercise then there’s less pressure to make a profit as such. I hope you get what you want for them.
• Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@Goldeneraguitars
Costs add up pretty quickly, conservatively for my last LP build
£180 for pickups
£250 for woods
£50 for tuners
£80 for bridge
£50 for electronics
£70 for nitro
£50 for sundries
That's £730 I think. Could be brought down to £300 with cheap parts and woods and an oil finish, but then I'm building for me so decent parts are part of the aim.
Meanwhile I bought an ES-335 new for £3k and sold it a couple of years later for £2300 (before prices went mental), so not a huge deal in terms of the gear merry-go-round.
Agree with you re the costs mounting up. I tend to grab parts when I see them (s/h) on the basis that "they'll come in handy for a build sometime". I've got a lot of odds and ends in various cupboards now! I generally buy my timber in plank form. There's a bit of risk re quality/defects and a fair amount of waste, but it's a lot cheaper than buying pre-prepped blanks, and waste generally gets repurposed for something ...
Might be because they are in a seperate section. Just thinking back when things used to sell easier and it was when they were in a main section of a forum.
Although even here, its hit and miss.. my gold top sold pretty instantly with loads of interested parties. Others, not so much
In terms of selling for cost of parts, that makes sense for some instruments and not others. Definitely doesn't work for a simple but complex build like my archtop.
So the real question, where to sell?
I like the idea of having some in a shop, but obviously it pushes prices up. I'm holding off from the dreaded ebay but it has worked well for me in the past. Also means I need to think about shipping again. Never had an issue in the past, but it still makes me nervous. Reverb doesn't seem to work to well for them.
Scott makes a good point about photography. Definitely not my strong suit.
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