Appraisals

A current appraisal is important when it comes time to insure or sell your vintage guitar. 

Ideally we'd conduct every appraisal in person because that would allow us to more thoroughly examine and evaluate each instrument. However, good news if you don't live within driving distance: we're more than capable of appraising remotely when provided detailed, clear pictures of the guitar and its components.

Either way, the end result is the same: a written, formal document describing the guitar and declaring its current market value. The fee for an appraisal is $100.

If you're interested in just getting a ballpark figure for your vintage guitar, no worries! We can do that for free. To be clear, when we give informal values, they typically aren't as accurate or as authoritative as an appraisal, but they can at least point you in the right direction.

For more information, please contact us!

What We Look For

  • Condition

    Condition is everything. Two guitars of the same model and year can sell for drastically different prices if one is in excellent shape and the other shows heavy play-wear or isn't 100% original. Fortunately, while we love to see near-mint instruments, there's always a market for guitars in less-than-good condition as well.

  • Brand

    Fender, Gibson, and Martin have a rich history of making great guitars and therefore can be highly collectible. (Certain models from these manufacturers can fetch upwards of $300,000!) Other notable brands include National, Rickenbacker, Epiphone, Guild, Gretsch, and Paul Reed Smith (PRS).

  • Serial Number

    Manufacturers use serial numbers to track important information about their guitars, such as when and where they were made. For us, a serial number is often the starting point to accurately date a guitar and confirm its originality.

  • Materials

    Certain materials once popular among guitar makers are no longer used (or are rarely used) these days, typically due to overharvesting. For example, Indian rosewood by and large replaced Brazilian rosewood for this very reason. Because Brazilian is considered to be among the finest tone woods, guitars made of this variety command a premium.