Bob's Vintage Guitars

Determining the Value of a Collectible Guitar

by George Gruhn As both a dealer and appraiser of vintage fretted instruments I am faced with the daily necessity of placing dollar values on instruments. Any appraisal or price determination is to a certain degree the subjective judgment of the particular dealer or appraiser involved, however, the figures that I or any other dealer or appraiser place on instruments are firmly based on our knowledge and experience of the market involving supply, demand, and prior precedent for instruments of this type. While there is no one simple formula that a dealer or appraiser uses for evaluations, the following factors are critically important: 1. Maker Instruments made by famous luthiers or manufacturers are far more sought after than those by lesser... more