Well, you could always go to your local music store and get an estimate. You may learn a few things there. But, what do you know about their background and expertise? About their honesty? Well without saying too much negative about the local music stores, I will just say most of them are not experts in this field and probably are basing quotes on local pricing values and their limited knowledge, not qualifying them as an expert.

There are also books and websites! If you plan on using a book or website, most importantly look at the year it is published. Old information and old price estimates or quotes is about worthless. The older the more useless, because the vintage acoustic guitar and vintage electric guitar are like classic and antique cars. The value is based on many different factors. To begin with the year, the make, and the model. Then of course, is this a limited number or limited edition, or special version. Is this a special order item or mass produced or a small production or limited number quality.

And the Quality, of course the closer to perfect condition and like new the more valuable in most eyes. But, on the other hand, an antique guitar in original condition such as original parts and paint and scratches, scuffs, pings, dents, etc would be worth much more than one that had been restored repaired and repainted to look like new. Even worse would be updating the parts to new type or something other than OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) It is usually worth more 100% original or as close as possible. Keep the instrument original!

Most important factor in determining value is the demand. No matter the condition or age or other qualities, if there is not a demand for the vintage acoustic guitar and vintage electric guitar then the value is down no matter the age or rareness or other factor or quality. I has to be a vintage guitar that is in demand, one that people are willing to pay for! Either because of actual value or perceived value due to demand! It is worth what someone is willing to pay! Based on these many factors and what part of the United States you are in or what part of the World you are in. And the value or perceived value there!
So, how do we know? Like classic and antique cars, all these factors are broken down and took into consideration and put in book form. These books are like a car blue book, not precise, especially for the older, rarer, and more in demand, etc. But the book is just an estimate based on the market value and sometimes the location too, just to give a starting point and a ball park value or perceived value! It really pays to use the book as starting point and then do your homework! Do all the research so you will know exactly what you got! And what it is worth! Whether you are buying or selling you don’t want to find out later that you didn’t make a fair deal, because you didn’t know or take the time to do your homework. Knowledge is power.

Of course sometimes on non vintage valuable guitars it is worth restoring, repairing and even customizing! Depending on value, needs, and wants. Value is truly perceived and rarely a set price. ONLY ballparks!

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It may sound like rock-opera fiction, but it happens: Weekend Warrior hits garage sale and buys dusty old Fender guitar for $50 (or, cleans attic and finds the Gibson he bought in high school for $100). He visits a guitar shop in "Antiques Road Show" fashion -- and discovers the "beat-up axe" is a vintage collectible, worth $10,000. Or $20,000. Or $100,000.

The vintage guitar market has declined like other investments in this recession. But if you have cash to seed a small collection, why not start a fun hobby that's financially savvy? After all, when your 401K takes a beating, you're broke. When your vintage guitar takes a beating, it may continue to appreciate anyway, just because it looks so cool. Besides, who ever plugged a stock portfolio into a Vox amplifier and woke the neighbors?

I tapped a veteran vintage guitar expert, Wayne Sefton, owner of Midwest Buy and Sell in Chicago since 1990, for tips on what to look for when building your own collection. (His Web site is being revised; visit his MySpace page here.) Sefton has sold instruments to Wilco, Franz Ferdinand and Death Cab for Cutie. And in a 2002 Chicago Tribune article (now only available via an old Geocities link), I rated Wayne's shop as Chicago's coolest and friendliest, along with Terry Straker's Guitar Works in Evanston, Ill.

Here are Wayne's five tips for starting a valuable vintage guitar collection on a budget -- in this case, less than $5,000 per instrument, usually 10-years-old or more.

1) Buy brands collectors love. Sefton says Fender and Gibson are heritage brands bound to rise in value. Rickenbackers (played by the Beatles, Byrds and Tom Petty) are a bargain because even the rarest often sell for under $5,000. "They're great American-made guitars," Sefton says.) Avoid overseas brands.

2) Beware eBay. Guitars get bid into a frenzy there. "There's also a lot of shill bidding going on," Sefton warns. "They'll start stuff at $2,000 you can easily buy for $1,500 elsewhere." Plus, you can't pick up and play the guitar if it's halfway across the country.

3) Get an honest appraisal. Guitar Center chain stores can't do it; they may even try to give much less than your attic axe is worth. But guitar genius George Gruhn of Gruhn's Guitars in Nashville, does appraisals for the bargain price of $50. Many (including this writer) think Gruhn's is the best in the business, and so does Sefton. "I' do written appraisals for free, but that's because I'm a nice guy," he says, laughing.

4) Inspect for cracks, replacement parts and playability. A re-glued neck, refinish, or new tuners can drive a guitar's value down, Sefton says. If the guitar is all original and "mint," that's great. But so are older Fender Stratocasters and Gibson Les Pauls with that "road-worn" look. "Make sure the neck is good and playable," Sefton adds.

5) Relationships matter. Sefton takes time to educate and advise his customers, steering them toward smart investments. (Instruments I've bought on his advice have appreciated up to 300%.) "Get to know who you're dealing with," Sefton says, noting that a dealer wanting your money is far different from a dealer earning your loyalty.

Everywhere John Entwistle went, his one-of-a-kind bass guitar and "Boris the Spider" necklace usually went with him.
Now The Who bassist has gone where his belongings can't travel — he died of a heart attack in 2002 — and his beloved Buzzard bass and Boris necklace remain behind.
They're more than just mere belongings, though.
They're artifacts from the golden age of rock 'n' roll.
"He changed the face of music," said friend Steve Luongo, who drummed in The John Entwistle Band.
Those same artifacts are on display this weekend at Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center — along with other Who memorabilia, vintage rock posters from the 1960s and ’70s, signed guitars and more.
It’s probably the highest-profile event ever held at the fledgling art center, said center director Jim Griffith.
Sure, he said, they’ve had big-name Broadway actors and jazz musicians.
“But this is rock n’ roll,” he said. “It’s a whole other audience.”
In all, there will be 800-1,000 pieces in the show, said Paul Cola, a board member for The John Entwistle Foundation. The exhibit — plus an invitation-only party Sunday night — is a fundraiser for the foundation, which helps sick and poor kids get access to musical instruments and training.
The show features other rock memorabilia, including about 30 guitars signed by The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Sammy Hagar, James Taylor and more. All those are for sale.
But the Entwistle items, organizers said, should be the biggest draw.
Before those things arrived at the center, though, most of them lived at Luongo’s south Fort Myers house. Luongo is a former drummer for Mountain, Rat Race Choir and The John Entwistle Band (best known for “Horror Rock,” the theme song in the cartoon Van-pires”).
Recently, Luongo showed off many of those pieces to a visiting news-press.com reporter. From a back room, he hauled out a black guitar case, clicked open the latches and carefully lifted the lightweight, angular Buzzard bass into the light.
“That’s the one,” Luongo said. “That’s an old friend.”
He smiled weakly.
“I sat next to him every night and listened to it bark,” Luongo explained. “For years.”
For Luongo, these pieces are more than just memorabilia.
They’re memories.
And this weekend’s event isn’t just any show. It’s a tribute to his best friend — a man who happened to be the bass player in one of the most important rock bands of all time, The Who.
The necklace and the bass guitar will sit alongside rare 45 RPM records from Entwistle’s personal collection, outfits he wore on tour with The Who, handwritten lyrics and pen-and-ink drawings of his bandmates.
The Boris the Spider necklace, of course, gets its name from the classic Who song written by Entwistle. The bassist commissioned the pendant — the first of several — to commemorate his first hit with the band.
At his house, Luongo lifted the top off a cardboard box to reveal the spider. Its onyx body and ruby eyes gleamed in the kitchen light. “Don’t worry,” he joked. “He’s been anesthetized.”
Luongo smiled.
“He probably won’t bite you,” he said.
The Boris necklaces were special to Entwistle, said his son, Chris Entwistle of Stroud in the county of Gloucestershire, England. It’s rare to find a photo without him wearing one version of the pendant.
“The spider became very much associated with him,” his son said. “He had to play the song at every concert.”
John Entwistle wrote the lighthearted tune after chatting with friends about movie stars and wondering aloud what kind of animal would best represent them. Horror actor Boris Karloff, they decided, would be a spider.
John Entwistle wrote the song the next day.
“He said it only took him seven minutes to write” his son said.
Each piece in the show triggers countless memories, Luongo said. He’s only now gotten to the point where he can do something like this: Talk openly about his friend and immerse himself again in Entwistle’s world.
The wound still aches. While showing off the memorabilia, Luongo accidentally stumbled upon an old photo from June 27, 1987 — the day he and Entwistle met.
“Wow,” Luongo said, his voice choked, his eyes tearing. “I didn’t know this was in here.”
It gets easier with each passing year, though.
“This is the first time I can talk about him without turning into an idiot,” Luongo said. “I still can’t listen to any of our records.
“It’s painful. It’s extremely painful.”

Introduced in 2006, Guitar Center's King of the Blues is designed to offer similar life-changing opportunities for unsigned guitarists. More than just a competition to find the most technically skilled players, King of the Blues is designed to seek out the most passionate, innovative and authentic undiscovered guitar players and give them a shot at stardom. Some of today's most iconic and groundbreaking artists, including BB King, John Mayer, The Black Crowes, and Kenny Wayne Shepherd have participated at past King of the Blues events, and the winner of Guitar Center's 2007 King of the Blues, Aaron Loesch, was invited to perform at Eric Clapton's Crossroads Festival in front of over 25,000 attendees.

Guitar Center's King of the Blues champion will win an impressive package of prizes, including $25,000 cash, a featured spot in a Guitar Center ad campaign, along with a Gibson '59 Les Paul reissue guitar, a $2,500 Levi's shopping spree, a Marshall Vintage Modern 50W half stack, a Boss GT-10 Guitar Multi Effects Pedal, a feature in Guitar World magazine, worldwide distribution of their music in iTunes and more, plus endorsement deals from Ernie Ball, Marshall Amplification, VOX Amplification, and Gibson. Additional regional, district, and local prize packages will also be awarded, thanks to the generous support of Gibson, Levi's, Ernie Ball, Marshall, Boss, VOX, Guitar World, and TuneCore, all of whom are proud supporters of Guitar Center's King of the Blues.

How It Works:
Sign-ups for the preliminary rounds of the King of the Blues competition begin July 1, and run on a "first-come, first-serve" basis, with a maximum of 30 registrants per store. Contestants must sign up with a Guitar Center associate at their local store—no phone or online sign-ups are available.

Each contestant will perform live to 1 of 25 original backing tracks, developed by Grammy Award-winning producer Pete Anderson. All backing tracks are available for free download at www.guitarcenter.com www.guitarcenter.com/kingoftheblues Contestants may bring and use any 6-, 7-, or 12-string acoustic or electric guitar, lap steel or pedal steel guitar, plus any audio pedal effects that can be set up in a 5-minute time limit, all of which will be plugged into a selection of amplifiers provided by Guitar Center.

Local competitions start August 20 in all 214 Guitar Center locations nationwide. One winner from each store will be chosen to move up to district competitions (24 locations), followed by regionally hosted semi-finals (6 locations). It culminates in the final King of the Blues Grand Finals competition in Los Angeles in November, where the grand finalists will perform in front of a live audience and a panel of celebrity judges. They'll share the stage with Joe Bonamassa, who was named Best Blues Guitarist by Guitar Player Magazine's readership in their annual Reader's Choice Awards for 2008, and whose incendiary playing has resulted in numerous albums in Billboard's Top 10 blues chart.

Competition Dates:
Store Prelims: August 20th, August 27th and September 3rd
Store Finals: September 10th
District Finals: September 30th
Regional Finals: October 21st
Grand Finals: November 2009
For more information, please visit www.guitarcenter.com

The Gibson Hummingbird is an acoustic guitar model produced by the Gibson Guitar Corporation. Unlike the other flat-top Gibson acoustics, the Hummingbird was Gibson's first square-shoulder dreadnought, similar to the dreadnoughts produced by C.F. Martin & Company. Introduced in 1960, the Hummingbird was Gibson's second-most expensive acoustic guitar, behind the Gibson J-200, until the introduction of the Gibson Dove in 1962, (a blend between the Hummingbird and the J-200.) The Hummingbird, features a mahogany back and sides, a decorative pickguard with a hummingbird design, and split-parallelogram mother of pearl fretboard and headstock inlays, spruce top and rosewood bridge. The standard finish is cherry sunburst, although some natural finish models were produced. The Gibson Hummingbird was winner of Acoustic Guitar's Player's Choice Award for the Dreadnought Category in 2000, and was described thus: "The Hummingbird has a very wide range of sound, from gutsy and loud, to sweet and soft. Superb for all styles of playing, whether just chording or playing intricate solo's".Vintage Guitar Price Values For 2007 :
1960 - 1962 > $4200 to $4700 (mahogany)
1963 - 1964 > $3800 to $4200 (maple optional)
1965 - 1968 > $2500 to $3500 (natural finishes were added in 65)
1969 - 1983 > $1500 to $2500
1984 - 1999 > $1200 to $1700

Gibson Hummingbird guitars made between 1960 – 1962 have increased in value an average of 15% per year since 2000. Those made in 1963 and 1964 have increased in value 11% per year; 1965 to 1968 7%; 1969-1983 5%; and 1999 3%.

Pre-65 models are very difficult to find and were made in limited quantities . Prices above are according to 4 different vintage guitar price guides and rounded off to the nearest dollar.

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