Please help me with a guitar trade!

Subject: Please help me with a guitar trade!
From: harpgirl
Date: 03 Aug 02 - 09:30 AM

Hi all...I think I'm going to look for another guitar since I am not playing my Gibson J-100 with the mustache bridge. What could I expect to get in trade: dollar for dollar, if I wanted a Larrivee, a smaller, older Gibson, a small Martin, or a Seagull? Thanks for the advice....hg

Subject: RE: Please help me with a guitar trade!
From: van lingle
Date: 03 Aug 02 - 10:02 AM

I don't know what a J-100's market value is but I believe you can get an appraisal by e-mail at the Gruhn Guitars website. Good luck, vl.

Subject: RE: Please help me with a guitar trade!
From: kendall
Date: 03 Aug 02 - 03:01 PM

It's a nice guitar, I almost borrowed it once.

Subject: RE: Please help me with a guitar trade!
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 03 Aug 02 - 03:02 PM

Hi harpgirl

Pretty complicated question you're asking here. It depends entirely on whether you trade with or sell to another individual or work through a music store.

I don't kow how much your guitar is really worth, but I'll throw out some ballpark numbers here just so you can get a rough idea. I'm guessing that a J-100 would be worth about as much as a J-45, both being relatively "stripped down" Gibson models. I paid $900.00 for a used relatively new J-45 in a music store a couple of years ago. Of course, probably $300.00 of that was the store's profit, meaning the "wholesale value" (what the store paid) was around $600.00. If I had bought from a private individual, I probably would have gotten it for somewhere between retail and wholesale, say $750.00.

Your options are:

1) Find a private individual that wants to trade guitars with you. This option is the most hassle, but gives you the best deal.
2) Sell the J-100 for cash to a private individual and then shop the want ads, Ebay etc. for a good deal from another private seller. Same basic deal as option 1, just two transactions.
3) Sell the J-100 for cash to a private individual and then take the money to the music store. Somewhat less hassle, but part of your money spent will be profit for the store.
4) Put the J-100 in a music store "on consignment". Since the store won't be paying you anything until after the guitar is sold, they take a much smaller profit margin, especially if they know you're going to turn around and spend the money with them.
5) Trade the J-100 to the music store for another guitar. The lowest dollar value for you, but the least hassle. Don't expect to trade your $900.00 guitar for another $900.00 guitar. Think $600.00, but you can still get a good guitar for $600.00 and your J-100's just sitting in the case anyway. And, no waiting for your guitar to sell. You get to take the new one home right away.

Hope this gives you some fodder for thought if nothing else.

Bruce

Subject: RE: Please help me with a guitar trade!
From: Mudlark
Date: 04 Aug 02 - 02:54 AM

Just for comparison purposes, I bought beautiful, and beautiful sounding 019 Martin parlour guitar about 3 years ago for $1K. US from a local music store. I had to sell a lot of stuff I loved to get it but have never regretted it.

If I'd waited I might have been able to find something comparable for a little less, but in a rural area, maybe not...and I've had the pleasure of playing it for the past 3 years.

Subject: RE: Please help me with a guitar trade!
From: catspaw49
Date: 04 Aug 02 - 03:23 AM

J-100's run anywhere between 800 and 1200 on the market. Year, condition, electronics, etc., all make the pricing variable.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Please help me with a guitar trade!
From: GUEST,Van Lingle
Date: 04 Aug 02 - 05:19 AM

There's one of these on sale now at www.gruhn.com for $1250. It's listed as a sunburst, near mint cond. w/ original hardshell case. It seems to me though that Gruhn's prices might be a bit higher than the norm. vl

Subject: RE: Please help me with a guitar trade!
From: kendall
Date: 04 Aug 02 - 05:33 AM

If you never play the Gibson, would you play something else? Why the difference?

Subject: RE: Please help me with a guitar trade!
From: harpgirl
Date: 04 Aug 02 - 01:59 PM

Kendall, I play my takamine now all the time when I play guitar. The J100 just feels too big for me and the action doesn't feel right, either. I overlooked these things until my friend Kim played it and pointed them out. She plays a Martin.

I think I will look at the smaller Martin's in the same price range as this Gibson, Mudlark. Thanks for the advice all...But Kendall, you can borrow it this year if I haven't sold it, when you come to SOSMP. I'm not attached to it anymore, I guess.

Subject: RE: Please help me with a guitar trade!
From: kendall
Date: 04 Aug 02 - 03:22 PM

Thanks, but, you're a little late. I'll be bringing my motor home, so, I'll be able to bring all my instruments. Have you considered a small body Taylor?

Subject: RE: Please help me with a guitar trade!
From: harpgirl
Date: 04 Aug 02 - 09:16 PM

It's only too late too share our toys when we're dead, Kendall! Did you buy another motor home? I will consider a baby Taylor, I think. And who did Smokey marry, anyway?

Zephrhills is near the Sertoma Youth Ranch camping park. There's always pickers there and they have lots of bluegrass festivals as well as the Florida Old Time Music chmapionships and the Will McLean Festival. When are you coming south?

Subject: RE: Please help me with a guitar trade!
From: kendall
Date: 04 Aug 02 - 10:21 PM

I expect to head down sometime in January. Smokey is going to marry the widow of a guy we played poker with,Ken,I want to say Durfee, but that's not it, can't think of her name. Don't really know her very well, but, they seem to be quite taken with each other. I'm invited to the wedding next month in New York, Ft. Edward or Ann, I'm losing it! However, I probably wont go, my friend Gordon is having an equinox party on that weekend.

Subject: RE: Please help me with a guitar trade!
From: DonMeixner
Date: 04 Aug 02 - 10:47 PM

Don't confuse a Baby Taylor with a small Taylor. Taylor has some OO size guitars that are just delightful to play, altho I think the sound was a little thin. Iam a Martin owner, a Jumbo 16 and an 0-16-NY. Both great instruments but my first love is an F-30 Guild.

Basically an F-30 is a 00 sized guitar with a shorter scale. I find them frequently on EBAY in $550-$850.00 range and I would strongly suggest on of those. Smaller guitar and a shorter scale being the sales point. It's a plus that the sound is bright with great balance. But thats voicing and any good quality guitar can be voiced.

Don