Help with valuation

Hey, I was just wondering if someone could help valuing this Martin acoustic for me. 
It's a friend's guitar and they're thinking of selling but I have absolutely no clue with acoustics at all. 
It's a DR Rosewood dreadnought. 
It's had a fishman pickup installed and is in great condition apart from a few marks that can be seen in the photos. 
It's a 98 as far as I'm aware 

I also don't know if this is the right place to post it, so if not, sorry. 


https://imgur.com/gallery/OsLUd
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Comments

  • FunkfingersFunkfingers Frets: 14323
    I have the similarly-specified DM model, more bashed about, official Martin case, L.R. Baggs transducer system, TUSQ nut and saddle. I would not accept less than £500 for mine.

    To maximise the revenue generated, the usual advice is to reverse the transducer mod and sell the guitar and electronics separately. 
    Be seeing you.
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  • I have the similarly-specified DM model, more bashed about, official Martin case, L.R. Baggs transducer system, TUSQ nut and saddle. I would not accept less than £500 for mine.

    To maximise the revenue generated, the usual advice is to reverse the transducer mod and sell the guitar and electronics separately. 
    Cheers.. I don't know if she's had the nut or saddles changed at all, I do know it was set up by Jon Haire over here in Peterborough. Other than that don't know what that setup involved other than the pickup installation. 

    So you reckon around the £500 mark give or take a little either way? 
    I'm so lost when it comes to acoustics and all the Martin's having similar names does not help things. 
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  • JerkMoansJerkMoans Frets: 8775
    Inactivist Lefty Lawyer
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  • JerkMoans said:
    Seems to be. This one is in much much better condition though. 
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71960

    To maximise the revenue generated, the usual advice is to reverse the transducer mod and sell the guitar and electronics separately. 
    I would definitely not do that. A simple and unobtrusive pickup is an upgrade for most people, a second-hand pickup/preamp system is not worth much, and even if it all comes out cleanly without leaving marks you will have an oversized endpin hole to fill or fit a non-Martin type button to so it will still be obvious it's been done.

    For value, they seem to be fairly rare so difficult to find similar sales of, but one in the US is advertised for £391 on Reverb (bear in mind US Martin prices are always lower than UK) and there was one on Gumtree in the UK for £499 but no indication of whether it sold. If I had to guess I would say £500 or maybe a little more including the pickup system.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • ICBM said:

    To maximise the revenue generated, the usual advice is to reverse the transducer mod and sell the guitar and electronics separately. 
    I would definitely not do that. A simple and unobtrusive pickup is an upgrade for most people, a second-hand pickup/preamp system is not worth much, and even if it all comes out cleanly without leaving marks you will have an oversized endpin hole to fill or fit a non-Martin type button to so it will still be obvious it's been done.

    For value, they seem to be fairly rare so difficult to find similar sales of, but one in the US is advertised for £391 on Reverb (bear in mind US Martin prices are always lower than UK) and there was one on Gumtree in the UK for £499 but no indication of whether it sold. If I had to guess I would say £500 or maybe a little more including the pickup system.
    Cheers.. I'll let her know it's around the £500 mark. 
    She would leave the pickup in regardless I think. 
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  • FunkfingersFunkfingers Frets: 14323
    punchesjudy said:
    I don't know if she's had the nut or saddles changed at all, I do know it was set up by Jon Haire over here in Peterborough. Other than that don't know what that setup involved other than the pickup installation. 
    An under-saddle transducer would have required the widening of the end pin strap button hole, the drilling of a hole through the bridge at forty five degrees and the removal of enough saddle material to accommodate the transducer strip. 

    On my DM, the Martin had already routed away the beginnings of a transducer wire hole in the bridge saddle slot.

    I'm so lost when it comes to acoustics and all the Fishman systems having similar names. 
    FTFY

    Fishman makes numerous items, some of which can be mixed and matched to arrive at complex systems with very similar names. (L.R. Baggs is equally guilty of this.) In my opinion, it would be worthwhile ascertaining which Fishman product was installed. Once you know its MSRP, you can factor its used value into the sale price.
    Be seeing you.
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  • punchesjudy said:
    I don't know if she's had the nut or saddles changed at all, I do know it was set up by Jon Haire over here in Peterborough. Other than that don't know what that setup involved other than the pickup installation. 
    An under-saddle transducer would have required the widening of the end pin strap button hole, the drilling of a hole through the bridge at forty five degrees and the removal of enough saddle material to accommodate the transducer strip. 

    On my DM, the Martin had already routed away the beginnings of a transducer wire hole in the bridge saddle slot.

    I'm so lost when it comes to acoustics and all the Fishman systems having similar names. 
    FTFY

    Fishman makes numerous items, some of which can be mixed and matched to arrive at complex systems with very similar names. (L.R. Baggs is equally guilty of this.) In my opinion, it would be worthwhile ascertaining which Fishman product was installed. Once you know its MSRP, you can factor its used value into the sale price.
    I'll have to see if I can find out what Fishman part it actually is next time I'm over my friends. It might be written down somewhere for all I know. 
    Thanks for all the help. 
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71960
    From what I can see in the pic - admittedly not clearly, but enough I think - it's a Sonitone, which is surprisingly cheap, only about £50 new… I expected it to be more than that.

    Bearing that in mind I would *definitely* not consider removing it, the work would cost more than the second hand value of the system if you have to pay someone to do it.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • ICBM said:
    From what I can see in the pic - admittedly not clearly, but enough I think - it's a Sonitone, which is surprisingly cheap, only about £50 new… I expected it to be more than that.

    Bearing that in mind I would *definitely* not consider removing it, the work would cost more than the second hand value of the system if you have to pay someone to do it.
    Yeah I won't be removing it since it's not mine, and I very much doubt the owner will either. 
    If it's only £50 worth I doubt she would even factor that into the price. Could just be a bonus of sorts. 
    Thanks for the help :) 
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