Gardiner Houlgate Auctions.

guitars4you

I do have a horse in the next race
Think it is lot 27 or 28 - will check - rare USA fender acoustic- hand built in Spring Hill Tennessee 

ElectricXII

GuyR said:

Amongst other purchases, I bought the 66 tele below very well at GH

https://i.imgur.com/1CjvLq6.jpg

Moaners gonna moan, let them.

That's pretty much my ideal Tele. Birth year guitar too.

GuyR

Penn said:

I helped my uncle sell a few things. We used GH because it meant  it was no hassle and someone else had the grief of selling the stuff. I was sad to see this guitar go though. 

https://www.musicalinstrument-auctions.co.uk/sale/40/197/Interesting-composite-Stratocaster-electric-guitar-comprising-early-Fender-parts-including-a-preCBS-neck-and-scratchplate

I was having a serious look at that guitar, but decided against it.
If I had bought it, I would have had to attend the subsequent auction three months later to buy this.

https://www.musicalinstrument-auctions.co.uk/sale/42/391/Charlie-Harcourt--1960s-Fender-StratoTele-Stratocaster--Telecaster-electric-guitar-made-in-USA-ser-no-75632

Penn

GuyR said:

Penn said:

I helped my uncle sell a few things. We used GH because it meant  it was no hassle and someone else had the grief of selling the stuff. I was sad to see this guitar go though. 

https://www.musicalinstrument-auctions.co.uk/sale/40/197/Interesting-composite-Stratocaster-electric-guitar-comprising-early-Fender-parts-including-a-preCBS-neck-and-scratchplate

I was having a serious look at that guitar, but decided against it.
If I had bought it, I would have had to attend the subsequent auction three months later to buy this.

https://www.musicalinstrument-auctions.co.uk/sale/42/391/Charlie-Harcourt--1960s-Fender-StratoTele-Stratocaster--Telecaster-electric-guitar-made-in-USA-ser-no-75632

You should have bought that strat. The neck was lovely, the bridge pickup sounded brilliant on it. It was really light, the body looked like Korina and was light as anything despite being home made and rough. It was great but i couldn’t afford it at the time and we needed to find its value. It was the fair way for him to get the money out of it 

maltingsaudio

Fairly local to me and have been a couple of times, great place to go if your after something very specific, if it’s just general gas stick to eBay and reverb. This time round guitars not floating my boat ,nothing reallly extra special, except the Zemaitis and that’s going to be well out of my budget. Some bits on Friday May open the wallet.

Squareheadedfreak

maltingsaudio said:

Fairly local to me and have been a couple of times, great place to go if your after something very specific, if it’s just general gas stick to eBay and reverb. This time round guitars not floating my boat ,nothing reallly extra special, except the Zemaitis and that’s going to be well out of my budget. Some bits on Friday May open the wallet.

I scrolled through yesterday, I usually pick up a few lots each time, but this catalogue is dreadful!

Stuckfast

I'm intrigued by the Skeletone instrument. Presumably it's a sort of pound shop Chapman Stick?

Delaware_123

I bought an amp from the tears for fears collection before covid. I’ve been mega tempted by afew guitars in this catalogue

guitars4you

The other factor to add to the GH Auction site is that it is always interesting - Most guitar shops today are boring - Or better to say lack of character - Fine for all the new corporate offerings that the big companies produce today - And yes there are many fine guitars within that profile - But boring when it comes to used - Granted not all players are interested in used gear, but with the decline of the smaller independent, then your high street offering of weird, cool, used, odd ball, and guitars from all our yesterday's has gone

I know @HarrySeven is not a GH fan, and prefers the search engines of e-bay, Fretboard etc and acquires the most bizarre odd ball guitars on a regular basis - But even that approach doesn't allow you to see more than a couple of guitars in the same town, room in one go - GH will offer pushing 400 guitars in the next auction, from used, vintage, custom built, all under one roof - Be it current models that are barely played, to total crap but nostalgia nevertheless  from pre Beatles or even pre Elvis 

The only place I now know that can match GH for an interesting view of 'oldies' are the guitar shows 

Until HarrySeven opens his own shop (there is a thought) GH have the largest selection of used gear for sale, under one roof, 4 times a year 

bertie

there are good and less good stories about GH,  but you pays yer money etc etc

personally I got a bargain,  even with an internet bid and the 23% commission  -  always something to factor in.

it turned out to be "new" bankrupt stock (with tags) in better condition than they declared and a £650 guitar for £275

HarrySeven

steveh said:

I agree with you: The "barrage of moaning" will be from those who are more familiar with Ebay auctions, and their fee structure, but that's a completely different business model..

In my case, it isn’t - I *really* don’t like auctions, full-stop, be it eBay or otherwise. I’ve thought about this a lot over the years and partially, I think it’s bidding which pisses me off - I’m not particularly competitive, so the cut and thrust of that process just winds me up, rather than being exciting (see below). That said, there’s something about GH which just sticks in my craw.

Then again, IMHO…Auctioneers and Antiques dealers - two sides of the same dodgy coin (at whatever end of the scale) - maximum profit for the least effort, swathed in a veneer of leather-lined and buffed-mahogany respectability.

I’m fully aware that my opinion(s) are often, errrr…idiosyncratic; I suppose I’m fairly old school in that I don’t buy gear (particularly guitars) online, prefer meeting people, talking gear and talking turkey, haggling and either walking away with or without the item in question.

In terms of GH having a mountain of gear in one place - I tend to be hyper-focussed on the precise things I’m interested in, so a barrage of other fluff doesn’t really butter my parsnips, particularly if you have to hang around for hours to bid. Equally, I’ve no real interest in ‘50’s/‘60’s Gibson/Fender stuff, so the mystic ‘Burst’ aura does nowt for me (neither do Custom Shop offerings) - and the same goes for gear owned by not-long-for-this-world or recently-deceased rock stars - I really don’t care who owned it or played it.

I gave up looking at GH stuff years ago, along with big-name chains, preferring dealing with people who I know and trust - and, more importantly in many cases - supporting small local businesses.

I’ll get me coat…

prowla

I considered looking in a few years back but they wanted my credit card details to sign up, so I didn't bother.

Keefy

Penn said:

I helped my uncle sell a few things. We used GH because it meant  it was no hassle and someone else had the grief of selling the stuff. 

...

It occurred to me that if I pop my clogs before Mrs Keefy does, GH would be the ideal route to liquidate them without hassle for her. It's only 25 miles away for a start! A couple of guitars are specifically mentioned in my will, but I'll just type up a list of descriptions (including all the cases!) and leave it next to the will.

swiller

Some good porno from these cats today....

Lawriejones1

They've made huge progress in recent years in professionalising things there and all power to them.

The costs of running the business, creating the videos, running an auction, packing stuff etc. all has to be paid for. 

When I went I wasn't particularly excited by looking at a room of dusty and poorly set up guitars (and listening to the same tired pentatonic riffs), but the whole day was great fun. 

In the end, unless you buy a faker, it's pretty harmless fun. 

goldtop

HarrySeven said:

steveh said:

I agree with you: The "barrage of moaning" will be from those who are more familiar with Ebay auctions, and their fee structure, but that's a completely different business model..

In my case, it isn’t - I *really* don’t like auctions, full-stop, be it eBay or otherwise. I’ve thought about this a lot over the years and partially, I think it’s bidding which pisses me off - I’m not particularly competitive, so the cut and thrust of that process just winds me up, rather than being exciting (see below). That said, there’s something about GH which just sticks in my craw.

Then again, IMHO…Auctioneers and Antiques dealers - two sides of the same dodgy coin (at whatever end of the scale) - maximum profit for the least effort, swathed in a veneer of leather-lined and buffed-mahogany respectability.

I’m fully aware that my opinion(s) are often, errrr…idiosyncratic; I suppose I’m fairly old school in that I don’t buy gear (particularly guitars) online, prefer meeting people, talking gear and talking turkey, haggling and either walking away with or without the item in question.

In terms of GH having a mountain of gear in one place - I tend to be hyper-focussed on the precise things I’m interested in, so a barrage of other fluff doesn’t really butter my parsnips, particularly if you have to hang around for hours to bid. Equally, I’ve no real interest in ‘50’s/‘60’s Gibson/Fender stuff, so the mystic ‘Burst’ aura does nowt for me (neither do Custom Shop offerings) - and the same goes for gear owned by not-long-for-this-world or recently-deceased rock stars - I really don’t care who owned it or played it.

I gave up looking at GH stuff years ago, along with big-name chains, preferring dealing with people who I know and trust - and, more importantly in many cases - supporting small local businesses.

I’ll get me coat…

What he said. 

When I found out that UK law allows auctioneers to make up bids to drive up the sale price, I knew that I'd never buy that way.  See 'off the wall' bidding.


(I accept that there might still be bargains.)