Hello. It's my first post outside of trading. I normally just lurk and read advice on music forums. Hi! (mods, if this is inappropriate or in the wrong place, pm me and let me know
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Anyway, I'm hoping to get a couple of objective opinions if possible!
I've got a PRS CU24 with Indian Rosewood neck. I've been offered the following:
2016 USA Std Strat, Olympic White
2016 Les Paul Studio, Faded Cherry (T)
2016 Gibson Explorer, Cherry (T)
All absolutely mint. The guy wants £200 his way.
My guitar is on this site in the following thread:
http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/90973/ft-prs-cu-24-rosewood-neck-10-top-in-mccarty-burst#latestI'm really tempted, although I am not sure if I would keep the LP or trade/sell it.
Any advice, please? I find valuing guitars on the current market extremely hard
Comments
If you're thinking about keeping one of them it's even better.
"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
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
So Explorer around £699 - so £489 to sell
LP around £699 (Think some still might be £599) - so again £489
Strat - sell for £999 - so £699
So total around £1650-1690 and he wants £200 from you as well
So on paper it might not be a bad deal, but I would not do it - plus then you have the potential of 3 guitars to sell - so 3 times the hassle - I'd prefer 1 guitar and more cash or 2 guitars and some cash my way
Les Paul: £450
Fender Strat £500
Explorer £500 to £650
Minus £200 = £1550 for yours, I personally wouldn't as for me its 3 Meh guitars for one stunner.
Probably shift the LP on.
I have three PRS, and I feel that's too many. I don't really pick that one up to play it. I tend to gravitate towards my Studio or my Tele with SD Blackouts when I want a humbucker tone. I also have a gorgeous ME1 that I am keeping for a while.
I knew I'd get differing opinions. BTW, I've had the PRS on Gumtree for ages now, tried it at all sorts of price points and no one seems to want it.
The trades are not exceptional guitars and are all readily available so G4U's values seem to me if anything a little generous - there's also a difference as to what a shop might sell them for used and how much they'd fetch privately. By my arithmetic that's a total resale value by G4U of £1,677, but I think Strangefans values of around £1,500 might be nearer the mark. Bear in mind that Explorers are quite 'quirky' guitars and a bit like marmite in that you either love or hate them. Accordingly, they can be harder to move on - and it's vital to have the case because these are big guitars and a case is likely to et you back £100 for one.
Could you give us more info please on your PRS - ICBM's figure of £1300 is probably not far off in the current market for an average Cu24. I would expect something around the £1,500 mark for a good Cu24 - but it depends on the colour, condition, and age of your PRS Cu24, whether it's a 10-top, rotary 5-way, slider 5-way, or push-pull/coil taps, if you have the original tabs/docs,(I assume its not an Artist model), and whether its stock or had eg p/ups changed - would it be safe to assume it has birds and the original PRS case?
One theme to bear in mind is that, love or hate them, PRS' are regarded as a quality guitar that do have a strong following and a more stable market value. Values do also seem to increase with age. I have a non 10-top 2002 PRS Cu24 in vintage amber with birds, zebra (stock) p/ups, rotary 5-way & the original PRS case with all the original PRS tabs/docs. Its insured for £2,000 and I was offered £1,500 for it a couple of years back. Used prices do fluctuate of course.
Personally I wouldn't go for the deal. If you were keen to offload the PRS because you didn't bond with it, and really liked and wanted all three trades for personal use, then perhaps a straight swap is nearer the mark, provided all 3 come with hard cases. But I think the Cu24 will hold its value better. Higher end guitars do move a bit slower as ICBM says, but providing you can wait and don't need to sell it urgently, you'll always get decent money for it and there's always a market for quality guitars.
http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/90973/ft-prs-cu-24-rosewood-neck-10-top-in-mccarty-burst
It's fairly mint, slight fret wear on the first couple of frets. It's a '08 model with rosewood neck and rotary switch. It has non-stock pickups but I can put it back to stock if that increases the value. Has the outline birds and original case and paper stuff.
I assume you are not selling it as you need the cash as on that basis you'd not want this deal - so assume part of the sale is based on you are not bonding with the PRS which is fine - But it is still a premium grade guitar - those 3 guitars are regular production models with google littered with them - fine but not outstanding (don't want that to be a snobby guitar statement but probably is - but you know what I mean)
Have you counter offered?
Straight swaps or less cash?
Maybe offer a pedal instead of cash?
On in the face of it seems fair 3 guitars for one of yours, but don't forget rosewood necks are gonna become more and more difficult to obtain as restrictions get tighter, personally I'd stick with the other two prs you own and stick the RW in the case for a few years.
How much would I expect to get in a decent 'trade in' at a decent dealer for the PRS?
I'm still surprised how you can still buy nice ME's for 3K to 4K and would have expected such prices to have risen by some margin - time will tell - In my view these are Paul's 59 LP's
What do you mean by MEs are Paul's 59 LPs? I'm not that clued up on guitar markets as you can tell
http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/electric_guitars_detail.asp?stock=px-NE15JE922
I was thinking about doing something similar to be honest, mainly to clear up space. I bought a Fender American standard Stratocaster with a solid rosewood neck last year. And have been tempted to move it on. But then I think I'm better off just sitting on it. Supposedly it's one of seven in the UK in Daphne Blue.
I would be a bit insulted if somebody offered me two faded cherry T models and a strat for my PRS. I've seen those sell for as little as £349.
Not so sure on the Explorer, I'd say £500?? I don't know why he thinks he should get back £200 either?? Imho it should be the other way around.
I know the PRS guys go bonkers over the solid rosewood necks (that's one of the reasons I bought the strat).
If you're on about fitting a different scratchplate to the strat. I would say, just get a strat you like from the off
I'm still surprised they are for sale around 3-4K and what have expected prices to be higher tan this - so time will tell