Question about a guitar's price.

I have a Gibson ES- 347 TD from the mid eighties. It is missing the bridge, tailpiece, 2 tone knobs, and 1 tuning knob. I was just wondering if there were any in the know people here who could help me figure out it's value. I hope this isn't a violation of terms. I'm not trying to sell it here just trying to get advice...

Hi and nice guitar....

It's always difficult to estimate a value for guitars like this. Mid 80s gibson, missing bits, corroded tarnished pickups etc. I have a 78 Ibanez AS400 semi with varitone selector, coil taps etc. in similar nick. I think it is worth a small fortune but would I ever get a fortune if I was to sell? If pushed I would value it at anything between $1500-2000. Others might disagree. You might want to look into fixing the missing bits.

samsdice

Hmmmm. just by looking at the pic,i'd say maybe $500.00
the pick-up covers look rusty meaning moisture. although the coils inside are copper windings(wont rust) they may oxidize,and may even be potential for electric shock from the strings if there is moisture in there.
(trust me,it hurts!!!)
bridge and knobs easily replaced for under $100.00.
truss rod cover is missing.
are the tuning pegs individual or in sets of 3? individual is easy fix, seta of 3 ,it would be better to replace all of them. (2 sets of 3)
not being strung for a while may pose a problem causing a warped neck.
(always keep your guitar strung! even if you don't play it! this keeps even pressure on the neck and prevents warping!)
the only other thing that comes to mind is rust on the frets.(just because of the rust on the pick-ups).
usually doesn't happen if you play alot because the oil from your fingers keeps them 'lubed',but if its just sitting there,rust can happen. easy fix though,just get the frets re-dressed.
the finish on the body looks nice,and you have that going for you,and the fact its a gibson.
in the present condition,like i said, $500.00 should be reasonable.
to bring it back to new with gibson parts might cost you between $200-$250.
nice axe, good luck!

reply to post by samsdice


I have indeed tried to fix the missing parts, but the music store could not get or locate the original model tailpiece etc. I feel it would do it an injustice putting unoriginal parts on it, and I'm very strapped for cash(nothing new here). thanks for your response!

reply to post by boot2theface


i have to disagree with your price range boot!
to a collector/restorer,perhaps. but to the average player no!
to many unknown variables. if the neck is warped,that costs a lot to fix.
if it hasn't been played for a while,the pots (vol. & tone 'knobs') will be filled with dust and will have to be cleaned ,or replaced.
again with the rust on the pick-ups,and this being a semi-acoustic,makes me wonder about moisture damage on the inside of the body. this will cause the finish to ripple and seperate,and when the guitar is strung may eventually start lifting,or buckle the wood under the bridge.
this will make correcting the intonation near impossible!
i still say $500.00.
if everything is fixed and the guitar plays well i'd say around $1200-$1500

reply to post by boot2theface


Now that's a nice piece of wood!!!

I've seen these guitars fetch north of $2500 in this condition (complete of course).
If you're willing to do the leg work on restoring it to original condition, of course it's gonna take some time and bread - however, I'd you decide to go that route, then obviously it's gonna pay off in your favor.

Otherwise, I think you can still get anywhere from $1000 to $1800 in current condition - that is, if the neck isn't shot out and warped, which is hard to tell from the pics, but I seriously doubt it --- I've stored guitars for years without strings hanging on walls, only to restore 'em back to gorgeous playability without any flaws!

I'm sure you can fetch a pretty penny for this --- I suggest you hit the Gibson and Epiphone forum for a better insight on what you're dealing with here - but my opinion is that you've got a gem and there's always someone out there who can see a diamond in the rough.

I'm looking at an absolutely gorgeous guitar here --- I wish I could play her just to see what kind of noises I can get out of her...

Good luck bud --- and again, that's one sexy chunk of wood!

Not likely warped neck,...but easy to sight along it to see if straight.if so the rest is actually minor....
Id say the 500 is the lower end .....even 800would be not too much...with its case

Quick word of warning: DO NOT try to remove the rust from the frets or try adjusting the truss rod yourself. these are things best left to guitar techs who know what they're doing otherwise you could absolutely ruin a beautiful guitar.
In mint condition that should fetch around $1500 - $2000.
Really a sweet guitar.
How did you come by it?

reply to post by Asktheanimals


excellent points on the diy. stuff!
i'm with you on the price as well - in good to mint cond. $12 - $2000 tops.
maybe at auction and over zelous bidders you may see up to $2500 or more.
just ask your local music store who deals mostly with guitars for a ball park price range.
cheers

What a poor abused beauty.

But, what I find strange about the pic's is this...

That guitar, had what is called a "tune-a-matic" bridge, with a "Stop tail piece", which threads the strings through the tail piece, on their way to the tuning pegs...this makes it impossible to remove the tail piece from the guitar and still have the strings attached to the pegs????

At any rate many of the posters are correct, depending on how long the neck has been without tension from the strings, could pose a significant problem, and diminish it's future playability, but the missing "truss rod" cover may suggest that someone may have had the forethought to relax the truss rod to compensate, and thus saving the neck.

Also, there is an after market, mod in the extra switch ( the one closest to the first pickup,) is not standard.

And that is not rust on the pickup covers...they used to be gold plated...and that is what remains of the plating, that's all, just wear...the guitar was extensively played that is for sure.

Originally posted by Andronian
What a poor abused beauty.

But, what I find strange about the pic's is this...

That guitar, had what is called a "tune-a-matic" bridge, with a "Stop tail piece", which threads the strings through the tail piece, on their way to the tuning pegs...this makes it impossible to remove the tail piece from the guitar and still have the strings attached to the pegs????
[edit]

This guitar actually came with the TP-6 tailpiece. It's based on the Kahler fine tuning setup. This tailpiece is pretty common for some 80s Gibson's - in fact, I love it more than the standard Tune-O-Matic bridge system.

The ball-end of the strings sit inside the saddle as opposed to wrapping around the bridge itself so, it makes sense as to why the strings are dangling from the headstock.

reply to post by boot2theface


I'll give ya tree-fiddy.

Seriously though do not sell that for $500. Fleabay is the place to check. They go for 2k up to 6k.

I would take it to a guitar tech if you have the cash, get it in working condition.

BTW I disagree that not having the string tension hurts the neck. It is common practice to slacken the strings for long time storage. Unless the neck already had a problem, which maybe why the strings truss-rod cover were removed, it should be fine.