What's my G&L worth?

[HLG]

What’s my G&L worth?

Having conferred with Zachary Fjestad, editor of The Blue Book of Electric Guitars and Alan Greenwood, editor of The Official Vintage Guitar Price Guide in the past, and just recently having received both 2012 issues, I thought I would crunch the numbers to see what the economic downturn has done to the value of G&L guitars. A quick scan of the other big brand names revealed an overall reduction in value not unlike the economy over the past few years. Pricing and valuation have always been subjective and with that in mind, know that no one guide is absolute. Here’s what I came up with.

These are the percentage changes I’ve calculated from the 2012 versus the 2011 Vintage Guitar Price Guide. I’ve chosen this guide for no particular reason other than it was on top of the stack when I started. I might add there have been significant changes and updates in the G&L section of both previously mentioned guides that have been long overdue. I’ve split the results into two categories and as with all averaging the highest and lowest percentage increases / decreases have been disregarded in each category.

1980-1991 (Leo era)

Of 30 instruments calculated there has been an overall increase in value from 2011 to 2012 of 41% and of these, 25 have increased in value and 5 have deceased in value with the largest single increase being 125% and the largest single decrease being 20%.

1992-present (BBE era)

Of 44 instruments calculated there has been an overall increase in value from 2011 to 2012 of 13% and of these, 39 have increased in value and 5 have decreased in value with the largest single increase being 33% and the largest single decrease being 16%.

Again, keep in mind the highest and lowest percentage changes have been disregarded.

The value of an instrument varies widely as it relates to a collector versus a player but when it’s all said and done, a particular guitar is worth what an individual is willing to pay for it.

One thing for certain, the G&L market is indeed doing well as compared to some of the other brands.

HLG

[jonc]

How do you think this is playing out in the real world? While I've seen some Leo-era SC's and a few others getting pretty good money on Ebay and more than they did in the past, many Leo-era guitars are either not selling or going for much less than I would have expected. Even given the economy. Thoughts?

[KenC]

I've gotten a couple of really good deals lately, and seen some ridiculously high listings from stores that should know better. Of the instruments I've checked out, it's seemed to boil down to the judgment of the salesperson who brought in the instrument and how much he paid for it. I've seen differences of $500 on almost identical instruments (in terms of age, features and condition) from the same store.

One thing I have noticed is that used instruments either move very quickly, or they don't move at all.

Ken

[Michael-GnL-Michael]

One thing I have noticed is that used instruments either move very quickly, or they don't move at all.

Ken

I was going to mention a similar observation.

There are certain features that appeal to people and others not as much.

One selling point may not be as important to a potential buyer as it is to the seller.

I suspect something as basic as color scheme matters more than special hardware or historic positioning to most people shopping for guitars.

[Shiphop]

I have similar questions. I know a guy with a USA G&L S-500 he claims is an early '90's version. He is selling it for much cheaper than I expect a person would.

The serial number is B052823. Its Tobacco Sunburst and with a birds eye maple neck (i think)

1. Is this possibly a Leo era guitar? I have scoured through a lot of info to try and determine its rough manufacture date, but I have found nothing real concrete. I know that they would often use B plates with guitars so no surprise there.

2. Roughly what is it worth? Granted it is in great shape with no major flaws.

This is a great forum BTW. I have always been a Leo Fender fan, and I enjoy seeing other enthusiasts.

Thanks!

[KenC]

If you check the Knowledgebase on this site, I'm sure you'll find something about the "B" plates on guitars. I believe that was only done for a very brief period of time, when the factory ran out of "G" plates. If that's the case, you should be able to narrow the date range considerably. You could also search the G&L Registry for S-500s with "B" serial numbers. I'm sure some of the results will have neck/body dates shown. If not, you could just search the "B: serial numbers for all models, and still get a pretty close estimate.

As a very very rough guess, I would say an S-500 in good condition should probably be going somewhere in the $600-$800 ballpark. The very early ones (starting in '82, with the serial number on the bridge) have been listing around $900 on this site over the past year. I found my '82 in somewhat dinged up condition (but all original and without structural problems) last year for about $650 at a Guitar Center, and passed a couple of months ago on a very dinged-up mid-80s S-500 a couple of months ago. Mine should have gone for around $900, but they priced it low and I got lucky. I guess what I'm trying to say is that the Leo-era S-500s are out there, if you have the patience to watch and wait for them.

One thing to keep in mind with the older S-500s (not sure about the post-Leo ones) is that they are a little bit too long for a standard Strat case. So, if the guitar doesn't come with a case you can plan on spending over $100 for a replacement - the cheap ones in the big box stores probably won't fit. I mention that just in case you are buying at the upper limit of your range and counting on picking up a cheap generic case.

Ken

[Shiphop]

Thank you for the reply. He was wanting $700 for it. He ended up selling it today to someone else to my surprise so I guess I won't be getting my hands on it.

I am still curious if it is a Leo era guitar so I will find out and report back. I appreciate the advice. I'll be on the look out for another G&L!

[fatherjack]

Hi all,
Hoping it doesn't have to be, but may be forced to sell some guitars. I know the value of most but I'm just not sure how much I could hope to ask for my G&L.
It's an ASAT Z3 Semi-hollow, tobacco sunburst with faux binding, gun oil maple neck & board, chrome hardware.
Bought new in early '08 so I assume it's 07.
Very good condition, but a few minor scuffs, minor belt marks etc, maybe played once a week over 3 years.
I'm in the UK and have never seen another advertised for sale anywhere! Hence my ignorance re value.
I repeat, I hope I don't have to do this but it may be inevitable, sadly.
Hope someone can help, thanks in advance.

[Boogie Bill]

I wouldn't have a clue as to UK value, but you can always try comparing USA E-Bay prices and then do the currency conversion. I would then imagine there being a slightly higher worth in the UK for this guitar. Sounds like a very nice guitar--so ask for a lot--you can always come down!

Good luck!

Bill

[fatherjack]

Bill,
Thanks for that, I'll check ebay USA out, hadn't though of that. I do think the relative rarity in UK should add to the value, but that all depends on finding a buyer who wants this particular guitar.
Cheers!