Backstage Guitar Lab:
Repairs, Consignment, Lessons
I started out like many young musicians in the 1970’s struggling with playing some of the cheapest sounding, most uncomfortable electric guitars and basses you could imagine, because that’s all I could afford. But the upside was I soon learned the secrets of how guitars worked by taking them completely apart, messing with every adjustment screw
, cleaning them up and swapping components like pickups and electronics until they looked better, sounded better, and were much more enjoyable to play. Since then, I’ve owned dozens and dozens of guitars and basses, and repaired or rebuilt dozens more for friends and other musicians. I’ve developed a very good sense of how to set up most any guitar or bass for optimal sound and ease of playability. At Backstage Guitar Lab, we’ve seen just about everything that goes wrong with guitars, so we’re pretty good at getting straight to the cause of the problem and skilled enough to fix it right the first time. So, if your guitar has electronics issues, won’t stay in tune or is difficult to play, or maybe could just use some new strings and an action adjustment, bring it by for a free estimate. Doesn’t matter if it’s a vintage Les Paul or a swap-meet special, we like ‘em all, and we love to talk guitars! We aim for no surprises, because we want what YOU want… a good repair that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg and gets you back out rockin’ as soon as possible. Have any old musical equipment laying around that you’d like to sell? Consign it at Backstage and turn it into money without putting up with all the listing fees, time wasted and shipping hassles. (See us for details on how consignment sales work.) It’s easy, and it gets you the best return on your used gear. Backstage Guitar Lab also offers guitar lessons, bass guitar lessons and drum lessons for anyone from absolute beginners to advanced players… with the emphasis on learning the skills to play along with others in a band… and having FUN! Michael Ogle
Backstage Guitar Lab
About Buying and Selling Guitars
Guitars are one of the things that a lot of people think they can make a big profit on buying and selling. And we've all seen the Pawn Shop TV shows where a person finds an old guitar in the attic and (after a little "calling in the experts" for drama) it turns out to be a rare, valuable instrument worth thousands. But this is a rare exception, not the norm. Nevertheless, this fantasy scenario (and the ever-entertaining internet) continues to stoke the fires of a lot of guitar “flippers" lookin’ for their next big “score." Truth is, MOST old guitars simply do not go up in value over time. The most prized guitars are usually from well-known American brands (Martin, Fender, Gibson) from the late 1940's to the late 1960's. There have been literally hundreds of thousands of mass-produced guitars cranked out by factories all over the world since then, almost none of these are going to have that astronomical level of appreciation as a Post-war Martin, a Pre-CBS Fender or a '50's Gibson Les Paul. Of course there are rare exceptions, but those are usually VERY specific, limited run models from lesser-known manufacturers. So, if you want to buy and sell guitars for profit, what do you look for? Start with the lesser-known models from the better-known manufacturers, for example; a Gibson Melody Maker or SG junior, or a Fender Mustang. Good guitars, they have a following and vintage models are slowly but steadily gaining value. Also, there are some brands that have great reputations, but sorta "fly under radar" like G&L, some Yamahas, many of the 80’s Japan Matsumoku factory-made brands and others. Sometimes, a guitar model can see an increase in value due to it being used by a famous artist, like a Bob Weir Ibanez, a Prince “Mad Cat” Telecaster, or a signature model guitar like a Slash Les Paul. If a famous guitarist uses one, there’s likely a bunch of guitarists that will want one of the same model as their hero! And what about pricing? Right now, just about every shop I deal with establishes prices in this same way: You get as much info as you can on a guitar, go to both eBay and Reverb.com and search out that model. You may see several pop right up for sale, but understand that the prices you see being asked mean NOTHING. Sellers can ask a million dollars, but the listing will just sit there if nobody's willing to buy at that price. You have to sort by COMPLETED LISTINGS (check the box over on the left) and see what similar guitars have sold for. Look for the prices in green... that was the actual “SOLD FOR” price. That's what people have willingly PAID for these guitars. On Reverb.com, sometimes you can find a handy little “Buyer’s Guide” graph of sold prices to show the ups and downs in recent sales history. Very useful to see if a guitar is trending higher or lower in price. So, let's say a guitar model shows a sales history averaging around $1000 dollars. You can research online that several have been sold for $1000, some a little over, some a little under, probably due to the different conditions of the guitar (throw out the highs and lows as weird outliers.) A like-new guitar with the original case, with no scratches, no modifications would bring the highest price, a well-played one with a few repairs or non-original parts would bring less. But $1000 would be a good "average" to go by. Armed with that knowledge, you can seek out one of these guitars and recognize a bargain, or an overpriced deal. What if you're selling a guitar? Well, once again, your best bet is to go to eBay and Reverb (of course, there are other specific info sources, like guitar fan/review sites, but be careful) and see what guitars like yours have sold for. Again... SOLD FOR… not asking price. If you have a $1000 guitar, you can list it for sale around that price pretty confidently, because you now have a good idea of its real current market value. Of course, you can ask more, or you could accept less, depends on how quickly you want to sell it. If you don’t mind waiting for the “right” motivated buyer, you can list your guitar on any of the auction sites, reverb.com, CraigsList, or Facebook Marketplace at your premium price. If you want an immediate sale, look for a guitar dealer who may buy it on-the spot, but be aware that MOST dealers are looking to operate on a 25% to 30% MINIMUM profit margin (frequently more). In order to make 25%, they can only realistically offer you around $750... because they will need to sell it near the "fair market" value of $1000 to get their money back and still make 25%. This is not predatory pricing, it's just the reality of having a business that operates on a fixed, necessary profit margin to keep the doors open. Some other factors that can sway prices up or down include, rarity (maybe a one-year anniversary model) an unusual color or finish, and if the instrument is all-factory original parts. Many, many guitars , especially electrics, have had components "swapped out" for "better" aftermarket components, like new pickups, tuning keys or a new bridge assembly. Most of the time, this will DETRACT from the value of the instrument, even if the "upgraded" parts actually make the guitar play or sound better. If you had a $1000 guitar with swapped-out pickups and its been refinished, do NOT expect to get $1000 for it. If you have the factory original parts, and can include them with the sale of the guitar, that would be a big plus appreciated by many potential buyers. Also, buyers and sellers will closely inspect for damage to the guitar, especially structural damage like a cracked top or a neck break. Honest playing wear, like small scratches, belt-buckle “rash” from playing, or yellowing binding or worn paint is usually just deemed acceptable for a vintage instrument. But it’s all too common for a vintage guitar to have had some mishap during its life, and if the repairs were done well, it's often not a huge detriment, but it may be a factor in determining the end sales price. So, yes, you CAN buy and sell guitars and make a little money at it, but only if you've armed yourself with solid knowledge of the instrument and have a realistic expectation of the current market value of it. Know your guitar, know the market, keep up with the trends. Just like buying, selling, or collecting anything, you gotta do your homework! Buying a Guitar for Your Child? Read THIS first! Several times a week, especially around the Holidays, I get parents asking about tips for buying a guitar for their child. The questions are always the same: “Should I buy them an acoustic or electric? How much should I expect to spend? What If they don’t stick with it? What are some good value brands for a beginner?” Let’s run down a few of these items:
Acoustic or Electric? In my opinion, this question is best answered by asking these questions first: What kind of music do they enjoy? What kind of music are they wanting to play? By themselves, or around a campfire, or do they want to eventually play in a band? Want to be the next Taylor Swift or Ed Sheeran? If you like country or folk type music, you’ll probably enjoy an acoustic (box) guitar. You can take ‘em anywhere, you don’t need a plug-in, and you can play around a campfire or tailgate and have a blast. The downside is: they generally NEED to have those big bodies and heavier bronze strings to make that good rich sound, so they can be a bit more physically challenging for a new player. There are smaller acoustics, but with FEW exceptions (Martin LM-1, Baby Taylor, etc.) the little ones sound thinner and cheap. The big body resonates and produces the big rich sound, it’s just physics, it’s unavoidable. Want to jam out to AC/DC or Black Veil Brides? If you want to play rock, or shred a lead line, you’ll probably want to get an electric guitar. The smaller bodies and light strings are easier to press and make fast-playing much easier. You can electronically alter the sound of an electric to create twinkly-clean sounds or a wall of face-melting distortion. That’s the downside: Electric don’t need to be big to get a huge sound, but they DO require an amplifier to complete the package. And amps are a whole ‘nother chapter to learn. Bottom line: What kind of music do they like, or want to play? That will point you towards one or the other. Shouldn’t they start with an acoustic, then when they get better, go to electric? The common misconception is that acoustic (box) guitars are easier to learn and less expensive, so better for beginners. The reality is, the chords and notes are the exact same for both, and electrics are usually just plain easier to play, have generally lower action (string height), lighter strings, though slightly more complicated to learn to operate both the guitar and an amplifier. And a cheap electric (kinda like a car) can be hot-rodded with better bolt-on components pretty easily. A cheap acoustic doesn’t have that option, and so if it’s not made of pretty good wood, and doesn’t sound very rich and full, there’s not a heck of a lot you can do about it (kinda like a piano). If I had just $500 to buy both an acoustic and an electric, I’d spend $300 (or more) of it on the acoustic to be sure I’d be getting something that sounded good, was built well and stayed in tune. How much should I spend? Due to CNC technology and cheaper labor overseas, these days you can get a pretty darn good guitar (acoustic or electric) new for around $250 to $350. Used, you can find a bargain and go even less expensive, maybe $150 to $200 for a nice totally playable instrument. $100 and less guitars are out there, but not always, and they might possibly have some hidden damage or defect (warped neck, broken electronics, etc.) Yes, there are also bargains available on Craigslist, at estate auctions, at your local pawn shop, or on eBay. However… unless you’re experienced with repairing, setting up or maintaining guitars, you could get stuck with a hard-to- play, out of adjustment, broken or out of tune headache. What if they don’t stick with it? The GOOD idea: If you bought a guitar that was a well-known brand in good shape, you can usually re-sell it and get most of your money back, especially if you bought it used. The better name brands (Fender, Gibson, Ibanez, Martin, Taylor, etc.) hold their value in the resale marketplace pretty well. Older American-produced instruments have been frequently known to actually INCREASE in value over the years. The BAD idea: If you want to be sure your child gets discouraged with playing quickly, buy him or her a really, really cheap guitar. It probably won’t sound good, won’t stay in tune, and will be really painful to play with the strings high off the fretboard. Seen it dozens of times. Cheap guitar = sore fingers, unsatisfying sounds and an early exit. What are some good brands I should look for? There are many good inexpensive instruments out there, but the two brand names I can always safely recommend are : Squier and Epiphone. Squier is the less-expensive, overseas produced line from Fender, and Epiphone is the less-expensive, overseas-produced line from Gibson. Both are built on the same blueprints as their much more expensive American counterparts, same dimensions, (electrics have interchangeable components for upgrading) but have slightly cheaper hardware (like the tuners) and less attention to fine fit and finish details. But, still, many professional players will gladly take their Squiers or Epi’s out to the bar gig and leave their expensive American instruments safely at home. To be sure there are dozens of other good brands, like Ibanez, Dean, Yamaha and Washburn, and if you do some online research, especially through user reviews (Check Harmony Central or Sweetwater Music reviews) you can find some great instruments for not a ton of money. But beware of the “too good to be true” priced online guitars… there’s a REASON why they’re that cheap… crappy soft wood, cheap hardware, or noisy electronics, probably built in a Chinese sweatshop. And good luck returning it or getting it fixed if it arrives in unplayable condition
Knowledge is still your best tool to getting a good guitar at a good price.😉
