Do you have an old Gibson lying around the house that you think might be worth something now? Have you recently inherited a vintage Gibson that you have a sneaking suspicion could be harboring a whole bunch of cash from you? Are you looking to get the lowdown on the Gibson guitar values so that, even if the guitar is not worth anything, you can rest easy at night?
Well come on through, for today we will be exploring how you can identify Gibson guitar values for yourself via a few key aspects that are bound to have a direct impact on the price it fetches at auction.
Vintage Gibson Guitars
If you are in possession of an old Gibson – no matter if it is an electric guitar or an acoustic guitar – chances are it is going to fetch a decent sum if put up for auction.
Selling products by the Gibson Guitar Corporation in this way, though, and the eventual financial outcome will very much depend on a number of factors:
- Year of production
- The precise model
- Its condition
- Its rarity
Sometimes, even the color of the guitar can have a real bearing on the price it fetches, since some colors are considered more desirable than others.
An old Gibson guitar like a Les Paul is going to garner interest any day, regardless of whether they have humbuckers or single coils, though there are certain eras that will attract more attention than others.
The period between 1970 and 1985 is allegedly a sore point for the company when their electric guitars were not made to their previously exacting standards. Thus a solid body electric guitar from this period will not be full of the same Gibson guitar worth as one from the 60s.
It sure can be a tight rope trying to sell vintage guitars and no Guitar Center is going to be able to help.
How to Sell a Vintage Gibson Guitar
Now, whether acoustic guitars or electric guitars, you will want to take some good and detailed pictures of the guitar in question.
This will mean pictures up close of all or most of the guitar’s individual parts, including the tuning keys, the body, the pickguard, headstock, etc. This aspect is more or less the same for selling any guitar (or any thing for that matter), which means any Gruhn guitars you might have or any Fender guitars that you no longer want in your possession.
Unless you intend to sell the guitar yourself through a site like Reverb, then the next step is to contact a professional vintage guitar salesman and send them the pictures. The idea of repairs might be considered, just so the product is the best it can possibly be when it is eventually put up on the market. This might involve reversing some fret wear, and can be the case for Les Pauls just as it can be for SGs and the like.
Final Tones
So, there you have it!
Hopefully, this article has sated your curiosity regarding Gibson guitar values, no matter why you might originally have been curious about them in the first place.
Remember, that even if the guitar in question is not worth as much as you originally surmised, you are still the owner of a piece of popular cultural history, an echo from years of yore that still rings out today and can be felt all around even when one flips on the radio.
FAQs Gibson Guitar Values
The eventual valuing and sale of your guitar will involve a few primary characteristics of the guitar and the market it is being sold on: the year of production, the exact model of the guitar, the condition that it is in, the originality / rarity of the batch that it was released in (this includes any unique defects a guitar might have) – sometimes even the color can have a considerable effect on the overall price of a guitar, whether to its advantage or to its detriment.
This will very much depend on a number of different factors: the year of production, the exact model of the guitar, the condition that it is in, the originality / rarity of the batch that it was released in (this includes any unique defects a guitar might have) – sometimes even the color can have a considerable effect on the overall price of a guitar, whether to its advantage or to its detriment. There are even certain periods in the company’s history that are infamous for being synonymous with a dip in build quality, such as the period between 1970 and 1985.
If you do not intend to involve a professional vintage guitar salesman then there are a few things to be considering in your travels: the year of production, the exact model of the guitar, the condition that it is in, the originality / rarity of the batch that it was released in (this includes any unique defects a guitar might have) – sometimes even the color can have a considerable effect on the overall price of a guitar, whether to its advantage or to its detriment. Many of these things should be readily apparent to you, though do not be afraid to use the internet to find out any of the particulars, as this is what collectors feast on.
I doubt that anyone actually has the first ever guitar that Gibson released. The original Gibson Les Paul, however, has been sold for just shy of a million dollars which, considering its veritable legacy in the annals of popular music and rock and roll history, just about shakes out. Not only that but this very guitar was actually owned and modified by the classical rocker for whom this guitar was made and who now uses it as a namesake, Mr. Les Paul himself.
I have a 1949 Gibson acoustic guitar in very good condition. I was wondering what it might be worth.
Hey there Robert.
You’ve got a great guitar on your hands clearly! These guitars now sell for around $3500 in the condition of which you speak. These guitars would originally have sold for around $235 which doesn’t seem like much until you consider the steep rate of inflation since then. Adjusted for the cumulate rate of said inflation (1168.4%), this sum totals $2,980.80. So, the guitar has accumulated worth, but not by much.
Hope this helps!!