Valuation of my guitar?

[hhcave]

I'm trying to sell my Gibson Les Paul Custom but have no idea how much i should sell it for...

Its in 'used' condition i guess but no major chips/damage to the face of the guitar. It has straplocks and is fitted with BKP Miracle Men (although i still have the originals). Bought it about 4 years ago...

Unfortunately I can't upload any photos at the moment because my home computer is being repaired at the moment but could anyone give me a ballpark figure of its value?

Also, is there anywhere in London preferably Denmark Street that is likely to take it off my hands?

I feel uncomfortable selling it on eBay... I might put it up on these forums though if anyone is interested?

Reason for selling: after so many years I just can't get used to it (chunky/painted neck, weight etc)

Also, am i right in thinking that my Marshall JCM 2000 - DSL 401 (1 x 12 combo) is worth about 350 pounds? I'm lookibg to offload that as well...

Lastly, how would i go about shipping these? Are there any courier services that could pick these up?

Thanks!

[hamfist]

Also, is there anywhere in London preferably Denmark Street that is likely to take it off my hands?

I feel uncomfortable selling it on eBay... I might put it up on these forums though if anyone is interested?

I suspect anywhere in Denmark street might offer you about 40-50% (if you're lucky) of what you might get on ebay for the guitar.

Why are you reticent about selling on ebay ?  If you get paid via Paypal, it's a pretty safe and instant payment mechanism - not waiting for anything to clear at all.  SHip the guitar in a hard case - surround the hard case with a load of cardboard and parcel tape, and you're good to go. An insured UK courier for your guitar should cost about £25 - they'll collect from your house.

For a courier look at parcelbroker.co.uk

[Matt77]

interparcel.com will also do a quote for a pickup service and might be a bit cheaper

[Philly Q]

In terms of value, have a look on eBay, watch a few similar guitars (in the UK) and see what they go for.  It's very difficult to assess the value of a guitar, but if you bought it used you can probably expect to get something close to what you paid for it.

And I'd recommend putting the original pickups back in, then sell the Miracle Man set separately.  You'll get a lot more that way.

[hamfist]

And I'd recommend putting the original pickups back in, then sell the Miracle Man set separately.  You'll get a lot more that way.

Absolutley !!

A pair of MM on ebay will easily go for £120 - I sold a pair of MM for that within a day or so on ebay a few weeks ago.  However, on your guitar, they will not increase the value at all.

[jpfamps]

And I'd recommend putting the original pickups back in, then sell the Miracle Man set separately.  You'll get a lot more that way.

Absolutley !!

A pair of MM on ebay will easily go for £120 - I sold a pair of MM for that within a day or so on ebay a few weeks ago.  However, on your guitar, they will not increase the value at all.

Agreed.

Unless the guitar is REALLY cheap (ie the pickups are worth more than the guitar), then replacing the pickups might even reduce the valve of the guitar — this is especially true with vintage guitars. Alternatively you can put your pickups in your new guitar.

Re Denmark St. there are several shops that will pay OK money for guitars. Second hand Les Pauls are relatively easy to sell at the moment and quite hard to find at the right price (probably due to the recent Gibson distribution deal + price increases), so some shops are happy to only make £200-300 on a guitar they can flip quickly. Alternatively you can go for a commission sale which means the shop takes say 20%.

To get the best price on ebay you would need give the option of shipping the guitar. If you do this, be really careful about the packing; mahogany neck guitars are susceptible to neck breaks.

Realistically prices on ebay should be less than those in a shop because you can try the guitar out before you buy in a shop, and you also have legal comeback against misrepresentation by a shop.