Opinions please - selling a nutty guitar!

[JohnH]

OK, I’m looking for your opinions, so fire away, whether based on fact or not!

It’s time to sell a guitar or two, and the one I’m thinking of is my Cort LP copy, on which I built the ‘LP Maximiser’

guitarnuts2.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=nutzoid&action=display&thread=3773&page=1



This was my second mod posted here in 2006, and it worked out fine and I learnt a lot. The thing is, its slightly complicated, and although it is easy enough to use, I suspect that it may scare off buyers. So I’m canvassing opinion as to whether I will do better if I rewire it to something simpler.

The design I built had 5-way rotary switches for each pup to get series, singles, parallel and OOp, a system series/parallel switch, standard toggle, and separate volume controls for each pickup. I’ve since changed it to a single master volume and a tone control, plus the switching as before. I also built in a JFET buffer circuit into it.

Last time I sold a complicated guitar, I got one bid, from a guy who really appreciated what it was, so he got a bargain. This time I’m hoping for two bids, so to goes for at least what one person thinks its worth! As before, I like to put a bit of effort into explaining what it can do and linking sound clips.

I don’t mind the work of rewiring (of course), but if I do, I don’t want to spend much extra cash, so toggles are OK and standard pots from the spares box, but nothing more complex than what it has now in it.

My options are:

1. Sell it as it is, with all the switching and electronics
2. Keep the switching, but remove the buffer and battery circuit
3. Take out the complex switching, and have two volume, two tone controls and a toggle switch (probably for coil cuts)

I have to have one toggle, doing something, since I drilled a hole for it.

The guitar itself is a decent but modest LP shaped, bolt-on copy (see thread linked above). Plays quite well, tuners work, truss rod is fine, frets are good. Its thinner and lighter than a normal LP, with a bright basic tone. I paid about $100 and the intention is to get more than that, but I’m not expecting much. In some form, it would be a good beginners guitar.

So, what’s your view on how to extract a few extra $ via ebay?
Thanks!

John

[jcgss77]

Put a decal on the headstock that says "Ibanez".


I don't know how things go over in your neck of the woods, but if you will ship internationally I think you will get what you want for it.

[JFrankParnell]

i think the key will be in the marketing. Stress that the buffer goes on/off (if it does), and that you can get normal sounds out of it easily (if you can). But also, the keywords you use in your description: throw in lots of nutzy words, coil cut, coil split, buffer, mosfet, etc etc. Maybe you'll get someone who thought they were looking for parts but can be convinced to buy something premade.

[newey]

John-

Post it first in the Hock Shop here, best place to get your value for it is from another nut!

Besides, we should keep it in the family . . .

[cynical1]

I would second newey's thought. There might be someone here that's flush...

I don't know what the local music store climate is in your neck of the woods, but you might be able to find one of the more reputable shops with good traffic and see if they'll do a consignment. If it doesn't go for your price you get it back.

The advantage there is that one or two of the guys in the shop may start playing it in the store, which promotes interest, or they may buy it from you outright.

eBay for customs is a crap shoot. I'd choose that as my avenue of last resort.

As far as the decal goes, I'm reasonably sure mis-labeling the guitar has some penalty. If it were me, I'd just come up with a logo, make your own decal and go that route. With Cort on the headstock you're shooting yourself in the foot. What you've done with it it takes it out of anything Cort would have put into the guitar. It's a custom job now. With your logo on it you have a fighting chance.

I used Illustrator to make my logo and bought the stock from Papilio. They're the best around and the prices are just a bit more then you pay from the discount sites.



I printed it out on an HP inkjet at the most ridiculous 4800 dpi resolution it would do. Papilio has a special coating and mounting fluid that makes the job much easier...and the decal coating gives you a nice buzz, too...

Good luck, however you go about selling the guitar.

Happy Trails

Cynical One

[jcgss77]

Just for the record-the Ibanez relabeling statement was just a joke. I do not believe in such devious tactics, and had already seen johnh as an upstanding individual who would see that as below him.

With that said, I second c1's custom sentiment-you do truly have your own guitar there, so you can go crazy with your own unique brand and/or design!

[cynical1]

Mar 19, 2011 12:05:23 GMT -5 jcgss77 said:

Just for the record-the Ibanez relabeling statement was just a joke.

I knew that...and mine was a left handed compliment considering Australia was a penal colony at one time...

HTC1

[JohnH]

Thanks for the comments. So I think Im hearing encouragement to keep the design as it is - Ill see how it goes. I'll consider the buffer further, and thanks for the suggestion of the GN2 'hockshop'.

cheers

John

[jcgss77]

It just seems like a terrible waste to have a guitar with most possible sounds on it get dismantled.

[gumbo]

..and mine was a left handed compliment considering Australia was a penal colony at one time...




....only parts of Australia....

[asmith]

John,

I've got experience in art & graphic design, and would be more than happy to knock up some professional hi-res logo demos for you for nada pounds and diddly-squat pence. Send me a PM.

That said, if you're Saul Bass's cousin, pass over that offer.

Peachy guitar. Might I suggest forking out for four unmarked black control knobs so that there's a sense of unity in the pots? It's that kind of detail that would net you a few extra bucks. How many housebuyers paid twenty grand more than they should have done because the sellers bought soft lightbulbs and put a burgundy sofa in the living room? From the words of my old landlord - "A lot."

[jcgss77]

If you really want resale value on that guitar, you should mention that it was an Eric DeVries design...

[ashcatlt]

Oh, and find the knob for that toggle.

I think, if it's not a "Has to go RTFN!" kind of thing, you should just go ahead and post it as is. Try to write up some fluff about how it works and use some of those marketspeak words to convince people that it will instantly sell out all their gigs and get them a platinum record. Then set a reserve price and put it up there. If it doesn't sell ebay has that thing where you can make an offer to the highest bidder who didn't meet the reserve, or you can just re-list it.