Any Thoughts On This??????

richardp69

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On for example a 1978 Gibson L6S Deluxe (signed by Chong of Cheech and Chong) or a 1990 G&L ASAT Classic (signed by Leo Fender), do the signatures detract from sales value, add to it or have zero impact??? The guy has no COA verifying the signatures.

Personally, I'm not a fan of signature guitars but I rarely just arbitrarily rule anything out based upon something like that.
 

gjmalcyon

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On for example a 1978 Gibson L6S Deluxe (signed by Chong of Cheech and Chong) or a 1990 G&L ASAT Classic (signed by Leo Fender), do the signatures detract from sales value, add to it or have zero impact??? The guy has no COA verifying the signatures.

Personally, I'm not a fan of signature guitars but I rarely just arbitrarily rule anything out based upon something like that.

Unless there's some form of authentication, provenance, and a chain of custody, I think they're worth whatever the underlying guitar is worth, if not less for what may be nothing more than graffiti.
 

adorshki

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On for example a 1978 Gibson L6S Deluxe (signed by Chong of Cheech and Chong) or a 1990 G&L ASAT Classic (signed by Leo Fender), do the signatures detract from sales value, add to it or have zero impact??? The guy has no COA verifying the signatures.
Provenance is EVERYTHING when it comes to adding any value, otherwise it could very well be a detract.
A handwriting expert's appraisal might establish authenticity but even then not add value to the degree of something like a pic of the item in question in the autographer's hands.
Absent any provenance, zero or even negative value add from an impartial appraiser's viewpoint.
Personally, I'm not a fan of signature guitars but I rarely just arbitrarily rule anything out based upon something like that.
Me neither but I'm more open to the ones that have a logical connection with the instrument, for that reason my personal interest would gravitate towards the Leo Fender signed G&L, IF it was authenticated.
Otherwise, pass.
And as much as I might like Tommy Chong, I think in 25 years or even less nobody's gonna care much who he was anymore, if they even remember.
But Leo's already got a permanent place in history.
 

AcornHouse

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The G&L was a signature model and came from the factory with his signature. You can find them for as low as ~$1000. Still a great Tele, undervalued as most G&Ls.
 

Grassdog

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Regardless of whether or not the signatures are authenticated, I tend to think the market for buyers shrinks with something like this (unless the signature is in an inconspicuous area like on a label inside the sound hole. Some people can't stand the sight of a signature on a guitar top or on the neck or headstock.
 

bobouz

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Seems like you'd need to take each situation on a case by case basis.

Leo Fender's verifiable signature on the G&L seems quite cool & desirable.

Chong - worth nothing, imho.

Paul McCartney's signature on a Casino or Texan - heck yes!
 

Cougar

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Provenance is EVERYTHING when it comes to adding any value, otherwise it could very well be a detract.

Yes, that's the starting point on this issue. After that, it totally depends on whose signature it is. Retro Rocker's F50R with Kristofferson's signature is super cool, especially considering the circumstances of backing him on stage, having photos taken, etc., etc. I generally don't like the idea, but if a guitar is signed by a significant star, somebody at the level of, like, Joni Mitchell, and you can prove it's not fake, and if it's done tastefully, then sure, I'd go for it.

By the way, I've got a guitar up for sale on reverb that has John Lennon's signature on it. Price reduced! :cool:

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fronobulax

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Provenance is everything. But there are collectors who will pay a little more for something with a weaker provenance than others. Starting value is the value of the unsigned item. Many players will consider an autograph as defacing the instrument and thus detracting from the value.

It is worth confirming that we are dealing with an autograph and not just a facsimile signature applied during construction to indicate that an instrument is a particular artist's signature model.
 

walrus

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+1 to what has been said above about provenance, etc..

Leo Fender - yes!

Tommy Chong - no!

walrus
 

shihan

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My Les Paul has Les’s signature on the headstock; it came from the factory that way. That’s about the only signature I want to see on a guitar, I don’t care who it is. If you MUST have someone sign your guitar, have them sign the pickguard!
But, you might feel completely differently, and that’s a good thing.
 

Guildedagain

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There's been a market for signed guitars (or is there?), junk Squiers and Esteban's signed by Tim McGraw, Keith Urban, who knows, and some - P.T.Barnum said "there's one born every minute" - hmmmm, people have been trying to sell these things on eBay or CL for ages.

I suppose these days, Joe Bonamassa's signature must be worth a fortune ;-)

It was sad one day years ago when a friend of a friend of a friend heard that I [supposedly] wheeled and dealed in rare guitars and sold them on the net, and they had something they wanted me to look at, and they invited me to their nice vintage trailer home (I'm not here to judge) and they showed me this POS black Squier Affinity that couldn't even stay in tune with a signature from one of the guys in Blink 182 or something, and they thought it was going to be worth like $800, they "bought it as an investment"... I didn't want anything to do with it, but had to let them down gently...

I'd say if it's somebody really important's sig, like Leo Fender (unless he did sign every guitar then it's neat but not unique, and doesn't add to the value), any sig from Les Paul, Leo Fender, Willie Nelson, etc, etc would be of added value to the guitar, just how much, who knows.
 
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fronobulax

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From the collection of threads about signed guitars over the years, I get the impression that it was a common fund raising technique to take a mediocre quality instrument, let a celebrity (known to the target donor audience) sign it with a Sharpie and then sell it "for charity". I get the impression that most of the folks who "bought" one (or won the auction) were not guitar players and were buying it for the autograph. By the time we notice it, it is being evaluated as a guitar, not a collectible, and sold by someone who who thinks the price paid to the charity is a close approximation of value.
 

Guildedagain

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It was maybe equally as effective as Ty Beanie Babies as a long term investment...

I guess the autograph market is a risky one.

Now, if you find the right baseball or bat...
 
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Quantum Strummer

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1980s G&Ls with Leo's Sharpie signature on the pickups (bottom flatwork) aren't that uncommon. Initial production runs of new models sometimes have 'em. I've seen a few Broadcasters, the black G&L version, with 'em. (Edit: those Broadcasters also have an "authentication" sticker signed by Leo in the neck pocket.)

-Dave-
 
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richardp69

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Well, the general consensus here is what my gut was telling me. Plus I know very little about electric gear (many would say that's consistent with my knowledge of acoustic gear as well) so since I'd be trying to sell them anyway it would likely be easier and less stressful for me to sell the acoustic of which I know a fair amount vs. the electrics which I don't. Thanks for everybody's input though and a special thanks to Chris who gave me some valuable data.
 
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