What Is My D-55 Worth?

Taylor Martin Guild

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I may be looking to sell my D-55 to fund a smaller body guitar.
Mine is a Tacoma built from 2005.
It is in very good condition with one exception.

I have an arm rest on it and the glue from the rest has softened the finish, causing some rough areas.
It is not very noticeable and with the rest on, you don't see it at all.

I see D-55 prices on reverb all over the place.
$1,700 up to $2,500 for something like mine.

Would $2,000 be a decent price to ask for it?
 

Cougar

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...I see D-55 prices on reverb all over the place..... Would $2,000 be a decent price to ask for it?

I recently learned that reverb has a "sold listings" check box along the left side when searching. Quite a few went for less than that. And some went for more. :tiger:
 

GAD

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Is that sold feature on Reverb what the guitar actually sold for or for what it was initially listed for??

If a buyer makes an offer, the sold listing does not necessarily show what the final price was.
 

walrus

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Right, that is more than likely NOT the actual sales price. I would think that it is probably a bit high, since as GAD said, an offer that was accepted will not show up. But it should be decent approximation.

walrus
 

JF-30

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Its worth what you want to sell it for and what someone is willing to pay. That you two have to decide.

I know its a smart-alec answer but the truth.

Is a '59 Gibson LP worth half a mil. If you can sell it for that much and someone will pay that much. On that day yes it would.
 
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Taylor Martin Guild

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Thank you for your responses.
To be honest, I don't know if I would pay $2,000.00 for a used D-55.
I know that a new one is now about $3,500.00, so $2,000.00 isn't really that high but it is a lot of money for a used guitar.
I usually buy my guitars new, so the used market is a bit of a stranger to me.
I think that I will try selling it for $1,800.00 and see what happens.

Next question.
How and where do you sell your used guitars?
 

fronobulax

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Thank you for your responses.
To be honest, I don't know if I would pay $2,000.00 for a used D-55.
I know that a new one is now about $3,500.00, so $2,000.00 isn't really that high but it is a lot of money for a used guitar.
I usually buy my guitars new, so the used market is a bit of a stranger to me.
I think that I will try selling it for $1,800.00 and see what happens.

Next question.
How and where do you sell your used guitars?

Reverb, eBay. LTG and CraigsList. Each has pros and cons. I have a feeling we discussed them recently but my search fu is failing me. Things to consider are: how much money goes into your pocket after shipping, listing fees, etc.; what is your protection from a bad buyer; and the number of potential buyers.
 

gjmalcyon

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Next question.
How and where do you sell your used guitars?

I'll give you the buyer's perspective (since I haven't sold any yet): I've mostly bought here on LTG and every one of those transactions has been easy and painless.

I bought three in local Craigslist hand-to-hand transactions in public places. Again, painless.

Bought one at a guitar show (meh).

Bought one in a retail setting and was able to hondle a little.
 

twocorgis

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Thank you for your responses.
To be honest, I don't know if I would pay $2,000.00 for a used D-55.
I know that a new one is now about $3,500.00, so $2,000.00 isn't really that high but it is a lot of money for a used guitar.
I usually buy my guitars new, so the used market is a bit of a stranger to me.
I think that I will try selling it for $1,800.00 and see what happens.

Next question.
How and where do you sell your used guitars?

Anecdotal of course, but I've had the best luck over at Acoustic Guitar Forum. There's a lot of cork sniffers over there, and not a lot of Guild love either, but more serious buyers than any other resource I know. Similar experience over at UMGF. These days, with eBay and Reverb collecting sales tax, interested buyers are even more likely to use these resources. You need to be a charter member at AGF ($25/yr I believe), but after that there's no fees. Good luck with the sale.
 

Charlie Bernstein

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For a buyer, a nice thing about Guilds is that they tend to sell for less than they're worth, compared to Gibsons and Martins. An undervalued brand. For a seller, though, that's not great news.

For a good-condition D-55, $2k seems reasonable. If you're not in a hurry, start by asking for more. $2,200? $2,400? You'll get lower offers, and you can always say no.

If it doesn't sell after a few months, start knocking down the price.
 
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geoguy

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I think $1800 sounds reasonable, given the (minor?) finish issue that you described.

Particularly since a new D-55 can once again be purchased. I suspect that some of the higher prices paid for a used D-55, a couple of years ago, may have been partly due to the fact that they were not being produced for a couple of years.
 

adorshki

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I think $1800 sounds reasonable, given the (minor?) finish issue that you described.
Agree although I "get" that he may want to start a little higher in anticipation of the inevitable low-ball offers as Charlie Bernstein mentioned.

Particularly since a new D-55 can once again be purchased. I suspect that some of the higher prices paid for a used D-55, a couple of years ago, may have been partly due to the fact that they were not being produced for a couple of years.
Yep, we saw that paradigm with all of 'em until Oxnard finally started shipping product, and for example just a couple of days ago I noticed there were no F30's showing available on Reverb, and those seem to be showing the the "spike" right now, too, which one has to suspect is undoubtedly related to the traditional "supply and demand" model: Low supply=higher prices.
 

merlin6666

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Rule of thumb for used guitars is about 2/3 of new price. There are price lists for various periods of Guilds floating around to give you an idea. Of course this would not apply to vintage guitars that have collectors appeal and an inflation adjustment is also reasonable when its about 20 years or older.
 

Taylor Martin Guild

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With a new D-55 selling for over $3,500.00, it would appear to me that $2,000.00 for my 2005 Tacoma build would be a very good price,
if the rule of used being worth about 2/3 the price of new.
It is possibly even a bit low.

I will go with $2,000.00 and see what interest i get.
Thank you all for your input.
 
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