1972 fender telecaster

Warren Cohran · Post by **Warren Cohran** » 26 Oct 2008 6:23 pm

I may have to sell one of my guitars it's a 1972 TELECASTER

original(not reissue ) its in good condition. has a fender hardshell case thats not original.If some one could give me a ballpark figure what its worth I would really apreciate. THANKS

WARREN DANNY

Bob Carlucci · Post by **Bob Carlucci** » 26 Oct 2008 6:35 pm

I would be happy to tell you what the guitar is realistically worth... email me..
bob

Tim Whitlock · Post by **Tim Whitlock** » 27 Oct 2008 2:31 pm

Got a price on that Tele yet?

Warren Cohran · Post by **Warren Cohran** » 27 Oct 2008 4:13 pm

no price yet Ithought someone on here would know ? thnaks warren

Chris LeDrew · Post by **Chris LeDrew** » 27 Oct 2008 4:46 pm

Taking into account current prices online, as well as the non-original case and significant ding (which is not a huge factor), I'll take a stab at its worth: $2,200-$2,500. People seem to ask a lot more for these Teles, but I think realistically that's around what you'd get. Not to divert possible income for b0b or anything, but if I owned this guitar it would be going up on Ebay.

This is only my opinion, based on what I've seen on the online market and the info you've given. You may get varying opinions.

Warren Cohran · Post by **Warren Cohran** » 27 Oct 2008 5:42 pm

Thanks Chris for info . Actually thats not a ding on the guitar it's where tried out a gk-2 pickup that had double sided tape and when i removed the pickup it peeled the paint .

Orlando Colom · Post by **Orlando Colom** » 27 Oct 2008 6:04 pm

Pm sent.

Dan Meadows · Post by **Dan Meadows** » 27 Oct 2008 7:19 pm

What makes most of the older instruments like this worth more than one new? My Aunt has a 1962 Stratocaster and it seems to go up in value every year. A much newer natural ash Strat like hers is much, much cheaper.

Post by **Dave Mudgett** » 27 Oct 2008 7:41 pm

OK - you want numbers, here's a sample analysis based on some typical figures - nothing is simple in the vintage guitar biz. The just-published 2009 Vintage Guitar Price Guide lists a blonde '72 Telecaster in Excellent original condition (this would mean an excellent condition original case) for $3500-4200. That's not much different than it listed for a couple of years ago - $3000-4000. These are intended as retail prices - selling to an end-customer, not a dealer, who expects to get a break for wholesale. Often not stated, these kind of prices assume that you can competently verify the authenticity of the guitar as a vintage instrument. People usually expect a bit better deal in distance trading, especially from a non-expert. I don't know your expertise, just throwing that in there.

Now - back to the analysis - just that one major finish flaw on the top keeps this out of outright Excellent original condition, in my opinion. You need to tell us very detailed information about the originality of everything on the guitar - every little thing makes a difference to these kinds of prices. Based on the pic, the tuners look right, the finish looks original, so does the pickguard, control plate, tailpiece and saddles and so on, but I can't be sure without it in-hand with the ability to look under the pickguard, control plate, in the neck joint, and so on. I can't see the pickups or frets well enough to say anything at all. But if everything is strictly jake - original and clean - it looks like an Very Good Plus or Excellent minus guitar. It sure is a nice looking Tele, to me.

Any vintage dealer I know would deduct at least $300, maybe more, to put this in a proper original black-tolex case, since that's what it costs to buy one of those in that kind of shape. I would evaluate a desirable Exc- or VG+ guitar like this, that I could verify the authenticity of, at around 70-90% of the Excellent condition price, depending on how serious the imperfections were.

So, suppose you took around the middle of the range (say around $3800), deduct $300 for the case to $3500, then 80% would give $2800. I think this "Blue Book of Electric Guitars" chart on grading is pretty good - https://store.bluebookinc.com/Info/PDF/ ... laning.pdf

This is not an absolute number by any means. The economy really stinks right now and cash especially is very tight - so things might be worse - even much worse - than even the latest price guide indicates. Prices have definitely gone down in the last year - something like 5-10% on average, and that was before the latest financial crisis. On the other hand, somebody who actually played this guitar and loved it might pay more. Similarly, if players perceived playability or sound issues, it could be harder to sell. Anyway - a serious in-hand evaluation might be as much as several hundred dollars from here in either direction.

Of course, you know that it's about what someone will pay for the guitar. I sincerely hope you don't really have to sell it - that would be a shame because regardless of value, it looks like a cool Tele. That's why I'm taking the time to try to explain how (in my experience) vintage dealers come up with their numbers. But please don't take this as authoritative in any way. There are a lot of intangibles in vintage guitars.

BTW - there are some 1972 Telecasters with stratospheric prices on ebay right now. None is exactly comparable to yours - and some are completely different, don't try to compare a rare mint sonic-blue finish to a VG+ to Exc- standard blonde finish - but the prices are all higher than I'm suggesting here. But again - the issue is how much will someone pay from it, especially at-a-distance and not from a dealer with a big reputation in authenticating vintage guitars.

What makes most of the older instruments like this worth more than one new? My Aunt has a 1962 Stratocaster and it seems to go up in value every year. A much newer natural ash Strat like hers is much, much cheaper.

Seriously - you got a few years to explore the vintage guitar market? Rarity, coolness, historical value, mojo, playability, feel, tone, whatever - but in short, lots and lots of people want 'em and are willing to pay the freight. BTW - really valuable vintage 50s Strats and Les Pauls have come down quite a bit in the last couple of years - anywhere from 10-25%. They were seriously overheated, Les Pauls especially IMO. But they are still orders of magnitude more valuable than any recent production models. If the economy doesn't just go completely in the toilet, I doubt that will change, but you never know.

Ken Pippus · Post by **Ken Pippus** » 27 Oct 2008 8:16 pm

And just to clarify, none of these values reflect their utility to a guy playing them for a living. You can walk into any music store, including, God forbid, Guitar Center, and find a guitar for an order of magnitude less (at least!!) and play it for a living happily until your dying day.

Mojo don't come cheap.

KP

Don Brown, Sr. · Post by **Don Brown, Sr.** » 27 Oct 2008 9:04 pm

Warren, did you buy it new? If so, being a one owner, definitely means a whole lot more.

Don

Ben Jones · Post by **Ben Jones** » 28 Oct 2008 7:53 am

was there some turning point in the 70's when fenders went down hill or something? I ask this because I see later seventies strats and teles for much much less than whats being suggested for this 72. Is there a huge difference between a 72 and a 78?

Steve Branscom · Post by **Steve Branscom** » 28 Oct 2008 9:11 am

Dave,
Thanks for the primer on the vintage market. It helped alot.

Steve Branscom · Post by **Steve Branscom** » 28 Oct 2008 9:49 am

Elderly music has a 73 Tele for sale at $3150. http://tinyurl.com/5pqr55 You can always call Elderly and see if they want to buy it from you. That would certainly get you a wholesale price. Geo Gruhn http://www.gruhn.com/ will also value your instrument for $50.

Post by **Dave Mudgett** » 28 Oct 2008 11:31 am

Warren, did you buy it new? If so, being a one owner, definitely means a whole lot more.

If you are the original owner and can show the full and accurate history of the guitar (called establishing provenance), then this can make the guitar more valuable. But you need to be truly able to establish 1) yourself as the original owner and 2) the originality of the parts. I wouldn't pay a dime more for a guitar from an original owner that had parts replaced, was refinished, or had other things that would call its originality into question - unless it was, for example, a famous owner. For example, Eric Clapton's "Blackie" is a mongrel of late 50s Strat parts, but it's still worth a fortune because the normal collectibility rules don't apply.

Is there a huge difference between a 72 and a 78?

For Fender? Absolutely, IMO. This isn't to say there aren't some very good late-70s Fenders and some dogs from the early 70s or even earlier. But we don't have space here to really do this justice, and would probably go far off-topic.

If you aren't familiar with the vintage guitar market and have a vintage guitar you want to sell, I suggest you read over some of the info on this website before you do anything - http://www.provide.net/~cfh/

I think his take on the vintage guitar market is pretty realistic, and he has lots of good advice. Of course, he's looking to buy vintage guitars too, but the website is very informative, no matter to whom you decide to sell your guitar.

Ben Jones · Post by **Ben Jones** » 28 Oct 2008 12:37 pm

Thanks Dave,

I am the original owner of a very dinged up floyd rose installed late seventies strat. I'd never sell the thing anyway as it was my first real guitar.
Just bury me with it i guess.

Nice lookin tele, I hope you get top dollar for it.

ajm · Post by **ajm** » 28 Oct 2008 5:26 pm

"What makes most of the older instruments like this worth more than one new? My Aunt has a 1962 Stratocaster and it seems to go up in value every year. A much newer natural ash Strat like hers is much, much cheaper."

Dan, don't take offense, but I'm going to make a couple of suggestions/observations here.

1) It seems you may not know much about the vintage guitar market. I contend that if you took a good player, blindfolded him, went to a guitar store, and started handing him the same type of guitars, he could tell you which ones were vintage and which were not. The good ones are just different in an intangible way.

2) Do not let word get out too broad and wide locally about where that guitar is located. It is very likely to disapper some day.

3) If she ever decides to sell it, be very careful before you sell it and seek out a lot of opinions from professionals as to its' value.

4) I don't know what kind of shape it's in, but I'll assume original. Do not throw out any receipts, manuals, cords, etc.

5) Do not refinish it, replace pickups, refret it, etc. If it is scratched, dinged or whatever.....fine.

Back when I was in high school in 1974 I remember a local guy that had a used guitar for sale, and he wanted $1000 for it. FOR A USED GUITAR!!!??? It was a 1959 Les Paul. New ones were going for about $600. Little did any of us know back then what it would be worth some day.

Dan Meadows · Post by **Dan Meadows** » 29 Oct 2008 4:39 am

ajm, no offense at all. Just the opposite. Thank you.
I don't know much about the vintage guitar market but it is very interesting to learn.

Steve Branscom · Post by **Steve Branscom** » 29 Oct 2008 5:31 pm

Early 70's Fenders vs. late 70's Fenders. Wasn't Fender sold to CBS in the early mid 70's. So Fenders are classified as Pre-CBS vs. CBS Fenders. Pre-CBS Fenders are more valuable than CBS and later Fenders.

Post by **Dave Mudgett** » 29 Oct 2008 6:14 pm

Wasn't Fender sold to CBS in the early mid 70's.

No. Fender was sold to CBS in January, 1965. The distinction between early 70s and late 70s was increasing mechanization of production, higher production levels, and less and less attention to the details of what it took to make a good guitar. To really see it requires taking a close look at a lot of examples of their guitars over the years.

It took a while for the full "CBS Mentality" to sweep through Fender. I think a lot of the late 60s guitars were still very good - a little different, but I'll put my '68 Esquire up against anything. I think Leo left his consulting role in 1970 or so, and pretty quickly after that, major changes were made as CBS squeezed their cash cow and traded on their reputation. By '75-76, the guitars really started to feel radically different. By the late 70s, things were pretty much beyond repair, and by the early 80s, the chickens had come home to roost, prompting a change in management and eventual sellout, leading to Bill Schultz's reign.

All my opinions and POV, of course.

Bob Bartoli · Post by **Bob Bartoli** » 29 Oct 2008 6:18 pm

Hey Dave you think you know it all!!!! I have to attest YOU DO, Guys... whatever Dave says you can take to the bank, I'm in 100% agreement with him 99.9999% of the time.. Dave is a GREAT assest to the forum and a very brilliant individual!!! Thanks for you input on so many subjects, I have learned a lot from you Dave over the years,,Thanks Bob..... Now if I could only convince him that an Emmons is the world's best guitar!!!

Post by **Dave Mudgett** » 29 Oct 2008 6:27 pm

Bob, I absolutely do NOT know it all. Mine is just a tiny little miniscule corner of the world, but I do try to cover that piece as much as I can.

BTW - I have an early-mid 70s fatback D-10 on the way. I don't think you're gonna get this one.

Hey, you gonna be at the Philly show in Valley Forge next month? I'm goin' - had to bow out the last year, but we're baaack. Should be interesting with the economy in shambles.

Michael Hartz · Post by **Michael Hartz** » 29 Oct 2008 8:29 pm

I agree with Dave. I've got a 68 Tele with a maple cap neck that I wouldn't part with for ANY price. The difference in quality and playability vs. any new Fender foreign or domestic is night and day. Brad Paisley thinks 68's were the best year made. I got mine at a collector guitar show in 1991 for $600. It's worth a little

more than that now.

Pat Comeau · Post by **Pat Comeau** » 29 Oct 2008 9:50 pm

Brad Paisley thinks 68's were the best year made.

I thought Brad was born in the 70's $:\$

just kidding.

Bob Bartoli · Post by **Bob Bartoli** » 30 Oct 2008 3:35 am

Dave, I gotta see that Emmons... and yes I hope to go to Philly, I missed ya last time..hope to see ya there... Take care!!! Bob