Someone's parting out a 50's D6 Fender on Ebay

[Ron Landis]

I'm just wondering if this will really be worth the effort this guy is going through. After all the time involved with separate auctions then separate shipments. If the price was right, I guess a guy could just round up all the parts and put them back together with some of those retro pickups and have a complete guitar again.

[Mark Eaton]

I'm just wondering if this will really be worth the effort this guy is going through. After all the time involved with separate auctions then separate shipments.

Ron, when I was viewing the eBay listing I was thinking the same thing. Kind of reminds me of someone listing knickknacks from Grandma's dining room hutch after her passing so they could round up a little cash. Seems like a lot of work to me.

"You are bidding on a souvenir commemorative spoon from the 100th anniversary event of the Battle of Gettysburg, 1963. Starting bid: $9"

[Doug Beaumier]

And eBay's fees have increased in recent years. A seller recently told me that the combined eBay and PayPal fees are about 13%. Some sellers choose to sell elsewhere nowadays.

[Michael Laslovich]

Lets encourage the dealers and the sellers to sell cores if they have to. My good friend asked me to build my own lap steel and I thought if I could just even get the original I could make it play and be happy with the core. You are all right on with your thoughts. Its just a shame we would sacrifice a great lap steel for a tele. Even though its a great guitar that I really love. Its a whatever situation for sure.[/quote]

[Michael Laslovich]

I agree with all its a no brainer make money etc. Fixing up a tele is cool one of my favorite guitars but its a shame that no respect for these very cool steels. So my thought is encourage the dealers/sellers to sell the cores that they strip and maybe some of us can salvage whats left, and make some good steels left from the junk yard so to speak. Take careall you have great input.

[Doug Beaumier]

Well... the auctions are over and the guy did pretty well! Over $1400 total. Minus about 10% for eBay and PayPal.

The seller very cleverly stated that the two Pots "Came off a 1957 Fender guitar". True. Those two pots sold for over $300.

He said the 3-way switch and the output jack came off a Fender guitar. And he advertised the knob as a "1957 Fender Telecaster guitar Original Knob".

[Michael Laslovich]

I'm Amazed. Guess we have to all access the value of the wrecking yard sales so many out there that want whats offered can't really complain about that. The good thought is that another playable sounding instrument is born we hope.

[Chris Lucker]

Doug, do you really know those are the same pots? Do you see how many he has sold. Just drop it. It is not your guitar, you have absolutely zero interest on it, he is harming you in no way, other than it makes you feel a couple inched longer pontificating on someone else's business.
If you, Doug, were the seller or buyer, I apologize. Please let me know.

[Doug Beaumier]

Chris, I'm simply stating that he sold the parts for over $1400. I think that's pretty impressive.

[Chris Lucker]

To be fair, Doug, you declared that he cleverly described the part. Do you know that they did not come from another guitar? You are saying far more than congratulating him on a sale. You are implying deception. Your motivation is curious.

[Ron Landis]

I just hope this doesn't encourage more of this kind of thing. It seems that most of the old Fender lap steels I see for sale have already been swapped out with Seymour Duncans already. Now, in light of these auction results, this can only encourage more people to do the same once that guy's friend plays his Telecaster with these vintage pups, he's going to be looking for one to tear apart to get those free parts. I guess the best thing we can do to counter that sort of thing is buy them up and make sure they go to good homes... like mine. Anyway, I've got mine and won't ever let go.

[Doug Beaumier]

Chris, I wouldn't say it's deception. I just think it's interesting that the seller labels most of these 16 auctions as 1957 "Steel Guitar" parts in the title and in the descriptions. Except for the electronics, the 3-way switch, the pots, and the knob... there is no mention of steel guitar anywhere in those auctions. He calls those 1957 Fender Guitar parts, and a Telecaster Original knob. No mention of steel guitar. Not exactly deceptive, I guess it's smart marketing, and to be honest, I would probably would have done the same thing if I were the seller.

As far as the $300 pots, I think it's highly probable that they came out of this steel guitar. The seller says they came out of a 1957 Fender guitar. He says the same thing about all the other parts a 1957, either "steel guitar" or "guitar" depending on who he is marketing the parts too. All 16 of the auctions started and ended about the same time. Sure, it's possible that these pots came from some other 1957 Fender guitar, but unlikely IMO.

[b0b]

Paying $300 for 2 pots seems really absurd to me.

[Doug Beaumier]

Paying $300 for 2 pots seems really absurd to me.

Not if those 2 pots are "correct" for your 1957 Strat or Tele and they will increase the value of that guitar by way more than $300. Sometimes they will increase the value by thousands.

[Mark Eaton]

Paying $300 for 2 pots seems really absurd to me.

One man's absurd is another man's no big deal. I was just looking at a fairly clean '57 blonde Tele on eBay for a buy-it-now price of $30K. That seems absurd to me, but then so does the Lexus LFA sports car with the V-10 engine I saw at the San Francisco Auto Show two weekends ago. Price: $375,000. Number produced this year: 500. I was going to talk to the guy about ordering one, but I found out all 500 are spoken for.

We all have "I could kick myself in the a$$" stories. I could kick myself back in about 1975 when a friend of a friend moved out from North Carolina for a couple years to see if he could make it in the music business here in California. A fine young guitar player, but I guess he had listened to Chuck Berry's "The Promised Land" one time too many and and really bought into the lyrics.

After nothing good happened for him in the music biz out here, he decided to move back to Carolina.

He needed money for bus fare and some food along the way. He offered me the Tele for $120 because he knew I coveted that guitar. I really wanted it but I was a starving student surviving on peanut butter & jelly sandwiches on Wonderbread. I should have begged or borrowed to get the money, but I figured another one would come along like that. it never did.

I wonder how much the pots are worth now in that guitar?

[b0b]

But pots are like strings - they wear out and get replaced. There's nothing special about old pots.

[Doug Beaumier]

But pots are like strings - they wear out and get replaced. There's nothing special about old pots.

That's true in the real world... but in the insane world of vintage guitars, replaced (new) pots can devalue a guitar substantially. When a guitar's value gets up to 10K, 20K, 30K, buyers nit pick and look for ways to get the price down. Common sense repairs like re-fretting, new pots, rewound pickup, etc. are all "issues" for buyers. They are bargaining chips to lower the price. Same thing with vintage amps. A changed transformer can cut $1000 off the price of a vintage amp, even though the amp needed the new transformer to work. Insane as it sounds, a worn vintage guitar that may not be trustworthy on a gig is far more valuable than one with new parts. They become antiques, not always practical player guitars.

[b0b]

Does having the original strings make a guitar more valuable?

[Michael Laslovich]

I think all are being just to serious. I guess fixing old\steel would be like fixing an old car you will do your best to make the best value.
Its America still and we just are the way we are.
I'm most impressed that folks would make these guitars as original /restore to the original. It makes me very happy that the future will still share these wonderful American made guitars from are past. Lets be positive for all those that attempt to restore our wonderful instruments. And to share for the futute upcoming musicians

[Andy Volk]

And then you have the whole "relic" trend - in my mind, one of the stupidest notions ever. Instead of earning your and your instrument's mojo through legitimate living and playing you attempt to simply purchase that mojo via a distressed, ersatz guitar. I didn't understand why my mom used "antiquing kits" on furniture back in the 70s either.

Hey! I've got a relic'd 2006 Toyota Highlander!

[Doug Beaumier]

I know what you mean, Andy. I could never understand the "relic" thing. Fender beats up the guitar at the factory and then charges More for that. I'm surprised they haven't offered relic'ed amps yet. I have a couple of real 50 year old Fender amps and guitars with good, honest player wear and I treasure them.

Does having the original strings make a guitar more valuable?

No, but... 50 year old original strings on a guitar or a steel guitar help to verify that the guitar has not been messed with, and probably has never been "opened up", and probably has all original parts within. It's a good sign. I've purchased a lot of "closet classics" over the years that still had the original strings on them. Of course, I change the strings immediately and clean up the guitar when I get it.

[Michael Laslovich]

I totally agree. I'm so in anticipation getting my Ouhu tonemaster(Traveling across the country) and Mojo is most important don't really care about the rest except I love that it is a US Made product from my early years. I'm just hoping it just fits with me in my lap and that i can make her/he sing some tunes for me.

And yes I have a 59 John Deere, but the great thing is I make him work. I fix him here and there but he's like a friend so much like my favorite guitars.

[Dennis Smith]

Michael, did you get the one at guitar center?

I'm with Doug, $1400. is a lot for parts. There's a 1957 T8 on the form for sale at $1300. so that would be 3 tuner pans, 6 pickups and covers, Fender metal tag, 4 legs, 1 case, 1 three way switch, vol, tone pots, 2 knobs, 3 plates. 3 necks. What do you think the total would be $3000.? I would prefer they not be parted out. But when it happens it's helps people repair there guitars

[Michael Laslovich]

Dennis You are totally right at this point I think we are beating this thing to death.

I'm so excited yes I did get the Tonemaster at Guitar center. It should arrive tomorrow I'm hoping we are a perfect fit. I'm all ready anticipating getting help from the forum if I need to replace parts. But I just want to enforce I'm not looking for a relic but a sound from the past and a guitar that will make that sound.
As far as amps etc now a days we can fix sounds with effects if we have to. I'm hoping the raw sound from this guitar will please me. Hey I will let you all know.
And back to the parting the guitar I'm sure its all about value added. Isn't that the American way?

[John RJ Wilson]

Very interesting discussion. In an ideal world I would love to see these guitars remain intact. It worries me that some of these parts will be involved in vintage counterfeiting too.
The Stratosphere on Ebay have approaching 217000 sales, parting out mostly modern instruments. So there is a huge market. I built my son a David Gilmour black strat replica for a fraction of the cost of the real version, with parts from them and I make no excuses. However these guitars are not timeless classics.

So here is a dilemma, assuming parting out will continue. Would you rather that these parts go into living, breathing, played instruments all over the guitar world, or would you rather see them sitting in Rob Lurvey's collection doing nothing? Because I find that more disturbing.