worth $2500 ?

[Ron Victoria]

I saw this Stringmaster D-6 on Ebay for $2500, item 274753973479. When I nicely told the seller it's priced too high, he came back at me with a string of insults. What do you think it's worth, I was curious as I have the same one although mine is autographed by Jody!!

[Nic Neufeld]

Is it worth $2500 to me? No. Is it completely outrageous? No, not in my book, I see plenty of Stringmasters listed in that range, whether I would consider it a good deal or not.

The D6s, they (I think?) were made in lesser quantities. So that may drive the price up a bit, even though for me as a player, they would be less valuable as an instrument. Steve Howe used a D6 extensively, so there's a potential collectible aspect for a Yes fan. Bear in mind, for a normal guitar player, $2500 for a vintage Fender instrument sounds like a dream come true...the sagging demand for nonpedal steels made Fender steels an outlier in terms of their resale value 60 years later. Which is great for players getting into it, not great for sellers/investors.

So yeah, I say, the fella is fine to try for it. Maybe he'll get that much! Maybe he won't. Value ultimately boils down to what someone will pay for it, so either he's right, and he'll get lucky shifting it for that much, or he's wrong, and he and that listing will be long term companions. No big deal either way...

[Joe Breeden]

Number one rule in selling: "You can always come down, but you can't go up". Just ask any car salesman. Also, I believe in the saying, "An item is only worth what someone is willing to pay". I'm not an expert on guitar values but I would not pay $2500 for that guitar.

[Dave Mudgett]

It's worth whatever someone will pay for it. I think it's overpriced. But consider the source - the same guy wants $2850 for a tweed Champ. I know vintage stuff is at a premium right now, but all I can say is, "Whatever."

But I'm pretty confident that it is well beyond the realm of what these generally go for. But I'd also say that the only way I'd communicate that with a seller would be with a more realistic offer - it does say takes offers. Most serious sellers don't appreciate lookee-loos telling them stuff is overpriced. But I think replying with insults is pretty petty.

It all boils down to cold, hard market forces. Everything else is just speculation.

[Rick Barnhart]

I'm not an expert on guitar values but I would not pay $2500 for that guitar.

Especially after a string of insults 😉

[Bill Sinclair]

The seller is mistaken about the age. The case and thick logo would put it in the mid to late 60's and not the late 50's. Not that it makes much difference with a Stringmaster. That one does appear to be super clean, which would give it a bit of a premium over the D6 I sold (here) 4 years ago for about $1200. Not $2500 but maybe $1600? I did see one go for just over $2K on ebay awhile back. The seller really played up the fact that Steve Howe played one like it and he just happened to hit ebay at a time when there were two buyers who really wanted that guitar. Sometimes that happens with an auction (and a great sales pitch).

[Allan Revich]

Prices being asked on EBay and on Reverb seem to have increased dramatically over the last year. I’m not sure that people are actually getting those prices. A lot of the same lap steels sitting there month after month.

The well priced items sell quickly though.

[Wally Pfeifer]

I have one that is just as "mint" as this one is. My case though is a tweed case. It is not for sale but if it was,-I would not be asking $2500.00++ for it. It will probably be passed on to my Son when I pass. [/img]

[Jack Hanson]

Prices being asked on EBay and on Reverb seem to have increased dramatically over the last year.

Ain't that the truth! As a postwar Gibson aficionado, I snicker when I see asking prices for common as dust BR-9s higher than Ultratones and Centurys. And the Skylarks? Oh my! Unworthy of the Gibson nameplate in my opinion, and usually priced even higher than most BR-9s.

[Allan Revich]

Prices being asked on EBay and on Reverb seem to have increased dramatically over the last year.

Ain't that the truth! As a postwar Gibson aficionado, I snicker when I see asking prices for common as dust BR-9s higher than Ultratones and Centurys. And the Skylarks? Oh my! Unworthy of the Gibson nameplate in my opinion, and usually priced even higher than most BR-9s.

Hey! While asking prices might be outrageous, don’t dis my Skylark. I love the little guy to bits. It’s basically the lap steel version of the early Gibson Melody Makers, which are also highly sought after. It’s a very well made instrument with no cheap plastic anywhere and a nice korina wood body. The single coil pickup is not very strong, but it’s nearly hum-free, and very pedal friendly.

[Jack Hanson]

To each his own Allan, but I'm not a fan of Skylarks. The one I had (a 1958),

although well-constructed and somewhat attractive, just didn't deliver sound-wise. Sustain was virtually non-existent, especially in the higher registers. I couldn't pull harmonics out of it to save my soul. My theory is the Skylark's inherent design -- basically Kalamazoo's answer to Fullerton's Champ (also not reknown for its sustain) -- has a fatal flaw in that the strings mounted to the single plate instead of a separate bridge securely attached to the body don't ensure an adequate transfer of vibrations to its attractive African limbawood (aka Korina) body.

I would agree the little PU-390 (aka "Melody Maker") pickup sounds just fine. I once procured one that had been stripped from a Skylark and cobbled to this badly butchered Ultratone

that I purchased for a song. I eventually attached that pickup to another "rescue" instrument -- this Jackson Guldan Epitome carcass (note the prewar Gibson bridge),

and it sounded excellent.

Compare your Skylark to a decent Century or Ultratone (or even a BR-9) and I suspect you'll immediately notice a big difference in sound and especially in sustain.

[Allan Revich]

I actually own a near-mint BR-9 with P90 and an EH-100 with CC pickup. Both have way more sustain and depth. But I don’t see it in terms of better or worse. Just different.

As they in France, “vive la différence!”

Now stop asking me to love one of my children less than the others

[Bill McCloskey]

this one sold a year ago for $1,700.

https://reverb.com/item/33528847-1963-f ... _sold=true

[Jack Hanson]

Now stop asking me to love one of my children less than the others

It's all good, Allan. As long as you're happy with your Skylark is all that really matters. Mine didn't meet my expectations, so I didn't keep it. I wanted to like it; I really did! But to me, it was like driving a Pacer when there was an AMX with a full tank of premium leaded gas sitting in the garage.

[J D Sauser]

I got a Quad 8 StringMaster for about that kind'a money... in 2019.

It IS totally OUTRAGEOUS... and even if it sells to some unaware soul, it will never set the record for "it's worth what someone is willing to pay for".


... J-D.

[Mark Kocon]

There’s a 6 string Magnatone on there now for $5,000.