The Steel Guitar Forum

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=33040&item=7326924503&rd=1

He says there's one for sale for $1800. Maybe it's at the Guitar Center. What should it sell for, $500?

Ron

If he's lucky.

Typically in the $300-400 range for Kalamazoo labeled Gibsons on eBay. This is the KEH-R or sometimes referred to as the Oriole as some had a bird decal on the peghead. If you find out where they sell 'em for $1800 let me know as I'd part with mine is a split second

Kalamazoo! is actually the exclamation that comes out of the buyer's mouth once they realize they've paid $1800 for a $300 guitar. It helps if they're drinking a glass of water at the time.

You may find some interesting reading here.....

http://www.guitarseminars.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/009755.html

The guitar looks to be in fair condition, however the case has seen better days. I guess that model of Kalamazoo guitar did not have the "Charlie Christian" p/u (HG-150)...the pickup sure resembles the style found on old HARMONY steel guitars. $1800.00 ??? I don't think so.

I had a Kalamazoo that had the Charlie Christian pickup on it and I still would never pay anything close to this price.

I have a Silvertone that I got off ebay for $80 last January with that same pickup in it. Nice guitar. Maybe the panache of "Kalamazoo" is worth more than I thought??

There is some interesting discussion going on over at guitarseminars. It's not just Guitar Center who are pulling this one... seems like lap steels are being seen all over as a gravy train. I live in the UK and went to see a Gibson EH 150 over here (been looking for one for a while) quite a tatty black one; the shop wanted about $1500 for it which I thought was steep. (Maybe I'm wrong and haven't got a grasp on what was described to me by another shop as a "fluid market in lap steels"....... I'm sure that HowardR could give me a very accurate translation of that particular bit of shoptalk ) but it does seem that in the last year prices have soared. This is where the likes of Guitar Center skew the market and raise private sellers expectations.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7322742635&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1

This is a Guitar Center example described as being "Very Good Condition" despite the fact that it has three significant cracks in the body face which would need a luthiers urgent attention. The most important thing to me about a guitar seller is their honesty and respect for the instruments they sell. I wonder where Guitar Centers guitar techs/repairers are located.... a little time spent by a qualified person on this guitar would have made it saleable but I guess that would have eaten into the profit margin too much. Cynical? 'Fraid so - Cris

However, if people take a minute to look at which lap steels have actually sold rather than which lap steels have been offered for auction, they'll see a different story.
Guitar Center (gcrep810) has been offering the same eight lap steels at wildly inflated prices for months on eBay. None of them have had any offers (no wonder, given the opening prices.
Here's a listing of recent lap steel auctions that actually closed on eBay, listed from highest price to lowest. Note how many of them didn't make their reserve, or didn't even have one bid?
It's a board with strings, folks.

------------------
Brad's Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars
<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Brad Bechtel on 20 June 2005 at 11:41 AM.]</p></FONT>

Thought I'd revive this thread in the light of my recent attempt to get a sunburst Gibson EH185/150/100 with a Charlie Christian pickup. See here on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7333141823&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEDW%3AIT&rd=1

In an earlier post I was off on one about Guitarcenter pricing and the increasing cost of lap steels. See the problem here in Europe is that lap steels seem to be more rare than in the States (unless of course I'm looking in the wrong places)and many shops, in the UK at least, ask such unlikely prices. The natural thing, then, is to look on ebay. Not all sellers are willing to trust to international post and, with all of the scams around, I can't say that I really blame them. So what happens is that the potential number of guitars that I can bid on is relatively few. Coupled to that, the dollar/GBP exchange rate is in my favour so I get to push up the final sale price maybe beyond what a more sensible American player would be prepared to pay. New sellers do a search in ebay and see these prices.... expectations rise; its a vicious circle.
Okay, there's some sour grapes here I admit (and some flaws in my argument)...just disappointed I guess.
Has anyone got any idea about guide prices for these guitars? I've posted a Wanted ad on the forum and am resolved to learn patience......

Check this one that just finished over $1000.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=2384&item=7333141823&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

Ron

Ron
Yep that's the one (and I'm ashamed to say that I would have gone higher for this one but fluffed submitting my final bid....)

I used to be a Gibson Dealer in the 50's and our kalamazoo was the cheap way to go, if you couldnn't afford a Gibson....al

------------------
My Website..... www.cmedic.net/~almarcus/