I'm slowly trawling through the online shops but they all seem to be taking 40% or 50% off the top for their re-sale - so any top tips of who'll offer a good deal from the experts here?

I've never used Reverb to buy or sell and my guitar should fetch a good price so that option makes me nervous - I don't want to deal with scammers / time wasters / returns / damaged returns on Reverb but if you have some tips on how to minimize this then this my be an option. Have you ever used Reverb?

As a bit of background I'm considering selling my 68 custom shop reissue (2000) and using that sale to purchase a strat type guitar.

Any top tips for an inexperienced UK based seller with a hunger for a change?

 

don't sell it! get a good stand and show it off it ur house

 

I agree good guitars are hard to find.

 

unless you also want a high end strat to replace said guitar, I would also suggest keeping it. Also don't forget there might be someone out there who would be willing to trade their strat for your custom shop. Just set up a small contract both of you sign to insure one doesn't back out of the trade a week or so after and demands their guitar/gear back. Maybe check facebook for a local guitar group/communities and make a post of what you got and what you want. Unfortunately trading and dealing guitars and gear isn't always a walk in the park but if you get to deal with decent people there might be a way both parties can walk away happy and satisfied.

Best of luck hope this info helps you in one way or another.

 

I've bought a good few guitars, a whole bunch of pedals, and the occasional synth from Reverb over the years, never had an issue, and I've bought from both individuals and dealers in the UK, USA, Japan, etc. (I'm UK-based too).

I think it's pretty great - esp for finding market/year-specific limited runs, old/weird pedals, etc. I personally prefer it over ebay.

Speaking as mainly a buyer here, the following is stuff that makes my purchasing decisions easier, and helps me feel that a seller's legit:

Make sure you list the condition accurately - don't select "mint" unless it's literally still factory fresh. This won't affect it's ability to sell, people are totally used to "excellent" being the top-tier for most used guitars, and I've bought stuff marked as "very good" before, and even they've only had real minor stuff going on.

Make sure your photos are good - and don't be afraid to literally post 15-20+ shots. Light them as well as you can, to represent the colour of the finish/wood as true-to-life as possible. And don't use a potato-quality camera obvs!

Provide a good mix of full & half-guitar shots from different angles, as well as general close-ups of all the important areas - frets, neck (including the back of it!) bridge, pups. If you're including the case & candy/tags/etc, show all of it clearly too.

If there's ANY dings, scratches, weird wood/finish stuff, fret wear, etc, note it in the description, and take clear, close-up photos of all of it, no matter how small / insignificant you may think it is - I'd advise having a really good close look at your guitar from every angle to make sure you don't miss anything, because if you've had this LP for a while, your brain has probably filtered out at least a couple of wee things, to the point that you likely don't even notice them anymore.

Same with mods - no matter how minor, and even if you don't count them as 'mods' - eg, you've replaced a pot, any of the wiring (even with like-for-like) make sure you mention them.

If you've fitted straplocks, mention which ones, and whether or not you'll be including the original strap buttons in the case, (because there are some weirdos out there who'll want to put the originals back on haha!)

This helps buyers feels more secure that you aren't trying to hide anything, and also covers you against someone trying to file a spurious "item not as described" claim.

Make sure you've spoken to whatever courier you decide to use, and know exactly what the shipping costs will be, and decide where you're prepared to ship to. And obvs figure out how you're going to package it properly - weirdly enough, I've had a couple of different sellers use the big cardboard boxes that mountain bike frames come in - they're actually pretty much a perfect size to fit a hard/flight case and enough packaging material around it!

It's like any online marketplace, as long as you use your common sense, and plan ahead for the logistics and stuff, you'll be fine.

 

hey there, @mastertone @midi-man and @petrrr you are absolutely bang on. and @Lube Bag thank you for the advice on the blind spot (you see it every day you stop seeing it...! true) and the mountain bike box thing - genius.!

I was thinking about selling because of the price I could get (I got a bit of a bargain when I picked it up) and I was focused on the new strat (never owned one) but it never quite felt like the right decision, like I was forcing something.
And today after getting loads of quotes and finding a strat that's a barging (brand new but two minor marks on it and 25% or so off) I was planning on getting on the train. But I was noodling on my tele (only have the 2 guitars) and thought to myself - this would sound better on my Les Paul - and there it was - decision made. I'll stick with the guitars that I love to play and stick to the sound range. So yeh - I came to my senses.

I've found a luthier that seems to have a great reputation (not too far away) so I'm dropping them off for a "spa week". I'm ashamed to say haven't had them set up or serviced professionally in all the time I've had them so I'm already looking forward to getting them back!

Thanks for all the advice and I'm glad I came to my senses - what was that - the worst case of GAS...?

 

and yes @petrrr I only ever keep my guitars on stands (next to my favourite places to sit)

 

@MarkyMW - You realise the best cure for your GAS is to cover all your bases, keep the Tele and the LP, and pick up a Strat as well, right? Haha!

A much cheaper way to get a bit of that 'new guitar day' buzz is to switch out your pickups, tinker with your wiring, etc - very few of my guitars have their stock pups in them - for some of them I bought new ones, and some of the others I switched the stock pups from one into another, if I felt they'd work better in a particular guitar.

I primarily play Strats (have 4 currently) and all of them are VERY different - all of them have totally different neck profiles from one another, non-stock pickups, and 3 of them have the wiring/switching customised too.

My main 'sorta LP type' guitar is an '06 Maton MS503 - I just don't get on with actual LP's at all! - again with aftermarket pickups and re-jigged wiring.

For full-size humbuckers / P90's, check out Railhammer Pickups - they're made by the guy who owns Reverend, and they've slowly replaced every full-size humbucker in every guitar I own.

I've never been precious about replacing / upgrading / tinkering with any guitar I own - even the really pricey ones - eg I currently have Dimarzios, a super switch, and custom wiring in a mid-70's hardtail Strat, because I realised it sounds incredible as a higher-gain guitar (we're talking alt rock, not metal high sorta gain).
My #1 Strat is a 50's AmVint that came with CS59's, but now has Lace Sensors, a few wiring mods, and the trem blocked.

Anyways, this is all maybe a bit OT, but what I'm saying is that if you're feeling the GAS, but are on the fence about whether you wanna make as big a change as you were initially considering, then maybe thinking about if there's anything you feel might improve your experience with your LP a bit, and give it a try? Could literally be as simple as fitting a treble bleed, switching out a pickup, changing a tone cap, etc.

Esp if you build a good relationship with a tech (I have a brilliant one who I've used for years) and/or learn how to do some stuff yourself too (paying for pickups swaps etc is a bit crazy imo!) it's quick, easy, and fun, and can sometimes really improve/alter your relationship with an instrument that was maybe feeling a bit stale for you.

 

Last edited: Jul 26, 2022

@Lube Bag that is a great idea! who
the only gripe I have with the les Paul (And it's a small one) is all the bass that comes out of it, it's just way too much, this might be a setup thing or a pickup thing but yes I'm totally up for trying new pickups..!

I'll wait till I've dropped my guitars off and got them back from the set-up guy but yes this sounds like a great idea.

 

There is a class action against Fender in the UK right now. It seems like they were keeping there prices high. This might work to your advantage since they might lower there prices.
I have a few Strats. The last one I bought was a Player series with a Floyd Rose special on it. The one previous to it was an American standard. The player series are not bad for the $, I swapped out the Floyd Rose special for a Floyd Rose original. The main difference to me is the hardware. The American ones have better hardware on them. Pliability are almost the same.

 

Yeah, it's def worth trying a new pickup, for the sake of about 80 quid, it can make a guitar feel pretty much brand new! Def check out the Railhammers - their Hyper Vintage is a good first one to try, or the Alnico Grande - both are good if you want something that still has a bit of vintage-y character, but also want a bit of a tighter, more modern low end signature. I have both in different guitars, and they're class (as I said before, they're literally my all-time favourite humbuckers). The Chisels are great if you want something really modern-sounding and hot.

I've also used the Billy Corgan signature Humcutters (currently have one in the neck of my Maton) and they're insanely good. More of a P90 vibe, but they absolutely sing, and sound incredible with fuzz (obvs).


There is another couple options if you really like the overall sound of your current pickups, but just wanna lose a bit of the bass:

1) The super simple one (and apologies if you've already tried it, but some people legit just don't think of doing it!) is to drop the bass side of the pickup down, to angle it away from the lower strings. There's only so far you can take it before things will start to sound a bit unbalanced, but depending on how the pickup reacts, it might be enough to help (although from the way you're describing it, this prob won't get you far enough).


2) If that doesn't get you there, you can solder a small cap inline on the hot wire of the pickup - this will act as a hi-pass filter, and dump some of the low end for you.

I've got one installed in my 50's AmVintage Strat that has a red/silver/blue set of Lace Sensors in it. When I put them in, I knew I'd have to do it, as I've owned Strats with this setup before - the blue in the neck sounds fantastic overall, but it's insanely bassy - it was apparently mainly designed as a jazz pickup, but even with that in mind, the low end on it is ridiculous, and when you play through a gained-up amp, it just farts out.

But a wee inline cap totally cleans it up and balances it perfectly with the other two pickups. I can't remember the exact value I used, but it essentially gives me a 6db/oct low cut filter at about 165Hz.

There are formulas you can use to calculate it, which are useful to get in the ballpark, but any time I've done it, I've found it's best to try a few different values and then just play and listen until you find the one that works best for you, because it's pretty specific to the guitar, pickups, rest of the tone circuit, etc. But yeah, it definitely works really well!

 

Last edited: Jul 27, 2022

Yeah, the more recent Player stuff (and pretty much all the current Mexican lines) is largely very good - def agree with you in that they definitely do a lot of the cost cutting on the hardware, butif you're prepared to throw a bit of extra cash into upgrading the bits that matter most to you, that can be easily rectified.

There's a lot of people who still look down their noses at Mexican made Fenders, but it's not the early 90's anymore!

I actually have a limited edition Mexican Vintera 70's Hardtail Strat here, and side by side with my actual mid-70's hardtail, it gets really, really close in a lot of areas, and tbh in some respects is actually better put together! Obvs the real 70's one has the vibe and cool factor, but tbh since I got the Vintera and tweaked it a bit, I actually probably play it more.

I have replaced/upgraded quite a lot of the hardware and all the electronics, but that's more personal preference than necessity, it was a v well built guitar when I first got it.

Obvs no-one should be going in expecting a Player/Vintera, etc Strat to play like a higher-end American model - as well as my actual mid-70's one, I have an American Vintage 50's (heavily customised, and my #1), and an AmPro, and the AmVint is a wayyyy nicer and better-built guitar (which it should be, given that you're paying £1100 more than what a Vintera costs!)

But the comparison between the Vintera and the AmPro is much closer. The AmPro/Standards are kinda let down a bit by stuff like their switches and tuners (the AmPro's switch is ridiculously light) and the newer modern trem block that had half the metal removed from it - even though I block all my trems, you can still hear/feel the difference!

Obviously most folks who are into Fenders want to own at least one American one - it's def got that aspirational thing to it, and they are v nice, but yeah, there's plenty of others that are great too.

It's also worth checking out Fender Japan stuff - I've owned quite a few Japanese Fenders (and Squiers) over the years, and they've all been absolutely amazingly well built.

The current Japanese Jags and Jazzmasters in particular are fantastic guitars, and imo are a way, way better option than the current AmPros and AmVints.

Funnily enough, Reverb's really good for finding a lot of the Fender Japan stuff that they only release for the Japanese market (there's a lot of different runs that we in the west never even hear about, and many of them are really fantastic).


There was a period in the 90's/early 2000's where you were very likely to actually find a better built/spec'ed Fender by buying a Japanese model over the American ones (and you'd save money in the process) and they hold their value really well.

 

Last edited: Jul 27, 2022

@midi-man thats interesting about the playability I was looking at the Ultra but now I'm pretty sure I'm hanging on to my LesPaul and I cant allow myself to go anywhere near a decent guitar shop.

How do you get on with the Floyd Rose? I've heard mixed reports about the issues around re-stringing when you've got one of those on

 

you should put it on reverb if you do decide to sell it. the worst aspects of it are the same as always. If you leave the option where you will accept offers, people will always try to lowball you. Like it is a game to them. If you copy the specifications of a device directly off the manufacturer's manual or website, and it is wrong; someone is always very helpful and pointing those things out. like that is a gateway to some deal. lol

fees are more than eBay as a whole, but not much and not enough to justify the elevated prices you see on there. but as a seller, it's about as easy as it gets. if it doesn't sell, remove it or something like that. it doesn't cost anything if you leave it there for a year and delete it. There is even a "be honest option" where you can kick them the 5% if you sell it thru them but with some other arrangement (via deleting the item).

 

Last edited: Jul 28, 2022

@Lube Bag interesting what you say about the side by side comparison of the American made vs the mid / lower level strats. Seems that you and @midi-man are pretty much in agreement. Where I live its a massive hike to get to somewhere that has a full range of strats all the way up to the American made, so I was getting ideas from word of moth before I set off to play a few in person - and this is all good stuff BUT if I'm hanging on to my Les Paul (really didn't realize just how attached I'd become) I just cant justify another guitar for any price (cough...well unless its a top deal of course...cough...sigh..)

@clone good idea - I was going to sell a pedal on reverb first (it'd be my first ever sale on Reverb) just so the funds of the les paul went though quicker (no way I want that amount hanging around in cyberspace), I've pretty much decided to keep the guitar, but yes - good point, it may well be worth poping it on reverb just in case I get a nibble at a good price..

@Lube Bag its funny you mentioned the squire range.... I couldn't help myself and had a look at the squire classic vibe 60s and thought ....mmm - interesting... and for a little more (well nearly double but still relatively cheap compared to a MIA) there is the made in Japan on Reverb.... nice.. and yes the made in Japan models are tempting.. I've been hearing about the made in Japan models for years now and yes it may well be worth looking closer. Anything in particular I should look out for? I guess Reverb can be a bit of a shark pool..

I'll mention the bass thing to the tech and yeh, I seem to recall lowering the humbuckers on the low E side a year or so ago and because I'm not that handy at this kind of thing I just left it slightly dropped and didn't turn it too low - and no you dont want to see me anywhere near a soldering iron - tried that years ago and every one of my connections had some kind of problem (funny because designing curcits back then - no probs...) so for now I'll take a look at those Railhammers and maybe get them in time for the luthier to pop them in.

 

I like it. It's not that hard. The Player series had the Special one installed on it. I swapped it out for the org for more sustain.
The Original has a heavier tem block on the it. Also the Steel in better.
Restrings are not that bad really. I have another strat with a Kahler on it. The hardiest part is getting the floating setup right.
I have leaned a lot over the years how to set it up right and keep it setup correctly. I am not expert on them but I am happy with my results.
I would suggest you get a h,S,S which is the most versatile guitar.
To me the Player series are better that he Squires. I don't know your budget or if you can really play ( no Offense ) but if you can the more $ is worth it. Just like your Les Paul it's not a short term investment.

 

Last edited: Jul 28, 2022

Yes I agree. I have 2 American ones. One is a all oak it's rather old. the other I got a 2004 American standard. It's funny I went to get the cherry sunburst one with the translucent top. I went to guitar center. I sat there and serious played at least 30 guitars not one would stay in tune. Finally he handed me burnt sunburst and it played perfect. Like SRV color . So i bought it. These were all American stats also. Yes I did play the hell out of them on purpose. They tried to adjust the ones that would not stay in tune but it didn't help. They did not have a Floyd on them standard trems.

I do like my player series a lot it's for when I do my EHV stuff. For the money you can't go wrong with the Player series. I hear good things about the Japanese ones I have not owned one but I see people that do say they are great. The 1970 I upgraded the pickups put a Kahler floating bridge on it. but the others are all stock.

 

You could probably trade it in for a different guitar at a local guitar shop, you might get a good deal if you select something they've had for a while because strats sell.

 

good to hear the Floyd Rose is a bit of a thing to learn but not too much of a pain, I was thinking about the ultra texas tea hss, or the ultra lux hss with floyd - but now that I'm hesitant about selling, if the strat idea is do-able I'll have to go A LOT cheaper - so really great info guys thank you -

glad to hear the advice on the HSS - the H.S.S setup was pretty much the only thing that I was sure of when I started thinking about a strat trade in - and now I'm thinking I'd rather sit in a local shop and try a load of them and take it from there. There is one shop around here but I've ignored it for now - it looks like squires are the top of their list and overpriced but I'll pop and have a chat - @Crinklebumps your're right - you never know.

I get the feeling that strats, maybe even more than other makes and models, are a bit hit and miss and 'every now and then' you get one that speaks to your. Crazy to think that you have to try so many before you fined the one. And @midi-man I know you say you went a bit nuts but still - its crazy that so many didn't stay in tune -

and @midi-man - can I really play..?. CAN I REALLY PLAY ? ?? how dare you ! - - really play? not sure - I'm always learning - and it makes me happy and yes I know what you mean about an investment - my first guitar annoyed me after I caught up and started playing again (stopped for nearly 20 years) and thats when I bought my Leas Paul - not cheap but plays like a dream and can produce so many tones. And then I got my telecaster (again not cheap) because one area was missing and I thought that'd be that.

have strats always been so hit-and-miss? I'm thinking that other makes and models around the same price don't seem to have the same issues - yes each guitar is different but I'm hearing so many stories about American Made pretty expensive models just not being up to it - maybe its a strat thing?

 

He already mentioned local shops paying 50% of resale. Most in the US are around the same, more like 60-65% (using Reverb last 30-90 days sales to establish baseline price), but of course depending on the item. Many of the smaller stores have issues getting new inventory still. So 50% is low. But they are taking the risk of waiting for it to get sold, because that is not on consignment.

For me personally, it has been less hassle than selling on eBay in general. If you are not in a rush and can let something sit there, eventually it will go for the correct price.