Sell or trade
Sell or Trade Your Guitar
Got something interesting and no idea what it is worth? Start with a message.
Stevie's Guitars buys and takes trades on vintage and collectible instruments from sellers anywhere in the United States, working from photographs and detail supplied through the contact form. It is best used when you have inherited or accumulated something and want an honest read rather than an auction gamble. Every enquiry gets an answer, including the ones that turn into a no.
- Best for
- Vintage, collectible and unusual instruments
- Not ideal for
- Current production models still sold new in shops
- Where from
- Anywhere in the United States, shipping arranged case by case
- What you get
- An honest assessment, and an offer when it is something Steve wants
- What it costs
- Nothing to ask
What Steve Is Actually Looking For
Instruments with some history to them. Vintage American builds, the better sixties imports, twelve strings, anything unusual enough that a collector would go out of their way for it. Rickenbacker is the obvious one, but it is far from the only one.
Parts count too. A drawer of old hardware from a closed repair shop is genuinely interesting, and that kind of thing turns up more often than you would think.
Where It Is Probably Not Worth It
- Current production models you can still order new.
- Damaged instruments where the repair costs more than the finished guitar.
- Anything you are emotionally attached to. If you will regret it, keep it.
How to Start
- Photograph it properly. Front, back, headstock front and back, the neck joint, any label or serial number inside the soundhole, and anything damaged or replaced. Daylight near a window beats a flash every time.
- Write down what you know. Where it came from, roughly how old, any repairs, whether the case is original.
- Send it over. Use the form below.
- Get a straight answer. Either an offer, or a note on what you have and where it might sell better.
An Honest Word on Value
What an instrument is worth to a dealer and what it fetches between two private collectors are different numbers, and any dealer telling you otherwise is selling you something. A dealer carries the cost of holding it, insuring it and finding the buyer.
If what you have would do better sold privately, Steve will say so. That answer has cost him sales and it is still the right answer.
What have you got
Steve will ask for photographs once he has read your message, so there is no need to attach them yet.