Blue Book of Guitar Values - Self-fulfilling Prophecy?

MichaelS

I'm here for the free kool-aid...
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Recently looked up some 90s and 00s Custom 24s and CEs to figure out if reverb or ebay asking prices are close to market.
Seems like a lot of posted prices are on the higher end, but often don't sell at that price.

A 2005 CE24 with buckle rash to the wood is now $950 after it didn't sell at $975. Based on blue book, that's the value without the rash. Blue book would put it at $750.
So are buyers going to offer $750 because that's what Blue Book says, or is blue book pulling market info based on actual sales? I suspect it's a self-fulfilling prophecy.

A mint 1996 Custom 24 10-Top on ebay posts $2,200 to $2,400. Blue Book has it at $2,350.
It's not selling. I almost went for it, but the amber felt too dull and the pics weren't good enough to replace 'touch and see in person'.
 
Hmm... The used market here in Denmark is down too (prices of sale, that is), and the blue book is not something that is really known here, I think.
 
The market fluctuates, in the case of older CE's, they've gone up recently probably due to the release of the new ones. The problem with any actual "blue book" is that by the time it has been printed the market has moved.

Try and buy an old CE off anyone but a junkie for $750 and see what their answer is.
 
I'm going to say something perhaps ludicrous - I don't think PRS guitars hold their value when purchased new. They're like a car, worth less the second you drive off the lot. The "problem" is that PRS is constantly improving their instruments. They might get slightly better with age, but they start off so good, it's not enough to counteract cosmetic wear, etc. in the example of a 96 Custom 24 for $2300, that's a fairly old guitar, and newer, just as good or better ones can be had for the same or less money. The 96 will still sell, but it's going to be to someone wanting a deal. Personally, for that much I would hold out for some other newer PRS.
 
I bought my SC for 3300 brand new. A week later i saw a mint one on reverb for 2000. But theres no regrets because i love it and i know nobody took it home and got their ballsweat all over it, not that theres anything wrong with that.
 
The "problem" is that PRS is constantly improving their instruments. They might get slightly better with age, but they start off so good, it's not enough to counteract cosmetic wear, etc. in the example of a 96 Custom 24 for $2300, that's a fairly old guitar, and newer, just as good or better ones can be had for the same or less money. The 96 will still sell, but it's going to be to someone wanting a deal. Personally, for that much I would hold out for some other newer PRS.

As always, this is just my opinion.

Whether the new ones are "better" or not is debatable and depends on the person. I completely understand why Paul and the company market the new guitars as "improved" but there is a certain subset of people out there that like the old ones for reasons beyond collectability. I don't feel it's really true enough to make a blanket statement that all new PRS are "better" than the old ones.

The new guitars are undoubtably put together more flawlessly than ever before. Their manufacturing tolerances are this side of immaculate (just compare inlay work over the years, does PRS even need to keep filler in the shop anymore?) but, feature wise and even tone wise there are some folks that might actually prefer that 1996 guitar.

There is the rotary vs. blade vs. toggle crew. There are the short vs. long heel goons. The MilCom vs. Excel (or whomever is making the trem now) nutters. The guys that swear the wood was more figured and beautiful before and 10 tops aren't really all that 10 anymore. The (very) small (but completely right) group of boners that will only use wings. The "poop" freaks that gotta have that 9 position. The T&B nerds. The Hollowbody geeks that swear PRS has ruined the bracing. Nitro DGT'ers against V12ers. Alder CE vs. mahogany CE dorks that gang up and beat on nice guys who buy re-issue CE's, and so on..

i know nobody took it home and got their ballsweat all over it

This is what I think means a lot more to the average PRS consumer than we'd all care to admit. When you're already making a (comparatively) large expenditure, you want your ballsweat to be the only ballsweat.
I
 
As always, this is just my opinion.

Whether the new ones are "better" or not is debatable and depends on the person. I completely understand why Paul and the company market the new guitars as "improved" but there is a certain subset of people out there that like the old ones for reasons beyond collectability. I don't feel it's really true enough to make a blanket statement that all new PRS are "better" than the old ones.

The new guitars are undoubtably put together more flawlessly than ever before. Their manufacturing tolerances are this side of immaculate (just compare inlay work over the years, does PRS even need to keep filler in the shop anymore?) but, feature wise and even tone wise there are some folks that might actually prefer that 1996 guitar.

There is the rotary vs. blade vs. toggle crew. There are the short vs. long heel goons. The MilCom vs. Excel (or whomever is making the trem now) nutters. The guys that swear the wood was more figured and beautiful before and 10 tops aren't really all that 10 anymore. The (very) small (but completely right) group of boners that will only use wings. The "poop" freaks that gotta have that 9 position. The T&B nerds. The Hollowbody geeks that swear PRS has ruined the bracing. Nitro DGT'ers against V12ers. Alder CE vs. mahogany CE dorks that gang up and beat on nice guys who buy re-issue CE's, and so on..



This is what I think means a lot more to the average PRS consumer than we'd all care to admit. When you're already making a (comparatively) large expenditure, you want your ballsweat to be the only ballsweat.
I

+1 to the ballsweat!

Totally true that my statement of "better" depends on who you ask. I still think it's true for a lot, maybe the majority, of PRS buyers. But there are definitely guys looking for those old features. Like toggle switches! Love those things.
 
I'm going to say something perhaps ludicrous - I don't think PRS guitars hold their value when purchased new. They're like a car, worth less the second you drive off the lot. The "problem" is that PRS is constantly improving their instruments. They might get slightly better with age, but they start off so good, it's not enough to counteract cosmetic wear, etc. in the example of a 96 Custom 24 for $2300, that's a fairly old guitar, and newer, just as good or better ones can be had for the same or less money. The 96 will still sell, but it's going to be to someone wanting a deal. Personally, for that much I would hold out for some other newer PRS.

As always, this is just my opinion.

Whether the new ones are "better" or not is debatable and depends on the person. I completely understand why Paul and the company market the new guitars as "improved" but there is a certain subset of people out there that like the old ones for reasons beyond collectability. I don't feel it's really true enough to make a blanket statement that all new PRS are "better" than the old ones.

The new guitars are undoubtably put together more flawlessly than ever before. Their manufacturing tolerances are this side of immaculate (just compare inlay work over the years, does PRS even need to keep filler in the shop anymore?) but, feature wise and even tone wise there are some folks that might actually prefer that 1996 guitar.

There is the rotary vs. blade vs. toggle crew. There are the short vs. long heel goons. The MilCom vs. Excel (or whomever is making the trem now) nutters. The guys that swear the wood was more figured and beautiful before and 10 tops aren't really all that 10 anymore. The (very) small (but completely right) group of boners that will only use wings. The "poop" freaks that gotta have that 9 position. The T&B nerds. The Hollowbody geeks that swear PRS has ruined the bracing. Nitro DGT'ers against V12ers. Alder CE vs. mahogany CE dorks that gang up and beat on nice guys who buy re-issue CE's, and so on..



This is what I think means a lot more to the average PRS consumer than we'd all care to admit. When you're already making a (comparatively) large expenditure, you want your ballsweat to be the only ballsweat.
I

You guys both make some great, and valid, points. My only criteria to buying, new or old, is that it makes my balls sweat!
 
Ballsweat notwithstanding, I love buying minty or carefully played PRS guitars. I have special ballsweat chamois and elixirs to replace somebody else's ballsweat with the "Eau de Dave" which is carefully harvested on occasion.
 
You guys both make some great, and valid, points. My only criteria to buying, new or old, is that it makes my balls sweat!
And we haven't even debated whether poly, nitro or V12 makes your balls sweat more. Or the stickiness factor. This thread has cheered me right the hell up!
 
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