Cheapest way into a vintage offset?

Discussion of vintage Jazzmasters, Jaguars, Bass VIs, Electric XIIs and any other offset-waist instruments.
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gishuk
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Re: Cheapest way into a vintage offset?

Post by gishuk » Sat Mar 13, 2021 1:40 pm

Even as recently as 2010 when I got my first vintage JM parts guitar ebay had so many vintage offset parts on it from people parting out guitars, none these days really.

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Re: Cheapest way into a vintage offset?

Post by bterry » Sat Mar 13, 2021 2:23 pm

Yeah, absolutely - ebay was awash in JM parts, whole guitars listed as parts, you could just scroll down and see the whole thing, piece by piece.

This forum was also flush with JM parts. As you said, not so easy to find these days.

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Re: Cheapest way into a vintage offset?

Post by HedonismBot » Sat Mar 13, 2021 3:43 pm

gishuk wrote:
Sat Mar 13, 2021 1:40 pm
Even as recently as 2010 when I got my first vintage JM parts guitar ebay had so many vintage offset parts on it from people parting out guitars, none these days really.
Well, I made an offer on a refinished ‘65 A-neck Mustang just a couple months ago on EBay. The guy declined. A couple weeks later he sold it to someone who offered 2 hundred more and that other guy parted it out and sold it right there on EBay within a week or so for 25% profit. Jazzmasters may be too desirable these days to be parted out like that but it happens to cheaper offsets a lot. :fp:

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Re: Cheapest way into a vintage offset?

Post by Axolotl » Sat Mar 13, 2021 5:00 pm

FWIW I still see a healthy amount of vintage fenders parted out by gibsondependable and michaelatw on ebay. Probably not as much compared to a few years back, but still is not rare to see 1-4 guitars a week gutted just by those two. Always heartbreaking. And now grossly overpriced.

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Re: Cheapest way into a vintage offset?

Post by Highnumbers » Sat Mar 13, 2021 10:43 pm

If rising prices means that these guitars are worth more alive than dead (parted out) then I’m all for it, for the sake of preserving the instruments. If they’re cheap enough that people can buy then and make a buck parting them out, then prices are not actually high enough.

Nobody parts out nice pre-CBS Strats or 50s Les Pauls. It’s not profitable to do so.

One time, Gibsondependable was faster on the draw than I was, in buying a guitar. It turned up on eBay a month later in pieces... so I bought every lot and put the guitar back together again. Some things are more important than money.

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Re: Cheapest way into a vintage offset?

Post by graceless » Sat Mar 13, 2021 11:24 pm

Highnumbers wrote:
Sat Mar 13, 2021 10:43 pm

One time, Gibsondependable was faster on the draw than I was, in buying a guitar. It turned up on eBay a month later in pieces... so I bought every lot and put the guitar back together again. Some things are more important than money.

you are the man. boss move right here!

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Re: Cheapest way into a vintage offset?

Post by Axolotl » Sun Mar 14, 2021 2:23 am

Highnumbers wrote:
Sat Mar 13, 2021 10:43 pm
If rising prices means that these guitars are worth more alive than dead (parted out) then I’m all for it, for the sake of preserving the instruments. If they’re cheap enough that people can buy then and make a buck parting them out, then prices are not actually high enough.
I haven't thought of this. You speak the truth.
Gibsondependable is still chopping Fenders left and right though. He just prices the parts higher. For example, a 65 JM neck has a starting bid of 1800 (and people buy). That's what I paid for my whole 66 in 2014 :fp:

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Re: Cheapest way into a vintage offset?

Post by bterry » Sun Mar 14, 2021 7:02 am

Highnumbers wrote:
Sat Mar 13, 2021 10:43 pm
If rising prices means that these guitars are worth more alive than dead (parted out) then I’m all for it, for the sake of preserving the instruments. If they’re cheap enough that people can buy then and make a buck parting them out, then prices are not actually high enough.

Nobody parts out nice pre-CBS Strats or 50s Les Pauls. It’s not profitable to do so.

One time, Gibsondependable was faster on the draw than I was, in buying a guitar. It turned up on eBay a month later in pieces... so I bought every lot and put the guitar back together again. Some things are more important than money.
Spot on and good on you :)

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Re: Cheapest way into a vintage offset?

Post by Highnumbers » Sun Mar 14, 2021 9:20 am

graceless wrote:
Sat Mar 13, 2021 11:24 pm
Highnumbers wrote:
Sat Mar 13, 2021 10:43 pm

One time, Gibsondependable was faster on the draw than I was, in buying a guitar. It turned up on eBay a month later in pieces... so I bought every lot and put the guitar back together again. Some things are more important than money.

you are the man. boss move right here!
Thanks, it was a fairly rare 1969 Rickenbacker 381 (first year that model was offered), in great condition. I’ve no idea why he thought this would be worth more in pieces (it wasn’t, it turns out...). It had to be saved, there were probably less than 50 of this model made in ‘69-70.

Image

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gishuk
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Re: Cheapest way into a vintage offset?

Post by gishuk » Sun Mar 14, 2021 9:38 am

Thats beautiful, definitely worth saving

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Re: Cheapest way into a vintage offset?

Post by whitewatersky » Sun Mar 14, 2021 6:43 pm

graceless wrote:
Sat Mar 13, 2021 11:24 pm
Highnumbers wrote:
Sat Mar 13, 2021 10:43 pm

One time, Gibsondependable was faster on the draw than I was, in buying a guitar. It turned up on eBay a month later in pieces... so I bought every lot and put the guitar back together again. Some things are more important than money.

you are the man. boss move right here!
truer words never said

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Re: Cheapest way into a vintage offset?

Post by smjenkins » Sun Mar 14, 2021 8:32 pm

That Rick 381 is something special. I can't believe someone would look at that guitar and think "I'm going to sell it for parts".

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Re: Cheapest way into a vintage offset?

Post by Highnumbers » Sun Mar 14, 2021 8:48 pm

smjenkins wrote:
Sun Mar 14, 2021 8:32 pm
That Rick 381 is something special. I can't believe someone would look at that guitar and think "I'm going to sell it for parts".

Thanks, that was exactly my thoughts as well. The guy obviously knew what this was, enough to buy it, but cared so little that it was butchered for parts.

Not that it would be an excuse, but most of the time these guitars aren’t worth exponentially more in pieces. If you add it up, sometimes there is only a few hundred dollars in profit, after stripping down perfectly fine original guitars and going through the labor of listing and shipping each one. I get pretty irate seeing this stuff.

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Re: Cheapest way into a vintage offset?

Post by graceless » Wed Mar 17, 2021 9:42 am

In just a handful of months, this has gone from $5500 (I offered $5k, and was countered with $5400) to $5999, and now...

Image

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Re: Cheapest way into a vintage offset?

Post by smjenkins » Wed Mar 17, 2021 11:17 am

graceless wrote:
Wed Mar 17, 2021 9:42 am
In just a handful of months, this has gone from $5500 (I offered $5k, and was countered with $5400) to $5999, and now...
Same seller?

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