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Looking for thoughts on value of my Tsunami guitar


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First, I've been buying and selling guitars for 40+ years, have probably sold 4-500 in that time with more to go on the market soon.

Mind you, that's everything from $70 Squiers to a Gurian rosewood acoustic and a near mint 82 Gibson Les Paul Custom in white with gold hardware.

 

It's embarrassing to account for the guitars I flipped before the valuations became insane, I'll just say some very nice stuff has been and gone.

 

The difficult aspect of valuing the guitar you are asking about is also what is appealing about it. Handmade limited edition by a respected but non-iconic maker.

A friend with more money than sense wanted to buy guitars as an investment, I advised him on things that may be undervalued and have some room to go higher and other guitars with established value and desireability.

He went ahead and accumulated a number of "boutique" guitars instead. Small builders making excellent guitars the best way they know how.

 

When a suprise divorce reared it's ugly head he hired me to photograph his gear and started selling it on Reverb. He soon learned what I had been trying to tell him. Since these spendid instruments are not commonly known and popular in the same way as vintage Martin, Gibosn, Fender and Gretsch, it's not possible to get top dollar for them. He did what he had to do and made out pretty OK.

 

I'll just say that the value to YOU is the important factor. If you love playing it and want it for a personal guitar, it's worth more to you than a collectable that sits in the case and does not get played. That's a factor.

Asking price is a factor assuming you are consdering a purchase. Potential trade in may be a factor, many times I've used something I got on the cheap to get a deal (from my perspective only) in a purchase.

If you paid fair market value for something you are trading then that's another matter.

 

Dealers will tend to want to pay about 1/3rd of potential value to leave themselves some margin in the event it take time to sell.

 

Here is a good example of that in action. A couple of years ago I bought an old ukulele at Goodwill for $5. It needed some repairs but was very repairable in the right hands. All solid flamed koa with "rope" binding and soundhole inlay. Research showed that ukes made by the Ernest K Ka'ai are collectable and the company went out of business in 1920.

I sent photos and a description to several of the top vintage dealers in the USA, inquiring if any of them wanted to purchase the uke. I got many responses, all were positive but nobody wanted to take it on since the cost of repairs would eat their margin. One dealer offered me $200. I could have done pretty well on that deal with $5 in. Instead, I posted it on ebay for $1,300 or best offer. Slowly took the price down. When I got to $699 or best offer, a solid buyer offered $500. I took it. The buyer wanted it for their personal instrument and knew a good luthier. For him, it was worth it.

 

I would say, if you love the guitar - and it IS a beauty!!!, then consider what it is worth to YOU, make an offer and let it pass if your offer is not accepted. If you are planning on flipping it, unless you can steal it - look elswhere. If you bought it because you loved it and now want to sell it to finance something you love more, try starting high and consider offers. I would use Reverb, they've proven to be a great place to sell music gear.

I am willing to abandon ebay at this point despite being a seller on there since 2000 with 884 feedback at 100% positive.

 

Sorry I can't be specific. If I had the guitar in my hands I might do a little better but not much. There isn't a sufficient established track record to use for valuation. Cheers, Kuru

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
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Thanks for the insight. eBay for me is out of the question as well. Although it would go to the highest bidder and therefore, that's what it would then be valued at on a real life world market. I agree it's worth it's weight in happiness..
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Here's an article by the owner/founder, dated 2011, where he was selling his Guitars for $400-700US at the time. Clicking on the link for Tsunami Guitars within the article leads nowhere?

 

Article: Tsunami - The $400 Custom Guitar

"Monsters are real, and Ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win." Stephen King

 

http://www.novparolo.com

 

https://thewinstonpsmithproject.bandcamp.com

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Good luck Personal-I think KuruPrionz pretty much said it.

There are guitars that make you go, yeah-so what? but if you know the market they will pay off

handsomely. My brother has been doing this for many years. We have educated each other-I have told him

that, if you buy a guitar to play it, the usual guitar shop talk, 'If it's not major label it's a knockoff' is

a gargantuan bunch of bs. Here's a Google translate-'this is what we have-please buy one'.

Don't get me started.

From him-know a deal when you see it. Instruments have a market. There are many scams.

Know what to look for, after you pick up a guitar but before you buy it. Some things are an easy fix, others are a death sentence.

Don't get ripped off. I would never buy online.

Same old surprises, brand new cliches-

 

Skipsounds on Soundclick:

www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandid=602491

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A friend of mine owns a replica of a Martin D-28 he bought back in the late 70's. I don't know if it's Brazillian rosewood or not, but the top is Sitka spruce. He had it made for him by a guy in Ursa, Illinois named Don Rust. It's a beauty, and sounds incredible. It's made as well or better than a real Martin. I don't recall what he paid for it, but it was bit less than a Martin D-28.

 

He knew then and has ben reminded since that just as he didn't pay the same price as a Martin, he'd never get much more out of it than he paid for it, and probably less. It doesn't appreciate in value the way a Martin would. Even though it's as good or better than one, it's just isn't the same because it doesn't have that name on the headstock.

 

Boutique instruments are a crap shoot when it comes to making money on them. If you can get what you paid for it back out of it, you'll be doing well.

Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else.

 

 

 

 

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