Question for guitarists

[BobC357]

The Martin D28 is the choice for Acoustic/Bluegrass guitarists. Here are a few places to consider...
Elderly Instruments, Vintage Martin Guitars, get on a bluegrass list or website, etc. There is a good demand for quality Martinsts -- especially the older ones.

Also, arthritus is setting in on me but I still can play my HD28 and banjo. I use a cream called 'Australian Dream' on my hands and it seems to help. It isn't oily and once dry, I can play without leaving a residue on the instruments.

 

[Rastoff]

This is very sad news. Music is the one universal language that transcends everything. At least you can still enjoy listening to it.

I play electric bass. I'm not very good, but if I had to give it up, it would be quite painful. I can't sympathize, but I can empathize.

So, my one question is, what do you want for it? I don't know if I can swing it, but I have to ask. The D-28 is a great guitar. Like I said, I'm a bass player, but I dabble on the guitar.

 

[NeoBuckeye]

Sorry to hear.
I am 40 and just now looking into learning to play guitar.
So many options and price ranges.
I do not plan to be in a band, but would like to learn for personal development and around the camp fire to be able to play some tunes.
And the cycle continues, you are slowing down, and I am just starting.

 

[David harleyson]

I also had to quit playing due to arthritic hands. I still have one guitar that I'm toying with selling but can't bring myself to do it. It's not extremely special, a Gigson L50 from the late 40's. I bought it back in the late 60's for $25. I had it in for a little repair last year and was told it's worth about $1800 in it's current condition (very good). This was from Cow Town guitars in Las Vegas (the same people used by The Pawn Shop guys). This is actually sort of how I feel about my guns. I just can't sell any no matter how lucrative the deal may be.

I know the feeling, can't play anymore due to my hands. I have a 1965 0r 66 gibson les paul jr that I have thought about selling, but can't bring myself to do it.

 

[BobC357]

BTW, Martin Guitars website has a link where you can determine the build year of your D28 which will assist you in determining what it is worth. Based on what you said, I'm sure it is worth at least $3,500 and quite possibly more.

 

[Rastoff]

BTW, Martin Guitars website has a link where you can determine the build year of your D28 which will assist you in determining what it is worth. Based on what you said, I'm sure it is worth at least $3,500 and quite possibly more.

Um, I think you're a little generous there. A brand new D-28 lists for $3,149. This means it can be had for close to $2,500 from a guitar store. Maybe even less.

Since this is a 1998 model, it has no historical significance. So, a used model will be considerably less than $2,500; probably more like $1,800 - $2K. Then you have to consider condition. Based on what the OP has said, I suspect the guitar has been played a bit. Does it need to be re-fretted? This would not be unusual for a guitar of this age owned by an avid guitar player. That will affect price as well.

I'm not trying to rain on the parade here. Just trying to bring some reality to the situation. Don't get me wrong, it's still a Martin and is still a great guitar. It's just not a Stradivarius.

 

[cobretti]

Try Reverb.com. I've been meaning to myself as I need to thin the herd...

 

[Kentucky Dave]

I have played a Martin D-28 (same one, although I also have others now) for over 40 years now, professionally for many years, more for fun now, but regularly.

The D-28 is THE guitar for me.

I've been a Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum member over a decade.

I say this by way of credentials. Heck, my license plate tells it all:

You '98, while a wonderful guitar, is not an overly valuable guitar and I personally think you'd be best off selling it on Craigslist, using a bit of common sense & caution, if you choose to sell it.

The guitar should sell for around $1,575, give or take a bit.

I feel for you. I cannot imagine not playing.

Good luck!

Dave

 

[quneur]

If you are considering giving away a few of your less valuable guitars like the ones bought for student use, I would look at donating to your local highschool or to someone like Captorquewench. She teaches music at a k-12 school I believe.

 

[tomhenry]

Interesting question. I've sold two high dollar guitars on ebay. Lately, sellers are at risk for selling on ebay. There have been cases where buyers pay via paypal, then protest the transaction after they got the guitar/amp, whatever. It seems to be a scam where the buyer can extort a partial refund from the buyer. I wouldn't use ebay.

Craigslist maybe. It's an acoustic. A potential buyer could actually play the guitar in the parking lot of a public place. If the guitar were electric, he might want to play in your home. A no no.

But now is a bad time to sell gear. There's just not much interest in guitars it seems. Stuff isn't moving unless you sell at bargain prices.

Here's a forum exclusively for guitarists. The Gear Page - Powered by vBulletin

If you want to join, you can pay a fee (sorry, I have no idea how much; you can investigate) and advertise in their classifieds. They say the fee is less than any fee you might pay on ebay. Plus, the clientele is much better.

However, here is also a thread on how bad it is to try to sell gear at the present. Selling Gear - SLOW - Horrible Market? - The Gear Page

The OP's thread is about a horrible market to sell gear. He says,

Forget telling me about continually dropping the price until the vultures circle in, this market is slow.

What gives? Is everyone broke or the real disaster that less peeps are playing guitar, learning guitar, less playing out....

I am thinking about Ebay but shipping an amp is just asking for the buyer to say it doesn't work, pulliing the buyer protection scam.

Anyone having luck selling gear?

You might want to just hold onto it until the market picks up. When that might be, nobody knows.

 

[smokey04]

Try Gruhn.com in Nashville. I'm at the point where I am getting ready to sell 17 vintage guitars. All are high line ,high condition guitars. I have Martins, Gibson archtops, Gretch,various Chet Atkins models. I'm going to Gruhns next month to see what I can work out. George Gruhn has always been fair and honest with me over the last 25-30 years. Yes, they are going to make some money but, they will work hard to get you your best deal. Nick

 

[wbraswell]

I'm sorry that you are in that situation. I watched my Dad suffer with old Arthur for many years. But I have recently heard that a cousin of mine, who has played ever since he was in grade school and was really good, and a guitar collector, too, has Parkinson's. That seems so cruel.

 

[HalfStack]

Yeah, life is cruel. I'm nearing the mid 60s and I've been playing guitar since I was 10 years old (1960). I don't wanna stop but my fingers are not cooperative and I CRS!

I sold off my collection but two of my custom axes and two amps, one tube and one SS bass.

And one pedal.

EDIT: the avatar is my tube amp. real sweetie (NOS tubes)

 

[greenmachine]

Second the UMGF suggestion. I will eventually put my OM28V, D18GE and 0018VS UMGF Custom up for sale there.

 

[tomhenry]

Another reason to use ebay only as a last resort?

I sold a MIJ Jazzmaster on eBay..but he is trying to scam me - The Gear Page

 

[Rastoff]

Any sale across the internet is fraught with potential problems. It doesn't matter if it's Ebay, or a guitar site. The issue above is not relegated to just one site. Actually, using Ebay and PayPal is one way to protect your sale. At the very least they have some kind of insurance built in. It's not enough to fix everything, but it is something.

 

[brucev]

Re: OP. My heart goes out to you. Playing the guitar is such a personal experience. I understand your loss. In 1998 I was burned in a gas fire. It took a long time to recover the use of my left hand. One thing that helped was the work required to again play the guitar.

There will no doubt be a number of folks who will want to talk to you about purchasing your D-28. Try not to be in a hurry. There are folks who will push. Let them push. Take your time.

Again, it is with profound regret that I read of the change that you must face.