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I'm giving some thought to trading my 1968 Gibson ES-175 (bought new) for a Eastman AR503CE. I already own a AR610 no cutaway and no pickup.
Ever since I have owned Eastman's the fit and finish on the Gibson pales in comparison, I also would like a solid top for a more acoustic tone when not amplified. The only time I get out the Gibson is once a year for a yearly pit band gig.
I haven't tried to deal with the almost local music store yet but what kind of offer could I expect. I haven't traded instruments since I traded a 62 SG for the ES. I really don't want to do a private sale.
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11-12-2019 12:38 PM
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It's very tempting to buy a used Eastman 503 and trade it with your 1968 ES 175
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You will get totally hosed at a music store. Best advice is to sell it privately or put it on consignment (try to find 20% consignee; most places are 25%) then just buy the Eastman (maybe you can find a used one). Sounds like you already have a guitar to play in the meantime...assuming your annual pit band gig is not coming up in the next 3 - 4 months.
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In Canada stores that do trade typically give you credit worth 80% of the estimated sale price. Which is very good because sales tax is about 14%. They charge you tax only for the difference between the trade in price and price of the purchased item. I traded stuff that in the end came to about the same value as I would get from kijiji.
Obviously your guitar is worth a lot more than an Eastman 503.
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Trading with a store rather than a private sale will net you less money. I think that a 68 ES-175 will sell privately for between 3 and 4K net. A store will probably give you around 2K (and maybe even less).
Trading a high quality laminate guitar ( and not all Gibsons are high quality, to be sure) for a solid carved Eastman (not all Eastmans are high quality either) is not necessarily a trade up.
Consigning is a very good option. IMO, one can pay a 20 percent consignment fee and still come out ahead of selling through EBay or Reverb.
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The fit and finish on a new Toyota RAV is better than that of a 1968 Black Ford Mustang Fastback. NEVER trade the Mustang on a Toyota.
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Preferences aside, i wouldn't call it a trade up either..
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Where I am (NYC), music stores offer 50-60% of the low-end of the retail value for your instrument (they check Reverb and eBay just like we do). 68 175's go for $2500-3500 on Reverb (a good benchmark). A store would likely be happy to trade straight up for an Eastman 503CE, but you'd be leaving quite a bit on the table vs a private or consignment sale.
Originally Posted by BBGuitar
JohnLast edited by John A.; 11-12-2019 at 06:04 PM.
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BB I really do not know what you are thinking but a 68 175 is consider a pretty fine guitar. My thought is you seem to like acoustic archtops and while Eastman's are fine I would sell the 175 privately you will do much better no matter what you get for the guitar. Then buy the acoustic archtop you want. The market is a complete buyers market from acoustic archtops you could get a monster guitar for the money. In the $3500-4500 range you have many choices that I believe in the long run and in resale would be better than an Eastman. I do not see an Eastman as a trade up guitar. They are fine players guitars that do the job but resale is nothing. In the end any Gibson archtop will be way above the Eastman.
Let me suggest....
Gibson L7
Plain Campellone
Guild's of various models
Heritage Golden Eagle or Sweet 16
Gibson L4
Some Epiphones although I am not personally a big fan
An Elferink mine PM
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Post your Gibson for sale on this site for starters. I wouldn't call that a trade up. Different animals to be sure but I think the Gibson is worth more.
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There is little or no market for my Gibson where I live.
I would not sell it privately with out the buyer playing / inspecting it.
Don't trust consignment. There was a music store here that would rent out consignments.
I am in no rush to sell and wouldn't unless the deal was fair.
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After agonizing on this a while I have decided to hang on to the Gibson or at least not trade it in. The Eastman I was considering was sold anyway. I will wait till they have one in stock again. My wife is encouraging me to just go and buy it.
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Rent out consignments? You say "was" hopefully the clown went out of business? I'd break the git over owner's head if they did that to me :-) At any rate, unless your 68 was some sort of re-issue I can't see comparing the fit and finish on a 50 year old git with one made recently. Originally Posted by BBGuitar
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I purchased the Gibson new, not a reissue. The fit and finish is no way as good as my new Eastman. Overspray not cleaned up on the bindings, file marks on the binding under the finish. I wont get into the inside detail. Just plain sloppy workmanship compared to the Eastman. Still a good guitar I would not call it fine. The condition is almost like new, with a few dings. Originally Posted by GNAPPI
Yes the "clown" was not in business very long. No he did not do that to me. I rarely if ever sell a instrument.
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BB, why not sell the 175 here? I would think there would be a lot of interest. This is a good community with a lot of successful, friendly transactions happening.
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That’s typical of many / most of the early Norlin era Gibsons I’ve played since 1968, including a flagship piece with problems for which there was / is no excuse at all. A while back in another thread, I described buying a new ‘69 L5CN that had grossly spliced binding, a surprising amount of bare wood on the top, several finish flaws and some shelving-quality wood. I never would have taken it home if both the dealer and I hadn’t assumed that any new L5 would be perfect. I was in a hurry the day it came in because I had a gig that night. So I rushed in, opened the case, looked it over quickly enough to confirm that it was the right guitar, closed the case and went home with it. I returned it in a few days. Originally Posted by BBGuitar
Sadly, I sold the ‘60 175DN that I got in 1961 when I got the call that my L5 was in. The buyer was a friend who wanted to learn to play the guitar and had been bugging me to sell it to him for a few years. When I returned the L5, he refused to sell my guitar back and kept it for years. He never did learn to play it - he gave up after a few lessons from a local teacher. But for some reason, he loved that guitar……..and so did I.
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Gee, now I'm kinda glad I didn't buy that L5CES in 1972, for $895.00 new ( I woulda had to order it - and then accept it .)
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Gibson for Eastman...Brock for Brogglio?
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Depends on which team you are. Trades are always risky, for both sides. The OP seems lucky, in that his wife wants him to just buy the Eastman. It is not illegal, nor IMO immoral, to own multiple guitars.
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this thread is over 2 years old
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he’s still thinking about it. Originally Posted by wintermoon
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That would be a Bullit Green’68 Fastback, thank you very much! Originally Posted by Greentone
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Send it to Joe Vinikow aka Archtop dot com. He’ll have your guitar sold within 10 days. He doesn’t rent out instruments, and it’s paranoia to think all music stores share the same standards. He’ll price it for max profit and then take his 25%. Lots of people here have consigned with Joe. No worries. Originally Posted by BBGuitar
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Not now.this thread is over 2 years old
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Still have the Gibson.
My current crazy thought is to buy the Eastman and swap the electronics, that way I would have the workmanship of the Eastman with the electronics of the Gibson.
I am still not going to sell the Gibson.
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