**UK Guitar Auction**

[Archie]

Hi All.

I'm going to the guitar auctions in Bristol tomorrow for viewing. If you can't make it down but have your eye on something, I can give it a look over for you.

PVT message me with your request and I'll endeavour to get it done.

I'm not sure I can check truss rods but if you want my phone number and you have whatsapp, I can always video call you and show you in more detail, something you might want to know.

I appreciate a lot of people can't or don't want to go in these times, so happy to help.

Sorry it's late notice. I only found out I was going this evening and was going to cancel due to travel reasons.

Forum members from abroad if you're interested in something I can look for you too. WhatsApp is free so no problems. Just pvt message me.

Auction Catalogue

Welcome to Gardiner Houlgate

Cheers.

[JFranck]

ArchtopHeaven, thanks for your proposal.
These Gardiner-Houlgate auctions are a great place to find interesting European guitars .
To bad, now, with this [expletive deleted] brexit, prices of a winning bid in continental Europe have risen sharply !

[Archie]

ArchtopHeaven, thanks for your proposal.
These Gardiner-Houlgate auctions are a great place to find interesting European guitars .
To bad, now, with this [expletive deleted] brexit, prices of a winning bid in continental Europe have risen sharply !

Hey JFranck. No worries. I've often found that the auction is a waste fo time because the prices realised there, even for domestic buyers, is no longer competitive.

If you're not quite a dealer but you cruise in the space between that and a single time buyer, you're kind priced out.

It's worth a go but I gave up on them some years ago, as a source of interesting, well priced archtops, in good condition.

[Archie]

The Auction was a blow out.

The Byrdland sold for £5k+ to a poor guy in Spain who's going to a receive a guitar with a neck doing the loopy loo and a truss rod that won't pull it back down. I hope he enjoys high action, or is happy to spend some serious money to get it seen to. By that point it will be well over market and not in original condition.

So may guitars were sold as in 'good condition' when I saw them in person and I marked them down as poor. And they all went for the top market value.

A Herb Ellis that I rated as being in average condition and needing a re-fret went, for £2k+!
An Ibanez Artist As-80 worth about £700 on ebay went for just over £1k.

Oddly enough I ended up winning one bid. A 1982 Guild D70NT.
It sounded stunning. Everything you would want from a Guild acoustic. I paid £1500. They are pretty rare. only 500 made between 1980-85.
Unusual fret markers.

If I can grab the amps I want in tomorrows auction, that will be good.

We'll see.

[JFranck]

Congratulations, this Guild D70NT with all the case candy is gorgeous !
My conviction was that these G&H auctions were, for the arch tops, a way better place to find European than US guitars.
This time IMO interesting European archtops were scarce : no Grimshaw, no Knight, no Abbott Victor, just a German made Clifford Essex. Anyway I noticed a Levin 330 but the action seemed high. Also a Guild X500 and a Gibson 275, I suppose you have screened them.
What about the 15 archtops you picked out, and the amp auction ?

[Archie]

Congratulations, this Guild D70NT with all the case candy is gorgeous !
My conviction was that these G&H auctions were, for the arch tops, a way better place to find European than US guitars.
This time IMO interesting European archtops were scarce : no Grimshaw, no Knight, no Abbott Victor, just a German made Clifford Essex. Anyway I noticed a Levin 330 but the action seemed high. Also a Guild X500 and a Gibson 275, I suppose you have screened them.
What about the 15 archtops you picked out, and the amp auction ?

Frank I'll send you my list (if I can find it).

The majority of archtops in that auction came from one collector. Many of them were in very well played, or neglected condition. The X500 in particular.
I have a mint one that I bought for close to the same price the one in the auction went for. Hence why I didn't buy it.

I checked all the truss rods in the necks and they were all good accept the Byrdland.
The Gibson Es165 had a lot of tarnish to the parts and general wear. It also needed new frets. I think it went for just over £2k including fees.

I thought there was a good amount of archtops and I don't have any interest in European ones, so for me, it was a good show.
I think a lot of people believe the guitars are all in good nick and pay top prices. More often than not, they aren't as described, hence why you have to view in person.
The auctions appraisal are generous but not unusual, considering they are in the business as making as much money as possible, for themselves and their client, which isn't you or me.