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Topic: Why the rise in parting out non pedals |
Daniel McKee
From:
Corinth Mississippi
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Posted 14 Feb 2017 6:51 pm |
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| Here lately on ebay I'm seeing a lot of non pedals usually lower value but vintage that have been stripped of all parts and just the body is for sale. Yesterday I saw a dual 6 fender. I am just wondering why the sudden interest in doing this? I see a few Alamo lap steels which probably don't bring a lot but wouldn't the Fender be worth more with all its parts. I really don't like to see this done to these great old instruments and Im not bashing the people doing it, I am sure they have reasons but what are pickups off these old lap steels being used for? |
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James Phillips
From:
Michigan, USA
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Posted 14 Feb 2017 7:49 pm
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It's a crime ,no two ways about it. These sellers are destroying vintage instruments ,because they think they can make a few extra bucks doing so. A real luthier would never do such a thing.It makes me mad  but it's a free country.
_________________
Visit my Studio: LimeStoneLabs at.. http://Facebook.com/LSlabs
"Let the Bridges We Burn Light the Way" |
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Daniel McKee
From:
Corinth Mississippi
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Posted 14 Feb 2017 9:03 pm
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| I agree. But what are they doing with the parts to some of the various lap steels? They seem to remove everything and I don't get it. Is there that much of a demand for parts from old mail order lap steels? Some of these bring 150-200 with everything so Im kind of lost on how there is much financial gain. I actually saw a Alamo body for 150 which isn't far from what I see them go for with all their parts. |
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David M Brown
From:
California, USA
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Posted 14 Feb 2017 10:40 pm
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Why is there no market for the Fender steel equivalent of the partscaster?
If these guys have a few non-working steels, use the parts to make at least one that works.
Now , if I had a Fender steel that needed a part to be whole, I'd buy one. Yet, to keep parting out instruments as a business doesn't seem to me to be something to encourage. |
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Paul Seager
From:
Augsburg, Germany
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Daniel McKee
From:
Corinth Mississippi
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Posted 15 Feb 2017 12:46 am
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| David, I feel the same. If I had a steel that needed a part I guess I would be guilty of buying one but I think a lot of the steels that are being parted out worked fine or would have with very little work. Here lately I am seeing a lot more of this and as I said earlier Im starting to see Fenders which I can't see being worth more in parts. I think the Fender dual 6 was like 350 dollars (body only) and I feel like it would bring a lot more if complete. |
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Jeff Mead
From:
London, England
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Posted 15 Feb 2017 1:42 am
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Simple economics. If you look at old Ebay listings and do the maths, you will find that a lot of steels - particularly Fenders - fetch more money in parts than complete.
These are Stringmaster parts that sold on Ebay over the last few months.
Tuner pans $120
Control plates $75
Nut $20
Bunch of washers and screws $50
Bridge cover $50
Blend wheel $20
8 screws $25
Bits of cloth wire $38
Pickups $50
Set of legs $100
Necks $100 each
And there is still the diamonds, the knobs, logo plate, leg sockets and case.
Of course, the knobs probably end up being listed as Telecaster knobs and will fetch a pretty good price.
So for a double neck you can easily get $1000 in parts and I've seen complete instruments go for a lot less than that.
Regarding the 6 stringers, there are a whole bunch of Telecaster players who will pay a good price for the pickups which are essentially vintage Tele pickups.
For a while now, vintage Strats and Teles have been worth more in parts than as playable instruments - especially if the guitar has been refinished or has a few non-original parts in it. Collectors are mainly insterested in completely original instruments and "players" would definitely fetch more in bits.
As someone else has pointed out, this is not sustainable for ever and, eventually when everyome who needs parts has got them, prices will go down and it won't be financially viable to part out complete intruments but until that happens, people will do it. |
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Jeff Mead
From:
London, England
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Posted 15 Feb 2017 1:49 am
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| David M Brown wrote: |
If these guys have a few non-working steels, use the parts to make at least one that works.
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They won't do that because the completed instrument will be worth less than the parts were. All the time and hard work spent in making the bits into a workable instrument will reduce its value and whoever you sell it to might just take it apart and sell the bits anyway 
So far I have reduced the value of 2 piles of bits by making them into great playable instruments and am currently helping a friend do the same.
The quad in my avatar which I made from parts is probably worth close to $2000 in bits but nobody is going to buy the guitar from me for that much because (and it's not for sale!!!)it is refinished, not all original parts (the control plate with the switches is from a triple and it has 4 individual toggles instead of the proper selecter) and the case is not original. |
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Daniel McKee
From:
Corinth Mississippi
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Posted 15 Feb 2017 2:10 am
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| I didn't know Fender parts were bringing that much. Thats really cool that you were able to put that quad together. Glad to hear a positive story come out of this |
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Jeff Mead
From:
London, England
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David M Brown
From:
California, USA
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Posted 15 Feb 2017 7:41 am
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Well, it seems to me a sad state of affairs when a parted-out guitar is worth more than a whole playable one.
I guess I'm old-fashioned. |
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Stefan Robertson
From:
Hertfordshire, UK
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Posted 15 Feb 2017 7:48 am
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Jeff
I too wonder why Blue?
Such a hideous colour blue as well. Maybe it was done when people use to dress like Cyndi Lauper and Prince.
_________________
Stefan
Bill Hatcher custom 12 string Lap Steel Guitar
E13#9/F secrets: https://thelapsteelguitarist.wordpress.com
"Give it up for The Lap Steel Guitarist" |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Harry Sheppard
From:
Kalispell, MT USA
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Posted 15 Feb 2017 3:55 pm
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| These guys do not care about the "Steel Guitar" parts on the Stringmasters. They are after the pots, caps, knobs and output jack assembly for the vintage Tele, P-bass market and the pickups/pots/electronics on the smaller lap steels. Those parts alone are worth the price they pay for the entire guitar (sometimes much more). The rest of the Stringmaster parts are sold off as gravy. Sad but it is supply and demand. |
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Larry Carlson
From:
My Computer
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Posted 15 Feb 2017 4:54 pm
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I am always looking for older lap steels that need help and I restore them and get them playable.
In addition to these naked bodies I see showing up for sale I have noticed a rather significant rise in prices.
To me they seem to be 20 to 40% higher now than they were 6 months to a year ago.
Some of the prices on the older Rickenbachers, Nationals, Gibsons etc. are obscene. Kind of taking the fun out it.
_________________
I have stuff.
I try to make music with it.
Sometimes it works.
Sometimes it doesn't.
But I keep on trying. |
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Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 16 Feb 2017 4:25 am
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| What seems ludicrous to me is the guys who will strip the P-90 from a postwar Gibson lap steel, ignorant of the fact that its string spacing is 8mm too wide for the polepieces to properly line up under the strings of a standard Spanish guitar. |
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Bill Creller
From:
Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)
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Posted 16 Feb 2017 9:40 pm
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| And it's not just Fender guitars. Seems to be a trend of some sort. Many airplanes which aren't worth a lot can bring twice as much money when parted out for parts sales... |
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Daniel McKee
From:
Corinth Mississippi
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Posted 16 Feb 2017 9:53 pm
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| Bill, Barns and old buildings are the same way. People often take beautiful barns down for their lumber. Being active in historic preservation it is always really sad to see this. I value historic things because there wont be anymore made. Like old fenders and other brands there will never be anymore. Sure remakes may come about some day but those old classic guitars are a one time deal, in my opinion. Another side thought, its kinda sad that they made it all these 50, 60 plus years, through hard days on the road, being beat up at bars and dances and then they get destroyed for their parts...just a thought. |
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Lee Holliday
From:
United Kingdom
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Posted 16 Feb 2017 10:26 pm
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I have a premiervox (round neck Rickenbacker) with a snapped neck and I have been considering leting it sing again, but as a parts vehicle to other steelers.
Although I am wary of the flack from further breaking up a vintage instrument. A luthier friend is already looking at transferring the pickup into a vintage Vega archtop which has equally sat around for a while unplayed.
So what I am saying is not everyone out there goes out to buy & break up stuff for the $$$ (in the Richard Gere fashion), sometimes they end up broken and then the cost of a neck makes it a hard decision to be made but to keep the cases down a bit & the wife happy something has to be seen to go (then I can buy more!!!).
Lee |
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Daniel McKee
From:
Corinth Mississippi
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Posted 14 Apr 2017 3:33 pm
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| I saw a nice old Fender quad today (Body Only). The numbers are getting sort of scary. Also starting to see Rickenbacker consoles. Lots of old Fenders though and its such a sad thing to see. |
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Frank James Pracher
From:
Michigan, USA
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Posted 14 Apr 2017 8:29 pm
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... and don't forget all the "Coodercasters"
_________________
"Don't be mad honey, but I bought another one" |
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Asa Brosius
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Posted 15 Apr 2017 6:31 pm
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| Having listed a great playing 1955 3 neck all original long scale stringmaster at $1000.00, with very little interest and no sale, I understand the impulse to part out. All the hardware functions very well, the tuners are solid, the pickups strong, but the body shows wear. Parting out wasn't my move, but in cases like this, I get why someone would do that. |
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Daniel McKee
From:
Corinth Mississippi
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Posted 15 Apr 2017 7:41 pm
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| I think non pedal just doesn't get the attention it used to. When I first started playing I wasn't wild about it myself but over time I've come to like it a lot and may even start playing more non pedal than pedal in the future. I'm not bashing the people who do it because I'm sure they have their reasons. I just have a legit fear that this will become a common thing and one day we won't have any of these old guitars around anymore. |
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Lee Holliday
From:
United Kingdom
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Posted 19 Apr 2017 7:59 am
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I have just finished selling off the remains of the premiervox with the broken neck, there was an element of guilt but I was never going to get going with the neck repair and those that have tried it previously have had mixed results (failures & wood replacements do not have the tone0
But out of the bits somebody has a case for there Rickenbacker, the pickup & pots now drives a 30,s vega archtop, the vintage tuners have gone to another project as have the body & neck.
And to ease the pain I bought a complete B6 Panda with the money which is en route as we speak, it must be Easter with all this talk of resurrection.
Lee |
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Larry Carlson
From:
My Computer
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Posted 19 Apr 2017 8:42 am
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I don't know if this is a contributing factor or not but like I said in my first post, I have noticed of late
that a lot of lap steels on Reverb, Craigslist etc. are insanely overpriced.
2..3..or $4,000 is not unusual for a 30's or 40's Rick.
I can find a naked guitar body for $150 to $200 that is beat to heck.
Maybe it's just easier to sell them part by part instead of trying to finance your retirement with one guitar sale.
I buy, or try to, lap steels that no longer function and then get them going again.
Instead of putting new pots etc. in I rebuild the originals, make new bridges, nuts, tuners etc.
I have never bought a replacement part to fix anything. Well, except for buttons of course....
I have an Electromuse I rebuilt and I see others costing twice as much in worse shape.
My Rickenbacher Silver Hawaiian; I regularly see them for sale at 3 times what
I paid and some look like they were drug in the dirt to the next gig.
I haven't found a realistically priced steel for sale in about 5 months and I
do not see the ones for sale disappearing with any rapidity.
........or I could be completely wrong... 
What are the chances......... 
_________________
I have stuff.
I try to make music with it.
Sometimes it works.
Sometimes it doesn't.
But I keep on trying. |
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