Best method for selling a 69 tele?

[Mongoose]

Hey, kids-- I finally made it back. I've been really busy over the last couple of years--lots of personal changes.

But though I browsed my old stomping grounds at musictoyz periodically, I haven't been able to log back onto the forum since the format changed. I'd spend an hour here or there trying to reset my password and then being told that my answer of "Water" to the question "Smoke on the __________" was incorrect, etc.

Finally, I just registered again as someone else (though even that process took a couple of days)

So anyway, I need to ask some advice:

I'm about to sell my 69 tele on ebay. I bought it in 1973, but I just don't play it anymore.

I'm wondering whether you guys think I'd get more for it selling it whole, or breaking it up and selling the parts seperately.

If I'd never customized the guitar, I wouldn't even be asking this. But in the mid-70's when aftermarket parts became a reality, I was a teenager with GAS and a tele that I didn't think would ever become collectable--it was only four years old!

So the guitar's had a veritable parade of replacement parts.

The current roster includes:

Lindy Fralin tele pickups Plus a strat pickup in the middle, to make it into a "Nashville" strat;

Sperzel tuners;

a Fishman peizo-equipped Powerbridge

a brass nut (that was the first mod I did, around 74)

So what do you think? Break it up and sell the parts, or sell it whole?

[JackButler]

Good to see ya back!
I'd try it whole first. Try a Guitar Show or bang it out on ebay maybe.

[Glo®bz]

No problem I'll take care of it for you...

Nah kidding... welcome back !

I'd take a couple of pictures and start shopping for an evaluation... I'd give Norman's Rare guitar a call... from there maybe send pictures their way for their evaluation on it. Just naming that one but there's also Gruhn who's an usual suspect for such a thing.

I'd go that route first prior to listing anywhere... classifieds even the one you have to pay for might be more profitable than eBay in the end computing the fees involved... then again if it's not really worth much that might be your best place to list it but do your homework first.

[LarryR]

you could try over at www.tdpri.com
everything you ever want to know about teles, and perhaps some of the axe-perts over there could help you pinpoint the value.

[jaydee]

If it was all stock and in exc cond the 2010 Vintage Guitar Price Guide puts it at around $7500-8000 for common colors. Chopped up and modified it would be less than half, depending on actual modifications. You could also try to find the stock parts and restore it, but the chopping it up with a 'Nashville' middle p/u is problematical.

[cubba]

What was your old login name (if you'd like me to restore your acct)?

[jaydee]

Mongo, you mentioned selling it for parts...What exactly would you have of interest to the collector on that guitar? The original p/u's-gone, tuners-gone, nut-gone, body-routed to accommodate the middle p/u. That leaves....the neck. I say forget parting it out. Either restore it as much as possible or sell 'as is' as a modified vintage Tele with mucho mojo and hope to get 3-4 grand out of it.

[Laroosco]

I think it was Mongoose Eyeball or something like that

[stratmaniac]

Sounds like a great player's guitar as it is.

I'm not a collector, but I think you're better off leaving it in it's current state. You could certainly invest in period-correct tuners, bridge, and pickups (and sink a lot of money into those, as well), but at the end of the day it's still been routed for a middle pick up, and I think that really turns off the collector crowd.

It sounds like a great workhorse, sell it to somebody who'll appreciate it for what it sounds like, not what it looks like, and will put it to good use. Personally, I think you should keep it - you may not play it now but your tastes may change again, and you'll wish you still had it.

[NJlo]

I'd love a guitar like that! If I'm ever going for higher end vintage stuff, these would be the deals I'd run down just because they're that much cheaper. Then again, I'd say keep it too, like stratmaniac