English Heritage used prices

[mark555]

This might be of interest to the Brits here, I have just been looking at e bay and there are four used 575's staring bids at £1100 for one and £1700 for another - crazy. There is also a used H150 (not CM) which the seller is opening the bid at £1500.

 

I think our American friends will think these prices are crazy, any thoughts people?

[Genericmusic]

The way I figure it, it is about $500-$1000 American Dollars higher than in the US. You're right those price are crazy. What do think accounts for the difference?

[glaister]

I suppose like everything from the `states,someone had to pay import duty & tax etc when they were brought in,then the importer wants to make a profit on the guitar,so all of a sudden the retail price has become inflated! Once someone purchases one, they`ve bought into an `overpriced` guitar,and once they fall out of love with it and want to sell they`re trying to recoup an unrealistic price for a relatively unpopular(in UK) guitar!

[Kuz]

I suppose like everything from the `states,someone had to pay import duty & tax etc when they were brought in,then the importer wants to make a profit on the guitar,so all of a sudden the retail price has become inflated! Once someone purchases one, they`ve bought into an `overpriced` guitar,and once they fall out of love with it and want to sell they`re trying to recoup an unrealistic price for a relatively unpopular(in UK) guitar!

 

 

?????

[glaister]

?????

 

As a general rule of thumb,here in the UK anything imported from the U.S. costs the same only we pay pounds.So straight away it`s 1.5-1.6 times more expensive,hence the OP`s question!

[mark555]

?????

 

John, you have to understand that Heritage just do not have a place in the UK market eight now, and as Glaister said, the price always jumps up by a huge amount on important goods. We are taxed too heavily here in the UK, look at what we pay for petrol. As good as a 150 is, there is no way it is going to fetch £1500 on the used market here, UK players on the whole will go for a PRS or Gibson before they would buy a Heritage. I would put money on it that the 150 in question won't even get a bid. I would in all honesty say it is worth £900 tops on the used market.

 

Just think how few UK forum members there are, and that gives you some idea of how week the Heritage brand is here. When "real" players get to hold and play my 555 they really go for it, but otherwise, they spend their money elsewhere. Because of Gibson's crazy stockist policy and how they dictate to the retailers, very few stores are selling them (and I wouldn't buy one any way)and the same with PRS, again very few stores retailing them. Most UK guitar stores seem full of Fender products and some far eastern stuff. It's got me to the point where I am not all that interested in going into guitar shops any more because they just don't stock what I am interested in. Our fellow forum member Peter Green has better guitars than most UK guitar retailers.

[glaister]

+1 Mark.The last thing I want to do is knock Heritage,I was just giving my observations of the market here! You`re right about guitar shops over here,they`re pretty mundane nowadays,mostly new,far eastern product mixed with hugely overpriced F & G stuff at list price! Not very interesting and I`d rather put my own together from custom parts to be honest,at least you end up with something with it`s own identity!

Cheers.

[bobmeyrick]

Something else to consider is that there's a significant number of luthiers who will build a guitar to your specifications for less than the cost of a new Heritage. Mark has mentioned the late Paul McNab (Paulman guitars) previously, and there are plenty of others. To reinforce Mark's comments, I was able to get my 150 Special for 855ukp in the sale because it had been in the shop for a long time and the shop owner wanted to shift it. He may well still have the other 150 - I'll have to check!

[mark555]

Something else to consider is that there's a significant number of luthiers who will build a guitar to your specifications for less than the cost of a new Heritage. Mark has mentioned the late Paul McNab (Paulman guitars) previously, and there are plenty of others. To reinforce Mark's comments, I was able to get my 150 Special for 855ukp in the sale because it had been in the shop for a long time and the shop owner wanted to shift it. He may well still have the other 150 - I'll have to check!

 

My 555 was £800 including the Heritage case and when I bought it five years back 335's were selling for hundreds more second hand.

[bebove64]

John, you have to understand that Heritage just do not have a place in the UK market eight now, and as Glaister said, the price always jumps up by a huge amount on important goods. We are taxed too heavily here in the UK, look at what we pay for petrol. As good as a 150 is, there is no way it is going to fetch £1500 on the used market here, UK players on the whole will go for a PRS or Gibson before they would buy a Heritage. I would put money on it that the 150 in question won't even get a bid. I would in all honesty say it is worth £900 tops on the used market.

 

Just think how few UK forum members there are, and that gives you some idea of how week the Heritage brand is here. When "real" players get to hold and play my 555 they really go for it, but otherwise, they spend their money elsewhere. Because of Gibson's crazy stockist policy and how they dictate to the retailers, very few stores are selling them (and I wouldn't buy one any way)and the same with PRS, again very few stores retailing them. Most UK guitar stores seem full of Fender products and some far eastern stuff. It's got me to the point where I am not all that interested in going into guitar shops any more because they just don't stock what I am interested in. Our fellow forum member Peter Green has better guitars than most UK guitar retailers.

+1

There's the same problem all around Europe!PLenty of Gibbies,Fender and far eastern stuff (China,Sud Corea...),very,very few Heritage!

And If we want to order a guitar from a Usa Store here's what we have to add:

European Customs Duty (10%) plus VAT of 20% on the item price plus shipping-packaging costs....we have to consider only real good bargains!

But also all luthiers around Italy have really high prices although you'll get the highest quality of handmade guitars (expecially for archtops)

here below you can have a look at the site of a friend of mine:

http://www.maurofreschiguitars.com/ ......prices start from €3500......

[bobmeyrick]

My 555 was £800 including the Heritage case and when I bought it five years back 335's were selling for hundreds more second hand.

Was that from a shop (new or second hand) or a private sale?

[mark555]

Was that from a shop (new or second hand) or a private sale?

 

Bob, It was from a shop in Leeds, used but in immaculate condition, not a mark on it and the original case was also in superb condition. It had been on the wall for four months at £900 and no one was biting. New years eve came and I called the shop up as I knew they would be as dead as a door nail, asked them for their best price which was £835. I said that's still too much and offered them £800. MAde the deal and drove straight to Leeds to collect it. I sold a 90's Les paul special for £800 to pay for it. The was no comparison between the two guitars. But it proves my point, there is no real market for Heritage in the UK and that is why those of us who know how good they are, are holding on to them.

 

As you can see, on mine I got rid of the schaller hardware and put a more traditional bridge and stop piece on along with replacing the gold with nickel, a personal choice which suits my tastes better.

[sick1982]

1350 EURO for a used H150 here, but you don't see 'em very often.

 

*edit* here = Belgium

[bebove64]

1350 EURO for a used H150 here, but you don't see 'em very often.

 

*edit* here = Belgium

these are the average prices for second hand models all around "the Boot":

H 140 €950

H 150 € 1050-1250

H 535 € 1200-1400

H 575 Classic € 1200-1350

H 575 custom €1500-1700

Eagle classic €1750

Golden Eagle €2000-2300

1USD=0,73 Euro

1GBP=1,18 EURO