How much of a price reduction should this damage entail?

[Martin]

Hi, this is my first post in here, hope its the right subforum.

I no longer play my 1992 H-550 guitar, and I'm utterly broke, so I'm going to sell it. It seems this model sells for ~2500 dollars on eBay, but the one I have has developed a bulge on the back (see pictures). There's also some wear and tear, but only visible from certain angles. I'm a bit clueless here. What price can i fetch for this guitar, realistically?

 

[cobo]

At first I didn’t see the bulge in the photo(s), but now I do. Interesting. Looks like the maple back may have delaminated? If you put your fingers through the F-holes, is the bulge at a location where you can feel if it’s there in the inside of the body as well?

Assuming it has delaminated, and that delamination will only get worse over time, I think it would unfortunately steer most potential buyers away.

Brent, what say you?


Colm

[Martin]

5 hours ago, cobo said:

is the bulge at a location where you can feel if it’s there in the inside of the body as well?

Assuming it has delaminated, and that delamination will only get worse over time, I think it would unfortunately steer most potential buyers away.
 

I couldn't feel it, but with a LED and an Iphone I managed to get a pretty good look, and it looks flat as a board. Is there anything that could be done to stop the process? 

Also, I see I've mislabeled this thread. Turns out what I have is a h-576 ASB from '92, which would seem to cut the price at least in half. 

With the damage, and even with extra equipment (hard-case, cables, a couple of straps), we're talking 1000$ or less, aren't we?

 

[cobo]

26 minutes ago, Martin said:

I couldn't feel it, but with a LED and an Iphone I managed to get a pretty good look, and it looks flat as a board. Is there anything that could be done to stop the process? 

 

 

I'm wondering what happened that started the bulge to begin with.  Here comes the detective questions:

How long have you owned it?  Has it been like that since you owned it, or if not, how long ago did it start?

Did it get exposed to water or extreme changes in temperature/humidity?  If so, avoid that going forward and it may not get any worse.

You could contact the guys at Heritage (e-mail or phone +1 269 385-5721).  Send them those photos (and maybe a few more of the overall guitar so they can get a better idea where the bulge is along the back) and see what they have to say.

[Martin]

I've owned it since 2010-ish, when I bought it from my brother who in turn bought it used early in -98. I believe the bulge wasn't there in 2010, but I noticed it around 2012-2013. During those years it had been hanging on the wall of my student apartment in Oslo. It may have been exposed to some swings in temperature and humidity, especially during winter, when we were drying clothes indoors, and sometimes reaching subzero temperatures in the bedroom. After that I packed it into its case, where it has been residing ever since (apart from perhaps a little cuddle once a year). 

I'll send the Heritage guys an email tomorrow, but I've adjusted the price on my listing to about 1000$, while informing about the bulge. We'll see how that goes. 

Thanks for helping out!