Why are Vintage Gibson 335s so cheap?

[TerryD]

My friend wants me to sell his 66 cherry red Gibson 335 and it looks like the best I can do will be around 3,500.  Thats not exactly in the 60's strat ballpark and is most likely a better guitar.  Any thoughts on why and where I might go to get the most?  Thanks, Terry

[rafe]

The right 335 in the right condition will probably get the most attention on E-bay ....but it is a crap shoot....If you don't find the collector or afficienado directly, then you will likely take a 40% or better
hit to it's value and rightly so ....because they will likely want to sell it for a profit and know where and how to market it......To answer the original question ....It's called Supply and Demand

[G._Hoffman]

The really valuable 335's are the dot necks, which are older than that.  Those can get up into the lower five figures.  But the other part of it is that they have probably come down a bit in the last few years due to the economy.  The block necks have never been particularly valuable, but sometimes that can just mean they are a pretty good value for the money.


Gabriel

[rafe]

More than a few 1969 es 335's are represented as 1966's because of a discrepency in serial numbers the 66 is more valuable from what I understand......I think the nut width and headstock emblem are different
on the 2 years thinner neck in 66?
 

[G._Hoffman]

I just looked in my Blue Book, and it says somewhere between $3,500 for a 60% example, and $10,000 for a 98% mint example.  This book is about two-three years old, though, so I would expect it to have moved from there, given the nature of the market for the last two-three years.


Gabriel

[bigsbybender]

It's a certain year thing...  Notice the re-issue replicates the early "Dot" neck, the block inlay neck and the trapeze tailpiece of mid-late 60's models is seen as less desirable...(that said, my uncle's 65' 335 is the best damned electric I've ever played.) Gibson seemed to have 'golden years' of certain models. Just like a 1959-60 Les Paul Standard is worth MANY times more than an early-mid Fifties Les Paul despite being newer and presumably less rare. In fact the Standard is worth more than the originally higher priced Customs in many eras!



j.