I've noticed a trend on this site and others of people asking for appraisals of guitars either before they sell them, or right before they buy them. In the interest of answering those questions and building up a bit of a database on the used prices of instruments I'm making this thread which will remain stuck up top in this section.
This thread is a work in progress and I'll be adding a lot more material to it throughout the day.
To start things off, let's talk a little about how modern used guitar pricing works. When you buy a relatively new, production guitar you're typically going to get anywhere from 40% to 70% of the guitar's new, retailer price. Why is that? The primary reason folks buy used gear is because they want a bargain, it's just the truth. The lower price is the incentive to buy a guitar which cannot be returned and is often without warranty. Even if you buy a guitar on Monday and try selling it on Tuesday, and even if it still has the plastic wrap on the pickups and back cover, it's still going to be worth 30% or more less than it's in-store counterpart. That just seems to be the accepted standard. Are there exceptions? Of course, but the rule stands.
Now, when it comes to a modified guitar, the seller is going to be looking at taking an even bigger bath, as most mods don't add much to a guitar's value in relation to how much those modifications cost when new. A very popular one is new pickups. While that set of DiMarzios or Duncans might have made your RG350 or Schecter Omen sound amazing, that $200 upgrade is only going to translate into a small price boost on the used market, as those pickups, like the guitar, are now used. The same holds true for small visual modifications such as new knobs, pickguard, stickers, etc. Would you really pay more for a used guitar because it has new knobs? I didn't think so.
How about accessories? Things like having a case or gig bag will often help you out price wise, not by much, but having a good case for a guitar that typically doesn't come with one can be a huge bonus, especially with some of the more "extreme" shaped guitars. Stuff like cables, straps, picks, strings, learning materials, etc. aren't going to boost value much though, unless you're talking about high quality stuff (Mogami, Levy's, etc.) or huge quantities (case of picks, 12-pack strings).
This goes without saying, but must be said: There will be no offers of selling or buying guitars in this thread. Any post with that intent will be promptly deleted.
This thread is a work in progress and I'll be adding a lot more material to it throughout the day.
To start things off, let's talk a little about how modern used guitar pricing works. When you buy a relatively new, production guitar you're typically going to get anywhere from 40% to 70% of the guitar's new, retailer price. Why is that? The primary reason folks buy used gear is because they want a bargain, it's just the truth. The lower price is the incentive to buy a guitar which cannot be returned and is often without warranty. Even if you buy a guitar on Monday and try selling it on Tuesday, and even if it still has the plastic wrap on the pickups and back cover, it's still going to be worth 30% or more less than it's in-store counterpart. That just seems to be the accepted standard. Are there exceptions? Of course, but the rule stands.
Now, when it comes to a modified guitar, the seller is going to be looking at taking an even bigger bath, as most mods don't add much to a guitar's value in relation to how much those modifications cost when new. A very popular one is new pickups. While that set of DiMarzios or Duncans might have made your RG350 or Schecter Omen sound amazing, that $200 upgrade is only going to translate into a small price boost on the used market, as those pickups, like the guitar, are now used. The same holds true for small visual modifications such as new knobs, pickguard, stickers, etc. Would you really pay more for a used guitar because it has new knobs? I didn't think so.
How about accessories? Things like having a case or gig bag will often help you out price wise, not by much, but having a good case for a guitar that typically doesn't come with one can be a huge bonus, especially with some of the more "extreme" shaped guitars. Stuff like cables, straps, picks, strings, learning materials, etc. aren't going to boost value much though, unless you're talking about high quality stuff (Mogami, Levy's, etc.) or huge quantities (case of picks, 12-pack strings).
This goes without saying, but must be said: There will be no offers of selling or buying guitars in this thread. Any post with that intent will be promptly deleted.
(And I mean it.)
, so this would need repairing if you want to use the trem. 
