What's My Inherited Custom Jackson Soloist Worth

[xenophobe]

The point being, this lady came here for some advice at a difficult time and we're trying to help. IF it should come to a ebay listing / classified post, then we can all vote with our feet. Like Mike said, 1500 is a good / fair / reasonable price for that guitar, in that condition. Sure, there are some graphics from that era, but there aren't a ton (and let's be honest, many of them look pretty mediocre) and there was pretty much no fancy wood on Soloists at that time.

Therefore, at least in my opinion (and let's face it, it's all just opinion, and yup, everyone has one) a primo condition, factory OFR (with no hack to remove the JT6 stringlock), colour matched, rev head, time capsule guitar 'should' get a premium.

+1

Most Charvel and Jackson graphics kind of sucked early on. Yeah, some people like them, but 80's graphics really sucked.

$1500 is fair for both the seller and buyer... nobody is making out like a bandit at that price. Yeah, I could see it going for a couple hundred more, but it's still a buyer's market out there.

[Matt_B]

The market for used Charvels and Jacksons is soft right now. I've seen guitars selling for far less than previous averages and taking far longer to sell in some instances.

If if you to maximize your profit then post it for sale on the JCF Classifieds Facebook page or post it in Reverb.com. The later has significantly lower fees than eBay.

Also telling people that you're only selling the guitar because your are in a financial pinch is a bad idea. It puts you in a position of weakness and folks will use that to get the guitar for as cheap as possible.

[LaoWai]

Very nice guitar! +1 on the $1500+, hide that warranty card if its got the wrong serial, it will only raise doubts

[Catharpin]

My take, it depends on how fast you want to sell.
1000-1200 "buy it now" would probably sell same day
1500 -1600 Sell within a week
1800-2K+ you need to wait to find right buyer

[Newc]

"What someone is willing to pay" is, more often than not, as little as possible, especially where mint-condition 80s USA Jacksons are concerned. I personally cannot accept that as a basis for dollar value, nor can I accept any arguments like "Christmas is coming", or "the economy", or "poor college student needs a top-quality axe for pennies". In a down economy, musical instruments, collectibles, investment pieces are all frivolities that retain their dollar value simply because they are frivolities and not necessities.

[Dog Boy]

1200+ IMHO. No higher than 1600 and you'll have to wait for that.

[gritsnfairydust]

Thanks everyone. I respect each opinion offered & I'll take each one into consideration. I may be unsure of what my next step is, however, I'm confident that I have learned more about what I have than when I began & that's a plus & why I came to this forum to begin with...to communicate with people that have intelligent information regarding the subject matter. If I'd wanted to play the dick dance game, I would've thrown my story out into the universe from another avenue, because let's face it. We do live in a society that people prey upon the weak for their own benefit resulting in us all being one step away from going to hell in a hand basket. Sure I may be broke but weak I am not and now because of you all, I am informed. Again, thank you. You guys (gals) rock! Rock on!

[MuttznMongrelz]

Thanks for the info. Hopefully you'll be able to see the pics.

http://s1024.photobucket.com/user/gr...ust/slideshow/

Awesome documentation with the receipts and all and it looks quite clean. I'm going to say that it being an '88, it's superior to anything built today (based on my '88). That said...take a look at prices on eBay and Reverb...I'd list it higher than what you think it's worth or what you'll take with an "Offer" Option. I stole my '88 Custom Order Glow In The Dark for under $1,000.00 with HSC but it was priced at $1,999.99 initially. In "Excellent Condition" and with the right buyer, yours could bring a very good price. That said...search "Sold" on ebay and see what the "market" value is currently and you'll have a good idea. Pricing is really all over the place.

[Catharpin]

Here is a good comparison. Yours is much nicer. This one took a few weeks to sell.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Jackson-Custom-Soloist-1988-made-in-Ontario-CA-USA-Neck-Thru-Reverse-Headstock-/262100375168

[MuttznMongrelz]

Here is a good comparison. Yours is much nicer. This one took a few weeks to sell.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Jackson-Cust...-/262100375168

And keep in mind in pics 3 & 4 that the eBay one had a big chip/crack on the headstock yet still sold for that price! I think the OP's is "worth" $2k in it's condition but it all depends on how patient a seller one is. I'm actually surprised no one here has worked out a deal on this vintage era clean machine with all that documentation.

[pianoguyy]

But, the point is, you should at least make sure she understands the bottom end and situations why she would get the bottom end.
Not just filling her head with big hopes and dreams.

When trying to sell something, would you rather own an item listed at X because someone said it was worth X, or would you rather have the cash in hand. Especially if it means the difference between living in your house for another month or living in a car with your item worth X.
It would be different is she was a guitar player and could continue to play it until it sold. But she doesn't. It is literally just sitting there collecting dust doing no good to anyone.


Is it worth more. Can she sell it for more.
Sure.
But I am getting ready to make my 750 mile non-rushed trip home for the season. And I am planning my route based on some items that have been listed at 'it is worth X' prices, but haven't sold in months so they are willing to accept less.

She should be made aware. It's possible that it will not sell, even at a less than average price.
There is a 91 Rhoads that I have been watching drop in price over the past year, from $1500 down to $900. No one wants it in his posting areas. I don't want to go that far out of my way, but for $600 I will do it. It is not my fault that no one is spending the money. And yes, at this stage of my life I am not in need of a V, so I will sell it. And yes, I will make a profit by selling it in a different area.
Or, he could continue to drop his price for another year until he gets to a point that someone locally will buy it.

You can hate me all you want for admitting it, but that is just the reality of the situation. No one has paid 'it should go for' which is why he is now 30% below the bottom end of the average range - STILL with no one buying it.

[neilli]

So that guy with the Rhoads is sticking to local collection only though? Because that will SCREW you with Jacksons unless you're fortunate enough to live in one of the few enclaves where there's a big local interest in them..

[Mudlark]

The used guitar market is flooded with great deals in many areas. Makes it hard to get a good price, but if you're no hurry and don't mind shipping you can do ok.
I'd be happy getting $1500 in todays market, but I'd be hoping a motivated buyer would do better.

[MuttznMongrelz]

Agreed on the "Low to High" Analogy...but...on any given day people are gonna find awesome deals and somebody is going to score big because some Baby Boomer or Collector or Foreign Buyer runs across an awesome guitar for which they're willing to pay a fair price and maybe a premium...it's hit or miss...which is exactly why I stated it depends on "how patient a seller one is" or if you just "need cash fast". Price things for what your think they're worth after doing your research and ride out the Low Ball Offers and hope for that Motivated Cash Is No Object Buyer.

[pianoguyy]

So that guy with the Rhoads is sticking to local collection only though? Because that will SCREW you with Jacksons unless you're fortunate enough to live in one of the few enclaves where there's a big local interest in them..

I don't shop online. I get informed online.
I do not have an ATM card (but I do have credit cards). If I don't have the cash in my hand, then it can wait until the bank opens. I don't even like to use the drive thru at my bank but it has longer hours than the lobby so sometimes I have to.

I have less fear about being robbed when using craigslist to meet face to face after driving an hour for an all cash deal, than I do about being ripped off with an eBay search at 2am in my underwear to purchase using my credit card.


And there are a lot of people that feel the same way. Otherwise, there would be no need for places like Craigslist.

---
If she wants to sell it local before the end of the week, she is not getting anywhere near top dollar. She needs to be aware of that.
eBay, with all of the fees and the hassle of shipping, opens her up to a much larger audience with much bigger pockets. Not everyone wants to deal with that. I don't have an eBay account but it is fun to look at the pictures.


Quite frankly, I don't understand the 'logic'. Jackson has fans all over the world. Look at the eBay seller locations. Look at the buyer locations. They are all over the place.
Why can a guy in Vancouver sell his guitar to a guy in Vancouver on eBay for more than he can sell it to the same guy using vancouverlist?
Why is the guy from Hershey willing to pay $1500 on eBay for a guitar from California, when the exact same guitar is being sold on hersheylist for $900?

Yes, I understand one of a kind graphics, or there may not be an 87 Doubleneck being sold locally. But for the most part, some are willing to pay more for no reason other than 'it is a global sale' even though you can browse the local sites and see it listed for less.


She just needs to be aware of the fact that different sales locations, different sale lengths, and different times of the year will get different results.
That way she isn't posting it in Alabamalist expecting 20 top dollar cash offers a week before black friday.