Advice please! Offered £300 for my '89 Epiphone Sheraton

danf · August 2023

Good evening everyone!

I was hoping for a little bit of advice from those of you much more in the know than I.

For background, I’m much more a drummer than I am a guitarist, but I’ve got a 1989 (Korean) Epiphone Sheraton (which I’ve had for about 20 years), that unfortunately I am going to have to sell, as I’m off traveling soon, and am trying to get funds up, and reduce my belongings!

The guitar hasn’t been touched in years, and when I took it out to inspect it, it could do with:

1 - A good clean, it’s been sat for years, but I do not have the know-how and am terrified of somehow ruining the finish if I attempted it.

2 - The jack input is now very temperamental. I’ve tried tightening the front nut, but it hasn’t made much difference (and I have no idea how you would get into the guitar to see the other side of the jack input, and already feel it’s well beyond my means!

Other than the above, the body is in really good condition, can’t see any dings anywhere, with the exception of a bit of wear at the very top back edge of the headstock (in the photos).

I didn’t really know my best option for selling, as I could do with not spending money to get it tuned up, and if I were to sell privately, it would have to be to someone who knows how to get it set up properly.
So I requested a quote for selling it to ‘Sell Us Your Guitar’ (affiliate of Reverb.com), and their quote to buy my guitar is £300 (with them sending a courier and packing materials), or £325 if I were to deliver it to them in Manchester.

I’m really unsure of how to determine if their quote is reasonable or not, as whenever I search for similar guitars, the asking prices are all over the place!

I thought here might be the right place to ask if their offer was reasonable!

And the wear on the back of the headstock...

Many thanks in advance, and sorry for waffling!

guitargeek62 · August 2023

Pics would be a big help

danf · August 2023

guitargeek62 said:

Pics would be a big help

Apologies, fixed!

lovestrat74 · August 2023

Sell us your guitar? Sounds like the last place I'd sell my guitar.

Ebay or reverb completed/sold listings should give you an idea.

AndyGT75 · August 2023

IMO if it’s a quick hassle free sale and they’re selling it on then 300 is about right. I had one the exact same year. One owner and hardly ever touched. 2 pots had seized and that cost 400 in 2020. You could probably get 350 to 400 private if it’s all straight and true. depends whether you want to wait I guess.

TheMarlin · August 2023

I had the version with ‘By Gibson’ inlayed into the headstock rather than on the truss rod cover. Headstock inlay was a tad more ornate.

The pickups were rubbish, and the wiring was worse, and the finish left a little to be desired. Lots of minor issues if you looked hard enough.

I upgraded the pickups and wiring loom, but still didn’t get on with it, and sold it

It’s £300 worth of guitar.

Funkfingers · August 2023

The SUYG offer of £300 is reasonable, considering that they need to rectify any issues (such as the jack socket) and still turn a profit via their eBay Shop. (Seller fees!)

Even with minor issues, you should get a better offer privately. The downside is that this could take more time than you can afford to wait.

To a purchaser who is planning to modify the Epiphone with posh pickups and controls, a loose jack socket is immaterial. It would be removed almost immediately.

EDIT
Your forum ID profile states that you are in the Telford area. That puts you perilously close to this forum's own I Buy Any Crud, @HarrySeven ;

beed84 · August 2023

£300 hassle free seems pretty good to me, especially if helps with your upcoming travels.

ICBM · August 2023

What Andy GT75 said. It’s a reasonable offer if you want a hassle-free sale and don’t want to spend money on having the jack issue fixed - it’s not *that* hard to get the jack out if the cable from the switch to it is long enough to pull it back as far as the f-hole, but they often aren’t, or attached to the rest of the wiring loom in a way that means you need to take it all out... this is much harder if you aren’t experienced at it. It also needs strings and a set-up, and a professional service to cover that and the jack is going to cost over £50, and that’s probably only about what you would get on top of the £300 if you then sold it privately - you might possibly do a little better, but not much. A shop would ask more, but you can’t really go by those prices... they wouldn’t pay any more, they have to make money.

Funkfingers · August 2023

There is a dodge that involves trapping the jack socket in place with an improvised tool whilst tightening the hex nut with a spanner. This works better if there is a lock washer inside between the chassis of the socket and the wood of the guitar top.

Voxman · August 2023

If that's without a hard case then maybe, although still feels a bit low to me particularly as used prices have been rising quite a bit. I would have thought £350 - £400 even if the jack socket needs attention. But if its hassle free and you're not particularly worried about the possible difference then as folk have said, it's not totally unreasonable.

ICBM · August 2023

Funkfingers said:

There is a dodge that involves trapping the jack socket in place with an improvised tool whilst tightening the hex nut with a spanner. This works better if there is a lock washer inside between the chassis of the socket and the wood of the guitar top.

… which I think there isn’t, given how much of the thread is visible above the nut. These jacks are very poor quality anyway, simply tightening it (even successfully) may well not fix the issue.

Funkfingers · August 2023

True.

BillDL · August 2023

When you provided details to "Sell Us Your Guitar Ltd", were you asked to list any non-functional components or problematic functionality along with photos and description of dings and scrapes? The reason I ask this is because I don't have any personal experience of the company.

I know selling a car to We Buy Any Car might seem a very different thing, but the online form you complete where you are asked to provide details of known problems is far from exhaustive (no pun intended, but that's one field that I'm sure wasn't on the form when I got a quote from them). The quote you receive for the car is not a binding one, and the final offer by them is based on their inspection and test drive, and a bit of nit-picking if the salesperson wants to keep more commission. In my case the guy tried to talk me down immediately for a problem noticed during his round the block drive even though I had detailed this in the form to get the quote. It had a blowing exhaust, and he tried to further hack away at the quote.

If "Sell Us Your Guitar Ltd" works along these lines and tries to reduce the original quote for "undeclared" issues, then it presents more of a problem because they already have your guitar and also have you by the short and curlies. Have a very good read through their FAQ and Terms and Conditions either on their website or attached to any emails you received with the quote for any very small print. On their website they say this about the buying process, which seems very transparent and up-front:

"When we receive your guitar, we will process payment or contact you within 24 hours. We very rarely need to get in touch and will only do so if the guitar is significantly damaged, faulty or is missing components. Last year we paid out in full over 99.5% of the time".

From what I see on TrustPilot ratings (517 with 99% 5-star ratings and an average 5.9 stars) their feedback is pretty good and any complaints from people have simply been that they weren't offered as much as they wanted. The company seems to have addressed the negative comments very well, and in one case offered to send the guitar back and pay for the shipping. I don't think they are "affiliated" with Reverb, but rather just trade through the platform (654 ratings with 5 star feedback) as well as from their website. There are two directors, and only one is a director of another company - a trampoline company.

For a quick and uncomplicated sale I think £300 is a fair price, and probably a very safe sale.

drofluf · August 2023

I used Sell us Your Guitar a couple of years ago. Experience was fast and trouble free. The guitar I was selling hadn’t had any interest on forums or Gumtree/Facebook (ignoring the usual scammers). It was a bit niche and hard to get a comparative price but I was happy with what they offered.

If I’d held out I may have got more in a private sale but it was worth it for a fast turnaround.

HarrySeven · August 2023

Funkfingers said:

The SUYG offer of £300 is reasonable, considering that they need to rectify any issues (such as the jack socket) and still turn a profit via their eBay Shop. (Seller fees!)

Even with minor issues, you should get a better offer privately. The downside is that this could take more time than you can afford to wait.

To a purchaser who is planning to modify the Epiphone with posh pickups and controls, a loose jack socket is immaterial. It would be removed almost immediately.

EDIT
Your forum ID profile states that you are in the Telford area. That puts you perilously close to this forum's own I Buy Any Crud, @HarrySeven ;

Cheek!

HarrySeven · August 2023

@danf - if you are indeed nearby, I’m happy to take a look at it for you?

thermionic · August 2023

These are nicely-made guitars - I had a plain maple one from 1990 for many years, but I always found most of the other colours more desirable than mine. Have you thought about putting it up for sale here?

ICBM · August 2023

For what it’s worth, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a bricks-and-mortar shop ask as much as £499 for one of these, maybe even £599 in excellent condition with a case. That of course means perfectly working, new strings, set up and clean, and with a warranty. Which doesn’t make it worth that much for a private sale, or necessarily mean they would get that (allowing for a bit of haggling room), but possibly explains the £300 offer.

I also forgot to say - don’t be afraid to clean it. The finish is almost certainly polyester, and as long as you don’t use anything abrasive there’s no risk of damaging it, it’s almost immune to any solvents.

Funkfingers · August 2023

HarrySeven said:

Funkfingers said:

I Buy Any Crud - HarrySeven

Cheek!

danf, if you are indeed nearby, I’m happy to take a look at it for you.

Tell me, what'd I say?

HarrySeven · August 2023

Funkfingers said:

HarrySeven said:

Funkfingers said:

I Buy Any Crud - HarrySeven

Cheek!

danf, if you are indeed nearby, I’m happy to take a look at it for you.
Tell me, what'd I say?

Again, Cheek!

danf · August 2023

Thank you all so much for your input, it’s been really valuable.

BillDL said:

When you provided details to "Sell Us Your Guitar Ltd", were you asked to list any non-functional components or problematic functionality along with photos and description of dings and scrapes? The reason I ask this is because I don't have any personal experience of the company.

If "Sell Us Your Guitar Ltd" works along these lines and tries to reduce the original quote for "undeclared" issues, then it presents more of a problem because they already have your guitar and also have you by the short and curlies.

SUYG (from memory) provided a space to describe the condition, so I stated it would be without strings, in need of a good clean, had a faulty jack input, and had a bit of wear to the back of the headstock (and I provided the same photos to them as in my first post). Hopefully if I do accept their offer there should be nothing that they consider I didn't disclose!

drofluf said:

I used Sell us Your Guitar a couple of years ago. Experience was fast and trouble free. The guitar I was selling hadn’t had any interest on forums or Gumtree/Facebook (ignoring the usual scammers). It was a bit niche and hard to get a comparative price but I was happy with what they offered.

If I’d held out I may have got more in a private sale but it was worth it for a fast turnaround.

It's handy to hear from someone that has used SUYG, thanks, I feel a bit more at ease with potentially using their service.

HarrySeven said:

@danf - if you are indeed nearby, I’m happy to take a look at it for you?

That’s very kind.
I’m a bit confused of the dynamic from what @Funkfingers said, do you trade guitars or something, and are potentially interested in buying?
I am in Telford (Priorslee), how nearby are you?

thermionic said:

Have you thought about putting it up for sale here?

I guess that could be an option, it’s getting it couriered that would concern me, as I have no hard case for it, and I’d hate for it to get battered about in the back of a van!

HarrySeven · August 2023

danf said:

HarrySeven said:

@danf - if you are indeed nearby, I’m happy to take a look at it for you?

That’s very kind.
I’m a bit confused of the dynamic from what @Funkfingers said, do you trade guitars or something, and are potentially interested in buying?

@Funkfingers and I have known each other since the late '90's and have regularly sold/bought/swapped gear backwards and forwards between ourselves (I'd trust him implicitly on any transaction), hence the comedy double act vibe - plus, Mr. FF has a certain ascerbic sense of humour.

Do I trade guitars? No. I collect guitars on a moderately large scale and only tend to sell stuff when I run out of space or money.

Am I interested in buying guitars? Always! Just one more won't matter, honest...

HarrySeven · August 2023

Update:

I popped over to take a look at the Sheraton this evening and met Dan, who’s a lovely bloke.

The guitar is in very good cosmetic condition and requires the following:

*General clean/polish (body/hardware).

*Fretboard clean/oil.

*Possible Jack socket replacement (may get away with cleaning).

*Pots/switch cleaning.

*Truss rod tweak.

*The main issue is that the frets are a worn on the top 3 strings between the nut and 7th fret - most noticeably at the 2nd fret (which buzzes badly). Nothing terrible, but I’d suggest a fret dress.

https://i.imgur.com/KfwbfjC.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/y2RtfvZ.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/B4izmj8.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/7EBQCzP.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/1zktjSM.jpg

HarrySeven · August 2023

My main concern is that “Sell Us Your Guitar” would probably use the fret issue as leverage to force the price down considerably - and by the time you’re haggling, it’s already in their hands (and thus easier to take a lowball offer).

dano · August 2023

HarrySeven said:

Update:

*The main issue is that the frets are a worn on the top 3 strings between the nut and 7th fret - most noticeably at the 2nd fret (which buzzes badly). Nothing terrible, but I’d suggest a fret dress.

So as long as you don't play an open D chord there's no problem

danf · August 2023

Thanks for coming to take a look Harry, it was a real pleasure meeting you!

Funkfingers · August 2023

HarrySeven said:
Funkfingers and I have known each other since the late '90's

Longer, surely?

I am struggling recall how much time elapsed between when my Roland GR-300 first refused to power up and when I eventually decided to let the complete outfit go. I suspect early Nineties.

HarrySeven · August 2023

Funkfingers said:

HarrySeven said:
Funkfingers and I have known each other since the late '90's
Longer, surely?

I am struggling recall how much time elapsed between when my Roland GR-300 first refused to power up and when I eventually decided to let the complete outfit go. I suspect early Nineties.

I still have the receipt you gave me somewhere!

Funkfingers · September 2023

Maybe. I recall synth Brass stabs on a four-track song demo recording made in 1992 or 93 but those could have been G505 > GM70 > MKS70.

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Advice please! Offered £300 for my '89 Epiphone Sheraton

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