Snakehead A4 on the Cafe

[Gary Hedrick]

http://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/107258#107258

Interesting instrument.....nice price and looks to be all there and in good shape. Prices for the good old stuff are still adjusting in the market or so it would seem.

ps....no financial interest in this

[dhergert]

Yup. Drool. Looks pretty nice.

I don't know about the price, haven't been studying the finances of these, but something modest of this vintage is on my Maybe Someday bucket list.

[Bill Snyder]

"nice price"

Really? Do you mean nice price for the buyer or seller? I ask because I don't know, it just seems very high to me.

[F-2 Dave]

Gruhn's has a snakehead A-4 a lot like this one only in really slick condition for $6500, I believe. Yeah that's a bunch of moolah, but tHe one at Gruhn's sounded awesome. I may have to get over to Morgan's and check this one out.

[pheffernan]

"nice price"Really? Do you mean nice price for the buyer or seller? I ask because I don't know, it just seems very high to me.

I seem to recall snakehead A4's hovering closer to $7500 typically.

[Jeff Mando]

Huh? $6500? $7500? OK, it's a snakehead, but that's F4 type money!

[Mandolin Cafe]

http://www.retrofret.com/products.as...D=6458&CartID= $7,000
http://www.retrofret.com/products.as...D=3735&CartID= $7,250
https://cartervintage.com/collection...nt=20352307779 $6,750
http://www.vintagemandolin.com/24gib..._fon11066.html $7,450

Not hard to find these for sale on the web a long way abover the $5K asking price cited above. They are not all bringing $5k and under. No way, no how. If it's a good one, $5K is a great price, but it's common to find them listed up to $7,500, and our experience is the owners are plenty willing to let them sit for a few years if necessary because someone will pay the price. The A-4 snakehead was one of the premier mandolins of its time, for good reason, and still fetch healthy prices.

[Mandolin Cafe]

Huh? $6500? $7500? OK, it's a snakehead, but that's F4 type money!

No, actually, that's the price F-4 owners think they're worth, but very few are going for that price. A few sold at the peak years ago at that price so now every F-4 owner thinks it's worth $7,500. They aren't. It's the eBay rule: a cow wandered that direction so everyone else follows. F-4s are a dime a dozen--good mandolins, but plenty of them and anyone paying $7K for one (opionion) should have their head examined. A-4 snakeheads are not real common.

[FLATROCK HILL]

Huh? $6500? $7500? OK, it's a snakehead, but that's F4 type money!

http://www.retrofret.com/products.as...D=6458&CartID= $7,000
http://www.retrofret.com/products.as...D=3735&CartID= $7,250
https://cartervintage.com/collection...nt=20352307779 $6,750
http://www.vintagemandolin.com/24gib..._fon11066.html $7,450

Not hard to find these for sale on the web a long way abover the $5K asking price cited above. They are not all bringing $5k and under. No way, no how. If it's a good one, $5K is a great price, but it's common to find them listed up to $7,500, and our experience is the owners are plenty willing to let them sit for a few years if necessary because someone will pay the price. The A-4 snakehead was one of the premier mandolins of its time, for good reason, and still fetch healthy prices.

Jeff, I think you should have specified "Loar era" or "Truss rod" F4s to make the comparison more apples to apples. If anyone still insists in that case that the A4s (Snakes) are more desirable and/or more valuable than the F4s, I'll be surprised...and thrilled with the good news as I'm on the buying side of the equation.

[Jeff Mando]

Thanks for detailing the fine points of the A4 snakehead market. I stand corrected. You also mention that owners are plenty willing to wait a few years to get their price.........this confuses me, as a businessman. There is no business that I know of that can wait years on a sale -- you quickly become "out of business" doing that. Now, if a hobbyist says I think my mandolin is worth such and such and I won't take a penny less, well that is a different story. As, my friend would say "that man isn't in business" or he doesn't "need" the money or "his wife must have a good job!"

[Jeff Mando]

Jeff, I think you should have specified "Loar era" or "Truss rod" F4s to make the comparison more apples to apples. If anyone still insists in that case that the A4s (Snakes) are more desirable and/or more valuable than the F4s, I'll be surprised...and thrilled with the good news as I'm on the buying side of the equation.

Good point. I just like the looks of the F4 better, but that is a topic for another thread!

[Gary Hedrick]

As Scott said: "but plenty of them and anyone paying $7K for one (opionion) should have their head examined. A-4 snakeheads are not real common."

that's the point of my posting this........A snakehead A4 in good shape at $5k is a good price......and yes folks will ask $7k or higher for an F4......it ain't gonna happen very often......now $4k to $5k.....yes.....the prices of 2007 have gone and will be a while coming back....IMO

[Spruce]

.....yes.....the prices of 2007 have gone and will be a while coming back....

What were A4 Snakes selling for in '07?
I wan't paying attention... ;-)

[Gary Hedrick]

The prices for Loar period F4's were as high as $9.6k for sure....Heck Spruce Tree Music is still asking $8.25K for a 1924 F4.....as for the A4's I remember seeing a few for $8.5k in that era.....

I have seen some very nice F4's and A4's go for a lot less than the nose bleed prices of the before the recession of 2008.

There is a real selection of just plain high prices out there for a number of mandolins that don't seem to make sense to this Hoosier boy.....

[T.D.Nydn]

Don't you think this one looks a little beat,,more than just average player wear?

[Bill Snyder]

http://www.retrofret.com/products.as...D=6458&CartID= $7,000
http://www.retrofret.com/products.as...D=3735&CartID= $7,250
https://cartervintage.com/collection...nt=20352307779 $6,750
http://www.vintagemandolin.com/24gib..._fon11066.html $7,450

Not hard to find these for sale on the web a long way abover the $5K asking price cited above. They are not all bringing $5k and under. No way, no how. If it's a good one, $5K is a great price, but it's common to find them listed up to $7,500, and our experience is the owners are plenty willing to let them sit for a few years if necessary because someone will pay the price. The A-4 snakehead was one of the premier mandolins of its time, for good reason, and still fetch healthy prices.

After I posted my query about the price being good or not I did a quick Google search and discovered much to surprise that dealers are indeed asking much more than $5,000 for them.

[Mandolin Cafe]

The Acoustic Music Company of England has one for sale in the Classifieds that converts to an eye popping U.S. $8990.84. This ad will expire soon but here is. Good luck with that price, Trevor

[Gary Hedrick]

Don't you think this one looks a little beat,,more than just average player wear?

Not really....

[Timbofood]

The realistic price is solely based on what someone wi willing to eventually pay!
Market pricing will ebb and flow as demand dictates, this one doesn't seem to outrageously priced. But, I'm not buying.

[ollaimh]

i have a couple of great soun ding and playing snakeheads. it would be really nice to have an A 4. but i sit content for now. that one looks a little rough but not too much. A 4s are going up again.

[Gary Hedrick]

The realistic price is solely based on what someone wi willing to eventually pay!
Market pricing will ebb and flow as demand dictates, this one doesn't seem to outrageously priced. But, I'm not buying.

A thought on the Cafe......The Cafe represents over 48k members......a number of "visitors" that is likely over 10 times that number over any given time period.....it would seem that the Cafe might be the single most influential force in the marketplace on these prices. Many of the best and biggest stores advertise here......Ebay is always discussed here.....

Just a thought over my morning cup of tea.....being the old fart retired mandolin player that I am....

[FLATROCK HILL]

A thought on the Cafe......The Cafe represents over 48k members......a number of "visitors" that is likely over 10 times that number over any given time period.....it would seem that the Cafe might be the single most influential force in the marketplace on these prices. Many of the best and biggest stores advertise here......Ebay is always discussed here.....

Just a thought over my morning cup of tea.....being the old fart retired mandolin player that I am....

Those are relevant thoughts. And to your comment " Many of the best and biggest stores advertise here.", I'd add that they watch what goes on here and know how to time their ads. http://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/107342#107342

[fatt-dad]

The plain A ('24) is sub $2K. The A4 ('24) is super $7K. That's a big swing for trim level.

Sure, one is more common, but for sound-to-value, the A would be my choice!

f-d

[Gary Hedrick]

Those are relevant thoughts. And to your comment " Many of the best and biggest stores advertise here.", I'd add that they watch what goes on here and know how to time their ads. http://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/107342#107342

Yeah I noticed that!!!! Now that one, to be fair, appears to be almost flawless in condition.

[Gary Hedrick]

The plain A ('24) is sub $2K. The A4 ('24) is super $7K. That's a big swing for trim level.

Sure, one is more common, but for sound-to-value, the A would be my choice!

f-d

Agree with you......big price to pay for that difference