Who's fetching the most?

[Demetrius]

Question ladies and gents,

Which modern mandolins are fetching the most in the used market?

Also, what are these builders getting for them new?

Thanks,
D

[Denny Gies]

I think Gilchrist mandos are getting a pretty penny at the moment.

[Phil Goodson]

A quick survey of the classifieds will probably answer part of the question fairly accurately.

[Atlanta Mando Mike]

Gilchrist, Nugget, Dudenbostal and Monteleone F5's are getting the most in the used market. You can't buy a Monte new I don't think, he only makes arch top guitars now. Nuggets & Dude's I'm nut sure of other than 20k+, Gil's new are in the $22-24k range I believe.

The next tier are Red Diamonds, Heidens and Gibson Master Models all prob in the 15-16k range when new. The actual model is important though as features, woods, graduations and market interest varies.


Please anyone correct me if I'm wrong here.

[Tobin]

This is another opportunity to recall what Rush Burkhardt was working on a while back. His intent was to create a general price range chart for mandolin brands/makes, as a guide for people who wanted to be able to instantly see how prices compared between all the makers.

See this post for the latest of his effort (http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?110681-Mandolins-cost-___-____-audience-participation&p=1340822&viewfull=1#post1340822). Granted, it's from November 2014, but it still seems to hold true. Those are price ranges for new instruments, though, not used.

[Jeff Mando]

Not mandolin specific, but the Guitar Digest publication for years ran an ongoing graph called the GC price index by Gil Hembree, going back over the last 25 years or so charting the prices of popular vintage guitar models. There was a monthly update featuring a single guitar each month. Well.....for 18 years or so, up until about 2007/2008 with almost no variation, the vintage guitar market was shown to be literally recession-proof! Wait, it's coming.....yep, then prices started to go down down down down, to the point where some of these "blue chip" investments are now worth a third of what they once were in 2007 -- just saying. :redface:

Probably not wise to buy for investment. Buy for the sound, feel, look, quality and other factors that appeal to you.

OTOH, if you have a closet full of 'em that you bought in the 80's -- Now, is a great time to sell!

[sgarrity]

It's a buyer's market out there. Lot's of people and stores asking ambitious prices for stuff. Dudes probably hold their value better than most because there just aren't that many of them out there. He's made roughly 70-ish mando family instruments if memory serves me correctly.

[mrmando]

Isn't one sexist thread enough on this board? I mean, really.

Oh, wait. I read that wrong.

[yankees1]

It's a buyer's market out there. Lot's of people and stores asking ambitious prices for stuff. Dudes probably hold their value better than most because there just aren't that many of them out there. He's made roughly 70-ish mando family instruments if memory serves me correctly. I agree with the Dudes ! There just aren't that many on the market for sale. You can place your name on his waiting list but be prepared to wait about five years.

[mandroid]

values go up with the passing of the builder , then give it 100 years.

[mrmando]

values go up with the passing of the builder , then give it 100 years.

Right, if we could just go back in time 100 years and kill all the mandolin builders, their mandolins would be priceless today. Oh, wait...

[DPrager]

While it may be cliche', isn't there a major component of supply and demand to this discussion.

Consider this. We see several very nice examples of a F5 from a luminary builder 5 or 6 times a year at about $20K. If the next one doesn't surface for two years, don't you think the price will go up at roughly the same % as the increase in a new model?

[yankees1]

values go up with the passing of the builder , then give it 100 years. It doesn't always take 100 years ! I bought a Peresson violin once for $12,000. After Mr. Peresson passed away it didn't take many years for the value of it to hit $48,000. ! My daughter now has it and plays it.

[aphillips]

Uh... I think that Lloyd Loar guy gets decent prices in the used market.... :grin:

[Eddie Sheehy]

Golden Retrievers...

[AlanN]

Uh... I think that Lloyd Loar guy gets decent prices in the used market.... :grin:

The question was of the modern makers...

[fatt-dad]

Henderson. They actually cost more used than new!

f-d

[mandroid]

Who is the most Fetching Builder?

[Eddie Sheehy]

Who is the most Fetching Builder?

Fetcher Brock?

[aphillips]

AlanN - I know I know...

[Demetrius]

What is the most important factor in the increase of an instrument?
So everyone seems to agree on
Gilchrist, Nugget, monteleone, Dudenbostel.
id love a break down as to what played the biggest role
In the increased value of these instruments

[pheffernan]

Gilchrist, Nugget, monteleone, Dudenbostel.
id love a break down as to what played the biggest role
In the increased value of these instruments

In order, my answer would be McCoury, O'Brien, Grisman, and Thile. Great players are better than the rest of us at a lot of things, including discovering great instruments and their builders, and the increased demand for their mandolins coupled with limited supply drives up prices for pickers who are chasing that tone.

[Atlanta Mando Mike]

Dead on pfeffernan. Also helps that those 4 maker's fit and finish are second to none. Each is meticulous, which when added to a truly groundbreaking long term endorser, are part of the game.

[jmagill]

Gilchrist, Nugget, Dudenbostal and Monteleone F5's are getting the most in the used market. You can't buy a Monte new I don't think, he only makes arch top guitars now...

I used to own a couple of Monteleones. A year or so ago, Don Stiernberg (who also owned a Monteleone) told me John recently completed a mandolin with a price tag of $37K...

[Mandobar]

The higher priced stuff isn't sitting though, not selling. There are instruments that would have sold several years back as soon as they appeared. Now, they sit, and when they sell we never really know what they sold for unless we were directly involved in the sale.

So asking price is something different than sale price.

[Jeff Mando]

John recently completed a mandolin with a price tag of $37K...

Wow!