Question:
I bought an Epiphone guitar in 1975 from a local dealer. I always thought I had a Gibson guitar but I was told by a expert recently that it is not. I have the warranty booklet, and it mentions Gibson. Could someone help clear that up for me. It has a label inside describing it as a Cabellero, Ft-130. The plate on the back of the guitar has a serial number and indicates that it was made in Japan. I paid $140.00 for it then. I'm thinking about buying a Seagull acoustic/electric that will run around $610.00. I'm thinking about trading in the Epiphone. Since I know nothing about the value of my Epiphone today, I don't want to be 'taken' by the dealer. In the last 25 years it has been played less than 10 times and has always been in the case. Is it still worth $140.00?
Answer:
I would try to determine a little more about your Epiphone. Many of the Japanese-made copies were pretty well-made instruments. If your Epiphone has a solid top (it very well might for that price), then I would think it could be as good as the Seagull you are looking to replace it with. In any case, I would think that it would still be worth at least $140. You can't buy a Korean-made all plywood Epiphone for less than $200 to $250 and I doubt that it would be as good as what you have. BTW, if you are in the United States, $610 sounds a little steep for a Seagull. They are generally $300 to $350 without pickup, and should be $450 to $500 with pickup, I would think. Maybe somebody here knows more exact pricing. For $600+, I think you could come pretty darn close to a Larrivee D02e or OM-02e, which is a Canadian-made all solid wood guitar
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