texasgunrunner

I have a silver Bach Stradivarius model 37 trumpet I want to sell. I have taken it to a couple local music stores to determine what would be a fair price. This is where I get confused, one store says "Oh, I'd buy it from you for about $500" the other store says "Man! This is awesome, you should be able to get $1500 for it!" How do I determine what I should sell it for? I don't want to rip anyone off, but I don't want to get ripped off either. The trumpet is still in great shape, only a couple very minor dings and it has a 1st valve trigger. Can anyone help?

Graham

Man, in my truly humble opinion, if someone offered ME $500 for my #37 Strad, I would tell them where to go.

I would say $1500, AT LEAST.

Solar Bell

Graham,

Maybe down under you could say that, but with some minor damage on the horn I'm not too sure he would get $1500 here.

He didn't mention the age of the horn either.


-cw-

__________________
Chuck Willard
The Willard of Oz

"Don't be afraid to see what you see."
Ronald Reagan

texasgunrunner

I bought it in 1989 or 90. I used it for about 6 years. After that I have just kept it stored in the case. I took great care of it, but now I need to sell it. Is there any other info that would help you determine what I should sell it for? If so, just let me know.

Trumpet guy

The thing is that the first guy said HE would buy it from you for $500. That's because music stores never give you the most money you could get for a horn because they need profit. Dillons, for example has several Bach Strads listed around $1000-$1500. In order to profit, they would have to buy used instruments from the owners at a lower price (way lower). Although Dillons would probably give more than $500.
The second guy was probably referring to how much you could sell the instrument for privately, like on Ebay or to a local person in need. Many go for about $800-$1000 if you want to sell the instrument for all it's worth, put up a very accurate and telling descriptions, emphasizing the condition and the minimal damage. And also state that you had it checked out by that second guy. Knowing it was professionally inspected and tested would get several serious bidders to step forward.

__________________

Daniel Lan
"In you're not improving, you're falling behind." - My Trumpet Teacher, Steve

Horns
Bach Strad 37 - Megatone 3C/3B
Bach TR300 (marching)
Berkeley Cornet
Berkeley Picc. Trumpet - Vincent Bach Corp. Mt.Vernon N.Y 10 1/2 DW
Jupiter Soprano Trombone - Megatone 3C/3B
Olds Ambassador Fullerton Trombone - Olds 12C

RGood

Texasgunrunner -

Show them your CHL - you'll get their best price.... : )

Some stores allow you to sell on consignment - they get a small part of the take - Dillon's does that.

Not sure who here in TX does that.

Sounds like a good horn - you can also list it on this TM site.

Best of luck

__________________
Kanstul 1525 Flugel
Yamaha Bobby Shew 6310Z Flugel
1967 Getzen Eterna (my 2nd - still going strong after all these years)
1961 Olds Ambassador (my 1st...battered, bruised, & passed around but back home)

rowuk

Don't forget how many Bachs are out there and that when you buy used horn, you are looking for a deal. $1500 for a standard used Bach is not a price I would even consider. I wouldn't pay more than $700-800 unless it was mint and the valves still tight.

__________________
Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

Graham

Damn, I wish I could get a used Strad for that much over here!

Lol, I guess you guys are right, I DO come from the land where everything trumpet-related costs at least twice as much.

Trumpet guy

Just go on eBay. It's priced the same for every country (as long as the seller will ship it to you)

__________________

Daniel Lan
"In you're not improving, you're falling behind." - My Trumpet Teacher, Steve

Horns
Bach Strad 37 - Megatone 3C/3B
Bach TR300 (marching)
Berkeley Cornet
Berkeley Picc. Trumpet - Vincent Bach Corp. Mt.Vernon N.Y 10 1/2 DW
Jupiter Soprano Trombone - Megatone 3C/3B
Olds Ambassador Fullerton Trombone - Olds 12C