“What’s This Worth?” Thread

[Patzag]

Reverb was a good idea when it started. Like Adobe InDesign replacing Quark Express. But unfortunately, it seems corporate success leads to integrity dilution and eventual sell off to corporate giants that deface and pervert the original intentions of the creators.
A sad comment on our society.

[Marcthemusician]

This has got to be the most ridiculous, out to lunch Reverb listing I’ve ever seen. Parker P-42 for 11k Canadian. Although it is a “rare first year model” so…

https://reverb.com/item/85348084-parker ... year-model

I offered a couple bucks for it, but no answer. I mean, I need to own this once in a lifetime instrument! I'd lose money by not buying it

[mmmguitar]

The wild asking prices have become a trend across Reverb - A closer look still shows Flys consistently selling for between $2k and and $2.5k (with a few above that when listed on consignment by retailers and pawn shops), if you happen to catch them in time (shipping not included in below prices):

Under $2,100 (one offer).

Under $2,100 (one offer).

Under $2,300 (two offers).

Under $2,400 (one offer)..

$2,600 (asking price).

Under $2,800 (one offer).

$800 (and my favorite recent listing).

Because we have at least two community members who can afford to actively collect (and compete for) Flys listed in "mint" condition, there's not much mystery to those examples selling for higher than average. And there's always the same four or five listings priced higher than anything in an attempt to get maximum visibility. We seem to be into an era where someone will reference a listing price, and somebody else will respond with "Yeah...but that's Reverb price."

I recently had a guy ask me to appraise his '90's left-handed Rickenbacker 360 and, like a lot of guitar owners looking to sell, he was disappointed to see just how much of a difference there was between listing prices and selling prices (the misleadingly high asking prices he saw had been what convinced him to sell in the first place).

[Patzag]

$800 (and my favorite recent listing).

I bought a near mint hard tail for $800.00 off of someone on the old Parker forum!

[Fox]

This has got to be the most ridiculous, out to lunch Reverb listing I’ve ever seen. Parker P-42 for 11k Canadian. Although it is a “rare first year model” so…
https://reverb.com/item/85348084-parker ... year-model

I had a feeling that listing was going to show up here.

[Marcthemusician]

$800 (and my favorite recent listing).

I bought a near mint hard tail for $800.00 off of someone on the old Parker forum!

I'll double your money on that if you like!

[Patzag]

$800 (and my favorite recent listing).

I bought a near mint hard tail for $800.00 off of someone on the old Parker forum!

I'll double your money on that if you like!

This is what happened to it ... viewtopic.php?p=4188#p4188

[Marcthemusician]

I bought a near mint hard tail for $800.00 off of someone on the old Parker forum!

I'll double your money on that if you like!

This is what happened to it ... viewtopic.php?p=4188#p4188

I'm horrified and jealous!

[Marcthemusician]

Market tip: If you ever need to quickly increase the value of your '94 Galaxy Gray Deluxe (138094BP), you can use a grease-clogged kitchen sponge to speckle some pink, purple, and green acrylic paints over the clear coat until the guitar's able to be mistaken for an egg laid by a rodeo clown. Then, be sure to rub a birthday cake candle over the serial before you complete the makeover with a coup de grâce of eleven Tony Iommi crucifix stickers.

Update: For those curious about some of the more distinguished-looking Flys highlighted in this thread, this guitar (the listing for which was removed by Reverb after being marked "sold" for an unknown amount) now appears to be on consignment with the Carle Place Guitar Center in Long Island for $2,699. On Reverb, the initial asking price was $3,900 (my original post was incredulous in tone because the seller was pretending that deliberately ruining the paint job, covering the CF board with stickers, and attempting to obscure the serial were distinguishing upgrades which had caused the guitar to appreciate in value), before dropping to $2,900 prior to the sale/removal.

Photos courtesy of Guitar Center:

ruined Fly GC ad.png

ruined fly 1.jpeg

ruined fly 2.jpeg

ruined fly 3.jpeg

ruined fly 4.jpeg

ruined fly 5.jpeg

This fly has turned up yet again in the Facebook group. The current owner inquired if it was a signature model or if the "customizations" were done by the previous owner. I messaged him to suss out some info (and to lowball him) and he seems to be holding out hope that the market on these is holding strong.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/p51Uj7vvJEfr8RsW/

[mmmguitar]

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/p51Uj7vvJEfr8RsW/

Original listing.

"Keep in mind this is a collectible."

From what little I know (and without attributing any part of it to the effects of model airplane glue fumes): The Reverb seller is a lady in Arizona who buys guitars, gives them a little crayola rock makeover, and then re-lists them for more than she paid (i.e., in the manner of flippers who don't actively devalue their inventory). Despite initially listing the defaced guitar for $3,900, she sold the guitar to someone named Christopher L. for an amount lower than $2,900 after receiving ten offers. Christopher gave her positive Reverb feedback in June of 2024, before ostensibly passing the guitar on to a Guitar Center in New York the following month. The current owner posting about the guitar in the FB group seems to be discovering that Guitar Center may have offered a fictionalized account of the guitar's supervillain origin story, and/or that the guitar has been documented to an extent greater than he anticipated in the course of appraising and/or reselling it.

Though I don't know what current GC policies are, it's fairly common for music store employees to have their personally-owned gear listed as "used" store inventory on consignment (or, less ethically, to gig with someone else's gear listed on consignment outside of business hours) - So I can't rule out the possibility that a GC employee previously or currently owns what I've referred to as the "Dino Egg oatmeal" Fly. If not, then this hot potato has had four different owners over the past five months.

[Patzag]

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/p51Uj7vvJEfr8RsW/

Original listing.


FB claim.jpg


paint sponge cross sticker fly .jpg



"Keep in mind this is a collectible."

From what little I know (and without attributing any part of it to the effects of model airplane glue fumes): The Reverb seller is a lady in Arizona who buys guitars, gives them a little crayola rock makeover, and then re-lists them for more than she paid (i.e., in the manner of flippers who don't actively devalue their inventory). Despite initially listing the defaced guitar for $3,900, she sold the guitar to someone named Christopher L. for an amount lower than $2,900 after receiving ten offers. Christopher gave her positive Reverb feedback in June of 2024, before ostensibly passing the guitar on to a Guitar Center in New York the following month. The current owner posting about the guitar in the FB group seems to be discovering that Guitar Center may have offered a fictionalized account of the guitar's supervillain origin story, and/or that the guitar has been documented to an extent greater than he anticipated in the course of appraising and/or reselling it.

Though I don't know what current GC policies are, it's fairly common for music store employees to have their personally-owned gear listed as "used" store inventory on consignment (or, less ethically, to gig with someone else's gear listed on consignment outside of business hours) - So I can't rule out the possibility that a GC employee previously or currently owns what I've referred to as the "Dino Egg oatmeal" Fly. If not, then this hot potato has had four different owners over the past five months.

Good lord! We really need a LoL "Like" on this forum!

[Marcthemusician]

A nice looking MaxxFly DF624 [serial 1205025] sold almost immediately after being posted. It seems like a reasonable price. Lucky duck!

https://reverb.com/item/85498372-parker ... _sold=true

[mmmguitar]

A nice looking MaxxFly DF624 [serial 1205025] sold almost immediately after being posted. It seems like a reasonable price. Lucky duck!

https://reverb.com/item/85498372-parker ... _sold=true

It seems reasonable with respect to their having sold new for $2,599 USD - But the non-CF DF series depreciated greatly once the brand was shelved; with the DF624 able to be found for as low as $1,200 USD as recently as a year ago.

Of course, there are those who favor the non-CF DF series; with some taking advantage of this by misrepresenting Indonesian-made PDF series instruments as being US-made DF series:

PDF85 repainted and misrepresented as rare, one-off, alternate dimension artifact to be wielded by those destined to serve as the avatar of Koalemos. Last seen having successfully duped Guitar Center.

PDF80FR misrepresented as DF624, last seen having successfully duped Guitar Center.

Bonus RF522 (US-built "Nitefly Radial") misrepresented as rare, one-off, "Fly prototype" horcrux of legendary Slytherin Chris Gaines, last seen having successfully duped Guitar Center.

[Marcthemusician]

It seems reasonable with respect to their having sold new for $2,599 USD - But the non-CF DF series depreciated greatly once the brand was shelved; with the DF624 able to be found for as low as $1,200 USD as recently as a year ago.

Then I must have overpaid for my DF524! But I'm not too upset; It's the best Strat I've ever had (lol) and with the deal I got on my Fly Classic, I guess it had to be made up somewhere. Still, sorry for contributing to the inflation of values

[vaya]

4300€ for a P-42...
https://reverb.com/de/item/85348084-par ... year-model

[alembicman5]

In the 2004 price guide here on the forum there is no P42 listed. That's an outrageous price!

Thanks to this forum its easy to see when these sellers have no idea of what they are listing, or do know and are playing on the Parker name and hoping a glittery eyed buyer will take the hyperbole and snag it.

I just paid $499 for a 2001 P38. That's reasonable, and it was from Guitar Center. Will post it soon in the P series section.

[KenanJ]

Nice price drop for Europe based people for this DF724
https://reverb.com/item/70895899-parker ... t=70895899

[Marcthemusician]

A nice looking MaxxFly DF624 [serial 1205025] sold almost immediately after being posted. It seems like a reasonable price. Lucky duck!

https://reverb.com/item/85498372-parker ... _sold=true

This one appears to be for sale again, but now from a dealer in New York? Quite the quick turnaround.

Parker DF624 Radial Series 5.6 lbs. Near Mint 2015 - Root Beer Gloss https://reverb.com/item/85645664?utm_so ... t=85645664