After The Gold Rush

We join Dan Orkin of Reverb.com to find out more about the current state of the vintage-guitar market and hear his expert tips on how to get a great deal on your next second-hand or vintage guitar – and avoid expensive mistakes…

- Jamie Dickson

As content director for online marketplace Reverb.com, Dan Orkin has his finger on the pulse of the vintage market. Here, he explains how to get a good deal on a fine old guitar – without getting burnt.

How is the vintage guitar market at the moment? Is it a good time to buy vintage?

“Generally speaking, the vintage market has been relatively flat for the past few years. There are always going to be flare-ups in particular areas of interest, or trends that come and go. But, as far as opportunities for a general buyer go, it’s not a bad time to be looking. It’s not like things are overpriced, as they have been at certain periods in the past. There are a lot of good opportunities out there. That would be my first high-level observation.”

What’s the best approach if you’re interested in buying online?

“The general things that apply to buying anything used, especially online but in person too, are obviously applicable to guitar-buying. Reading every bit of description, looking at every picture, getting the sense of what you’re getting into when considering a vintage purchase – that’s square one.

“With Reverb, for example, we make it easy to communicate with the seller and open up a dialogue before making a bid. Ask questions, ask for clarification, try to engage the seller in an open relationship there. What we find is that the people who are into vintage guitars generally love talking about it, and they’re usually very passionate about it – and they’ve bought that guitar for a reason.