By Rebecca Apodaca – ASI is now one year old. I thought it would be good to do a recap on our baker’s dozen. With this past year of writing the ASI articles, I hope I have helped to fill gaps in your professional knowledge, provided explanations to your customer base about what is in a Certified Appraisal and given answers to commonly asked questions within a retail environment. I have also explained how a disinterested third-party valuation works and given advice on the ways to see value within the products of our industry and our manufacturers. We have reported some unusual instruments that rarely come through our retail front doors. We want to thank all of you for your positive responses, and look forward to continuing to write these monthly articles. We encourage you to have me research a particular instrument, and to send photos along with any information you know.
Let’s look back:
April 2010 issue
Appraisal Scene Investigation is Born
A Musical Typewriter – A very unusual mechanical device used to type sheet music for band
directors and small orchestras. It didn’t really catch on, as it was ver y difficult to operate.
However, after it was appraised, it was sold to a man in Dubai.
www.msretailer.com/download/PdF/2010_04_MSR_p01-54.pdf Page 43
May 2010 issue
Identification
A 1960 Gretsch Country Gentleman, my second restoration that
started back in the 1990s, before all the guitar books were written and
before the Internet was full of accessible information. What it took to
identify it and restore it during an 18-year period.
www.msretailer.com/download/PDF/2010_05_MSR_p01-56.pdf Page 43
June 2010 issue
Ukulele, Ukelin, Ukele, Guituke, Polk-a-lay-lee Treholipee, What the Hey?
We looked at variations of ukuleles, and instruments that were named
similarly, from Hawaii to Indonesia and Holland to San Clemente, Calif.
www.msretailer.com/download/PDF/2010_06_MSR_p01-64.pdf Page 49
July 2010 issue
What is a Certified Appraisal?
I talked about how a Certified Appraisal is based on actual comparable
sales. It includes history of the manufacturer and that model; a detailed
description of the instrument and today’s market; a bibliography
of where the information was researched; a Glossary of terms; Privacy
Policy; Limiting Conditions, showing the appraiser is a disinterested
third party; and the Appraiser’s Credentials, showing education in
appraisal studies, membership in an appraisal group and knowledge of
their particular field.
www.msretailer.com/download/PDF/2010_07_MSR_DE.pdf Page 43
August 2010 issue
Grandma Says it’s a Stradivarius
I explained why everyone thinks they have a REAL Stradivari violin.
www.msretailer.com/download/PDF/2010_08_MSR_DE.pdf Page 43
September 2010 issue
What is the difference between a Violin and a Fiddle?
Two common names used to describe the same instrument, but there
could be some differences in the way it was setup with bridge and strings.
www.msretailer.com/download/PDF/2010_09_MSR_DE.pdf Page 35
October 2010 issue
‘It takes an Industry’ Hard to Find Comparable Sale – BC Rich
Here, I showed that, when we come across one-of-a-kind or rare
instruments, it takes many sources to set valuation. It is a tribute to a
great guitar builder.
www.msretailer.com/download/PDF/2010_10_MSR_DE.pdf Page 43
November 2010 issue
Sheet Music Library: Public Domain or Valuable
In our unsung heroes’ issue, a library of sheet music is valued for an
Estate Settlement. The library spanned a time period of 145 years, from
1825 to 1970, and was written in six languages. Parts of the library were
during the time some of the composers were alive.
www.msretailer.com/download/PDF/2010_11_MSR_DE.pdf Page 51
December 2010 issue
How the Grinch Steals your Guitars
Here, I offered inventory sheets to the industry to help organize your personal
collection of instruments, and advised that information should be kept
where a family member would know what you have to protect it in case of
your death. The flip side was a greedy family trying to sell off their brother’s
instruments before they had even removed his body from his home.
www.msretailer.com/download/PDF/2010_12_MSR_DE.pdf Page 43
January 2011 issue
Last Man Standing, What are R.C. Allen’s Guitars Worth?
In this article, we paid tribute to RC Allen, the last man of his generation
of Southern California guitar builders: Christopher J. Knutsen,
Hermann Weissenborn, John/Rudy Dopyera, Adolph Rickenbacher, Doc
Kaufman, Leo Fender/George Fullerton, Paul Bigsby and Lowell Kiesel.
www.msretailer.com/download/PDF/2011_01_MSR_DE.pdf Page 73
February 2011 issue
Get Ready for Mardi Gras
The German Schalmei multi-belled horns were invented for the military,
but were used by Nazi youth and, eventually, became the standard
for European emergency vehicles.
www.msretailer.com/download/PDF/2011_02_MSR_DE.pdf Pages 41,52
March 2011 issue
Last Man Standing, What are R.C. Allen’s Guitars Worth? Part 2
A continuation of January’s story, which showed how we can value an
instrument that has been modified and had historical value.
www.msretailer.com/download/PDF/2011_03_MSR_DE.pdf Page 57
April 2011 issue
The Value of Quality
This was an exploration into what will hold the value from year to
year, seen through the background of Rickenbacker guitars and basses.
Value is in the pride of culture and Yamaha’s Japanese Kando.
www.msretailer.com/download/PDF/2011_04_MSR_DE.pdf Page 41