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Author
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Topic: Bigsby "lap steel" on ebay
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Jussi Huhtakangas
Member From: Helsinki, Finland
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posted 02 September 2005 04:53 AM
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Here: http://cgi.ebay.com/EARLY-1950s-PAUL-BIGSBY-MADE-STEEL-GUITAR_W0QQitemZ7347765402QQcategoryZ2384QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem Actually it most likely is not a genuine Bigsby guitar, but rather a Bigsby pedal steel neck from a hacked up guitar on a "homemade" birdseye platform. It has a pedal steel changer bridge with # 1 stamped on it. Also it has the raised graphics fretboard which makes it a pre -54. Will make a killer non pedal steel for someone though. |
BobbeSeymour
Member From: Hendersonville TN USA
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posted 02 September 2005 07:26 AM
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Jussi, I feel you are totally correct. This is a neck that was left over when someone made a double out of a triple. It had three fingers on it when it was all together as an original pedal guitar. Paul himself would not have used the "pedal" guitar bridge on a "Non-pedal" guitar. Interesting, wonder where these parts really came from. Someone that now has a double neck with the wrong endcastings quite possibly. Bobbe
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Andy Volk
Member From: Boston, MA
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posted 02 September 2005 07:46 AM
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And the reserve has been met at $650! |
Rick Garrett
Member From: Tyler, Texas
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posted 02 September 2005 08:01 AM
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Bet it does sound good. Rick |
Jussi Huhtakangas
Member From: Helsinki, Finland
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posted 03 September 2005 12:53 AM
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Rick, oh yes it does!! The Bigsby PU's are amazing. And since the reserve wasn't stratospheric, someone WILL get a killer steel. |
Bill Hatcher
Member From: Atlanta Ga. USA
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posted 06 September 2005 07:12 PM
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Up to $1500. |
Bill Thomson
Member From: Ocean City, Maryland, USA
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posted 11 September 2005 07:40 PM
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Sold $4,292. Somebody is now the proud new owner of a BIGSBY single neck steel. |
Jussi Huhtakangas
Member From: Helsinki, Finland
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posted 11 September 2005 10:43 PM
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Wow, I sure hope the winner doesn't think he scored an actual Bigsby steel ( and there were lot more than just 47 made )because that's not what it is. Like I said earlier, it's just a Bigsby pedal steel neck on a homemade board. |
HowardR
Member From: N.Y.C.,N.Y.
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posted 12 September 2005 06:16 AM
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4K? Ouch!.....that's gotta hurt! |
BobbeSeymour
Member From: Hendersonville TN USA
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posted 12 September 2005 06:45 AM
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Does this mean that a "real, true, complete", Bigsby steel guitar is worth over a hundred thousand dollars?
I guess the secret here is where to shop and where not to shop.
Proof, E-bay is a wonderful place to sell, not to buy. |
HowardR
Member From: N.Y.C.,N.Y.
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posted 12 September 2005 09:26 AM
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It's a good place to buy if you have knowledge of what you're bidding on and common sense.I've done well on ebay. |
basilh
Member From: United Kingdom
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posted 12 September 2005 03:29 PM
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The gentleman who bought it sent me this quote:
Thanks:
You're the second of your group to alert me. Thanks a bunch, let all the guys know, I agree with all, I'm still holding out a bit until I actully have the guitar in my hands, but, at the very least, I believe the guitar is worth it, provided it trully is a Bigsby, which I think we all agree it is. What, with Gibson PAF pickups going for upwards of 8K each, I think the pickup alone is worth the price of admission.
But even a single neck off a triple neck steel is way worth it in my opinion. I've sold a few Bigsby instruments over the last few years, including Grady Martins double neck, I feel very comfortable with this purchase. I writing you this so that you might pass the word along to the forum. I'll keep you posted once I get the guitar.
All the best,
Dave
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Joey Ace
Sysop From: Southern Ontario, Canada
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posted 12 September 2005 04:36 PM
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Very interesting reply.
Thanks for taking the time Dave, and thanks for posting it Basil.$8K for a Pickup!!!?? Maybe an F150. |
BobbeSeymour
Member From: Hendersonville TN USA
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posted 12 September 2005 06:57 PM
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With this kind of thinking, then all true original, complete Bigsbys in good condition should truly be worth $100.000.00. The #1 stamped on the neck means this is the nearest neck on the triple neck guitar. Paul did this on every guitar I've ever seen which has been many. I have owned 16 Bigsby guitars in the past, several of which I played professionally. I still am the owner of two.
This single neck is only part of an original guitar. Not a true complete "Bigsby" guitar, but rather a series of left over parts. What is the value of a Bigsby pickup anywhere else except on a Bigsby guitar? Not much I'm afraid. They are very microphonic, even when new. Only wound to two thousand ohms. Upon trying these pickups on other brands of guitars over the years, the results were very disappointing. They only seem to be a good functioning unit on the guitar they were designed for.
The only value that I can see coming from these parts is to design and build a partly original new creation after collecting as many otrher Bigsby parts as possible from any sorce possible, i.e. Paul Warnick.
These parts can be duplicated if one has a total original Bigsby guitar to dismantel and cast new parts from. But this recreation still wouldn't be an original Bigsby, hence the value wouldn't be any more than any other "home made" steel guitar.
Am I missing something here? Why are these parts worth this money without the guitar they came from? I just bought my two Bigsby steel guitars complete, off this forum. I paid less than $4800.00,, for BOTH! Both were very good and original. One was 100% original and the other is close. I feel I paid about what the guitars should be worth. Oh, I found many others for $5-6000.00 but there are still several out there priced very fairly. I'm not too sure that E-bay is the place to shop though.
Yea, I'll sell mine for fifty thousand each, about half what they'd be worth on e-bay.
E-mail me, I need the money. But the price is firm! Ha! Ha! |
Jussi Huhtakangas
Member From: Helsinki, Finland
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posted 12 September 2005 11:44 PM
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Well, if the gentleman who won it, is the one who sold the Grady Martin guitar, I don't think the 4K's hurt that much 
I would really like to know though what was the guitar that this neck originally came from, for history's sake, but I guess we'll never know.
As a sidenote; in -70 Ted McCarthy who then owned the Bigsby company offered to sell a customer a ten string Bigsby neck for $4.40 !!!! [This message was edited by Jussi Huhtakangas on 13 September 2005 at 12:00 AM.] |
HowardR
Member From: N.Y.C.,N.Y.
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posted 13 September 2005 04:40 AM
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Jussi, I didn't say it hurt him,....it hurt me!.....  |
Ian Finlay
Member From: Kenton, UK
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posted 13 September 2005 05:28 AM
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Bobbe, if there are indeed several out there priced fairly, would you drop me an email saying where they are?They're a bit hard to come by over here. Ian |
Ray Montee
Member From: Portland, OR, USA
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posted 13 September 2005 05:31 AM
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Bobbe & Jussi..........Just curious: What would you guess my pristine, 4-neck, 32-string, six pedal, all original with no damage EVER.........might be worth in face of the on-going hysteria out there one eBay?
I realize only a would-be bidder/collector can make the final decision on that but.....By the way, does/did Billy Robinson of the olde Red Foley Grand Ole Opry days, have any idea where HIS early Bigsby lap steel might have gone? |
Jussi Huhtakangas
Member From: Helsinki, Finland
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posted 13 September 2005 06:18 AM
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Ray, I don't think I'm worthy to estimate the value of your guitar, I can't even put a price tag on mine ( but I have been grinning like a greasy pig ever since this auction ended, ha-ha). But judging by this particular auction here, and knowing your guitar, you'd probably collect a serious five figure number with yours  . Ebay is funny though, not too long ago the Billy Mize/Larry Petree T8 guitar in nice shape collected the winning bid somewhere around 8K's. Now this one neck only scored 4K's. Talk about increase in value  |
Dan Sawyer
Member From: Studio City, California, USA
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posted 13 September 2005 10:15 AM
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I'm glad to know the buyer knew what he was getting into. Nevertheless his comment about original PAF pickups being worth $8000 is so far off, it's laughable! |
BobbeSeymour
Member From: Hendersonville TN USA
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posted 13 September 2005 10:40 AM
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Jurgan Koop wants to sell a D-8, 5 ped Bigsby for five thousand, Terry Bethel may take seven grand for his triple, and Nick Maniscalco would take $6900.00 for his immaculate D 8, 5 pedal.
All good deals because of originality and condition.
PAF pickups are about two hundred each in Nashville now, where can I get eight thousand for mine?[This message was edited by BobbeSeymour on 13 September 2005 at 10:42 AM.] |
Keith Cordell
Member From: Atlanta
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posted 13 September 2005 11:28 AM
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That was my thought Dan, his idea that PAF's are worth 8K is ridiculous. He might be right about vintage parts being worth getting, but that is a hell of a lot of dough for a couple of Bigsby parts on a homecrafted lap steel. |
HowardR
Member From: N.Y.C.,N.Y.
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posted 13 September 2005 01:36 PM
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Oh heck!....just buy a Superslide & be done with it!...... |
Dan Sawyer
Member From: Studio City, California, USA
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posted 13 September 2005 05:54 PM
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Does anybody have a current phone number for Terry Bethel or Nick? I'm interested in their guitars. (I have a number for Nick in the 208 area code, but it's no good.) |
BobbeSeymour
Member From: Hendersonville TN USA
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posted 13 September 2005 07:36 PM
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I don't have the numbers at the moment but they should both be easy to find.
Both of these guitars are very nice. Nick's is the double that I used to have, original owner was Ernie Ball, Terry's is a triple and the original owner was Mike Young.
Good luck, and remember, there are more available out there, just hunt with an open billfold. No matter what you pay, it will be hard to loose any money when you sell. Like the Emmons P-P, Sho-Bud SP II, A.C. Cobra, Mustang G.T. 350, and so on--------->
Bobbe[This message was edited by BobbeSeymour on 13 September 2005 at 07:37 PM.] |
wt golden
Member From: Houston, Texas, USA
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posted 13 September 2005 08:14 PM
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I would like to talk to Jurgan Koop about his guitar. If any one knows how I can get in-touch with him please let me know. |
BobbeSeymour
Member From: Hendersonville TN USA
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posted 13 September 2005 09:12 PM
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I just found out that the "Koop" guitar is just the guitar, no legs, case, pedal bar, rods etc. However, these things can be duplicated, at least the guitar is available and intact as far as the body and necks go. It actually looks pretty good. Just not all there. Bobbe
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Jussi Huhtakangas
Member From: Helsinki, Finland
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posted 13 September 2005 10:46 PM
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Hey Bobbe, do you know who was the original owner of Jurgen's guitar? Just curious!! |
Joe Savage
Member From: St. Paul, MN
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posted 13 September 2005 11:00 PM
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The lucky seller of this Bigsby neck is a friend of mine and as you could tell by his low reserve, never expected anything like this. He believes the neck came to him from the Dakotas and somebody bought it at an estate sale or something, but doesn't really know the history behind it. I saw the guitar at his place a couple weeks before he put it on ebay and recognized it as a Bigsby right away, even though I'm no expert or anything. He's just as blown away by the price as everyone else.
Joe Savage |
BobbeSeymour
Member From: Hendersonville TN USA
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posted 14 September 2005 08:20 AM
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Think about this, the winner wasn't the only big bidder, he had to have someone else bidding against him for the price to get that high. This means there must have been several bidders wanting to pay very big money for those parts. Parts are all they were. Without a Bigsby serial number, it's not a Bigsby guitar, only a Bigsby part.
This means what? It means if I want to sell my triple neck Bigsby, I should dismantle it, sell all the parts individually, wow, think about the money I could potentially get! Many times more than as a complete unit?
I'm having trouble with this. Bobbe
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BobbeSeymour
Member From: Hendersonville TN USA
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posted 14 September 2005 08:33 AM
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Jussi, the "KOOP" Bigsby is the Bob Tucker guitar, still has his name on it. Looks good except for the wrong tuning keys on it. Yea, sans legs, rods, pedal bar and such, Still worth three grand, at least. Possibly more in all reality, yea, I'd give more > Bobbster |
Herb Steiner
Member From: Cedar Valley, Travis County TX
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posted 14 September 2005 09:11 AM
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If you look at the bidding history, most bidders dropped out after $1800 or so. A third guy quit at $2750, so it was two guys battling it out getting up to 4300. Now the guy that came in 2nd did so because he wouldn't pay 43, so the next battle may be between him and the guy that quit @ 2750.All of which tells me that the next neck up for sale won't go nearly that high, unless the original buyer decides he wants to assemble a Bigsby one piece at a time!. That's when I take the screwdriver to my triple-8... NOT!!! ------------------
Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association
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wt golden
Member From: Houston, Texas, USA
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posted 14 September 2005 09:28 AM
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I can settle this whole thing. This is the story of the Bigsby neck bid. I don't think the winning bidder will like it - but it makes sense.I have been looking for a Bigsby for some time now. I saw the single neck and thought that I could make something out of it that would be a great sounding guitar - and I wouldn't really care if it was a collectable Bigsby - just as long as it sounded like one. I put in a couple of bids early and then waited till the end. Like all ebay bids go - it all comes down to the last few seconds. I am son8 on the ebay world and I bid 2424.00. I think this is a bit expensive, but I was willing to pay it. Now - all of this happens with in seconds but I put in my bid and was the winning bidder at 1826.00 which I think would be a great price for the neck. The I hit refresh and am still the winning bidder at 2800.00 which is weird because I didn't think I bid that much. I think I missed a bullet because I really bid 4242.00 instead of 2424.00 on the neck. Had I won it at 2800.00 I would have still paid for it and loved the neck but I would have been a little disappointed in my lack of judgement on the last second bid - but to my shock I hit refresh and was out bid by 4292.00. So I hope I am not responsible for a huge run in Bigsby prices but when you look at it the bid auction we have: 3 people who would pay from 1700 - 2500 dollars for a Bigsby neck - a bit pricey, but not outrageous. 1 mistake bid and 1 really high bid from someone that might not really know the true value of the neck - but then again we could be wrong about that as well. So that is the mystery of the Bigsby neck on ebay. I am still interested in the Koop guitar and will try my luck elsewhere - but for now the mystery is revealed.
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Jussi Huhtakangas
Member From: Helsinki, Finland
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posted 14 September 2005 10:17 AM
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Ok Bobbe, thanks for the info. I've seen a recent picture of the ( Jurgen's ) Bob Tucker guitar. Mike Black just told me that the pedals on it were added by Junior Blankenship, not by Bigsby. When I saw the picture I thought they were done by Chuck Wright since the pedal rack looked like the ones on the early Wright Customs, but apparently not so. So WT, this might be a guitar for you since you're not necessarily after a complete and totally original ( but playable and restorable ) Bigsby guitar. Meaning of course, that it is for sale. (?) |
Mike Black
Member From: New Mexico, USA
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posted 14 September 2005 10:51 AM
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Well, Chaos Creates Cash. I'm kinda surprised at the winning bidders reply, and the sellers description. I'm not sure who the buyer is but I know one former owner of the G Martin guitar. |
HowardR
Member From: N.Y.C.,N.Y.
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posted 14 September 2005 11:42 AM
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You just can't make up stuff like this! Love it!
quote:
I know one former owner of the G Martin guitar.
Which one do you know, Grady or Martin?[This message was edited by HowardR on 14 September 2005 at 01:49 PM.] |
BobbeSeymour
Member From: Hendersonville TN USA
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posted 14 September 2005 02:57 PM
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WTG, great history of this bidding war, as HowardR said, you just can't make up stuff like this.
Seems as though you did cost the winner several hundred, but then, whats that kind of money to a big roller,,,,,,,
Yep, I'm also a big time Bigsby lover, guess I'm real bad, it started in the '50s.
Back then, if a guy owned a Bigsby, he could get work just because he had one. Being a great player wasn't mandatory. However, most Bigsby players were very good, as we all now know.
Such a saga. I love it! Play mine every day.
Bobbe Seymour |
Jussi Huhtakangas
Member From: Helsinki, Finland
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posted 14 September 2005 10:43 PM
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Hey Howard, we "Bigsby-w@nkers" could easily beat the ZB-topic with freaky detailed information. And beware, if you ever own one, we'll track you down |
Al Terhune
Member From: Newcastle, WA
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posted 15 September 2005 07:10 AM
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True about parting things out -- most cars are more valuable when you part them than sell them whole... |
BobbeSeymour
Member From: Hendersonville TN USA
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posted 15 September 2005 06:06 PM
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This may be true for the human body also,
Whew! I just know I'd rather have a whole, complete '65 Shelby again than the parts, or a Bigsby that's all original than a neck/pickup to look at.
I did have one Bigsby that I had very little use for, a four neck, two pedal, and I sold it to someone in Dallas afew years ago, a non-player that just wanted a "four neck something", and he sure did get it. $600.00 plus shipping. Now this guitar would have been worth a lot more in parts, I hope this is where this e-bay neck came from. But I know it didn't, I think Paul Warnick ended up with this quad, and sold it.
Bobbe |
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