We are happy to make written appraisals of instruments which we have personally examined. It is necessary to bring the instrument to the shop either personally, or by shipping in order to have an appraisal made. If you have a large extensive collection, arrangements can be made to visit the collection for the purpose of making written appraisal.

Our appraisals have been accepted by major insurance companies, airlines, shipping agencies, and even in several court cases which have resulted in immediate settlements. However, we cannot make a written appraisal of an instrument which we have not seen, so it is imperative to have your instrument appraised before it is damaged or stolen. We appraise instruments for their fair market value, and our appraisal includes the value of the instrument, it's description, history (if available) and a notation of the repairs/alterations and current condition.

Please note that we cannot appraise an instrument over the phone, nor from photographs. Labels are notoriously inaccurate, and assessing the current condition of any instrument requires personally examining it. The condition of an instrument encompasses much more than the brilliance of the varnish or newness of the frets.

We charge a flat $100 fee for a written appraisal, and if your instrument is historically significant, it will utomatically be included in our archive of historical guitar documentation with your name registered as the current owner. In some cases we have been able to provide the current owners a chain of ownership extending right back to the original maker of an instrument, although this is not common.