What Can You Do With a Broken Guitar? Selling & Recycling Guide
For broken guitars, You can either choose to fix it, sell it as scrap, repurpose it or simply donate it to a worthy cause and you would be duly appreciated.
Guitars, even though bad or whenever they eventually get spoiled, are not just like regular toys that can be thrown away or easily done away with. There are lots of things that can be done with a broken guitar. In this post, I will be letting you in on five (5) things that you can actually do with a broken guitar and also answer some questions that you have always wondered about.
5 Things You Can Do With a Broken Guitar
Don’t hesitate in fixing your guitar if possible
1. Fix It
Yes. Simply Fix it. Instead of having to do away with your broken guitar, you can simply fix it thereby making it reusable. You can fix the whammy bar by loosening a few screws and adjusting the position of the motion sensors.
Though, some guitars like the “Les Paul Guitars” have design shortcomings. You can easily find out how to fix those and If you’re afraid to do it yourself, there are plenty of fix shops waiting for business.
2. Sell It
Another thing you can do is put up your guitar for sale. You can do this on social media marketplaces or someplace like Craigslist, Etsy or eBay.
All you need to do is, create an ad for it by taking as many photos of the guitar as possible and putting up the necessary information about the item. This includes the model, make and condition of the guitar stating what’s wrong with it. Just try to be as honest and upfront about the guitar’s condition as possible.
If it’s a vintage guitar or a high-end guitar from a popular brand, take it to an antique dealer, specialty pawn shop or a collectors’ convention. The issue with this option is that it is not usually an easy venture.
Having to sell a used item and in this case, not just a used but a broken item. You can imagine, right? It’s a handful. Except it’s a really valuable one like the 50s-70s vintage, at least with that, you can be sure to get the cash that’s worth it.
3. Recycle
If you’re artistic, handy and innovative, you could use your old guitar to make something impressive and functional. Many folks repurpose their guitars for more practical uses and sure you too can.
Electric guitar bodies can transform into wall clocks, chair backs or even coat racks. You can turn acoustic guitars into a pot for plants, a dollhouse, tables, chairs, suitcases, bookshelves, hangers etc.
The problem that comes with recycling is the fact that if you are not a very artistic person, you might not be able to make out anything from this precious item of yours. But if you can, it’s usually worth it as you can easily turn it into simple homemade furniture for your comfort.
4. Give it up (Charity)
Depending on the condition of the old guitar, you can donate it to a worthy cause. If it’s in playable condition but doesn’t have any real value, give it to a charitable auction, a youth program or a local school.
Never give away a guitar that isn’t in good working order or looks presentable. You might think about contacting a luthier if your old guitar is a pure junk item that isn’t worth any money or is completely unusable. Yes. Consider giving the guitar to a luthier or school of luthiers if it is in a terrible, unplayable condition. Regardless of its state, they will joyfully accept the guitar.
5. Make a New Instrument
Modern technology allows for the possibility of repurposing antique instruments to create new ones. A piano, for instance, sounds entirely different after passing through some guitar pedals.
Make sure all of your instrument’s parts are still working properly before carefully removing them to avoid causing any more harm. Think about attempting to improvise a new instrument out of it. Look into websites that cover topics like how to make cigar-box guitars.
You can reposition tuners and fasten objects. Put some improvised tuners on it, start with a nut at the fifth fret, and create a higher-tuned beast. The hardest parts of constructing an instrument are typically the sound box and frets, which you already have.
However, the truth is that guitars look deceivingly simple in structure, but they are rather actually made up of many parts. Sometimes, it might be a waste of energy and resources trying to make something different out of it all by yourself. But then, If you don’t consider it a burden, enjoy the flow.
Read Also: 4 Common Things That Ruin Guitar Pickups
How To Sell Your Broken Guitar
Increase the value of your guitar by cleaning it
You must prepare your guitar before listing it for sale if you want to attract the right buyer despite the guitar’s broken state. Below are tips to go about reselling your broken guitar.
1. Clean it Thoroughly
The instrument must first be thoroughly cleaned in all directions. You only need a clean set of strings, some lemon oil, and a soft towel to achieve this.
To access the neck and fretboard, you must first take out the old strings. Then liberally spray the board with lemon oil after taking a good amount.
Replace the strings after gently polishing each region of the fretboard to ensure that all dirt has been removed, being careful to finish the task neatly and leave no extra strings hanging from the instrument. It’s always a good idea to cut surplus string with wire cutters.
2. Ensure Accurate and Descriptive Listing Information
You must make sure that the details you provide about your guitar are complete and appropriately reflect the instrument’s state. If you don’t disclose the damage the instrument has sustained, the customer won’t be overly happy with their purchase and might even ask for a refund.
3. Capture and Upload High-Quality Photos
Taking high-quality pictures is one of the best ways to make sure that your instrument gets noticed by potential customers. It’s unlikely that posting a single hazy shot of your instrument will generate any interest. Use the greatest camera you can afford, and shoot from several angles.
It is also important that as you are about to put it up, you check out the current market price of the guitar as it will provide you with an average price that your guitar has sold for so that you can avoid setting a price too low or too outrageous for your potential customers.
Are Older Guitars More Valuable?
Older guitars are usually more valuable because The (tensile) strength-to-weight ratio of wood generally increases with age, resulting in a guitar that is more sensitive and resonant.
This explains why older guitars frequently sound better than younger ones because as they age and dry out, they grow tougher and produce tones that are more resonant and have higher sustain.
However, regardless of whether they are broken or not, people will almost always favor antique guitars over newer ones because of the wood. This is another factor in the higher cost and increased demand for older equipment, particularly guitars. Typically, expensive woods like the renowned “Brazilian Rosewood” are used to make the instruments.
How To Get Rid of an Old Guitar
Save reusable parts for future use
To get rid of old guitars, You can either disassemble the parts and save the reusable parts, or you simply upcycle or recycle them or give them out.
As for saving the usable parts; tuning pegs, knobs, pre-amp, pickups, pickguards, strap buttons, and even the cavity covers and screws must be set aside if they are still in good working condition.
Players and builders are always in need of these parts and new ones could get expensive or difficult to obtain. So, you see, instead of immediately disposing of or recycling the old broken guitar, you can put the guitar parts to good use by offering musicians and luthiers a much cheaper alternative.
Also, you could choose to just upcycle or recycle them. Parts of the guitar like the electronic, metal and wood part are better upcycled than just gotten rid of carelessly. A guitar requires effort and knowledge to fix or upcycle, so you may want to save your time and resources by giving it for free to someone who could benefit from it by repairing or repurposing the instrument.
Can a Damaged Guitar Be Fixed?
Damaged guitar can be fixed using epoxy or super glue to reassemble the components if the break is minor. If the break is larger, you might need to fill the gaps with wood filler, sand the guitar body, and then paint it to restore its original appearance.
The majority of minor damage is rather simple to fix, and even if the damage appears to be significant, a skilled luthier can frequently fix the guitar. However, it could be preferable to replace the guitar totally if the body is seriously damaged.
Read Also: 3 Reasons & Fixes To Pedal Crackling, Popping & Buzzing
FAQs
Q: Will Guitar Center Buy Broken Guitars?
Usually, stores in the Guitar center chain will like to buy a broken guitar unless it’s a very valuable instrument.
However, you should fill out a form if you’re interested in selling your used equipment, and a representative from Guitar Center will get in touch with you. If interested, they will do an evaluation in-store and present you with a proposal. You will be compensated when a purchase agreement has been established using cash, a check, a gift card, or shop credit.
Q: Where Can I Sell My Guitar Fast?
If you want to obtain the most money for your musical instruments and other music equipment, I’d highly suggest selling your gear on Craigslist or Reverb. If you absolutely must have the money now, just turn to eBay or stores like Guitar Center.
