Sorry for the long winded post but much has changed in the last 20 years with regards to finding Uncle Matts here in the US, particularly in good shape at reasonable prices.
About the only way to find these guitars in the states is online which means I can't play it first. It is less risky when I know the quality standards of the manufacturer. The closest REAL guitar store to me is over 40 or 50 miles away (Guitar Sinner or MusicgoGrind) and they seldom have what I am looking for or if they do they want an exorbitant amount for their "vintage" and "rare" gear. Two terms that turn me off immediately. There are closer stores but they primarily focus on cheapie Chinese guitars for beginners and overpriced American guitars whose design has not changed in over 65 years. Pawn shops are all but gone here and they usually only have junk like Ibanez GAX or Squire Stratocrappers. If they do have a nice guitar it is always WAY overpriced and they refuse to bargain. Not like the old days when I would head for the door and they'd stop me and work with me to sell the guitar. That's how I got the Vantage Ghost. They wanted $250, I said $100. We settled on $150 with OHSC.
There is just as much if not more risk buying new guitars online as they are most often made by manufacturers that are more concerned about price point than they are about quality of materials and workmanship. At least guitars under $1500. The PRS SE Standard wasn't much of a risk because PRS is directly involved with the manufacturing process and quality of materials used. There again I paid for that level of QC as well ($579). The Harley Benton was cheap enough that I wouldn't be out much if I didn't like it and considering they come exclusively from Thomann in Germany are hard to find here in the States should I decide to sell it.
I have been lucky so far. Just like back when Matsumoku was unknown, by looking in nooks and under rocks I have been finding unsung gems like the Drive Wildfire X2s and X3s, the CastleRock, the Silvertone SPN5, the Greg Bennett series and the JR Beck. All turned out to be great players. When I got them I factored in the possibility of changing out components such as pickups or the hated ABR1 bridges which dictated how much I was willing to go. For every guitar I have I walked away from 30 or more.
I probably gauge "pristine" a little lower than most. I expect some player wear for something this old. Pristine to me is relative. Especially on the hardware plating with the bridge and tailpiece in particular. As far as playability goes 95% of it is in the setup and sometimes it takes me several weeks to get a guitar dialed in to suit me. I've even had to cook a few necks. If this guitar were truly pristine by my standards then by all rights it should sell for a LOT more than what I am paying.
I have a couple of very nice graphics programs and can explode pics to show hidden flaws. The pickup ring and height screws, tuner buttons, bridge/tailpiece posts and the pointy bits of the headstock will often show how a guitar was treated. All are clean save for a small amount of tarnishing on the bridge and tailpiece (which will probably clean up like they did on the PE-450) and the bridge posts are a little chewed up from someone using the wrong size screwdriver to adjust them but this happens on a LOT of guitars.
I see a lot of Uncle Matts for sale on eBull located in Japan and the prices are most often inflated and the shipping is outrageous. Some as much as $190 but I have seen higher. There may be some bargains to be had there yet but the trip across the pond costs more than I am willing to pay. I've not seen a single set neck PE for under $1000 on Reverb save for a PE-600 at $700 all totaled which is in line with common asking prices. I already have a PE-450 which is close enough.
https://reverb.com/item/49358458-aria-p ... e-600-1980Here is a perfect example of what I find most often. It is beat to cr4p and they want far more than it is worth not to mention it is misidentified as a PE- R60 but in reality is a PE-60. No way I'd pay anywhere near that much! I got a PE-60 in about 2003 for just under $300. I might go $100 plus the trip on this one. No way in H E double toothpics is this worth $800 plus the trip. In their dreams maybe. I don't do relic either. Another term that turns my stomach. "Let's trash a perfectly good guitar! It'll be fun!"
https://www.musicgoround.com/product/41 ... ric-guitarHere is another. Everything that made this a unique guitar is long gone. And they want $750 plus the trip? And no, it is not lawsuit. I may have a pair of underwear in my drawer that were probably made during the "lawsuit era" but that doesn't make them special. Even trade maybe???
https://www.musicgoround.com/product/40 ... ar-ca-1977If they aren't apparently beat senseless the prices are outrageous. Maybe I'm spoiled having had so many at a reasonable price.
$500 for a CS-250??? BTW great pic guys! It tells me a lot. I have a 15 year old phone that takes better pics.
https://www.guitarcenter.com/Used/Aria/ ... ia&index=9On occasion there is something reasonable but still more than I would pay.
https://www.guitarcenter.com/Used/Aria/ ... a&index=20Most often I run across guitars like this.
https://www.musicgoround.com/product/41 ... ric-guitarWay more than I would pay but it's not like they are asking for your first born. That TS has seen better days though. The crack in the neck pocket and mis-matched saddle is enough for me to say
. Not to mention the dings and the mushy pointy bits on the headstock. This thing was rocked HARD.
There are some really nice set neck Uncle Matt PEs on Reverb but the price is much nicer to the seller than the buyer. I paid under $400 for the two I have (one brand new) so there is no way I am paying $1200 or better. Let the Richie Riches pay that. It's like trying to find a Carvin now. They start at $1000 and go up from there and that is here in the states where they were made.
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