How Much Is a Vintage Cort 12 String Acoustic Guitar Worth

October 31, 2022 8:06 PM

I have a Cort AJ-870 12 string guitar. Serial # is 02022085. It looks to be a 2002 that is in excellent shape and has hardly been played. A friend of mine purchased it, played some intimate events and left it behind at another friends house Looking for someone who knows the value of guitar. Cursory Google searches show used versions selling fro between $175-$225. These seem relatively new. No dates are given as to when they were built

A 2002 Cort (different style) is selling for $600

What is a realistic asking price?

posted by goalyeehah to Media & Arts (5 answers total)

The one you linked to is in Australia, so that isn't a good comparison for price.
A few things to keep in mind:
• 20 years old isn't "vintage", so you're not going to be able to ask a higher price because of its age
• The Cort factory makes a lot of guitars for other companies, and they make good stuff, but the Cort name isn't a real draw like Fender or Gibson or Martin or Taylor
• Look for completed sales to see what similar models have actually sold for, not what people are asking
• There was one listed on Reverb four years ago for $125, and it says it was made in China (I think Cort's Indonesia factory is the one that typically makes guitars for other companies, but I could be wrong)
• Twelve string guitars aren't super popular these days

So, I don't think that's a particularly valuable guitar. I'd list it on Craigslist for $200 and see what happens, and then be prepared to lower the price if you want to get rid of it. Or take it to Guitar Center and trade it in for something else. (they usually give a 15% discount when you trade something in).If you put it on Reverb, you've got to deal them taking their cut and you shipping it, which would be expensive.
posted by jonathanhughes at 8:33 PM on October 31, 2022 [4 favorites]

In addition to what jonathanhughes has said, it's also fairly likely that the guitar will need some basic setup work done to make it comfortable to play again - both because it's 20 years old, and because a 12-string puts much more stress on the neck and body than a regular guitar. One advantage of selling through a shop is that they should sort this out for you if needed.
posted by offog at 5:15 AM on November 1, 2022

Around here, you'd probably be lucky to get $200 on craigslist. In the US, the Cort brand is associated with lower end instruments, though in the industry, they're quite well respected. That, plus 12 string, not a lot of demand.
posted by 2N2222 at 5:29 AM on November 1, 2022

Good advice. Definitely try not to ship it...shipping a guitar will likely cost you $60-$80 at the moment.
posted by nosila at 6:19 AM on November 1, 2022

If you walk into a guitar store, they will likely set the value by pulling up Reverb and sorting through SOLD listings for that model and/or similar models. Ignore listed prices for unsold instruments, especially used. A cursory glance at Reverb shows new 12-string Cort acoustics listed for $329.

While guitar prices have increased dramatically with inflation, guitars are worth what someone is willing to pay for it. Cort is not a highly regarded brand, 12-strings are not highly in demand. I would not expect to get more than $150-200 on a sale or trade-in.
posted by gnutron at 8:25 AM on November 1, 2022