Vintage Verified has built relationships with a select group of respected dealers and appraisers. We created this list to give our clients an easy and trusted place to go when seeking an appraisal. Each of these appraisers understands and can use our reports, along with the included photographs, to help inform their appraisal process.
It’s important to note that Vintage Verified does not co-sign or endorse any appraisal or valuation beyond our own report and documentation. We also don’t receive any monetary or other form of compensation for making these connections. Appraisal rates may differ from one appraiser to another, and we don’t take a position on their fees or valuations.
Below are the appraisers listed in alphabetical order:
Drew Berlin | Drew Berlin’s Vintage Guitars, Dumble Amplification | Los Angeles, CA | drew@drewberlin.com
Drew Berlin is an internationally recognized vintage guitar authority and appraiser with over four decades of experience. Founder of Drew Berlin’s Vintage Guitars and co-founder of the famed “Burst Brothers,” Drew has appraised many of the largest and highest-value collections in the world. Berlin also established Guitar Center’s nationwide Vintage Department, serves as an advisor to the Gibson Custom Shop, and has contributed to several vintage guitar publications.
Walter Carter | Independent | Nashville, TN | waltercarter1950@gmail.com
Walter Carter is one of the foremost historians and authorities on vintage guitars, with decades of experience as a dealer, writer, and appraiser. He is the former historian for Gibson Guitar Corporation and the author of numerous definitive books on vintage instruments, including Gibson Guitars: 100 Years of an American Icon and Epiphone: The Complete History. Walter’s expertise is sought worldwide by collectors, institutions, and musicians alike.
David Davidson | Well Strung Guitars | Farmingdale, NY | info@wellstrungguitars.com
Well Strung Guitars was born out of the historic “We Buy Guitars,” established in New York City in 1968. Continuing on the family-owned legacy of We Buy Guitars, David and Paige Davidson buy, sell, trade, and consign premium vintage guitars and basses. Their instruments have been featured in dozens of books and magazines, along with David’s monthly column in Guitarist Magazine.
George Gruhn/Joe Spann | Gruhn Guitars | Nashville, TN | gruhn@gruhn.com
George Gruhn has been buying and selling used instruments since 1963, and Gruhn Guitars, established in 1970, was one of the first stores devoted to vintage and used fretted instrument sales. He is recognized worldwide as a leading expert on vintage guitars, mandolins, and banjos. He brings over 50 years of experience to an instrument appraisal, as well as the decades of experience of the Gruhn staff members.
Dave Hinson | Killer Vintage Guitars | Dallas, TX/St. Louis, MO | dave@killervintage.com
Dave Hinson of Killer Vintage Guitars has been dealing guitars since 1970. He is one of the editors of the Vintage Guitar Price Guide, as well as contributing editor and adviser of the Blue Book of Guitars. He is on the advisory board of the Modern Guitar Museum (Los Angeles) and is an Expert/Appraiser for Heritage Auctions in Dallas, TX.
John Ladas | Black Magic Vintage Guitars | Las Vegas, NV | blackmagicguitars@gmail.com
John Ladas of Black Magic Vintage Guitars has quickly become one of the go-to dealers in the industry, specializing in “Golden Era” Gibson and Fender instruments and Dumble Amplifiers. John’s client list includes several professional touring artists and A-list celebrities. Black Magic offers appraisals, repair services, collection curation, consignment, and more.
John Shults | True Vintage Guitar | Birmingham, AL | True Vintage Guitar Appraisals
True Vintage Guitar is a high-end vintage guitar shop where you can sell a vintage guitar, buy vintage guitars, or get an expert appraisal on Fender and Gibson guitars. John Shults has spent the last 16 years appraising, buying, and selling the finest vintage guitars all over the world. In 2009, while a college student studying Business Administration at the University of Alabama, he supplemented his textbooks with every book on Fender and Gibson guitar history he could find.
Drew Winn | Guitar House of Tulsa | Tulsa, OK | info@guitarhouse.net
Drew Winn is the owner and vintage-guitar authority behind Guitar House of Tulsa (established 1964), having taken over the nationally renowned shop in 2015 after more than two decades in the trade—including running Daddy O’s Music in Stillwater—where he began buying and selling guitars at age 15. A recognized Antiques Roadshow appraiser specializing in musical instruments, Winn is widely known for his museum-quality vintage collection sought by touring musicians and professionals alike.