I decided to post this topic to open up a discussion so others could share their thoughts on the value of Cortley guitars. It is a difficult thing to place a value on these guitars, but I will try to begin the discussion. These guitars are rare. I searched the Web continuously for over a year and only turned up about four of them. I encourage any reader to search Ebay to verify this fact. I believe that an item can be classified as rare when it doesn’t show up in an Ebay search. Who would want to sell a Cortley guitar? Most owners will testify to the fact that these guitars are extremely well made. Cortley owners know all too well that trying to replace their guitars would be a daunting task, if not impossible. These guitars were only in production for about 10 years and have been out of production for nearly 25 years. If you are lucky enough to find a Cortley guitar in good shape, you may be surprised to find that you can get it for under $250. That, to me, is a steal. The Dove Sunburst copy is a beautiful guitar, and I happened to see one of these auctioned off for $211 in January of 2008. Someone got a GREAT deal. The bottom line is Cortley guitars are not being sold that often, but when they are auctioned off you can get them for a pretty good deal. Cortley Guitars Website feels these guitars are way undervalued! If you see one in good shape for sale, we suggest you jump on it! It may be a few years before you get another opportunity!
Refer to the 1978 Price Guide as a starting point. Click here
Below is a break down of the prices paid for various Cortley models in recent years on Internet sites. The prices below are for guitars that are in good to excellent condition; basically guitars that are structurally sound and have few to no cosmetic issues.
CF85 $350 - $500 Gibson J200 Copy
CF75 $275 - $400 Martin Copy Maple Body
CF65 $250 - $400 Dove Natural Finish
CF95 $200 - $300 Martin Copy Rosewood Body
CF65 $175 - $250 Dove Copy Sunburst Finish
CF150 $100 - $150 12 String
CF347 $75 - $100 Classical
CE223 $150 - $300 Electric Les Paul Copy
Other things to consider when valuing Cortley guitars:
1. A Cortley guitar with an adjustable saddle isn’t going to resonate as well as one with a fixed saddle and may devalue the guitar.
2. Older Cortley guitars may be worth more. These models would have a label without the Distributed by Southland Music Corp information.
3. The CF30 and CF45 models were added later and would be the rarest models and that may affect the price on these models.
4. If your electric guitar has an original case, the pair may be worth more than what they are worth separately. The cases I have seen are black with orange fuzzy lining, and can be seen on our website.
Concerning where to buy one, we suggest a regimen of diligent searches on the Web. Patience and persistence may prove invaluable in your efforts to obtain a Cortley guitar. We believe Ebay is your best bet, but I have also found Cortley guitars auctioned off on other sites and advertised in other guitar stores on the net. So scrubbing the web could turn up a pearl that most will overlook. If you become impatient, then we suggest trying to find Cortley’s first cousin, a Cortez! Cortez guitars are well made, and they were in production a lot longer, so there are more of them around. Ebay usually has a few of these each week for sale. Obviously, buying a guitar that you can’t play first isn’t an ideal situation. Hopefully there will be enough close up pictures and you will ask enough of the right questions to minimize the risk of getting stuck with a clunker. Good hunting and we hope you find what you’re looking for!
