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« on: February 03, 2018, 02:21:08 PM »
Some thoughts about value in case they are helpful:
The Kalamazoo models are definitely worth more than the Gibson-branded ones because of the Ray connection and the fact that they are not often seen. But because so few Kalamazoos are sold, it's really hard to say how much the Kalamazoo nameplate adds to the value.
The Gibsons used to reliably sell for upwards of $2,000, and occasionally more. But maybe five years ago, the prices started dropping. Today, $1,000 to $1,500 seems to be more typical on eBay, depending on condition. But not many of these get sold either, so there is no reliable, established market price.
Yours has the volume pedal, music stand and optional bass pedals. These are often missing and add to the value. You don't say whether you have the lid. On the negative side, yours has been painted (and it's unclear from the photo whether some of the paint is covering areas where the Tolex may be completely stripped off). So, maybe the paint can be removed and the organ can look original -- or maybe it can't be. (There is no Tolex available on the market today to recover either the unique green/blue or linen-colored vinyl with something that looks original.) It seems to me that this would be a major negative for the kind of buyer/collector who would be willing to pay a premium for one of these with a Kalamazoo logo.
Just my guess: I think that if the organ's vinyl was in decent original shape (can you strip the paint before you sell it?), you could get $2,000-$2,500 for it. As it is, maybe $1,000 less? The market for these is relatively small. So you may have to be patient to find a buyer, and it will be more difficult to sell if you are not willing to ship it.
(For what it's worth, a Kalamazoo sold last week on eBay for about $2,700, but it appeared to be in exceptional shape. I cannot remember seeing another on eBay in several years.)
Good luck!
Alan
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