I just bought a Fender Coronado on eBay. I ended up in a bit of a bidding war and probably paid more than I should have. No regrets, the guitar plays and sounds great, and it was purchased to be played.
by , on Flickr
I am curious though as to how much the guitar's cosmetic issues effect it's value.
by , on Flickr
The guitar is definitely worn. There are plenty of small nicks and dings to the finish but nothing too major in that regard, except for the back of the guitar, which it appears someone painted black.
by , on Flickr
The black paint actually seems to have been fairly professionally done. Whoever did it avoided painting over the binding quite well, and the finish is unusual. It's like a matte finish, with a texture to it. It almost feels like a plastic coating.
by , on Flickr
I'm not sure if the wear on the back is from use wearing away the black paint, or if someone realized their mistake and made a bigger mistake and tried to remove it. I suspect the former, actually.
by , on Flickr
There is some damage to the finish under the pick guard and I'm not sure if the pick guard is original as I've never seen one with a black pick guard. Of course, I haven't seen too many. Does anyone know?
by , on Flickr
The final issue is the neck. There appears to be a small crack in the wood. If I had to guess I would say it came from the factory like this because it's underneath the finish. The neck doesn't appear to have been refinished and if the crack was repaired it must be an expert job.
by , on Flickr
Bottom line, I got caught up in the irrational exuberance of the auction and paid $845 for the guitar. Did I overpay? Not that I care that much. I am looking for a guitar to play and after only a few hours, I realized this was a very nice playing and sounding guitar. I bought an instrument, not a museum piece or an investment.