Vintage Guitars

So what makes a used guitar a Vintage Guitar? what makes a Fender a Vintage Fender Guitar or a Gibson a Vintage Gibson Guiitar?

Vintage Guitars are guitars whether electric or acoustic,archtop,solid body or hollowbody that are "generally" more than 25 years old and considered "collectable". "Collectable" is a commonly used word meaning: "It is so cool that people will pay a lot of money for it."

A used guitar is really just a guitar (electric guitar or acoustic guitar) that is previously owned anywhere from a few months old to a number of years old but has not yet grabbed hold of the heart or soul of guitar collectors. It may be cheap or expensive . It just hasn't made the grade quite yet.

Antique Guitar is usually used when a guitar was built before WW2.

Either way you have guitars that are "collectable" a term I prefer for it's meaning, but which just doesn't have the appeal that the word Vintage has. I prefer the term Vintage because it sounds very cool and conveys the idea of craftsmanship and quality.

And so we have the the next part of the definition of the Vintage Guitar...Quality. If it isn't a cool looking or incredible sounding guitar it's simply an old used guitar. But if it has the looks and the sound, if it has character and craftsmanship it is Vintage.

Vintage Guitars have become BIG in recent years. Big interest...Big volume and Big $$$$$.

I've seen a Vintage Fender Telecasters selling for just under $100,000.00, and that is not an isolated case. There are certain Les Paul Models that can fetch over $250,000.00.

It is not rare to find many of the most popular guitars of the 60's in the $20K + range. So... what makes a Vintage Guitar such a valuable guitar?

It is no different than any other collectable item, the qualities are "popularity" also called Demand, there is the condition of the instrument, there is the scarcity or rarity of the instrument, and the Brand of the guitar.

In an excellent article for Guitar Player magazine in 1976 (link to the article below) George Gruhn makes an excellant case for popularity of a guitar being based on what he coins the Influential Musician Syndrome. If Jimmy Hendrix or Eric Clapton played one then I want one too!

Another more musical and practical aspect of collectibility is the Test of Time. If an instrument that has been popular with professional musicians for years on end will probably become very collectable as it has proven it's value and worth over time.

Electric guitars, being more popular, tend to command a bigger share of the market than acoustic guitars but not a big enough share to make the acoustic guitar a second class citizen.

At the bottom of the vintage guitar craze is one undeniable fact; Vintage Guitars are a big commodity solely and only because people love them. The guitar is truly the instrument of the masses. Anyone can play one and that ease, the simplicity with which a guitar can be played, has opened the door to it's collectibility.

Link to article :http://www.gruhn.com/articles/collg2.html

Anytime you look into a field of craftsmanship. whether it is handmade furniture, handmade stair cases ot Vintage guitars you also step into the field of Art.

From design to color to finish many Vintage guitars can truly be called works of art.. Below you will find some photos of a number of Vintage guitars I feel exemplify true Art...beauty and aesthetics. I hope you enjoy viewing them

The first thing I have to say on this subject is get yourself up-to-speed on the guitars you plan to collect.

To start I advise learning everything you can about one or maybe two different guitars. For example if you plan to collect Fender Vintage Guitars then strat researching. There are many websites and books available which will give you an enormous amount of data about the guitars construction...serial numbers...and other details that you should know about...materails used...etc. The same goes for Gibson Vintage Guitars or any other brand you like or that have an increasing value.

You can then build on your knowledge and soon you will have avery good grasp of exactly what you should be looking for. When you are investing your hard earned money you need to know what you are spending your money on!

If you buy your guitar from a reputable vintage guitar dealer get a certificate of originality. If they won't write one ...well...you might want to consider not forking over $10K...$50K or $100K!

Use of a reference book there a e many I'll mention 2 here:

Gruhn's Guide to Vintage Guitars and

Guitar Identification by A. R. Duchossoir

There are forgeries out there and there are many really good forgeries out there. But as you would usually suspect, the forgeries will be found in unusual sales situations.

Watch for the seller that is not willing to have the guitar verified or a seller trying to "over-sell" you into buying the guitar.

Another thing to watch for is the deal that is just too good to be true. Unless someone has been living under a rock you are not going to find a $20K guitar for $500.00 or a $6000.00 guitar for $250.00.

(But always look for rocks to overturn!)

Use your head...educate yourself...have a source to verify your purchases and you should be very safe in your investments in Vintage Guitars.

Good Luck!