Vintage Guitars

Vintage Guitars

Vintage guitars are considered to be a medium of priceless visual art and may at times be of historic relevance. These acoustical wonders are valued investments. Age is not the only aspect that is considered when classifying a vintage guitar. The manufacturer, model, age and uniqueness of the instrument is also taken into consideration. Other factors include historical importance, rarity, sound and artistic inclination. Most vintage electric guitars showcase particular designs and unique workmanship.

The most sought after vintage guitars are pre-World War II flat top acoustics, specially from Gibson, Fender, and Gretsch.While purchasing a vintage guitar, a potential buyer should always check the credibility of the classic instrument.

Reissue, Anyone?

There is not one single guitarist who wouldn’t kill to play a vintage Les Paul or Stratocaster. Owning a vintage instrument however does have its prices.

First of all, there’s the Cost. Top quality, mint condition original instruments from the 50’s and 60’s are almost the same as a new car, or even a small house.There is also a question about their reliability. Vintage guitars are delicate and fragile. To a collector, this is not a big issue, but if you wan’t to gig with a 60 year vintage guitar, you might want to reconsider.

For gigging musicians who wants to go with vintage flavor without the risk of endangering history, then the reissue guitar and custom lines are the best choice.

Custom Shops are built almost entirely by hand with time honored techniques. Custom Shop guitars are expensive compared to their mass production variants, but they are still far cheaper than the real thing. Reissue guitar is the next best thing to an original vintage guitar and is very hard to beat.

Buying Vintage Guitars Online

If you want to buy a vintage guitar online, here’s what you need to know:

Vintage Guitars should be in original condition if future value is important to you. any sort of repair or refinishing to vintage instruments damages its value. Pick one that has not had any significant repairs and never been refinished.

Plenty of photos really helps to help you decide. The neck of the guitar is really important to take note. As for wear, wear is fine. It gives the guitar character and age. But abuse is not fine.

Never bid until you are really certain that you have accurate descriptions about the deal. Contact the seller for more information and to clarify terms like shipping cost or returns.

Also, take a look at the seller’s feedback ratings if available.

Vintage Guitars As an Investment

Vintage guitars are a great investment for a few reasons. First, they are beautiful and command a room where they are displayed. Second, vintage guitars don’t depreciate or lose value with time. On the contrary, these babies appreciate and gain value as they age, especially if they are kept up nicely. Third, they have superior tonality and action when played due to the quality workmanship that went into their construction.

the most popular is the Les Paul by Gibson. the older ones were made of superior materials like mahogany and oak. Some even had gold frets and mother of pearl inlays on the fret board.

Fender also has a stranglehold on a couple of highly sought after guitars, especially the Stratocaster, the Telecaster and the Thunderbird.

Among the reigning Kings of vintage guitars are those made by the CF Martin company. Many Martin’s are still in use at nearly 100 years old!

Guild is another vintage guitar that is vastly overlooked these days. Guild was only in operation for about 25 years and was bought by Fender in the 1990’s. Some of the older Guild guitars are extremely rare and sought after as they exhibited the same quality as the Martin instruments of the same time period.

Every one of these guitar manufacturers has made an exceptional line of guitars. When bought as an investment, the vintage ones hold the possibility of giving a fantastic ROI (return on investment).

Vintage Guitar Collectors Can Still Find Deals

Vintage Guitars

The simple thing to remember in vintage guitar collecting is American guitars. If you stay American-made, you’ll have the best chance of an instrument that will appreciate in value.

Look for American made guitars that collectors are currently ignoring. Soon enough, these will be at the top of the food chain. Well, think “student” models. Some models are already desirable like Fender Mustangs and Gibson Melody Makers, for example; other models haven’t gained notice yet, but they will!

For instance, Fender Bullets, made in the early 1980’s, are student model guitars, but are American made and use parts found in Telecasters of the same period (pickups, etc). Note, we’re not talking the Squire Bullet Stratocaster-type model, but the American-made Fender model (looks like a Telecaster).

There’s not a lot of action with Gibson’s Kalamazoo line, yet. These student models are similar in quality to the Melody Makers and Fender Mustangs.

Stick with Fender and Gibson, stick with American made, and keep your eyes on lesser-known student models … and you’ll find deals that will likely join other lines in appreciating over the coming years.