Vintage Guitar Disappointment - Prepare To Be Let Down
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 ก.ค. 2024
- Baxter and Jonathan talk expectation management when buying your first vintage guitar.
#vintageguitar
#vintagefender
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Went to Gruhn’s for my 32nd birthday. He invited me upstairs to play his private collection... played a 60 Les Paul with a bigsby. Played a 54 strat. A ridiculously awesome birthday and one of the most memorable days in my life. But not because of the guitars. It’s because of George. He was an absolutely amazing person and I’ll never forget the stories he told me. That said, when I left all I could think of was playing a 2018 special edition Fender Custom Shop 63 Telecaster relic with a faded sonic blue and 9.5-12 “compound radius. My wife surprised me with it and bought it for me before we got married. Great experience overall
Great story and thanks a ton for sharing that! I have known George for years and he is a true gem to this world. And thrilled your wife did the right thing there as well, congratulations!!!
@@CasinoGuitars yeah. She’s great! And the tele is unlike anything I played in the shop. It had all the mojo of anything vintage but played like butter. I’ve been chasing a 60’s style tele with the oval C for a while now. As soon as I laid hands on it I connected with it. Neck is .83 at the nut and .93 at 12. Being the oval C, it’s a very gradual taper and feels way different than a standard fencer C. Absolutely incredible.
I too had the pleasure of sitting with George and talking about vintage guitars. He willingly shares his vast knowledge and is a true gentleman. I got to play a number of 1950 and 1960 era Strats. I'm retiring soon. I hope to treat myself to a retirement present from his shop. Nice video Baxter & Jonathan!! Keep them coming!!
We had George over to our house for a party many years ago, and he wouldn't leave lol. He and his family were the last guests to leave by almost two hours. That guy can talk (and tell great stories for what it's worth)
Congratulations! (on the wife too)
I bought my dream guitar when I was in Afghanistan. It was my birth year 1983 Gibson Les Paul custom in pearlescent white. Absolutely beautiful! Had it sent to my dad to keep until I got home. He didn’t have the heart to tell me it was an absolute dud when it came to playability. He wanted me to decide for myself. I kept it for about a year then let it go. Play before you buy.
That sucks brother.
Birth year guitar 😂
I've always gravitated towards pre-vintage guitars, or as some like to call them "new.":
I just realized my Strat is now vintage. Also, flea markets sometimes have some amazing finds.
What like 90's stuff? I have only a few guitars from that era I'd call special, and one is a Les Paul Classic Premium Plus model, pretty rare, first year in honeyburst. The famous "More traditional than the New Traditional" model. An attempt to properly do those fabled bursts everybody wants. The other is a Martin SPD16-TR. I'll never understand this one. It's a Special Edition, is Indian Rosewood back and sides entirely neck too, then the top is the highest figured Spruce possible. It has gold hardware, abalone binding and tortoise shell binding on the body, and the inlays are the historical micro ❄ inlays. Amazing, yet the guitar suffers a hit with every single year that passes in the market. Been reissued several times, mines perfect condition with the emerald green plush case. It has the cert, the case candy all that. Bought it for close to 3 grand. Stayed at around 1500 used for 2 decades almost. Big bust on investment so far, but the sound and playability is definitely top form Martin. The star of the campfire wherever it goes...
@@caiusmadison2996 Fortunately, rarity doesn't define vintage but age. Still, those are some cool pieces to have in your collection.
@@SocialAutism yeah, until it does way way later. The specs are so hard to get today that I would expect some sort of reflection in the market price of that, but as you said, sometimes the surest things just don't hit.
@@caiusmadison2996 Again that's value, not age. They're still vintage pieces, but not as highly valued. Anyway, those are still nice pieces to have in your collection.
New guitars have been so good for so long now I don't see myself pursuing vintage gear
Relatable
buy what you want now, play it till its vintage on its own. Boom.
Yep. Vintage guitar market is surpassed in every way. Its just bragging rights now.
Vintage is border line snake oil.
After market pickups are almost obsolete now.... Give it five years
@ChristoMagnifico its what I call the "bag cereal" effect. They package the same cereal in (or an equivalent) bags instead of boxes, and charge a lot less. guitar companies In general were notorious for bad stock pickups . So they either made deals with the pickup companies, or actually started making viable pickups.
The starter guitar market is ruthless. Stock pickups like epi 700, ibanez quantum, schecter diamond....are all legit. They are not "high end" , however they are absolutely stage and studio worthy.
I gotta get a life
I walked into a famous Nashville guitar shop and it was the first time I was going to try some real deal 50’s Strat. The first 3 of them were super average resonating guitars. If you take value out of the equation I wouldn’t have traded my custom shop Tele for any of them!
Great advice, thanks for being good human beings.
My GF’s father passed away last year. He had a ‘63-‘65 Gibson ES hollow body in a case under his bed. Took it to a vintage place to have cleaned up properly. It was given to her son for Christmas. Beautiful guitar, hardly played.
The thing about vintage guitars - they weren't vintage when our Rock Hero's played them back in the day. They were just what was available. We like to romanticize them (in some cases with cause) but I'm with Tim Pierce on this one. Also - I've got an all original 1987 MIJ Strat that I'll sell for 10 grand!!
Absolutely. I have and have, and have had many other vintage guitars alongside their modern counterparts all throughout my playing. I can contest, the vibe is a placebo effect. Its knowing its actually old, actually been played, actually survived countless garage jams and campfires and shows and barroom brawls in some cases. That adds another guitar's worth of expectations in some cases, that simply isn't there. That said, I did have a 69' Competition Mustang as a teen in CAR. It was better than modern strats at the time, no joke. I set a trend in my small town of people getting Jagstangs and MIJ/CIJ Mustang reissues because they all wanted to get that short scale speed and springyness because they felt it allowed them to play faster (we where teens, they where correct the guitar is designed for our hand sizes! 😆) That said, last year I got a new American Performer Mustang. Its been my muse for about 9 months, no joke. I found I was actually connected to that shape and fit, so when I got the way better playing and designed modern Mustang, it blew my mind completely. I put my strats and teles up, it was time to maximize my playing on the shape I "forgot" I actually preferred. That body just feels so good hanging off ya, like its not there, but its still long enough that it doesn't feel completely like a toy. Idk, I totally agree that modern is best. Vibtage strats versus my modern, even the nineties ones, after a setup, I just can't find a reason other than just because to dig the originals. I liken it to people who would chose a layer of wool to line things as opposed to three layers of softer fabrics that ultimately surpass all aspects the wool is favored for, and increase comfort. That is what modern vs vintage is to me. We all know they truly are improved designs. Something isn't quite there, its that to change it, changes the vibe. A paradox to some, but it shouldn't be. Modern is superior. it is designed to be, and thus it actually is.
Finally figured out what that feeling that was so hard to describe abut the guitar hanging off ya on strap. Its like if you took a Parker Fly and added weight in a completely balanced way until it was 7.5 or so pounds, it would hang and feel like this guitar. On a strap, its like being in water with it. Amazing, highly recommend. They widened the top neck at the nut, so its wide like a strat or tele, and 9.5 radius. Plays crazy well, no longer frets out like originals. Bridge is redesigned to be perfect. Stays in tune even if I divebomb. Its sick.
i have a boatload of vintage guitars, i,m going to sell a bunch, the ones i,m keeping no modern guitar can touch
Right. In the '60s and '70s, if you bought a 1959 Les Paul Standard, you were buying a "used guitar".
@@caiusmadison2996 agree with most of what you say about guitars, but the blurb about wool is off the. Ark. Wool is superior to most modern synthetic fabrics in many ways, especially warmth and odor resistance.
@@RickLaForce The guys who were buying '59 Les Pauls and 50s/60s Strats in the 70s were buying them because the new Fenders and Gibsons weren't that good. A lot of the time, they were paying more than they'd have paid for a new one.
The guys who played Yamaha SGs in the 70s and 80s played them, because the 70s Les Pauls were crap.
40 years later, they are still crap.
Great subject -- how about another show on affordable vintage guitars. I've had a couple of early '60's Fender Duo Sonic II's and love that guitar. I believe you can still find them for $2,000 to $3,000 and you're getting a cool guitar with awesome pickups (the quack with the out of phase setting is unbelievable), nitro finish and rosewood finger board. Jimi played one before he got a strat, and David Byrne as does Lis Phair. Granted it's a "student guitar" but it still hasn't gone out of control like Les Paul Jr's.
I’m a fan of player grade vintage guitars. Could I afford a ‘66 P-bass? Hell no. But I’ve got one, because someone along the way repainted it with white latex house paint, replaced two tuners, mounted up a black aluminum pickguard, etc, so I was able to buy it for less than a new MIM Road-Worn P-bass. Stripped off the latex paint, refinished it in black nitro, added a reissue tortoise guard, and it once again looks like it should. And it never stopped playing/sounding great.
Did the paint negatively affect the plugged in sound? I recently got a V that I love but it's plain black and I want to paint it white, but I don't have many options other than just spray painting it at this moment
When I first started playing in 1979 my family had a '61 ES-335 and Gibson Discover Tremelo amp around the house. That's what I started on. I inherited it when my Dad passed away. I had it for a few more years and then my wife and I got tired of being in crushing credit card debt so I sold it to Nathan at Willie's Guitars in St. Paul, MN. Sometimes I regret it but mostly I don't there were both good and bad memories associated with it. Because we had it under our homeowners insurance I really couldn't take it out of the house. If it was damaged or stolen in that situation it wouldn't be covered. I'm very much for being able to use my guitars and not just display them.
in the 1990's i spent $900 on a 1966 white jazzmaster...that needed the frets replaced they were totally gone... but at the time there wasn’t much internet to inform me and i didn’t have a lot of money back then ... so i traded it in a few years later on something ... now i know i could have it refretted and been super happy as i love my 2015 mexi jazzmaster more then anything ..man i wish i had known better...thats why this channel is so great for young people...education equals knowledge
ive never lost money on a vintage guitar, and most surprise you how much they go up in value
I just recently got my first vintage guitar. A 1965 SG junior, and couldn’t be more happy with it. Looking for something else, I stumbled into it at Killer Vintage in Dallas, and it jut happened to be there just come in. It had the original case, and looked fantastic. No finish checking and played great! Took it home a week later after stewing on it. Excellent purchase. Love it SO much it’s harbored a new fancy for vintage guitars... hope the journey will keep going on the up...
Most of this whole market is driven by nostalgia ,.and thats,.absolutely fine! And i say that because Eric Clapton's Strats where both parts casters he himself assembled from Strats that i believe ( correct me if im wrong) found at a pawn shop in Austin? I find it so funny and interesting that Clapton's assembled partcaster became Fenders FIRST real signature guitar and perhaps its longest running sig instrument ( they still sell em). And moving on to another legend,.Jimmy Page,..he heavily modified his Gibson Les Paul ( play authentic ???) by shaving down the neck really thin AND adding coil splitting push/pulls for single coil capability decades before gibson added those features lol. Soooo,..if THAT is what Jimmy page did with his 59 Les paul and WHY he got that tone then its interesting that other folks dont demand those same mods on their "authentic" 59s,.( too rare for that im sure) but still. There where only about 1000-1200 59s Les Pauls made but there is atleast 4 or 5 thousand 1959 Les Pauls online LoL!
Honestly, I've never thought about buying a vintage guitar. I've played some, but am equally happy with a new off the wall one. I want to make it mine.
I did buy a 2001 83 re-issue Strat MIM- not really vintage but old- perfect condition- l played it every day for 3yr- got trashed- restored it- looks new- plays great- sounds great ( Dimarzio) - but never gonna do that again…- twenty year old guitars aren’t meant for everyday use…but l love it and loved it every day…but l repair guitars so no big deal…but someone else it would be garbage can fodder-
I have a 76 Stratocaster hardtail player grade and an 86 American Kramer Baretta that I have had re-fretted. Both awesome but for sure both with some quirks about them. Great video guys as always!
I was killing time in GC about 13 years ago, and I walked by this used red and white fender with the special brown "vintage" tag on it... It had that light colored neck that to me was a fender neck (I didn't know anything like maple fretboards versus rosewood fretboards etc)... I played it, I loved it, it was $300 and I put it on my credit card. It turned out to be a 1983 fender bullet. Back then the internet was there but I wasn't good at using it yet so the mystery of that kind of a find was still intact, finding that thing that you don't know what it is but you know you like it and it's old and cool. About 4 or 5 years later I started selling everything I owned to try to get out of credit card debt before my wedding day. I sold the guitar for $100. I think about it all the time. There's nothing super special about a fender bullet, but there was something super special about my fender bullet and how I came to own it. I walked into a GC the other day to get some strings. The story of how I bought that guitar couldn't happen today. I wouldn't start with walking by a guitar that looks cool to me and playing it. I didn't even see any brown "vintage" tags in GC. I would start with reading about guitars online and decide what I want first and then find it for sale on the internet. The mystery is gone, guitars ARE a commodity. It's a different world.
... Or maybe it's not! Last night I remembered that I tripped over an old cheap electric guitar in my mother-in-law's basement. I was looking for a kick around that wouldn't be a waste of money, maybe thinking about buying an old '70s harmony strat copy I saw on craigslist or something. It turned out that that guitar was still down there, a 2006 squire strat. Perfect. It's not worth anything so there's no reason not to modify it and make it what I want to play. But the better part is that there was an old amp down there, that turned out to be a vintage tube amp. For $0. I guess serendipitous gear finds are still possible in this crazy world. But I'll never forget my beloved crappy little fender bullet (they're going for like 650 bucks now, and I know too much to buy one again, especially for that price).
I'll never sell a guitar again.
Have always been a used/vintage guy. Bought a 2019 SG Jr. brand new and is one of the best guitars for me that I have ever owned. Plus got it discounted as a Sweetwater demo model. Totally changed my whole thinking on the vintage thing. Still love and own vintage guitars. Much less a snob. Also much less a brand snob. There are amazing new instruments out there many that won’t break the bank. Same with off brands new and used. Vintage can be great. Often can NOT be great.
I have a Les Paul custom from '81, two years before I was born. My old man is the only owner, well besides me. I just bought a brand new "cheap" LP tribute. The tribute sounds better and plays better than the '81 custom.
my mom bought me a 2019 tribute from guitar center for my 17th birthday about a year and a half ago. absolutely love it
@@ethanmullett4128 pretty great guitars. I love mine. I hear great things about early SGs though. But I guess what makes them good also makes them awful. The fact they are so light you can kind of twist the guitars to make great vibrato, well according to Pete Townsend.
@@harrysachs2274
I’m with you guys. I really don’t understand why all the Les Pauls beneath the Standard get the hate that people dish out. I started casually looking for my first Les Paul a little over a year ago after decades of playing Fender (and Squier) electrics. I really liked the Honeyburst Tributes. However, back in February I found an excellent used Les Paul Studio for $899 needless to say I couldn’t pass it up.
@@charlesbolton8471 yea man i see studios and tributes listed all the time on places like fb marketplace around 900 or les, i think that's the price i paid for the tribute i bought, even though it was a christmas or black friday sale at guitar center
@@charlesbolton8471 nice. They're all really nice guitars. People also like to bitch about "fit and finish" and set up and shit. Mine was great right out of the box.
Great info! I am blessed to have an 85 Japanese Fender Strat that is incredible! While it isn't vintage, it is amazing. Also, like thousands of other guitarists, I have bought and sold wonderful pieces that would be valuable monetarily. I have one each of most of the proper tools in my collection as well, the oldest being a 75 LP Deluxe. (My first brand new guitar in 66, a Fender Tele! sold long ago.. UGH) That being said, I like that you guys talk about PLAYING the guitars, and loving that most important part. My best friend, Raeman Hanna, owns a small guitar shop and deals on a small scale, but enough to have stayed in business over 30 years. He knows how much I love the sound of a Les Paul, and especially the old Sunbursts. He knows I would have always wanted an original burst, but that is a dream only for the wealthy. Two years ago at NAMM in Nashville, he ran into my friend Greg Martin (of the Kentucky Headhunters) who was doing a Gibson showcase. Greg kept getting handed NEW Les Pauls to show off, but would always politely grab his 58 (Hank The Plank) Les Paul because he JUST HAD TO. My friend said there was a remarkable difference in the tone with the Vintage. Move ahead to last year, and Raeman got a call from a woman whose 78 year old husband had passed on and none of their children wanted his guitars. Raeman checked it out and found she had a 79 Les Paul Custom that was stripped down and sanded, the sides, back and neck were spray painted brown with a can of paint and it looked rough. (Nice wood grain on the front, tho) He plugged it in and hit one chord, and he was taken back to the NAMM show with Greg and his 58. He told me he KNEW this was as close to what my heart's desire was. He bought it and called me right away. I have been playing since 1966 and this is by far the best playing and sounding LP I have ever owned. He gave it to me for his cost. He could have made a ton more for it. I have thought about getting it refinished, but decided it is special just the way it is. So, in keeping with your topic here, Vintage isn't always better. Finding a guitar that gives you chills and inspiration is the real thing!! Thanks for you videos! We watch and enjoy daily! By the way, I phoned in to the store a week ago and left a message! How about YOUR opinions on the FLYING V??? Thanks again!! Also, how about an episode on these beat up mutts that aren't that old but are great players?
This topic is now a sore subject and story of regret for me. In 1979 I saw the movie "The Song Remains The Same" (Led Zeppelin) shown one evening at our high school. When I saw John Paul Jones I knew that I wanted to play bass and it would be that Fender Jazz in sunburst color. My older brother was going to college, was broke, and needed cash. He also had in his possession a what I believe to be a 1968 Fender Jazz in three color sunburst with tortise pickguard and lollipop turners (I saw a date under the control plate, but never removed the neck like I should have and didn't make note of the serial number to look up later). He sold it to me for $150 in 1979 amd I kept that bass with original case until 1988. It traveled with me from PA to WA to CO to VA and to FL. It was in pretty good shape overall. In 1988 I lost my job in FL and didn't want to drag the bass with me to VA so I sold it to a coworker just starting bass for $150, what I paid for it. I look back and absolutely regret what I did as that bass has to be worth many thousands of dollars today, but I would have kept it as I had a history with it. All I have left is one photograph of me playing it in 1986 and lots of memories.
I have an old Gibson LG model from the 50’s. It was my grandfather’s and he passed it down to me before he died. I love playing that thing and I still feel like I can hear him every time I strum it. I’ll never get rid of it.
With that being said, I can’t imagine paying that much for a vintage instrument unless it came with some great stories. I feel like those stories that hide between the frets are what makes a vintage instrument beautiful.
Could we get a video similar to this,… but about vintage acoustics? That’s a whole other ballpark. Even just horror stories would be a good and helpful video. Even though both of you clearly favor electrics I’m sure you’ve got enough horror stories from others to do that.
I’ve been hunting for an ‘85-‘92 D-35 (because of the neck) and it truly floored me what some shops WITH specialized acoustic repair shops will sell at full price. The first one I came across had a topsheet that was so bowed the bridge couldn’t make full contact, there’s no version of reality where the bracing could still be functional yet they supposedly thoroughly checked it out and were selling it for $2.5k a few years ago (that’s bad now for it’s condition but average prices were lower then).
A couple of years ago I bought a vintage guitar... of the future! That’s a brand new guitar that I play and enjoy, but eventually it will be an old/ vintage guitar with a sweet authentic relic look. 🎸 Best of luck to all those out there searching for their dream guitar!
@@simon_patterson One more year and your guitars will be twenty… awesome! How many people have anything that they’ve been using for twenty years? I don’t know exactly when vintage begins, but Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, and Jimi Hendrix only made it to twenty seven so any guitar older than that is vintage in my book. 🎸
22 yrs ago I went into a local vintage shop and tried out a few SGs and LPs. I wasn’t planning on buying, but they had this 68’ SG that was beat and modded. The binding had been completely played off and someone had sanded the contours and replaced the tailpiece. It also had pickups replaced with early 70s dimarzio super distortions. It sounded better than every other guitar I tried so I grabbed it for $1,000. It still pretty much the only guitar I play. I was told when I purchased that it lived on stage for 20yrs before me, but I don’t know who owned it.
Have not taken the vintage guitar plunge, but for those looking to and live in Europe, Guitar Point just outside of Frankfurt, Germany, is amazing. The guys there were great and let me try out all kinds of stuff.
I've got an incredible '53 J45 that I found in a guitar shop in LA, i played it as a person who generally didn't love acoustic guitars and fell absolutely in love and dreamed about it for over a year before taking the dive on it and I don't regret it even if its worth almost as much as my car. Still easily my favorite acoustic i've ever played and im remarkably lucky to have it.
just found your channel, I'm diggin it.....
I would like to play my Fender CS Strat/Tele and a vintage 60’s vintage guitar and hear what the difference is. I sold a 73 strata back in 1989, I had to but I would love to have that thing back. Maybe it was because it was my first electric but it didn’t weigh a lot it sounded awesome in my opinion and it had a great neck as well. Fun video today guys.
When I was in high school my mother remarried after my father had passed. By this time I had been playing for several years. My stepdad, who didn’t play guitar, said I could have the guitar and amp his father gave him. It was a 1952 Telecaster with case, tweed Fender Deluxe amp, original receipt, hang tag, cords...etc. This was in the 80’s so the value wasn’t ridiculous like today. I still was awestruck. I played it all the time, took it to gigs, it was wonderful. They got divorced and I didn’t have heart too keep it, so I gave it back to my now ex-stepdad. When I think about it I walk over to the mirror and flip myself off.
You did the right thing and should be proud of yourself.
should have just asked him for it, he might have surprised you.
I made the mistake of selling a 70s era Strat on Ebay and found out the buyer parted the guitar out. My heart sank.
Oh.....that is a sad one:(
Damn
Just think of it as if it were an organ doner. It may of saved the lives of several strats.
@@cmet8280 I could see if there was a part of the Strat was worthless, but why disassemble a perfectly good Strat.
@@cmet8280 part of how this all came about is that in the 70s lots of people modded their Strats.
Vintage guitars remind me of vintage cars, you have rose tinted views and memories of how much better items were made many years ago, the reality is that a lot of what glitters is not gold.
The advice in this video should be followed if you don't want your dream turn into an expensive nighmare!
In 1996 I passed on a '73 Rickenbacker 4001, at a shop in downtown Seattle which I believe is now Emerald City Guitars. It was Jetglo with checkered binding, I think they were asking $1600. I played it for maybe 20 minutes which seemed like an eternity and I fell in love. But I had just graduated from college and I couldn't afford it, and had recently bought a Stingray 5 which I still own. I wish I could go back in time and tell my younger self to buy it. I think the Rick would also have been a better sound for my band in the late 90s. But don't get me wrong the Stingray served me well over decades of playing. To this day I still regret having passed on the Rick. If the "Hypothetical Guitar Fairy" visited my closet one night and replaced my Stingray with that 4001, I'd be okay with that. The worst part is that the serial number identified it as November, same month I was born in. Oh well.
Do you know the Hypothetical Guitar Fairy? She comes in the night and replaces guitars amps etc. with similar gear at any differential in value. Your favorite gear is the stuff that you hope the fairy never takes. It's a good thought experiment for "should I buy this?" or "am I happy with this?"
My number one is a 78 Les Paul Deluxe. My father bought it when I was about 1 year old for 250 bucks and it’s been with us ever since. Never been refretted, I replaced the tuners with modern locking tuners a while back when I was gigging with it. New wiring, original pots and pickups. Nothing I do to that guitar will matter because I’m going to die with it in my hands lol. Great video guys.
They say play w/ musicians more skilled than you to get better quicker and I think the same is true for guitar acquisition - Make friends with people who have a better awareness than you do. Forums (for better or worse) tend to be a decent way to start down that path if you’re not in a hotbed for local guitar activity. It’s usually pretty easy to tell who has significant awareness and who does not. Reach out to those people directly and start a dialogue.
Maybe most importantly, play as many things as you can get your hands on to understand what you’re actually looking for sonically/ergonomically before you make a serious purchase. You could save yourself so much money doing that as opposed to “clout chasing” for something that has a lot of acclaim but less relevance to you specifically as a player. Great content, guys!!
1965 Ibanez 482 semi hollow and a 1967 both had small electric restoration and very cool
Great point of view! Im convinced that a real player vintage guitar may be something you stumble on, rather than buy off Reverb...
For me, the Fender Custom Shop just went up in "I get it" several notches.
The wife and a friend who owns a guitar shop collaborated together and found me a 1965 all original Gibson tobacco burst es125tdc with original case. The check crazing is evenly distributed on the whole instrument. It's a beautiful thing and a tone machine. No disappointment here.
Yes! I have a '61 that I feel the same way about. Amazing guitar!
It took me years to find the guitar of my then 13 year old dreams (1976), a Gibson L6-S. I used to drool over the one hanging on the wall of the music store in Lowell MA where I’d been taking guitar lessons since I was 6. I started seriously looking in 2013 as part of my 50th bday guitar bucket list quest, have looked at 30 or so in person in the NYC metro area (and Boston), and just found them all to be disappointing, some of them had been criminally beaten, others modded foolishly, some were not fully functional, all in all none ever measured up. Then, in January 2021 I was looking at NYC Craigslist and there was an L6-S for sale on Staten Island. I did not hesitate to make a date to go see it, guy recognized I was very serious, even turned down a much higher offer for it the night before I saw it, another guy went to see a different guitar, saw the L6-S and realized how special it was. Seller sold it to me for $1000 as advertised, easily could fetch a lot more given its incredible condition, original case, and even with replacement Grovers (a change it seems almost everyone did on 60s/70s Gibsons) I could see no issues with the guitar. It has not disappointed, and my 13 year old self is incredibly happy. This guitar fulfills my 24-fret fetish, has the lowest action of any guitar I’ve ever played (frets show 0 wear), and I love its utter blondness from top to bottom. Point being hang in there when it comes to finding the vintage instrument of your dreams, and put in the necessary time to make it happen. If you’re relatively younger don’t hesitate to buy a new guitar, one day it will be vintage and you never know, I bought my SQ Squier Strat at Manny’s in 1983 for $150 w/case. I’ve been offered $3000 for the neck alone. Update: What I thought were great frets turned out to be "Zero" frets. Woody Phifer (phiferguitars.com) refretted with stainless and a bone nut and NOW it is an absolutely killer guitar, spooky.
Cool story - I bought an (I believe all original) L6-S around 1980 because Santana was backing them at the time. I used it on a couple gigs and realized it wasn't the right guitar for what I played. Never got rid of it tho, my brother in Chicago still has it. Kind of an olive finish an still kind of cool. Glad you are enjoying yours.
I have a '68 original Fender Telecaster. It was my father's main guitar. He bought it in '79 and he toured with it throughout the 80's. Then it became my main guitar from the 90's 'till two or three years ago. So it has seen a lot of road. And it's the best sounding Tele and guitar I own. I have three Teles and one Strat. The cool part of it's story is that we're from Portugal. My father was a guitarrist on the road in the 70's, and he had a Ibañez Les Paul Goldtop. A friend of his went to the States in '79 and before he left he asked my father if he wanted him to bring anything. My father said: "Yes, I want Fender Telecaster". So sure enough the guy came back with a used Fender Telecaster from 1968 and sold it to my father for 30$ (roughly 110$ now). That was a lot of money back then. We don't now for how much he bought the guitar in the first place, but we believe he must've bought in a pawnshop for half.
So this is my story. I have a musician friend who happens to be a guitar player for the biggest and oldest rock band in Portugal and also Fender's main man here. He asked me for the serial nr and also if I wanted to know how much it's worth. I told him "No". Cheers, guys!
cool story., 68 teles are sweet. prices are on the rise for those, and deservedly so
Bought an 87 Strat Plus in 93. Wish I still had that guitar.
That’s awesome on UNCSA! I work there and graduated from there too 🤘🏻
Great video guys and honest with it.
Vintage guitars are a minefield, I totally agree with what’s being said in this video.
My first guitar is a late 70’s early 80’s Memphis ES 335 copy (I guess it’s vintage?) but other than that never had a vintage instrument. Also never had a fender or fender style guitar. In 2020 I started some projects and wanted to try something different so I found and bought a 77’ Bronco neck and a 77’-78’ duo sonic body and put them together. I put mustang pickups and controls...It was a lot of work. But it was a lot of fun 😁 and it’s slowly becoming my favorite! It’s all beat up and mostly playable, but I keep working on it and slowly getting it more and more into shape. It’s fun to find a “labor of love”!
there was a guitar collector auction here in Seattle with 250 pieces, I went to preview with the intention of buying at least one, so brought a friend who buys and sells vintage, the curator/owner of the collection was there and he was beyond honest in the guitars conditions and flaws as well as highlights. On the day of the auction I was out of town but was able to watch online, the 3 guitars I would have liked to buy went over my set bids, there were some fantastic buys and the experience was enjoyable, its not often you can see, play and admire a collection of that magnitude.
where was this auction? who was the owner? interesting
@@gregwilson2721 the auction was a couple weeks ago in Renton, the owner was a guy named Don he was there, Im seeing several them on CL now
@@tomeasley3538 250 pieces! should have advertised the auction on craigslist!
@@gregwilson2721 that was the only place they ran ads...
as someone who has been interested in getting a vintage guitar this is something I needed to hear. Certain guitars are promoted as being the greats. But the problem is every assumes that because it was built in a certain year its the best. problem with hand made things is everyone of them is different. Although you can have a Dynamite 54 Strat. you can also get a horrible 54 Strat. ALWAYS PLAY BEFORE YOU BUY!
Like everything else, value is in the mind of the beholder, What is not up for debate, is that modern manufacturing technology is much more precise. Cheers.
I love this channel! I own a few vintage fenders and I agree. It is so much easier to play my fender custom shops. The 7.25 fretboard radius is tough to play.
get your vintage ones set up by a real pro and you will love them.
I played a few vintage radius never had a problem
Was at a estate sale , and there was 3 guitar cases that appeared to be fairly new, after looking closer i saw that they were older , the family was saying these were 67, 68 gibson , gretsch , and they were asking 1500 a piece , i left then , came back with 1500, figured i take a chance , almost ten years ago, turned out to be a good move !!! Wish i had bought all 3 of them ... 72 deluxe in good shape , for 1200 was great even then !!!
I found a 79 Strat at my local guitar shop completely by chance. It happens to be my birth year and I had the money, miraculously. I plugged it in and it was perfect, already refretted recently. Otherwise all original! I’ll never forget shedding actual tears as I carried it out to my truck. So many things had to align just right for it to be mine. 70s Fenders get a bad rap, but honestly, this one is great. Weighs about 8lbs.
I took a chance on an early Norlin era LP Custom a while back. It wasn’t all original but the natural relic condition was amazing. It’s one of my all time favorites and I have a large collection of custom shops and private stocks. To me it’s the same as new guitars - if it plays good, buy it.
I would love to have the first electric guitar I had. A black 1984 Squire Stratocaster with white pick guard. My nephew still has my first amp: a Peavey Audition.
Good times, good times!!
I know this is a year old but I just stumbled onto it looking for videos about refreting old guitars. I found in a pawn shop, a Gibson SG from the 90’s for $500. I bought it. The guitar has been heavily played and needs a new nut and a refret. It has a lot of dings and dents. But it was a guitar I wanted when I first started playing in the 90’s. (We were dirt poor and that was a pipe dream back then) But, 30 some odd years later. I was able to get the guitar I dreamed about. I’m going to restore it back to playing condition, value be damned! lol. This guitar is staying with me and will be handed down to my son. Thanks for your videos!
I started guitar in the 90s and people were avoiding the 70s strats like cancer. A friend of mine was given a 75 IIRC in 2001, the original owner didn't care for it as it was garbage. Now they're selling for thousands of dollars because they're "vintage". I went to someone's place who had a 70s strat a few months back, he was very proud of it so I tried it.
It was a really bad guitar.
Buy a Squire Classic Vibe 70s. All of what you want, none of what you don't. Even the pickups have been upgraded
Good advice for customers.
I had a early 70's white Rickenbacker 4001 bass that was fantastic and beautiful that I bought for $350 around 1992 or 1993, I sold it when I moved to Maui in 1995 because I didn't have a case for it. Out of all my guitars that's the one that got away. Now they are around 10 times that price.
Bought a '78 Gibson ES 335 for my 40th birthday in 2018. Turns out it was made the same month I was born (it's a few days older than me). Being in Australia I had to order it from the USA and I didn't expect much. People told me the 70s Gibsons are horrible but it was my year of birth and that's what I wanted. I bought it as a player grade guitar complete with pick scratches but no structural damage at a really good price.
Despite what the haters say about that era of instruments it is my favourite guitar to play and I love it! Rock on guys!
As a Kid, I was lucky to be able to experience owning some really nice vintage guitars including : 1963 Jaguar, 1965 Jazzmaster, 1965 ES-335, 1968 Strat, 1968 Tele, 1975 Tele Thinline. That was in the 1980’s before the “Collector’s Market” swooped in and ruined everything.
Do I regret having sold these great guitars? Absolutely. Do I think it would be a good idea to pay the stupid high prices it would take to get them back now....? Absolutely not! I feel sorry for the Kids today who are denied playing those sweet guitars because of greedy opportunists.
The truth is, there are plenty of newer guitars that are every bit as nice as the best vintage ones - if you’re willing to take off the nostalgia goggles, and appreciate them. I like my current American Pro Telecaster just as much as I did my ‘69. I suggest not worrying about what year it was made in - if it plays great, and it sounds great, then it IS great.
I saved up for 6 months to pickup a 64 strat refin in Ochanomizu Japan that sold 2 days before I could pick it up. My desire for a hardtail with a matching headstock has me looking at the Custom Shop.
My first bass is now 18 years old. Has it aged well, yes. Is it worth much, no. Keeper for life.
I know, right? I recently came to the realization that my Strat, which I bought new, is now 25 years old. That’s awesome, but also means I’ve gained 25 years myself. 😂
I have a 68 SG that I got in 99. It is a player and not a collector. Hands down the best guitar I have ever played. The action is the lowest I've ever seen with zero fret buzz since there are basically no frets left lol. I am gutted though because last month while playing I heard a "pop"...the glue gave out and now the fret board is starting to lift from the neck. I know once it's fixed it will probably have to be refretted and it will never feel the same.
So are they referring to Fender Custom Shops as well here? If so, are they not all theyre cracked up to be as well? Ive bought from the Mod Shop and loved it but ive never played a custom shop so I wonder what the gap between them is.
I bought a 68 Les Paul Goldtop for $800 Canadian.The headstock had been broken and repaired over 30 years before and was very stable.The previous owner also took a chisel to the bridge P-90 cavity and tried to gouge out a space for a humbucker.Seeing how the cavity was too shallow,he broke off the tabs on said pickup and soldered on two and then screwed those into the face of the guitar.Seeing how the pickguard was made for P-90s he cut out a portion so it would fit around the humbucker.It originally had a Bigsby,but removed it to make it a hardtail. He also changed the double line Klusons with a set of 6 in line tuners that looked really odd and lop sided On the Positive side He kept all the original hardware and Bigsby+the humbucker was a T-top.I filled in the bridge cavity to fit in a P-90 (Rio Grande)which he no longer had. The guitar has a great neck and plays like a dream.The head stock didn't have Les Paul but a Crown inlay which makes it the first run of these 68"s.This is a player grade,bur what a great guitar it is.
They are just old guitars that are worth a lot of money.
Great video guys!
I can't keep my eyes of that gold Telecaster. It is gorgeous!
Part of my job at Fender was attending "Guitar Shows".........where Sellers were putting Fender logos on Hondo guitars and selling them for HUGE $$$$'s.. This happened ALL the time.
I purchased a HS Anderson Explorer back in the 1980’s. Started a family and stopped playing. Dug it out and discovered it is now worth some good money down here in Australia. I am now looking for stranger older stuff, like Duo Sonics or Gibson Melody Makers.
I was a guitar “Salesman” in the early 80’s at Wedgles Music and Pawn in Denver Colorado.
We always had an extensive collection of old Gibson and Fender guitars for sale and a famously coveted “basement “ full of pawned guitars ready to be put up for sale if not picked back up by their owners.
I intentionally say “old” and not “vintage” because back then the concept of vintage had not yet taken hold in the rock musician community.
Don’t get me wrong, there was always a small number of musicians who dug the vibe of older instruments but nothing like the insanity of today’s vintage guitar market.
If I only had the foresight to see the future value of these guitars I would have purchased as many as I could and I’d be a wealthy man today.
I got to play many many of them and for the most part I don’t remember anything phenomenal about most of them except for maybe 2 or 3 exceptional cases ( out of dozens and dozens).
The whole “vintage” thing is a relatively new concept fueled by mostly a love of nostalgia. I still own a few “vintage” guitars today that I’ve picked up over the years (usually paying far too much) still searching for that “Holy Grail” guitar.
I also have Fender custom shop and modern Gibson’s that play and sound incredible.
Are any of them my “Holy Grail” guitar ?
Unfortunately.... I don’t think so.
I always feel like the next guitar will be it, so the quest continues.
My wife asks me frequently:
How many guitars do you need ?
And my answer is always ..... one more.
I’m pretty sure the holy grail of guitars is the Jimmy Page Les Paul #1, but only because he played it. I think the whole “vintage” thing is grossly overrated
not true, guys in the sixties wanted old les pauls and in the seventies there was a mad rush for guys to find pre war martins, the vintage market has been around over 50 years, just ask gruhn. if you ever play a pre war D-18 or 28 you will fully understand 'vintage'
@@vegashdrider if a newer les paul was better page would be using one. he is not. any pro that finally makes some money usualy goes with a real burst. the black keys, the 400 unit, metalica, bonamassa, theres a bunch of them
@@gregwilson2721 I’m not saying it didn’t exist . I can only speak to my experience (3 years selling guitars 1982-1985). The “in crowd “ was very very small . Nothing remotely compared to today’s craziness .
@@richardrichard2028 i can relate to that. the guys in my band in the early eighties were puzzled when i bought an old strat even though i already had one. then i got more and more stuff, sure enough decades later when i have run into each of them at some point or other, all of them wound up asking...'hey...do you still have all that stuff?" of course i reply...yes.. except for one i sold for the down on my house and another one for a new pickup truck.
Man this guy I enjoy listening to Baxter but man his Demos are baffled😁
Thanks Casino. ⚓️
I bought a 75 black Strat on eBay once, and the pickups didn’t work! Seller had them rewound but I later sold it, but I also got a 75 beat to hell white Strat that’s been with me since I was 17 and currently undergoing its 5th refret, on its second fretboard!
I have 2 1966 Fender Mustangs (a white and a blue) and they're both actually incredible guitars, my hand just melts into the neck every time I play either of them. Not sure if I just got lucky twice but there ARE great vintage Mustangs out there, despite them being "junior models!" ;)
ya they had the funky tailpeice but had nice fender fretboards and being shorter scale you can realy stretch out on them, i like using a hot pickup in one. pretty cool little guitars
I was a giant Johnny Winter fan. In the late ‘80s I bought a original reverse Firebird III and it was awful. I soon discovered all reverse Firebirds do not work for me. Still sold it for a profit several years later. It’s a shame because reverse firebirds are beautiful.
Recently scored a mid 70's Univox Les Paul copy that is actually great for $500!
That was my first guitar in 73
I have had varied results with vintage guitar. I believe you need two sets of skills. One for playing and one for collecting. Two very different things. Sometimes it comes together. My first 1950’s was a 1955 Ricky just like John L’s in the Cavern club days. It was cool
to look at and a price of shit to play. The neck was way to skinny. I had a 1971 Martin D-35. The worst most dead sounding D-35 in history but beautiful and not a scratch on it. Sold it on Reverb:) it sold quick. I had 1956 LP JR. One trick pony and sounded pretty good. Still I sold it. I just am not into wall hangers. The one vintage I have kept is a 1955 Gibby 125. It is a blues machine. Still play it live on Muddy Water’s songs. Tons of Mojo. I like vintage as long as it is still a guitar. Guitars are for playing if your a player.
I think the one vintage guitar that will give you the most joy is your first guitar. Keep it people! In 30 years that will bring you the most joy. My 13 year old nephew just got his first guitar. Sure it’s a red Squier tele, but the advice I gave him was to keep it because when he is 50 and his dad is 80, they will play it and have the memories.
Have bought dozens of guitars used but not quite vintage that were amazing, especially "off brands". Once got an early 80's electra for $100 (in 2011) and it is one of my faves. Same with an old no name acoustic from the 70's.
I got my Electra x280 from a pawn shop in the late 80's for $40. Just had to replace the tuners and put on some strings. Rebuilding now with Dimarzio 36th anniv PU and new wiring, new bridge and saddle. Love the guitar.
Had a 1963 National Studio 66 in pink. The pickup was amazing. Everything else kinda sucked. It was a closet queen found at a rummage sale for $45.00, and I had to sell it to finance some medical bills shortly after. Since, I have gone to current models or building my own to my own "vintage clone" spec and have had much better results. I know the right vintage one is out there for me yet, but I just have not found it. Then again, what is "vintage"? For cars in my state you can get collector plates after 20 years. I purchased a 2001 Gibson J-100 this year, and it is the best acoustic guitar I have ever played. It managed to beat out my Taylor which I have had since new in 2003, and I didn't ever think I would find a better acoustic.
Thanks for the great advice. Just backed out of a vintage guitar deal and bought a 67 mustang instead. I drive a lot better then I play!!
"Secretary's car"
A friend of mine did something that I thought was smart when he finally dove into the deep end and bought a serious vintage guitar from someone across the US. He had a relationship with a very knowledgeable shop that dealt with high end vintage guitars, that was very well known and trusted and told the seller that he wanted the guitar thoroughly checked out, made an escrow arrangement for the guitar to show he was serious and had the cash and the seller would ship the guitar to the shop at my friend's expense (the buyer), with the insurance and pay for the inspection. If it passed the shop's inspection, the money would be released to the seller and the shop would forward the guitar on. It cost about $500 more, but he wound up getting a super clean, rare blonde 1960 ES-175, that eventually was seen in a guitar book that I bought years later. So this guitar was known, but it had changed hands from the original owner who had lent it for the book. My friend and the seller talked several times live before the transaction so that both were comfortable dealing with each other and it worked out great. When I've bought vintage player guitars, I've asked the seller to meet me at my local vintage shop and have the guitar inspected while we wait. Tip, make sure you tell the shop in advance that you need an onsite inspection while you wait. It costs a few hundred dollars, but I can tell you for sure, with vintage player guitars you want to have it looked at.
Go for a vintage Jag Just took a mere $5,500 plunge on a 1964 Jaguar. All original except refret. It has the vibey wear the Fender C.S. dreams they could “heavy relic” simulate. Bought it out of the Fortus collection from CME, so was checked out by pros. Plays & sounds amazing. Cons: worn trem spring and unlike a Fender C.S. heavy relic job, the paint on the real thing continues to flake off, so the wear will get worse without handling with care.
I just had my 64 jag refretted, cleaned and new set up. It's sooooo worth it.
In about 1975 I bought a 1969 LP Custom...black...at the same time I had a wine one too. Also had a 50w Marshall head then. Eventually traded them all for something else....probably a Charvel or Jackson when I decided I wanted to be EVH. But sure wish I had that black LP back.
Many years ago the guy who owned the gym I was going to at the time bought an old Flying V. It was one of the first batch ever imported into the UK. It had been refinished but all the other elements were original and confirmed with serial numbers and codes on the pots etc. He wouldn't say how much he paid for it but he would never let me play it despite letting me try his 1937 Gibson acoustic so it must have been serious money. It would be interesting to know what it might be worth now.
Would like to have a Melody Maker, just like that headstock, but a couple grand for as you say a Squire quality guitar is insane. Got a L.P. junior kit from stew mack, shaved the headstock fitted it with quality parts and named it Waifu and I'm a happy guy.
If you are in Canada check out Rufus Guitar Shop, they get great Vintage gear in on the regular.
Thank you Dan Strain.
I overpaid for my silver 83 LP custom at $5500 just because it was identical to my very first main #1 gigging guitar. I didn’t care cuz it was so perfect! Bought from a good shop and had no issues
I had 5 SGs, and a LP R8. Sold them all when I bought a 1978 Yamaha SA700 Super Axe. Best guitar I’ve ever played…
I paid $30 each for the 1948 Silvertone student guitar and a mid-60's Tempo s-style within a few weeks of each other and I couldn't be happier!
I still have my 1976 Strat. First guitar I ever owned. Unfortunately I routed it for a humbucker in the '80"s. But it will still sell.
I have played my share of vintage Strats. I had one in my hands a while back that my wife had okayed me buying. As you guys already know, it just didn't have the same IT (feel and sound) as my custom shop Strats, which are a bargain compared to vintage. Left it at the store and picked up another CS Strat a few months later that honestly felt and sounded significantly better.
I traded a parts Squier strat for a 70’s Aria “The Diamonds” semi-hollowbody that was in need of a restoration. The neck had broken from a fall. It was glued back together but the frets were worn down to nothing. Also, the nut width was minuscule. So I bought an aftermarket Les Paul style neck and a replacement tail piece. Nothing is aligned properly on this guitar and the neck pocket is sloppy. It’s slowly coming together. The pickups sound great. Hopefully, it’ll be a player when I’m done because it has no monitory value whatsoever!
I bought a '76 Gibson Les Paul Custom and a '59 Gibson Melody Maker. I am satisfied. I bought both from Trogly and they are awesome.
That is awesome! Great finds and cheers for that:)
I have several vintage guitars including a '61 Tele and a '62 Strat. My Tele is probably the most amazing guitar I've played both in sound and playability and the Strat looks nice hanging on the wall. I've never warmed up to it and rarely play it. Point is, yes, I agree. They're very much hit and miss.
early slab board teles were really really great
What is the difference between a used guitar and a vintage guitar? I have bought a few used guitars, there was a used shop where I liked the owner and the vibe of the shop. He sold me a 1967 Gretch G6122T, it had wear and tear and I could afford it. I loved it. I sold it back to him when I moved a long distance away and had to downsize my belongings. I loved that little shop and he never steered me wrong.
Had this problem with a 65' Fender Jaguar. It was awesome in every single way, except, it couldn't stay in tune to save it's life. I tried different bridges, different saddles, lots of different options went on and off that guitar. Played great, sounded great. Was original when got it. Still, due to this, I sold it and it was always thought of as bad as possible to me.
I had a ‘63 Jag, and a ‘65 Jazzmaster, never had any tuning issues. In fact they held tune better than a lot of hard tail guitars I’ve had.
the best vintage guitar i’ve played was a 70’s les paul deluxe gold top, it was pure magic and i really wish i could’ve bought it.
i had a two gibson archtops from the 40’s that were just, too old the felt like they were gonna break if i played them too hard. luckily they were dirt cheap and an easy flip.
My 2009 strat will be vintage eventually. Lol and it plays great now.