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IS Buying Vintage The Future ?


JuanCarlosVejar

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folks ,

 

I was thinking today . Seeing that Madagascar and Indian Rosewood are running out and other woods like Ebony might run short soon

does this mean that in the near future people will be buying/wanting vintage guitars more than ever ?

I know there is research on sustainable woods and all that but I mean the iconic sounds and models are all ready going through mutations

at this moment so let's say in 10 or 15 years the new Rosewoods might be cocobolo or walnut or something like that .

 

I know Martin's jeff tweedy model is completely "green" . and the Jackson B model is also "green" in a way .

will all of this create an unprecedented demand for "vintage guitars" in the future ? and I mean I really doubt there will be guitars like the

L 00's from the 30's and 40's in 60 years so is this era of guitar building a turning point ??? . Will the companys be forced to leave behind

Hummingbirds , J 200 , J 45's , D 28's , D 45's and such ? will there be new iconic models in the future ??

 

 

thanks for any thoughts or input

 

 

 

JC

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Long answer short....yes.

 

Like EA's post from last weekend, I've had too much liquid confidence to intelligently type a longer response.

 

God bless the 21st amendment of the United States!

 

Well, you haven't had so much to drink that you can't remember which amendment repealed prohibition. Had to pull out my little pocket edition of the Constitution to confirm.

 

I'll drink to that one as well! [biggrin]

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the future? it's the past, present, and future. buying vintage has BEEN the trend. where have you been? lol.

 

 

that being said, the new models have always sold too. and so it will continue. both will happen the same as they have been.

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Never bought new, never will. I think it relates to a psychological bonding with perceived 'olden days' artisanship. Also, I don't have enough years left on the planet to wait for the tone to open up.

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Buying vintage is the past. You can buy vintage in the future by buying now. Or you can wait and buy in the future when what is now is vintage.

 

So, pretty much everything points to vintage being the future.

 

As for the present, the now, buyers are already asking for and seeking certain things and avoiding certain things. So obviously, a guitar with a solid wood fretboard is going to be easier to sell than a laminate or a composite.

 

As for the future, only time will tell, and it depends on IF the guitars they are able to build are as good as the ones that are available on the used market. Not everything has stood the test of time and retained it's value, and some have exceeded it. It depends on how good it actually is, what is 'cool', what people want, and how much it cost to get the same quality new.

 

My best guess would be that I don't think people will be able to get inflated prices for their 'solid' rosewood fingerboard guitars. I also suspect that many will want substantial discounts when buying a guitar with laminate or certain alternative materiel. I don't think people will not buy a good guitar that plays and sounds good if it has what is not ideal specs.

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Just like vintage guitars made from Brazilian Rosewood are highly regarded now, guitars made from other rosewoods and similar "premium" tonewoods will be in the future. Luckily, there's not a shortage of maple or mahogany, which I think are some of the best guitar woods available, but IRW is apparently becoming harder & harder to get.

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I'm quite sure lots of new rules and redefined regulations will be introduced in the future. Also in fields we don't imagine right now. It's necessary to keep the globalized world from burning out or goin' berserk. Guitar manufacturing could very well be considerable restricted when it comes to use of woods.

 

The more I think about it, the higher I rate the past 15 years. I tend to believe the Ren Ferguson era will be regarded the 'second golden age', as we spoke about in a previous thread. But let's see which way the ship turns over the next half or full decade. And wish the best for the captains -

 

Maybe it'll be like in architecture – in some periods they use real marble plates and high quality wood panels, in others painters have to emulate – only to get unemployed when the original materials are re-introduced.

 

 

 

 

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Id say a lot of NON forum people will not know about laminated bridges and fretboards and without somebody bringing it up every day, they probably wont care

 

I never looked at my bridge or fretboard until it was brought up here

 

and even if they were laminated, Id still play and love them just the same

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Id say a lot of NON forum people will not know about laminated bridges and fretboards and without somebody bringing it up every day, they probably wont care

 

I never looked at my bridge or fretboard until it was brought up here

 

and even if they were laminated, Id still play and love them just the same

 

 

+1

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Id say a lot of NON forum people will not know about laminated bridges and fretboards and without somebody bringing it up every day, they probably wont care

I'd supplement and state that a lot of (even guitar playing) non Forum people would consider us complete nuts. . .

Tally Ho - Fuel the pages !

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The more I think about it, the higher I rate the past 15 years. I tend to believe the Ren Ferguson era will be regarded the 'second golden age', as we spoke about in a previous thread. But let's see which way the ship turns over the next half or full decade. And wish the best for the captains -

 

I wholeheartedly agree with this, especially the part about seeing what the next 5 to 10 years bring. This Lacey act fiasco could drag on for a while, have a permanent effect, or it may be resolved relatively quickly so that Gibson can get access to the woods they want again. No one knows for sure right now, although many have been quick to shout gloom and doom.

 

Similarly with Ren's departure. Many have been quick to say that Gibson acoustics will inevitably decline with Ren leaving. This is not necessarily so. Gibson Acoustic has made incredible strides in the last 15-20 years. They could possibly find someone who continues to stear the ship in the right direction - improving the quality of their current models and creating new models that someday will be considered classics. Again, we just don't know right now. I, for one, will wait a while and see what happens rather than start raising the alarms without a real reason to do so.

 

As for the OPs question - again, no one has a crystal ball. Simply don't know. I think it is pretty clear that guitar making will continue to evolve for multiple reasons. One reason is the shortage of traditional materials. But another reason is continued innovation. There are a lot of guitar manufacturers out there building guitars in ways that could not have been imagined in the 1940s. Kevin Ryan is a great example. Will guitars in the future be built exactly like they were in 1942? Well, they already are not - different manufacturing techniques driven by costs, different woods, different glues, etc. Will these changes continue? I am sure they will. Hummingbirds will probably still be around well into the future, although they will probably be different. But at the same time, there will be new models. Some of these new models will be loved. The artists of the future will use these new models to make great music, and guitar players will want to have these models because of it (just like we want J-45s because our heroes played them).

 

Guitar players are funny. We want artists to be creative, but for some reason we want the companies that build their guitars to never make any changes. Remember that there was a time when all of today's "traditional" models were brand new and groundbreaking. The acoustic guitar models of the 1940s and 1950s were great, but they were just a step in the evolution of a guitar, not the final incarnation. The guitar will continue to evolve and be loved!

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Id say a lot of NON forum people will not know about laminated bridges and fretboards and without somebody bringing it up every day, they probably wont care

 

I never looked at my bridge or fretboard until it was brought up here

 

and even if they were laminated, Id still play and love them just the same

I think it may be hard to notice, and most wouldn't think to look.

 

But, I think most who would buy a high-end guitar like a Gibby would care. At least to the point of wanting to know which is which.

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Absolute geeks. Who spend far too much time on forums rather than playing their Gibsons.

 

But on the other hand, if i was honest, Im quite proud that quite a few pro musicians here in Prague come to me for acoustic guitar advice, strings, set up recommendations. And they are all blown away by the quality of my acoustics.

 

The difference is that those guys really just play their instruments and often neglect the details of the guitar. They see me as a bit of a guitar geek, but in a positive way.

 

Not sure which is better ...

 

 

 

I'd supplement and state that a lot of (even guitar playing) non Forum people would consider us complete nuts. . .

Tally Ho - Fuel the pages !

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Absolute geeks. Who spend far too much time on forums rather than playing their Gibsons.

 

But on the other hand, if i was honest, Im quite proud that quite a few pro musicians here in Prague come to me for acoustic guitar advice, strings, set up recommendations. And they are all blown away by the quality of my acoustics.

 

The difference is that those guys really just play their instruments and often neglect the details of the guitar. They see me as a bit of a guitar geek, but in a positive way.

 

Not sure which is better ...

 

 

 

You need to change your Forum name to EuroGeek mate!

 

[flapper]

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thanks to all

some really interesting reply's

and I wasn't trying to strictly predict the future ... just trying to see what you guys thought about the woods and guitar building of the future.

 

I agree with the second golden era being Ren's time at gibson.

I also agree with the artist of the future will use newer models too .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JC

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Absolute geeks. Who spend far too much time on forums rather than playing their Gibsons.

 

But on the other hand, if i was honest, Im quite proud that quite a few pro musicians here in Prague come to me for acoustic guitar advice, strings, set up recommendations. And they are all blown away by the quality of my acoustics.

 

The difference is that those guys really just play their instruments and often neglect the details of the guitar. They see me as a bit of a guitar geek, but in a positive way.

 

Not sure which is better ...

 

 

Mark, it's not an either/or. Some of the best musicians I know are also guitar geeks, some in a very big way.

 

To me, a guitar is more than a tool for making music. It's as close to a living thing as you can get in an inanimate object. Stroke it, and it purrs back at you. Treat it a bit rough, and it can get pretty raunchy. Anyone who doesn't feel a sensual connection to the guitar when playing it has no soul in my book.

 

Being a bit of a geezer, I prefer vintage when I can find what I want, in the condition I expect, at a price I am willing to pay. When I can't find it, I will look at its contemporary equivalent, if there is such a thing.

 

Two guitars I have stand out as examples of this. One is my Nashville '59 Historic ES 335. The "real" one in great condition in a 'burst finish would have set me back $35,000 or so. My used '59 Historic was a bit under $4K, and will be good for at least a couple of generations to come. It's also a cherry finish, and the cherry finish 1959 is one of the rarest creatures in the universe. It probably would have cost $75K or more, and I would have been afraid to play it. No, my '59 Historic isn't a "real" '59, but it's as close as I can get.

 

The other example is my newly-acquired L-OO Legend. I looked long and hard for a pre-war L-OO, but was discouraged by both the price and condition of the ones I looked at. So for $3K barely used, I got as close as you can get to a pristine 1937 L-OO.

 

The rest of my Gibsons date from the 40's, 50's, and 60's.

 

I guess that makes me more than a bit of a vintage geek, but not to the point of blindness to the practicality of "newer" instruments that tick all the boxes. If I could afford it, I would go pure vintage.

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I guess that makes me more than a bit of a vintage geek, but not to the point of blindness to the practicality of "newer" instruments that tick all the boxes. If I could afford it, I would go pure vintage.

 

+1

 

[thumbup]

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I guess that makes me more than a bit of a vintage geek, but not to the point of blindness to the practicality of "newer" instruments that tick all the boxes. If I could afford it, I would go pure vintage.

 

This is not exactly where I am, but not far off. I like both new and vintage guitars. Certain vintage guitars are highly regarded for a reason. Likewise, many people say Gibson Acoustic has been in a "golden era" these last several years for a reason. and I argree with the praise on both sides. I have a vintage L-00 that is awesome, and I would love to have an L-00 Legend. I'm going the opposite direction with J-45s. I have a J-45 Legend, and really, really, really want a vintage Southern Jumbo (really!!!) I have a '63 Reissue ES-335 that is the absolute best electric guitar I own, but still I would love to have an early '60s 335 IN ADDITION TO my reissue.

 

Bottom line, there is a lot to love about both new and vintage guitars. I, for one, plan not to be monogamous with one or the other, but a shameless wh0re with both!

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