brc Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 What would it take for you to sell your vintage guitar. I know there are a few members here that have some beautiful vintage guitars C B has a beautiful Stratocaster, Searcy has some vintage guitars if I remember right, and know there are plenty more that I can not think of right now. Reason I am asking is I have had another offer on one of my Gibsons. The gentleman who made the offer has been asking to buy my Gibson for probably over 20--25 years now. I have told him countless times it is not for sale, but he is really serious now. I know I will never sell it, but I was just wondering,, what would it take for some of you to part with your prized guitar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonzoboy Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 I am very attached to all my vintage guitars but there are some such as my '65 Strat,Jag and Mustang and my '74 Guild S-100 NB,that Bill Gates,Richard Branson and Rupert Murdoch's combined fortunes couldn't tempt me to part with.Believe it or not my 1965 John Lennon Casino is also in that category.Although it isn't a vintage guitar,it is one of the first 50 made and no doubt it would be very costly to replace it-especially in the as near to mint condition as you can get. The way it is with me,guitars are more than just tools but they are the medium I use to express my emotions,something like a painter's brushes are to him/her,but a guitar is more personal as you get used to its little quirks and idiosyncrasies and grow to appreciate them and adapt to them.I actually grow a sentimental attachment to my guitars and many guitarists I know feel the same about their instruments.When you feel that way about your instruments,money isn't a factor...ask Itzhak Perlman if he'd sell his Stradivarius or Guarneri for any money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 My '64 Strat is, quite simply, NOT for sale! Most, that know it's story, already know "why!" The rest, I'd part with, although reluctanly, for the "right" price! But, only if circumstances dictated that I had to sell them. I just hope it never comes to that. I know I can't take them with me, but those I leave behind, can enjoy them, or sell them, then, if they like(?). CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'Scales Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 $2500-$3000 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan H Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 This one's in it for the long haul... It's far from super valuable, but it's the best guitar I've ever played, and the first guitar I ever bought with my own money. It was also my first "good" guitar. I could never part with it. -Ryan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveinspain Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 I guess it would have to come down to having a roof over my head and eating. As long as I have a home and am eating my guitars have a home as well... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 If I had to sell guitars and basses, I guess even my revered hybrids would have to go before selling my 1978 Gibson S-G Standard, 1982 Ibanez Blazer Bass, 1985 Weimann Blues Bird, or 1986 Ibanez RG 430. There have been some potential buyers willing to pay more than the original retail prices for all of these four over the years. Most of them were interested in my Ibanez Blazer Bass, and those bids exceeding the original price by most earned my Weimann Blues Bird. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 I guess it would have to come down to having a roof over my head and eating.... Probably something like this....^.... In any case what's considered 'vintage' nowadays? I know that in literal terms every year is, of course, 'vintage' (small 'v') but what makes something 'Vintage' (capital 'v')? Does it change depending on manufacturer/model? As in are only pre-CBS Fenders truly thought of as 'Vintage'? If not then what is the cut-off date? Are 'Vintage' Les Paul Standards, say, split into just those instruments made "pre-1960" and between "1968 to end-of-Norlin"? Are some 'post Henry' already thought of as being 'Vintage'? As far as my guits are concerned; I sold my '64 Strat in 2004 and, perhaps surprisingly, sold it for around a third of it's worth. Long, uninteresting story. I miss it only slightly because my MIM Strat bought a couple of years ago is damn-near an exact replica and the neck (especially) is in much better nick... My Gibbies? Next year even the youngest of my quartet of LPs will be 20 years old. Are any of them really 'Vintage'? I've occasionally thought of selling-off two or three but I'd hate to sell my absolute favourite. Time has shown me it would be next to impossible to find another I like as much as I like her so she would be my last to go. My oldest guit is my Antoine DiMauro S-hole (really) "Model Special Chorus" Gypsy-Jazz archtop. After my #1 LP it's the only guit which gets much playtime - and it gets a lot. Would I sell it for the right price? Probably. She's a lovely old thing - about 70 years old - but, like many other 'lovely old things', she has her own 'little ways'. I'm sure a newer G-J box would prove to be far less bother and I could probably buy three or four D'Angelico's like the Rev. D's absolute stunner with the money. But don't let her know I said so...... P. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brc Posted June 13, 2014 Author Share Posted June 13, 2014 The person who is asking to buy my Gibson wants it for his collection. He has a pretty large collection of vinatge Gibson guitars. My Gibson is a 1960 ES 355 that IS purchased new. When I had it appraised for an insurance policy, one appraise rated it a 9 to 9.5 and the second appraiser rated it a 9 out of a ten. He has purchased from me before and has always wanted to buy my 355. I think he knows I will never sell it,even though he offered some serious money this time. He has also made a serious offer on my 1964 Fendet Bandmaster amp. This is also in mint condition, with original tubes and leather covers. The Fender museum in Corona Ca. has asked me to display the amp in one of their exhibits, its that nice. But back o the Gibson. I have known him for close to 30 years, and he wants it to help complete his line of 335. 345. and 355. guitars. As we are aware, the market has really dropped over the years,and he has offered what would have been the higher end what vintage guitars were going for at the peak of the market a few years ago. So would it take you 3 times what your guitar is worth to sell it? Four times? If some one is really serious, has the money,and your guitar would be bought for a collection, and not as a guitar to be used, would you then sell your vintage guitar. For me,even though he has offered some big money, he has not hit a majical number high enough for me to say yes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 ....he has offered what would have been the higher end what vintage guitars were going for at the peak of the market a few years ago... So would it take you 3 times what your guitar is worth to sell it? Four times? If some one is really serious, has the money,and your guitar would be bought for a collection, and not as a guitar to be used, would you then sell your vintage guitar. For me,even though he has offered some big money, he has not hit a majical number high enough for me to say yes. FWIW... If I were in your position, brc, I'd consider the points thus; A quick check over at Gruhn's shows a VG++ 1960 ES-355 to be worth, currently, somewhere in the region of $12,000 - $13,000. Is he offering much more than this? 3X this? 4X this? In which case Yup. I'd sell. The fact that he wants it to become part of a collection as opposed to a 'player' is unfortunate but I wouldn't rule out a sale on that point alone. The fact that you are not tempted (yet) is an indication that you don't want to be parted from it. What, in light of this, would make you consider a sale? My take is that it all depends on what, exactly, the guitar means to you. I loved my old Strat very dearly but, in the end, I realised that much of the 'value' of the instrument to me was merely sentiment. It was a great, great Strat but there are quite a few great, great Strats out there. It could always be replaced by another. Sentiment Not Included. Which is precisely why I sold it. I didn't want to be lumbered with all that sentimental claptrap. I replaced it with a great player which was simply that; a great player. No nonsense. If, OTOH, you have a good many reasons to hang on to that particular ES (as is the case with CB and his '64 Strat) then that is a different matter entirely and only you can judge the situation for yourself. P. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karloff Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 not sure how "Vintage" my '72 Strat is considered, but I've had it since '74. i was 14, cut grass and odd jobs for over a yr to get the $$. in the best of times, no $$ could ever make me come off of it. in the worst of times, whatever it would take to have something to eat I imagine. Fortunately its never come to that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest EastEnder Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 Deleted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 I'd have a very hard time parting ways with that ES brc, my oldest guitar is a 78 Alvarez Yari.. this was back in the day when the Yari's where hand crafted and signed by Yari himself. Today's Alvrez guitars are decent. but they are nothing like this one. It's probably worth as much now as it was when it was new, but I'd never sell it. the closest electric is my 95 Les Paul Standard, which will be 20 years old next august.. not for sale, ever... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notes_Norton Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 I've got a 1970 Gibson ES-330 you can have for $5,000 plus shipping (the one on the right) Since I got my Parkers I hardly play it anymore, so I don't need two archtops, and the Gibson is the only one I'd get a decent price for. PM me know if anyone is interested. Notes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brc Posted June 13, 2014 Author Share Posted June 13, 2014 As far s the offer that he made, it Far exceeds the $13,000 range I won't say how much, but it is much more than that range. I have never considered selling it, but guess I was wondering what would other vintage guitar owners have to consider price wise before they parted with a guitar that they have owned for 54 years Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 ...(I) guess I was wondering what would other vintage guitar owners have to consider price wise before they parted with a guitar that they have owned for 54 years. I've never personally owned a guitar for more than 34 years (the DiMauro) so can't comment on the 54 year bit. I'm not terribly sentimental about my guitars any more. They are just there to do a job - and the job is merely to keep me amused. My current #1 LP does 'the job' better than any guitar I've ever played but if I found a much better LP (and could afford it) I'd not worry about ringing the changes. That's partly why I still head in to the West End and try stuff out. That's also the reason why I ended up with the other 3 LPs I currently own; they are the 'best of the rest' I've ever played. It's also why the Norlin LP Custom I had back in the '80s lasted barely a week and the '59 Strat only marginally longer. No Sentiment Allowed!...lol! It sounds very much like you are placing sentiment right at the top of your list of priorities - which is perfectly fine and I understand that position completely. If that is the case then I can't see you selling it at all. P. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brc Posted June 13, 2014 Author Share Posted June 13, 2014 You are right though Pippy, I would never part with it. This is one guitar that will out last me for sure. I did check out the 355 at Ghruns guitars. That one is the stereo model. Same style body, but completly different guitar. I have sold a few that I wish I would have hung on to, and actually the gentleman who made the offer on my Gibson,bought a couple of them. I think there are two types of people who have guitars, 1, the type that uses a guitar as tool,whether it is for enjoyment, or even to make a living with the guitar 2 the type that likes to collect them. I see both types of views, and understand why they have their guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 "Used"(sometimes called "pre-owned") Guitar, recent to 49 years old! True "Vintage" guitar=50 years, or more, old. "Antique" = 100 + years old. So, the vast majority of "Vintage" guitars (especially on E-bay) are NOT! They're "used" or "Pre-owned," and should be priced accordingly! IMHO... CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 I thought 25 years was the turning point to consider a guitar "vintage" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 I thought 25 years was the turning point to consider a guitar "vintage" Well, that was probably just to increase the prices, of "used" guitars?! CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 I thought 25 years was the turning point to consider a guitar "vintage" That's the problem I touched on right at the start of my earlier post (#8), kb. Unlike the word 'Antique' which has partly been defined (by the U.S. Customs Service) as "an item with at least 100 years of age under its belt" the term 'vintage' has almost no meaning other than the year/period from which any particular object etc. can be dated. My MIM Strat, for instance, is a Vintage Strat. The 2011 Vintage. Vintage. Veteran. Antique. not one of these terms has an undisputed meaning - as in how old they are - in legal terms. Different bodies adopt different approaches to the task at hand. Let's look at the car world... In 1934 the Vintage Sports Car Club (VSCC) initially proposed a 5-year period from date of manufacture for prospective membership. This would have meant that in, say, 1937 a car made in 1932 would qualify for inclusion. They soon realised that the principle of a 'rolling date' rule would never work in practice so in 1936 the members adopted the 31st December 1930 as the latest date for eligibility. And so, 78 years further on from that pivotal meeting, the datum 31st December 1930 remains. Anything built after 01 Jan '31 - by their interpretation of the word - is not 'Vintage' regadless of the fact that back in '36 a car need only have been 7 years old to qualify! Crazy? Probably not, actually. The Veteran Car Club is a completely different kettle of fish. They chose 1919 as the cut-off point.... Going by the VSCC's original rules the owner of a 2009 Les Paul would now be able to claim he/she had a 'Vintage' Les Paul. But that's not true. Is it?....... P. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4Hayden Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 My grand daddy left me a 1928 Washburn , it's not for sale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Searcy Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 When it comes to using the word vintage I tend to go with the definition that I once heard George Gruen use. He said the definition of the word vintage changed depending on which instruments you were talking about. At one time there was no such thing as a vintage post CBS fender. Likewise there was no such thing as a vintage Norlen era Gibson or a vintage Baldwin era Gretsch. By definition of vintage Martin was pre-World War II. This definition is always changing. Once the collectors it snatched up all the pre-CBS fendors suddenly the vintage guitar dealers started pushing anything from the 60s as vintage Fender just so they could have something to sell. Same goes for Norlen era Gibsons. What was once toted as the worst abominations ever to be cranked out of an American factory are now demanding huge price tags as vintage. Vintage or not I'm rather fond of all my instruments. From my 1964 Melody maker to my 1989 Chet Atkins country gentleman to my busted up pawnshop hundred and $50 Alvarez 12 string. That said I can't think of any of them I wouldn't part with if the price was right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 In my opinion, Pippy mentioned both different and important points of view to the terms "vintage" and "Vintage" in his posts #8 and #22. Besides year of build, every other detail cannot be defined easily. Starting from the initial meaning as the year of growing grapes, growing the grapevine has already taken some more years before. Expanding the term to growing trees for making tonewoods, there are some like poplar or maple which can be bred, chopped and dried within a human lifespan, and others taking several human generations like mahogany or ebony. When looking at cars, I think it is mainly around the builds made in certain years. This will also reflect the state of the art that time, comprising craftmanship and technology as well. Anyway, you will rarely find "Vintage Reissue" cars. Considering these aspects, the terms "vintage" and "Vintage" can be rather complex when talking about electric guitars and taking all their components into account, like timbers, finishes, hardware, pickups, and electronics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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