How old?

[Tekboy]

I have a 1973 Gibson Hummingbird Cherry Sunburst.

 

How old does it have to be to be considered "vintage" in Gibson circles?

[sparquelito]

That's considered vintage in guitar circles.

 

It's not much different than it is with automobiles.

For a car to be considered a "Classic Car" it must be at least 25 years old, and 50 years old for it to be considered an "Antique Car".

 

However, some States consider anything made after the end of the Forties a Classic, and anything from 1949 back to be an Antique. (As regards 'qualifying for an Antique License Plate'.)

 

Back to guitars, I have heard for many years that any guitar older than 30 years of age qualifies to be Vintage.

 

[JimR56]

A fair question, but one without a clear answer. The traditional answer, from an established expert in the field such as George Gruhn, was that age alone does not make a guitar "vintage". Quality also had to be taken into account (which begins to bring subjectivity into things). Gruhn's cutoff point, largely as a result of the ban on Brazilian rosewood at the time, was roughly 1970. This was also the time when both Gibson and Fender began to suffer quality issues following corporate ownership changes. For some dealers, this 1970 guideline still stands and is accepted by many collectors, but time seems to be eroding this to some extent.

 

I've read several discussions on guitar forums on this topic in recent years, and many guitar enthusiasts today no longer want to accept those traditional guidelines. Defining the term "vintage" is a tricky matter for many people, even those who debate this topic with thoughtfulness and logic. Of course, the internet has given more people more power to voice their opinions (for better and/or worse). There's nothing more controversial or subjective when it comes to discussing guitars with other enthusiasts, and you have to look at the various arguments and opinions and decide for yourself what makes the most sense to you. Here's just one example of a relatively brief and civil discussion on the subject that I think is worth reading:

 

https://www.talkbass.com/threads/vintage-how-old.1007392/