383roller Posted April 23, 2012 Share Posted April 23, 2012 I think the stuff made in the present and recent past is nothing short of great, and may be considered good vintage stuff in the future when present woods used become unattainable. The REAL vintage stuff will always be in demand as the small supply numbers have been determined for a long time now. Everything that is an opinion based answer is relative: the future will always be commercial determined sales in the present and the future always belongs to the past. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted April 23, 2012 Share Posted April 23, 2012 If I had that crystal ball I would be driving a Porsche 356 notchback coupe on my own private island these days. I have never owned a new guitar or bought one as an investment. But I am one of the lucky ones though to have seen some of those "used" guitars magically become "vintage" guitars. But to answer the question about the vintage market - Nope. While it is a great time to buy as the market is still pretty soft, the days when guitars were the sexiset investment on the market and were a better investment than Malibu real estate are gone. I remmeber though Gruhn in one of his newletters of the mid-1980s warning that the whole thing had to start to tumble down because prices had lost their footing in logic. The small vintage dealers I know who cannot afford to sit on stock are still telling me they have to knock about 30% off the what the guitars would have sold for in 2007 or 2008 if they want to move instruments. These guys who used to go to guitar shows with their pockets stuffed with cash and return with maybe two guitars are now bringing home five gutiars. Hey, I just saw a 1959 J-200 in really nice condition with as price tag of $11,000 go for $7,000. There is an upside though. These days musicians who were once priced out of the market can get back into it and put guitar back in the hands of players rather than collectors. What new gear will go up in value as the years go by is anybody's guess. And for us old guys we may not have the years left it will take to see it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LysanderSky Posted April 23, 2012 Share Posted April 23, 2012 One thing is for sure though: Exotic woods and therefore premium guitars will increase quite a bit in the not so distant future. The next Les Paul Standard might come with baked maple neck fretboards, it wouldn't surprise me at all. Gibson increasingly looks into alternative woods, how this will translate into rosewood, ebony etc. becoming more desireable (better tone, 'vintage correctness' etc) remains to be seen - but it is pretty clear to me that guitars with those woods will increase in price and might quite dramatically do so in the mid-term due to the simple laws of of supply/demand. The way In see it there always be a demand for those woods by guitar enthusiasts who are willing to pay a lot for 'vintage' specs. To speculate a little further, I think that in 20 years time guitars using rosewood, ebony and mahagony might be super-expensive custom shop models only while most of the Gibson catalogue will be made out of other woods. My 2 c. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted April 23, 2012 Share Posted April 23, 2012 I think if Ren would go out and start his own shop and build guitars those he made for Gibson will go up in value. Look at what a "Cunetto" period CS Fendesr brings these days - and all Vince actually did was the finish and decals. Value though always seem to have a domino effect. As the older instruments go up they drag those that came after them along. Sorry to say that age is more important than quality. How else can you explain the money folks started to be willing to pay for a puke yellow late 1960s Fender Tele made with northern ash and pickups that howled like a banshee. I believe "traditional" woods will always be more highly valued that exotic woods. So as the value of the older Braz rosewood guitars, say those built before the mid-1960s when it started becoming difficult to get good quality logs (Martin came up with the D35 due to the shortage of rosewood logs of sufficient size to make a two piece back) goes up it will pull up the value of the lower quality Braz rosewood guitars that followed. This in turn will increase the value of say alot of the modern vintage spec guitars built with stump logs (which although nicely figured is fairly unstable and prone to cracking). I think in the future we will start seeing more and more at least stock guitars built with lumber harvested from immature trees. We will also, as apparently has started, see more laminate wood used to make necks and bridges. Maybe this will push Gibson to finally re-introduce the laminate maple body J-200 or how about "Wartime Series" SJ with laminate back and sides. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jannusguy2 Posted April 23, 2012 Share Posted April 23, 2012 I'm glad that with the delivery of my J200TV tomorrow, my guitar hunting days will be finished. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted April 23, 2012 Share Posted April 23, 2012 I'm glad that with the delivery of my J200TV tomorrow, my guitar hunting days will be finished. Yeah, right, Rob...... Your guitar hunting days will be finished the day they plant you, although I can see your hand reaching back from the other side for one last go at it...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted April 23, 2012 Share Posted April 23, 2012 I'm glad that with the delivery of my J200TV tomorrow, my guitar hunting days will be finished. I'm looking forward full report with pics. . B) . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted April 23, 2012 Share Posted April 23, 2012 I've been to several "vintage" guitar shows....and most vintage guitars are really just OLD guitars, nothing special. And OLD guitars, just like NEW guitars have to be tried to be appreciated and evaluated. There are good ones and bad ones new and old....it's ALL about the sound. If you can find the "sound" in a new guitar, great, and if you can find the "sound" in an old one, wonderful. Why make a priori decisions before trying old and new out??? I have found guitars just "talk" to you when they are right for you....unfortunately, toooo many guitars have talked to me....lol, for I am weak....lol, and I hang out in forums full of enablers.....lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted April 23, 2012 Share Posted April 23, 2012 It's very nice to have a mixture of old and new guitars! Refer to old thread: "Do You Have Too Many Guitars?" with graphic. At the vintage guitar shows like mentioned by OWF above, which I have not been to but I have seen a few videos on this very forum, do they have soundproof booths or soundproofing in their little area? I went to an electric guitar show years ago and I couldn't hear myself think let alone try a guitar PROPERLY. The video I saw of a vintage guitar show looked like 200 guitar players playing at once. How do you get to evaluate the guitar you like the look of? I guess it is luck of the draw like a music shop with "Smoke on the Water" going on somewhere, or do the sellers look you up and down for signs of cash and take you out to another room if you pass? BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merseybeat1963 Posted April 23, 2012 Share Posted April 23, 2012 After seeinging the dulling effect the EXP D'Addarrio strings had on my Lowden Guitar which is a Brazilian Rosewood & Mastergrade Adi F ..and how imperative the Elixirs that come with it are to its sound..(I really stress imperative) it occured to me,in future ,I think a guitar string will be invented that will "be" the sound of that guitar...And the intense craftsmanship..once standard..now rare & mass produced..will no longer be a required. Bad thought..very possible..hopefully rubbish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merseybeat1963 Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 I think if Ren would go out and start his own shop and build guitars those he made for Gibson will go up in value. Look at what a "Cunetto" period CS Fendesr brings these days - and all Vince actually did was the finish and decals. Value though always seem to have a domino effect. As the older instruments go up they drag those that came after them along. Sorry to say that age is more important than quality. How else can you explain the money folks started to be willing to pay for a puke yellow late 1960s Fender Tele made with northern ash and pickups that howled like a banshee. I believe "traditional" woods will always be more highly valued that exotic woods. So as the value of the older Braz rosewood guitars, say those built before the mid-1960s when it started becoming difficult to get good quality logs (Martin came up with the D35 due to the shortage of rosewood logs of sufficient size to make a two piece back) goes up it will pull up the value of the lower quality Braz rosewood guitars that followed. This in turn will increase the value of say alot of the modern vintage spec guitars built with stump logs (which although nicely figured is fairly unstable and prone to cracking). I think in the future we will start seeing more and more at least stock guitars built with lumber harvested from immature trees. We will also, as apparently has started, see more laminate wood used to make necks and bridges. Maybe this will push Gibson to finally re-introduce the laminate maple body J-200 or how about "Wartime Series" SJ with laminate back and sides. I bought one of those Cunetto Mary Kay Statocasters in 2004 before I knew anything about those guitars.(Salesman never said thats a Cunetto etc.the cu#t was sending me out the store as is, with out a case) I played and played it and had to buy it. I don't know what magical dust was sprinkled on that thing or what Cunetto did to the guitar but it is like a good original. It's as if they set out to make a genuine forgery. The sound the feel ..that bridge pickup with that ash is really something. Maybe the first lot were select pieces of wood & well made pickups...one thing I read later was there was something different he did with the finish compared to Fender.I don't know. A primo Strat that one..I thought it was worth the $2599 back then not knowing anything about it except that it seemed special. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slimt Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 For the Most part.. Vintage Guitars are Cheap enough to buy... in Most cases.. cheaper than New Ones.. Ill keep buying the old.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 Well....apparently "vintage" on Craigslist....means anything before 2000.....so "used" and "vintage".......appear to be the same thing.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 Well....apparently "vintage" on Craigslist....means anything before 2000.....so "used" and "vintage".......appear to be the same thing.... Some folks might take offense at having some of their guitars called "vintage" when they USED to be "used". I don't think I'm vintage, and I like being called "used" less. I like to think of myself as "pre-owned". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 Some folks might take offense at having some of their guitars called "vintage" when they USED to be "used". I don't think I'm vintage, and I like being called "used" less. I like to think of myself as "pre-owned". Stein, You are a good hearted soul in my book! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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