Tips on Collecting the Most Valuable Vintage Guitars
Posted at by ifydcat on category UncategorizedEver before believed that a guitar might be a a lot more profitable investment than the stock market? Classic guitars are starting to be a hot thing in the collectors items marketplace, and there are few icons more recognizable to US residents than a rock superstar and his guitar. While a few weeks’ financial savings may have got a guitar in the 1960s, most of those instruments are selling for big bucks nowadays. Not too long ago, George Harrison’s guitar sold for a little under six hundred thousand dollars, or example. Eric Clapton’s favorite Stratocaster from the 1970s, Blackie, sold for almost a million bucks.
You might be asking yourself whether a guitar can really be a good investment. After all, to the untrained eye, a lot guitars are the same. Nevertheless, the right guitar may be really worth a lot to a collector. Guitars which have been owned by celebrities, or that are scarce or unusual, can command quite high prices indeed. If you’re anxious about acquiring a return on your money, don’t be. Classic guitars have consistently perofrmed with a lot more stability than the stock market. There are a number of reasons that collecting classic guitars is an outstanding strategy.
For one, they’re more tangible compared to a stock or bond. They provide you with an desirable piece to display, and are fun to collect as well. Additionally, Guitars don’t lose worth over time. In actual fact, it’s just the opposite – classic guitars regularly acquire value as they get older, as long as you take the time to keep them in excellent condition. They’re also ordinarily excellent instruments. If you’re a musician as well as an investor, you’ll value the outstanding action and tone of a real vintage instrument. The most popular vintage guitar with enthusiasts is in all probability the Gibson Les Paul or the Fender Stratocaster..
Here is a modest example: Let’s say in 1959 you had $100.00. If you were to bury the $100.00 in a coffee can in your back backyard or put it in the bank account and let it sit there drawing a couple percent interest inflation may gradually take this $100.00 and if you were to pull it out 50 years later you would discover that $100.00 would barely get you a good evening meal for two. Having said that if you would have taken that very same $100.00 and gone to the neighborhood pawn shop in 1959 and acquired a 1959 Gibson Les Paul guitar and placed it in the closet as an alternative then you might haul it from your closet nowadays and it may be worth well over six figures.
People are starting to realize how much these instruments from the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s actually meant to our culture.
There is a very limited supply and there still appears to be a high demand for these pieces of historical past which has turned out to be a great preference for those who have invested in these instruments, such as the Gibson Les Pauls’ and Fender Telecasters and Stratocaster’s from the era of the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s.
A excellent place to start off collecting vintage guitars as an investment or hobby will be definetely to concentrate the study on acquiring guitars from the list below. This list incorporates guitars which have been inducted into Vintage Guitar Magazine’s Hall of Fame. There are, naturally, various listings and other guitars worth investing in, but this is certainly a great place to begin. Two excellent sites to start the search for these exquisite instruments are Bob’s Vintage Guitars at http://www.bestguitaronline.com and the Best Guitar Shop at http://www.best-guitar-shop.com.
Gibson SG Standard – Inducted in 2009
By 1960, declining sales of the Les Paul model had Gibson searching to revamp the guitar. So the company provided a radically redesigned, considerably thinner (and lighter!) body supposed to better compete with Fender’s Stratocaster. However the things which made up its very heart and soul – particularly its humbucking pickups – remained. Nowadays, the early-’60s version is a true classic.
Gibson Les Paul Goldtop – Inducted in 2008
Les Paul tried for many years to convince Gibson it required a solidbody in its line. Last but not least, Ted McCarty released a single-cut ~experimentation guitar to Les Paul for his approval. However its origianl bridge/tailpiece was far from perfect, the instrument served as Gibson’s test bed in the ’50s. Eventually, it achieved the pinnacle amongst guitars and nowadays sits among the top collectible vintage guitars. A vintage Gibson Les Paul Goldtop is a excellent inclusion to any collection.
Gibson J-45 – Inducted in 2007
Martin’s “dreadnought” flat-tops have been big and dominated the guitar marketplace of the thirties. By the early ’40s, Gibson recognized it required a big flat-top to compete, and he J-45 (“J” for Jumbo, “45” indicating its price in dollars) was it. A 16″ round-shoulded flat-top, even in the tough times of its launch, it received a really warm welcome and has ever since remained one of – if not the – most popular Gibson guitars.
Fender Jaguar – Inducted in 2006
Diving on the speeding Fender bandwagon in 1962, it aided the manufacturer dwell on top all through the decade, with its showy new vibrato tailpiece, innovative electronic devices, and (usually) a funky custom color. If you performed instrumental rock and roll at the time, you either had one of these or you were almost certainly ignored!
Gibson ES-5 – Inducted in 2006
One of the first guitars built right after Ted McCarty took charge of Gibson, it assisted solidify the manufacturer’s place as the world’s preeminent electric archtop guitar maker. Nowadays, its late-’50s variant with three PAF humbuckers and Switchmaster tone management is one of the most collectible of its ilk.
National Tri-Cone series – Inducted in 2005
Its warm, sustaining tone emanates from 3 aluminum “resonators” intended to help guitarists stick out in big-band or orchestra settings. But, soon after becoming launched, Nationals had been adopted by Hawiian and blues players. Today, the Tri-Cone produces what quite a few consider the ultimate acoustic blues tone.
PRS Custom – Inducted in 2004
The first production instrument from a company which is a the guitar’s preeminent state of the art success story.
Gretsch White Falcon – Inducted in 2004
Like many excellent guitars, it has evolved through several versions. However it has been a classic since day one, for both its sound and utterly distinctive aesthetic.
The 1954-’56 Gibson Les Paul Custom – Inducted in 2003
Is it possible to say “Black Beauty?” However Gibson didn’t give it the name, Les Paul himself chose black as the secondary color for the guitar bearing his moniker. Gibson did, nonetheless, use it to experiment with a three-pickup configuration and to launch its famous Alnico-magnet pickup. A vintage Gibson Les Paul guitar is surely a top collectible.
Fender Jazzmaster – Inducted in 2002
Designed and marketed by Leo Fender to cut into Gibson’s jazz market, it supplanted the Stratocaster at the top of Fender’s series in 1958. And though its sound kept it from catching on with jazzers, garage surf bands of the day ate it up. It is one of the most copied solidbody styles of all time.
Gibson SJ-200 – Inducted in 2002
A landmark amongst acoustic flattops, the SJ-200 was developed for cowboy guitarist Ray Whitley, and any cowboy worth his salt played one. Its reputation carried over to other genres, and by no means faded. From its jumbo-sized, sunburst-finished body to its ultra-fancy pickguard, bridge, and headstock, it was regarded as the consummate flat-top.
Gibson ES-150 – Inducted in 1999
Gibson’s first electric Spanish guitar was also the first good-quality electric to hit the marketplace. Favored by Charlie Christian, it housed Gibson’s first pickup, which is still in high demand and considered a classic.
Martin D-45 – Inducted in 1998
Initially the fanciest of Martin’s forward-looking dreadnought series. If you had one of the 96 produced in the 1930s and early ’40s, the net worth will be definetely substantially larger than it is now.
Rickenbacker 360/12 – Inducted in 1997
They were excellent enough for George Harrison and provided us the “jingle jangle” of Roger McGuinn. Which’s more than adequate for the 360/12 to be the only 12-string in the VG HoF.
Gibson Flying V – Inducted in 1996
One of the most different guitar styles ever created, but it wasn’t a hit when it came out in 1958. Rock and rollers discovered it in the late ’60s and the V even now can make a special statement nowadays.
Gretsch 6120 – Inducted in 1996
If you play rockabilly, you better have one of these! Introduced as the Chet Atkins Hollowbody in ’54, the 6120 soon shed the “G” brand and western inlays of the early versions, but by no means lost the Western Orange finish or the awesome twang.
Fender Jazz Bass – Inducted in 1995
With its two specifically created pickups, offset waist, and thinner, narrower neck, the Jazz Bass was meant to be far more tonally versatile, slicker-playing descendant of the Precision. The fact is they were available in Fender custom colors (often with matching headstock) can make it all the more fantastic.
Gibson L-5 – Inducted in 1994
Launched in 1922 and with a style led by the legendary Lloyd Loar, the L-5 was the first up to date archtop guitar. Initially a non-cutaway acoustic, the L-5 proceeded to go through quite a few changes, finally becoming a single-cutaway with two humbuckers.
D’Angelico New Yorker – Inducted in 1993
George Gruhn explained in the March 2000 issue of Vintage Guitar Magazine, “The New Yorker is significant due to its superb quality and aesthetic artistic appeal,” and is “one of the finest guitars in the history of the instrument.”
Gibson Super 400 – Inducted in 1993
Launched in 1934, with its 18″ body and deluxe features, the Super 400 was the biggest and most expensive guitar in the Gibson series. Its influence was quickly apparent in the designs of many of the excellent archtops developed by others. Whether or not the earlier non-cutaway acoustic version or the later double-pickup cutaway, it remains a true work of art.
Fender Precision Bass – Inducted in 1992
The first bass in the VG Hall, and why not, it only permanently revolutionized how the bass was played. One of the most modern concepts in modern music history.
Gibson ES-335 – Inducted in 1992
Born during Gibson’s “golden era,” the semi-hollow body ES-335 wedded archtop appearance with solidbody performance. No matter whether it has dot inlays or blocks, it persists to be one of the coolest styles in guitardom.
Martin D-28 – Inducted in 1991
The D-28 started Martin’s series of unbelievable big and loud dreadnoughts in 1931. The D-28 has impressed quite a few guitarists and builders, and continues to be one of Martin’s most popular and most famous models.
Fender Telecaster – Inducted in 1991
Leo Fender’s timeless classic is about as simple as an electric guitar can be, but still has the magic to appeal to guitarists playing just about any style of music. Every guitar player has a Telecaster (or should). Along with the Strat and Les Paul, the Tele is among the most popular designs around. A vintage Fender Telecaster guitar may also be a good inclusion to a vintage guitar collection
Fender Stratocaster – Inducted in 1990
The VG Hall of Fame was started in 1990 and they had little question the Strat would be amongst the first guitars selected for inclusion by our readers. Three single-coils, a vibrato (normally), and that great contoured, offset-double-cutaway body. Some 50 years after its introduction, it remains one of the most famous designs.
Gibson Les Paul Standard (Sunburst) – Inducted in 1990
Also an straightforward first-year selection, Les Paul Standard was introduced with a sunburst finish in 1958, and the ’58 to ’60 models are the most valuable vintage solidbody guitars. The Les Paul Standard is a classic no matter what finish it bears. Consider a vintage Gibson Les Paul Standard for your collection.
With this information in mind, today will be definetely a fantastic day to visit Bob’s Vintage Guitars and begin the search for one of the excellent collectible vintage guitars. The site features a lot of information regarding vintage guitars and has a store withexcellent prices.