Antique Guitar or Vintage Guitar?
A Vintage Electric Guitar or Vintage Acoustic Guitar are not a true Antique Guitar. Though commonly it may be called that.
As a true antique must be over 100 years old. A true vintage guitar is made between the 1920’s and 1970 - of course there were guitars produced before then. So if you want to buy/sell a Vintage Guitar - then it has to have been made between that time period.
It is important to understand this distinction when looking to buy or sell a vintage electric guitar or vintage acoustic guitar. As you would question the credibility of a vendor that suggested that it was an Antique Guitar when it was made post the 1920’s.
Interestingly too - for those that are true Antique Guitar Collectors, in that the guitar is over 100 years old, there is the confusion between what the terms: “Parlor Guitar” and a ‘Romantic Guitar” really mean.
I wont go into too much detail, as my focus is very much on Vintage Guitars, and particularly the Vintage Electric Guitar.
Suffice to say many settle on the term “Early Romantic Guitar” to describe a guitar and style of music from 1770-1860.
And guitars made prior to the 1920’s are known as Parlor Guitars. Again I have read a few contrary opinions to this, and overall this does seem to be the consensus .
OK back to the Vintage Electric Guitar. The purpose of this post is to just offer a word of caution, so when you are searching for your next acquisition, by all means type in “Antique Guitar” into Ebay or the like - just PLEASE check it out thoroughly, as true Vintage Guitars are not Antiques, and a reputable Vendor would know this.
September 27th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
Antique by the ususal definition is over 50 years old (see; Wikpedia.com). With cars, in Illinois, antique is only 25 years old, for guitars there is no established criteria, but the general rule should apply, and call it fifty years old. Antique has other criteria, as well, however. Craftsmanship and quality are conditions that should exist, but they are subject to preference. Generally, older guitars made of solid fine woods (mahogany, maple, rosewood, koa, etc.), are considered antique. Birch, plywood and lesser quality woods may be old enough to be antique, but the high value factor isn’t there. Collectibility is another vague but definite quality that needs to be present. Finer quality woods will be of greater collectability, making them antique. A 70 year old rosewood Regal made guitar will be antique; a 70 year old birch Regal made guitar will be just be old.
Vintage, however is much less established or easily defined; vintage generally refers to age of wine, and because it is applied to the guitar field, of course it is used colloquially, and not with accuracy at all (at least by definition) when applied to guitars. For example, a birch Regal made guitar from 1920 is a vintage guitar, but not so readily deemed antique. Any 50 year old Martin would be considered an antique by a collector, the way any 50 year old Mercedez Benz automobile would be considered antique. A fifty year old Harmony made Stella, might not be so lucky.
Parlor guitars are guitars smaller than the standard guitar, which has grown to quite a sizeable measure since 1860. What was a Standard guitar (around an 0 Martin size), is now quite small, and the parlor guitar from that era was very small, in comparison. Larrivee makes parlor guitars that are quite similar in size to Martin 0 guitars. The Larrivee guitars are called parlor by the manufacturer; the 0 sized Martins never were. Usually a significantly shorter scale length is the main factor; under 24 inches.
The romantic guitar is the ornate style that was used in the French and Italian style and generally doesn’t apply to general size, but shape and ornate embelllishment. Tom Wheeler has a book on this and it is quite specific. However, definitions change and romantic today means anything that is not standard, but also small and decorated.
Most electric guitars that would be antique by these definitions would be outdated and barely practical for use today. However, Gibson, Fender,Epiphone and many others made some very nice guitars in the fifties and forties that could be used as practical axes today, and while “antique” in defintion, and “valuable” by rarity and quality; quite practical.
An antique would also have to be outdated by some measure, and many 50 year old guitars are quite useful today. The final measure of antique would be value, and so the fifty five year old Les Paul would be an antique on the measure of age and value.
October 7th, 2008 at 7:13 am
I have a vintage Tokai, can it be? ha ha.. well i think so. It’s a silver… strat, it plays so well. Not sure i’d go for a guitar over 50 years old unless it was something really special or I had silly money!