Vintage Electric Guitar
Those of us that share a passion for collecting Vintage Guitars, tend to have a preference for either Vintage Electric Guitars or Acoustic Vintage Guitars.
And then of course there are people that like to collect both.
The term Vintage in the guitar category, applies to guitars from the mid 1920’s to 1970. Guitar’s made before the mid 1920’s are judged as being too primitive in their design and therefore are not valued by collectors. At the other end of the spectrum, guitars made after 1970 - even though they are nearly 40 years old in some cases, do not have collectible appeal, mainly because of the state of the US guitar manufacturing industry during the 1970’s which saw a drop in the quality of finished products.
The materials used to make guitars pre 1970 were of a higher quality, for example Brazilian Rosewood which was often used, can no longer be legally imported into the US. And 30 years ago guitars were more of a hand made item, whereas today most guitar manufacturing is done through computer controlled routers and cutters.
Many people also think, that because they purchased a 1970’s guitar that was stopped being made after a small number of units is automatically valuable. Which is not the case at all. As for collectors of Vintage Electric Guitars or Acoustic Electric Guitars need to know that any guitar made since 1970 can easily be replicated with currently available materials.
And that if they are not currently being produced, it’s simply because there is no significant demand for them.
So you can see that there are quite a few things to know about Vintage Guitars, and my focus tends to be on Vintage Electric Guitars (though I have a few Vintage Acoustic Guitars in my collection as well).
One guide that I think every serious collector must have, is the 2008 Official Vintage Guitar Magazine Price Guide. As it is excellent in giving you a guide on what’s also out there, and also what other dealers are saying their vintage guitars are worth (remember that an item is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it).
It covers guitars, amplifiers and related equipment – and has more than 1,400 brands and 1,000 photos, plus the “hows” and “whys” of the collectible instrumental market.
I think this is an absolute must have for someone who really is serious about building their Vintage Electric Guitar and/or Vintage Acoustic Guitar Collection.
August 6th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
Dear guitar lover, nice first posting, congratulations. But I suggest waiting some weeks, if you are patient you will get the 2009 edition! The 2008 edition is pretty updated. Keep on writing!
August 7th, 2008 at 11:59 pm
Normally I would not be reading a post about guitars, but I must say I read every word of this -
blessings
August 8th, 2008 at 1:19 am
Interesting post.
August 8th, 2008 at 2:05 am
Wow, so vintage guitars are pre 70’s? And the guitars made prior to that were made of better materials. I just LOVE rosewood.
Thanks for the details about vintage guitars - I love it!
August 8th, 2008 at 2:31 am
Great just the sort of information my son was looking for.
August 8th, 2008 at 6:35 am
Great article about vintage electric guitars. I agree that the Price guide is a must have guide for any serious collector - I have most of them.
Great looking site BTW!
August 8th, 2008 at 7:53 am
My daughters are “girls with guitars”! They already have a passion for music and guitars that I am sure will lead to an obsession!
Great info…thanks for the post!
Tina
August 8th, 2008 at 9:14 am
Very Nice — I feel like I’m in good hands.
Guitarman is right though — wait for the 2009 edition.
August 8th, 2008 at 10:38 am
This is pretty cool. I didn’t know much about vintage electric guitars before. Learned a lot from your blog. Thanks.
August 8th, 2008 at 5:25 pm
I have a vintage guitar that is very old. Where would be a good place to sell it.
The guitar is only one of two on the planet. I know it is worth a ton of cash to the right buyer. Got any Ideas
August 8th, 2008 at 8:59 pm
There you have it. It was the Brazilian Rosewood that made 1960s Rock and Roll tower over all the other decades
August 9th, 2008 at 9:55 am
Thank you for a great introduction to vintage electric guitars. A friend of mine played a pre 1970’s guitar for me with a custom-made cherry wood amp and the sound was so different than the cheap guitar and amp I bought last year.
Looking forward to more articles. Thank you!
August 9th, 2008 at 10:09 am
My congratulations on an informative, visually appealing blog!
August 10th, 2008 at 7:40 pm
I have a 30 year old Les Paul…is that vintage? Is it worth anythign?
August 11th, 2008 at 1:17 am
Great blog.
When I think of the guitars I have had and sold
Two favorites were my Telecaster and my Manson Custom (not vintage but lovely). I still have a Strat and a Manson acoustic as well as an Eko 12 string. Anyone remember those?
August 11th, 2008 at 5:03 am
Thanks for the heads up dude. Guide looks good. Peace.
August 12th, 2008 at 10:32 pm
Hey.. interesting post..
Just one quibble - you sound very definite about drawing a line in the sand for guitars made before and after 1970. As far as Fender guitars go, I’d agree with that definition.. but they’re not the only vintage electric guitar out there.
August 13th, 2008 at 5:09 am
Thanks for that great information on vintage electric guitars!!
I personally own a Japan Strat from the beginning 80s - which is not vintage yet, but maybe a youngtimer… 
Have fun and keep rocking!
André
August 13th, 2008 at 7:12 pm
Does that make my ‘74 Les Paul Custom worth as much as a 2008 Les Paul Custom?
August 14th, 2008 at 12:28 am
From at least one comment, it would appear that this is your first post. If it is, I am happy for you and though I know nothing about guitars or vintage guitars, wish you and your blog all success. I am grateful for your visit to and comment at my blog.
August 14th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
What a great informative site!
I have always wanted to learn to play the guitar… preferably of the vintage electric kind. Uncomfortably it just doesn’t come naturally to me, so I guess I have to just ogle over other’s talents and just think about starting a vintage guitar collection instead.
August 16th, 2008 at 7:33 am
Nice history of guitars Its nice to have a guitar when camping during the kayak expeditions. It relaxes everybody. The problem is where do you keep it.
August 17th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
After breaking my thumb years ago I have yet to try and pick my guitar back up! Shame really ‘cos I really enjoyed it.
August 18th, 2008 at 3:11 am
Awesome guitar blog. Personally I am into Bass guitars and personally a fan of the Rickenbacker 4001 and Ampeg Dan Armstrong ADA-4 (The plexi bass).
I would love to have some more guitars and a Marshell plexi, but I have to trade some more forex so I can afford a great rig!
August 19th, 2008 at 10:50 am
Even though I am an acoustic guy in public, I secretly adore vintage electrics. Some day I will have a “guitar room” filled with guitars. For now, I have a “guitar corner of a room,” which is close.
August 24th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
I’ve had seven guitars over the years, but have yet to explore vintage electric guitars. Thanks for the information!
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August 28th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
I would love to get my hands on a vintage electric guitar and teach my students. Great blog
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September 10th, 2008 at 1:31 am
Hi,
Very interesting blog well laid out,lots of information for a novis.
Keep up the good work.
September 18th, 2008 at 1:11 am
Excellent start to site focused on Vintage Electric Guitars.
September 24th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
Hi, Great Blog.
I think that it’s too much of generalization to state that only pre 70’s guitars are vintage.
Fender reissued the 72′ Telecaster Deluxe so the original is kind of a vintage. On the other hand Gibson made some poor choices with materials for their acousic guitars since the 60’s (plastic bridge etc….)
Let’s not forget the the aging of the wood contributes to the sound and a 70’s guitar is usually better than new..
My moto in general is the older the better
September 26th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
I love the layout of this blog very professional, It’s also very informative. I have learned alot already thanks to the team.
Pat.
October 8th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
Cool blog. I sold a 79 model left handed Gibson ES-335 on EBay last year. I know it’s not considered vintage, but I wish I had never gotten rid of it. There were only a handful of es-335 lefties made from 70 to 79. Oh well, live and learn.
Great blog.
KJ
October 18th, 2008 at 5:17 pm
Great post! I do agree with your time lines on what may be considered “vintage” but let’s face it. Very few of us can afford to buy that perfect’59 Sunburst Strat worth $60,000 or that pre-war Martin worth 100K. If you ARE one of the lucky owners of these fine instruments and can afford to sit on them, then you know their value will only increase over time. Some estimates have shown upwards of 25% per year for the right pieces. For the rest of us, there is still hope. It’s been my experience that a quality guitar only gets better with age. This is more noticeable with acoustic and hollowed bodied electrics, primarily because the aging process of the wood tends to give the guitar a richer, deeper sound. I will say though the same is true for solid body guitars as there seems to be a “burn in” period for the pickups and playability of the fingerboard. Something like a finely tuned sports car. You gotta drive it awhile to see what it can do. The key word here really is quality. A guitar with an established brand name and design that’s been around for many decades will stand the test of time. There are many “knock off” brands that can give you the look and feel of a Les Paul, Stratocaster, or Martin D-28. But believe me……it ain’t the same! So if you’re thinking of buying that knock off Strat ’cause it looks like the real thing, I would suggest thinking twice and saving up another few hundred bucks to buy a good new or used “original.” History shows it won’t lose value and if you take care of it, it just may be a better return on investment than those mutual funds we’ve all seen take a dive recently.
October 22nd, 2008 at 7:11 am
The guitar is one of the most esteemed collectible objects in our society. Offering artistry in both its construction and its function. its heroes range from those who pioneered its development to those who build it to those who play it.
Rock’On!
November 20th, 2008 at 8:11 pm
Man..this article brings back memories! When I was little my brother had a custom ‘74. He slept with that thing. It was an awesome guitar. It’s a shame he doesn’t own it anymore. I don’t even want to know whats it worth at this point! We still have the pic of him holding it with his Beatles shoes on.
LOL!
November 27th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
Finally got to read some of this stuff on so called vintage guitars. I was in the business for many years. The vintage guitar fantasy is yet another way they’ve found to creat false wealth through hype and the ignoranace of the so called collector. Unless something is a one of a kind or at least 100 yrs old it shouldn’t be considered vintage as far as an instrument goes. The prices I’ve seen for Les Pauls and Strats at shows are ludicrous. Did Fender or Gibson go out of business? Are they’re suddenly shortages of Strats or Les Pauls? I don’t thinks so. Any body who would pay 5 or 6 figures for a mass produced over hyped electric guitar is need of therapy!! Thanks for listnening. Mike Zinna
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January 2nd, 2009 at 6:14 pm
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February 9th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
I find it very hard to believe that guitars made before 1920 are not collectible!
Whether they’re acoustic OR electric, anything dating from close to a century ago in vintage guitars would be considered a valuable piece of musical history!
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February 22nd, 2009 at 9:50 am
Wonderful job. Great tutorial. I hope one I can become as knowledgable as you.
March 7th, 2009 at 6:23 am
This is a cool blog.. lovin it!