Deals Still Exist for Vintage Guitar Collectors
Posted: Wednesday, June 22, 2005
by jrobich
http://www.freesheetmusic.net
If you're a recent vintage guitar collector, the stories you've heard are true. You used to be
Those bargain-finding days are gone -- but there are still deals if you know what to look for.
The simple thing to remember in vintage guitar collecting is ... American guitars. Not to say Japanese or European luthiers haven't made fine guitars, but the vintage market isn't looking that way. If you stay American-made, you'll have the best chance of an instrument that will appreciate in value.
Next, forget about those who claim certain years of American guitars aren't desirable. It's true that folks once looked down on '70's Stratocasters -- but folks are now scrambling and paying top dollar for 70's and 80's models! Same thing with '80's Gibson guitars -- once thought of as poor-quality examples, people now bid high amounts for them.
Why? Well, once the most desirable pieces are gone, whatever's left is going to command attention.
So -- to find the next "deal" -- look for American made guitars that collectors are currently ignoring. Because -- soon enough, these will be at the top of the food chain.
How about specifics? Well, think "student" models. Some models are already desirable -- Fender Mustangs and Gibson Melody Makers, for example other models haven't gained notice yet ... but they will!
For instance, Fender Bullets, made in the early 1980's, are student model guitars, but are American made and use parts found in Telecasters of the same period (pickups, etc). These are great-sounding, easy-playing, and nice looking instruments. You can still find Bullets for less than $300 ... although they're beginning to gather attention. Note, we're not talking the Squire Bullet Stratocaster-type model, but the American-made Fender model (looks like a Telecaster).
Fender also put out a Lead series -- the Lead I, Lead II, and the Lead III. Again, these were an American made student series -- but are great playing, solidly made, and sound wonderful. You can still pick up Lead's for less than $300.
Gibson Melody Makers have already been discovered by collectors -- but there's not a lot of action with Gibson's Kalamazoo line ... yet. These student models are similar in quality to the Melody Makers and Fender Mustangs. I've found Kalamazoo models for less than $100!
I haven't mentioned other brands -- Epiphone, Gretsch, Guild, etc -- because either their student models have already exploded in price or they really don't have student models. Stick with Fender and Gibson, stick with American made, and keep your eyes on lesser-known student models ... and you'll find deals that will likely join other lines in appreciating over the coming years.
Also, look for models that were not very popular when introduced. For example, Gibson's Victory series or Fender's Prodigy line. Since they weren't popular, they were quickly discontinued -- making them fairly rare and desirable.
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Joey Robichaux operates Free Sheet Music Downloads at http://www.freesheetmusic.net
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Top-level comments on this article: (5 total)The author is right. Please consider visiting Rock N Roll Vintage in Chicago for a wide range of vintage guitars for investors and collectors. They are nice guys and the have great stuff !
I know I'm responding to an old post, however, finding good deals for vintage guitars is still a challenge, even in today's down economy. I've been very lucky at getting great deals on eBay. The trick is being the first person to find an auction where someone is selling something that you are very familiar with at a low Buy it Now (BIN) price. I use a free tool called AuctionStud (auctionstud dot com - sorry - can't post URL's here...). It immediately notifies me via e-mail when a new item has been listed that meets my search criteria. Since I get to the auction first, I get a great deal. Pretty simple concept and auctionstud makes it happen.
This is a typical American view of the world! Only American guitars collectable? No Way. There's a lot of great British, German and Japanese guitars that are a lot more affordable and are very collectable. I'm not dissing US guitars, of course there's plenty of fantastic ones to choose from... but don't right off the rest of the world. ;)Check out guitar-collector . org :)
I think the idea behind the vintage guitars and their value is based on how they compare to what is offered now. The author is a little misguided thinking some of these "student model" guitars are really going to climb up too far in the future. If it played mediocre at best then, it's only going to play worse as the years pass. You can get a lot of guitar these days for $300. And it will be better off than a Kalamazoo electric from the 60's in most cases. Don't get me wrong, if it looks cool and has some vibe, buy it and rock it out. But if you think you'll retire on the 10 Melody Makers you've bought over the years, you may have a few extra years of toiling left before that day comes.
how about those old national acoustic flat tops model#1155 with j45 bodies and national neck..It seems that they are much in demand.
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