Purchasing my ultimate guitar.

karmataburn · Post by **karmataburn** » Fri Mar 16, 2012 4:27 pm

So I was wondering if I could pick your brains for so info on buying a vintage guitar. I recently suffered a major life changing injury while racing Off road motorcycles. In the first few months of my recovery I started playing guitar again a lot. As they say something good comes out of everything and my blessing was having the time to get back to an old passion which is playing music. I have bought a couple offset guitars in the past few months and I have become completely obsessed with picking up a vintage 62 Jazzmaster. I was talking with my Dr. yesterday and he broke the news to me at this stage of my recovery we are seeing what the final outcome will be and it looks like I will not be able to ride at the level I once enjoyed. So while talking with my wife last night I have come to grips with selling off my entire stable of dirt bikes and all the rest of the stuff I have acquired through racing. I have decided to set a limit of $6500 for my purchase. My questions are what should I look for in a vintage guitar should I try and make sure it is completely original or is a clean original finish and not to banged up more important to the value in the long run. I am a little hesitant to make a purchase online with out playing the guitar first to get a feel for it and make sure it is the right instrument for me. I live in California and if I find a Jazzmaster lets say in Ohio would it be worth flying out and playing the guitar and checking the thing out or am I being a little too worried over getting a "Lemon" of a guitar? I want to make this purchase the right guitar for me I never thought I would be willing to pay $6500 for an instrument but with my current situation I am going to have extra money I never thought I would have. It is going to take some time to turn what I have into cash but I think I am going to start my search next month at the Dallas guitar show. That seems to be a place were I would be likely to find what I am looking for. But being relatively new to looking at vintage guitars I do not want to get suckered into overpaying for an item. So basically what are the key things to look for in a Vintage guitar??? Sorry for the long read but I am pretty excited over this opportunity.

johnnyseven · Post by **johnnyseven** » Fri Mar 16, 2012 4:40 pm

You should speak to Mike.

http://www.shortscale.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=45948

This should really be in the 'All Other Guitars' section.

karmataburn · Post by **karmataburn** » Fri Mar 16, 2012 4:54 pm

johnnyseven wrote:You should speak to Mike.

http://www.shortscale.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=45948

This should really be in the 'All Other Guitars' section.

I don't see how to move this thread sorry for posting it in Short scale section. It sounds like mike needs the money now and like I said I am going to start my search next month in at the Dallas guitar show so I can get a feel for what I am looking at. Thanks for the link I just looked up Mike on Craigslist that is a great guitar!

taylornutt · Post by **taylornutt** » Fri Mar 16, 2012 5:47 pm

I want to caution you about the Dallas Guitar show. They usually have a nice selection of vintage Jazzmasters as well as other offset guitars. However, they really tend to jack up the prices there, especially on vintage guitars. Like crazy money. You really need to do your homework before you get there because those guys will gladly sell you a Jazzmaster for $6500, but I fear you might be paying way too much for it. Especially with the bad economy, people think their guitars are worth a lot more than they are. Check out ebay and Craiglists to get a feel for where the market generally is at this moment.

I just left Guitar Center and they have a brand new AVRI Jazzmaster for $1700. Vintage Jazzmasters will obviously run more than that but that will give you a starting point.

You need to look at things like:

Original - wiring, pickguard, hardware. The Less original the guitar is, the less its worth.
Condition - mint/unplayed is usually more valuable assuming everything is original. Original worn paint jobs are more valuable than refinished paint jobs.
Features - rare colors or matching headstocks, blocks and binding on the neck can also be considerations.

Here are some photos and prices on Jazzmasters from Last years's guitar show:

UlricvonCatalyst · Post by **UlricvonCatalyst** » Fri Mar 16, 2012 5:55 pm

The best advice I can offer is if you're spending a lot of money - like $6.5k - you really need to watch out that what you're getting really is all it's cracked up to be. Things like refinishes and non-original parts can greatly affect the market value of a vintage guitar, so you need to know your shit if you want to buy one, otherwise you are unfortunately at risk of being sold a lemon (or at least overpaying for a decent guitar).

eBay listings where there are loads of gut shots of the guitar showing that the neck and pot dates match the body are a slightly safer bet than those with a single blurry image and a vague description. The former are more likely to arrive really well set up, as whoever had the confidence to tear it apart for photographs will probably be able to put it back together again pretty much as good as a factory set-up.

If you really can't stomach buying a guitar you haven't handled in person, your best option is probably to find a reputable dealer close to where you live. I can't swear to it, but I think eBay prices and store prices for '62 Jazzmasters are probably about the same anyway, and more likely to be slightly cheaper in-store, if anything.

Rox · Post by **Rox** » Fri Mar 16, 2012 6:01 pm

Where in Cali are you ? I'm sure you'll find it in Cali somewhere ..

Fran · Post by **Fran** » Fri Mar 16, 2012 6:57 pm

UlricvonCatalyst wrote:The best advice I can offer is if you're spending a lot of money - like $6.5k - you really need to watch out that what you're getting really is all it's cracked up to be.

Totally agree.
I'd be tempted to buy several within that budget or maybe one guitar and a nice hand wired Amplifier. Problem being once you go past a certain budget you are entering the collectors market and over paying for something for reasons that most probably wont interest you (like a specific serial number, rare colour, immaculate condition etc.).
I'd also only buy from a store spending that kind of money, at least then you have some guarantee on its authenticity and be able to play it first.

theshadowofseattle · Post by **theshadowofseattle** » Fri Mar 16, 2012 7:30 pm

karmataburn wrote:So I was wondering if I could pick your brains for so info on buying a vintage guitar.

I recently suffered a major life changing injury while racing Off road motorcycles. In the first few months of my recovery I started playing guitar again a lot. As they say something good comes out of everything and my blessing was having the time to get back to an old passion which is playing music. I have bought a couple offset guitars in the past few months and I have become completely obsessed with picking up a vintage 62 Jazzmaster. I was talking with my Dr. yesterday and he broke the news to me at this stage of my recovery we are seeing what the final outcome will be and it looks like I will not be able to ride at the level I once enjoyed.

So while talking with my wife last night I have come to grips with selling off my entire stable of dirt bikes and all the rest of the stuff I have acquired through racing. I have decided to set a limit of $6500 for my purchase.

My questions are what should I look for in a vintage guitar should I try and make sure it is completely original or is a clean original finish and not to banged up more important to the value in the long run. I am a little hesitant to make a purchase online with out playing the guitar first to get a feel for it and make sure it is the right instrument for me. I live in California and if I find a Jazzmaster lets say in Ohio would it be worth flying out and playing the guitar and checking the thing out or am I being a little too worried over getting a "Lemon" of a guitar?

I want to make this purchase the right guitar for me I never thought I would be willing to pay $6500 for an instrument but with my current situation I am going to have extra money I never thought I would have. It is going to take some time to turn what I have into cash but I think I am going to start my search next month at the Dallas guitar show. That seems to be a place were I would be likely to find what I am looking for. But being relatively new to looking at vintage guitars I do not want to get suckered into overpaying for an item.

So basically what are the key things to look for in a Vintage guitar??? Sorry for the long read but I am pretty excited over this opportunity.

FIX'D

hotrodperlmutter · Post by **hotrodperlmutter** » Fri Mar 16, 2012 8:05 pm

ha ha ha ha

i almost did it, but decided i post here too much to be arsed.

SGJarrod · Post by **SGJarrod** » Fri Mar 16, 2012 9:05 pm

Fran wrote:I'd be tempted to buy several within that budget or maybe one guitar and a nice hand wired Amplifier. Problem being once you go past a certain budget you are entering the collectors market and over paying for something for reasons that most probably wont interest you (like a specific serial number, rare colour, immaculate condition etc.).

this.....would not spend that much on it for the simple fact that everytime u strum it ur lossing money...if ur gonna play it, spend less and buy a player and not a case queen

SKC Willie · Post by **SKC Willie** » Fri Mar 16, 2012 9:18 pm

I would buy a nice amp and a couple of guitars . . . not so much because you're losing money, but if you buy two guitars, you're twice as likely that one of them is going to be that really nice guitar you're after.

I guess spending about 6k on a vintage jazzmaster is really putting all your eggs in one basket. But really, traveling to some guitars show to try some out is probably what I would do. Or take a trip up to Chi-City and hit CME. Then you can try all you want and while they're more expensive you're going to have a much better warranty and much better people to work with than a guy on ebay.

Fran · Post by **Fran** » Fri Mar 16, 2012 10:00 pm

SKC Willie wrote:I guess spending about 6k on a vintage jazzmaster is really putting all your eggs in one basket.

End of thread.

Please dont do that. I've owned a lot of vintage guitars and generally speaking they are not worth the money, the odd one will have a beautiful neck or sound but no guitar has ever been built to justify 6K. I dont care what anyone says, its fucking wood and primitive 1950's electronics.

ekwatts · Post by **ekwatts** » Fri Mar 16, 2012 10:56 pm

Fran wrote:
SKC Willie wrote:I guess spending about 6k on a vintage jazzmaster is really putting all your eggs in one basket.
End of thread.

Please dont do that. I've owned a lot of vintage guitars and generally speaking they are not worth the money, the odd one will have a beautiful neck or sound but no guitar has ever been built to justify 6K. I dont care what anyone says, its fucking wood and primitive 1950's electronics.

Bingo.

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Fri Mar 16, 2012 11:01 pm

Also you would really need to factor in the cost of insurance!

Personally I'd budget half for a top quality guitar of my choice along with an Amp as per Fran, but also stuff that will help with home playing: a looper pedal, a couple of useful effects, a top quality lead, maybe even a mic. And something to record with! That way your money is buying the whole experience which might turn out to be more rewarding than just owning an expensive plank.

blane · Post by **blane** » Sat Mar 17, 2012 12:36 am

You could get a custom shop jazzmaster built to your specs for less. Vintage is nice sure. it's nice to know you own a Vintage guitar from that early era, but still A modern day custom shop job with pure vintage specs wouldn't be terrible either. Sorry about your accident but it's good you got back into play your guitar... for 6.5k I'd probably sound proof a room and get a drum kit, guitar, bass, keyboard and recording software and have at it for fun.... but to each their own..

karmataburn · Post by **karmataburn** » Sat Mar 17, 2012 1:13 am

Thanks for all the feedback. I am not dead set on spending $6500 that is just what I set my limit at. I have been looking at some of the custom shop Jazzmasters online and I have to say there are some beautiful guitars out there. Also thanks for the tip on the Dallas guitar show I went to a show here in Orange County and I was shocked at what some of the vendors were asking. It is probably the same group of vendors in Dallas. I did realize that you can negotiate pretty hard at the OC show though. Anyways this info is exactly what I was looking for, thanks for the replies that were helpful.

karmataburn · Post by **karmataburn** » Sat Mar 17, 2012 2:20 am

blane wrote:You could get a custom shop jazzmaster built to your specs for less. Vintage is nice sure. it's nice to know you own a Vintage guitar from that early era, but still A modern day custom shop job with pure vintage specs wouldn't be terrible either. Sorry about your accident but it's good you got back into play your guitar... for 6.5k I'd probably sound proof a room and get a drum kit, guitar, bass, keyboard and recording software and have at it for fun.... but to each their own..

Thanks for the response I did not know you could actually get a guitar built to your personal specs from Fender. If this is the case I am definitely going to give this option some serious thought. I live about an hour away from Fender so this might make things really easy. I really think I would be more pleased with a guitar built for me. It would be a lot like having the perfect surfboard shaped custom. Now I am really excited at the thought of getting to pick my own neck shape and finish!!! Thanks again.

blane · Post by **blane** » Sat Mar 17, 2012 2:45 am

karmataburn wrote:
blane wrote:You could get a custom shop jazzmaster built to your specs for less. Vintage is nice sure. it's nice to know you own a Vintage guitar from that early era, but still A modern day custom shop job with pure vintage specs wouldn't be terrible either. Sorry about your accident but it's good you got back into play your guitar... for 6.5k I'd probably sound proof a room and get a drum kit, guitar, bass, keyboard and recording software and have at it for fun.... but to each their own..
Thanks for the response I did not know you could actually get a guitar built to your personal specs from Fender. If this is the case I am definitely going to give this option some serious thought. I live about an hour away from Fender so this might make things really easy. I really think I would be more pleased with a guitar built for me. It would be a lot like having the perfect surfboard shaped custom. Now I am really excited at the thought of getting to pick my own neck shape and finish!!! Thanks again.

yeah master built offered by fender customshop...

http://www.fendercustomshop.com/index.php/master-built/

If it's too pricey and it may be as I've never looked, there are other master luithers out there not associated with fender who could build you something you'll love and may be cheaper.

Keep us informed whatever you do

karmataburn · Post by **karmataburn** » Sat Mar 17, 2012 2:59 am

I will definitely keep you guys up to date. It will probably be another month before I am ready to pull the trigger but with the custom shop idea I think I will have plenty of stuff to research and plan out in the meantime.

singlepup · Post by **singlepup** » Sat Mar 17, 2012 6:17 am

You might also want to consider an early CBS jazzmaster. There were some high quality Fenders built during the transition period that sell for a lot less because they don't have the same value as collectables. I've played a late '60s JM that I thought was excellent. You could probably find a 65-69 in the $3000 range. I'm not sure how much a custom shop would go for, but I imagine the prices would be similar.

The idea of getting a guitar built just for you is really cool, but older guitars also have their perks. Old, worn necks are great imo ... and people do argue there's something to this whole "wood gets better as it ages" theory. Not sure if it's true, but just saying ...

That said, pre-CBS prices are insane.

Purchasing my ultimate guitar.

Purchasing my ultimate guitar.

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