Best vintage guitar, which doesn't cost the same as a car?

westtexasred · Post by **westtexasred** » Thu Nov 03, 2011 9:54 pm

Haha how bout a Corvus?

Addam · Post by **Addam** » Thu Nov 03, 2011 10:34 pm

Why do you want a vintage guitar? Do you just want a cool old guitar, or an investment?

If you want cool and old, how about a 1970s Epiphone?
like THIS ET-276 or THIS ET-270.

I think I paid Â£170 for my ET-270. It's got what I like in an old guitar; a super sexy shiny poly-finished neck (just like my red Bronco) and enough damage so I don't need to worry about it.

If you want an investment, a '70s Strat maybe?
like THIS?, or THIS?

benecol · Post by **benecol** » Thu Nov 03, 2011 10:37 pm

Those are both out of his price range.

How about a Gibson L6?

stewart · Post by **stewart** » Thu Nov 03, 2011 11:02 pm

If you want my advice, avoid the shittier end of the stick (silvertone, teisco, eurodreck etc) unless you know what you're buying. A lot of them play like sideboards and are a pain in the sphincter to sell on. And I'll sound like a total knob-end saying this, but nothing beats a nicely worn nitro neck. Poly just isn't the same. Might not bother you, but with me it was one of those 'once you've had black...' situations.

benecol · Post by **benecol** » Thu Nov 03, 2011 11:12 pm

Very much a "hear hear" from me on that first bit. Would also suggest (brace yourself, this is going to upset some folk) that you should very much try before you buy with a 70's Fender: I've played some nice ones (Mike's, nÃ©e Stewart's, Compstang springs to mind) and some nails.

benecol · Post by **benecol** » Thu Nov 03, 2011 11:13 pm

Also: CURVEBALL.

westtexasred · Post by **westtexasred** » Fri Nov 04, 2011 4:22 am

westtexasred wrote:
kapepepper wrote:
nice thanks for posting
these are indeed very expensive and I would jump on a 2k maverick or custom
There is a Custom on Ebay for $3999 (Link)

that didn't last long

lorez · Post by **lorez** » Fri Nov 04, 2011 10:29 am

benecol wrote:Also: CURVEBALL.

bloody hell thats nice

Post by **Mike** » Fri Nov 04, 2011 11:42 am

Seriously wait it out for a Mustang, you don't want some piece of crap Hagstrom or Teisco.

I have no idea what the neck on my Comp Stang is, probably poly - and I'm guessing the Jag is nitro. They both are lovely, both different - both rock.

dezb1 · Post by **dezb1** » Fri Nov 04, 2011 3:30 pm

How old does a guitar have to be before itâ€™s considered vintage?

Post by **Mike** » Fri Nov 04, 2011 4:30 pm

20 years is something I heard bandied around. So you can get a vintage 1991 Squier Stratocaster.

Pens · Post by **Pens** » Fri Nov 04, 2011 5:09 pm

I thought vintage was defined as 25 years?

pumpkin · Post by **pumpkin** » Fri Nov 04, 2011 5:28 pm

stewart wrote:If you want my advice, avoid the shittier end of the stick (silvertone, teisco, eurodreck etc) unless you know what you're buying. A lot of them play like sideboards and are a pain in the sphincter to sell on. And I'll sound like a total knob-end saying this, but nothing beats a nicely worn nitro neck. Poly just isn't the same. Might not bother you, but with me it was one of those 'once you've had black...' situations.

I agree with all of this.

James · Post by **James** » Fri Nov 04, 2011 5:54 pm

If ebay is anything to go by 10 years is plenty for vintage, and less than 500 million units worldwide qualifies for RARE!!

Mages · Post by **Mages** » Fri Nov 04, 2011 10:22 pm

Pens wrote:I thought vintage was defined as 25 years?

yeah it's usually considered 25 years.

DanHeron · Post by **DanHeron** » Fri Nov 04, 2011 11:21 pm

1991 would be cool - birth year and all.

I don't really mind what year it is as long as the price is right. I usually think of 60s/70s and maybe 80s when i hear 'vintage' but it depends on what it is I'm looking at. I kind of take the term vintage as meaning not only something that is old but also something that isn't made today or is unique/different to modern guitars - maybe in the materials/build quality etc. Therefore something produced in the 90s which is discontinued (vista series squiers for example) maybe more attractive than something from the 70s/80s which is still in production.

lorez · Post by **lorez** » Fri Nov 04, 2011 11:30 pm

i have a 91 gemini fender acoustic you can have if you want a birth year guitar?

DanHeron · Post by **DanHeron** » Fri Nov 04, 2011 11:40 pm

ha, nah it's ok. I have the acoustic side sorted for the time being!

lorez · Post by **lorez** » Fri Nov 04, 2011 11:43 pm

DanHeron wrote:ha, nah it's ok. I have the acoustic side sorted for the time being!

thats good as my 6 year old might of fought you for it

Bacchus · Post by **Bacchus** » Sat Nov 05, 2011 2:04 am

dezb1 wrote:How old does a guitar have to be before itâ€™s considered vintage?

I'd define vintage as something that isn't made anymore, that belongs to a particular moment in time and sums that moment in time up, and represents a high water mark in how something is made.

So by that standard I would regard something like Japanese Squiers and even the Vistas as vintage, whereas some badly made guitar from the seventies isn't. I don't regard seventies Fenders as vintage, because whilst there are good ones, and whist they often look very seventiesey, they don't represent a particaraly strong brand at the time. They're just old guitars, some of which are good.

That might just be me though. Vintage has to have an identity for me, beyond just being old. I'd even argue that maybe the Cyclone and Toronado represent a vintage.