Is it possible to define what is a vintage guitar ?

sticker

In winemaking a producer "declares " a vintage when wines of that year are exceptional by their usual standards .

So thinking about major guitar manufacturers pre CBS for Fender , pre Norlin for Gibson etc would be a fair shout .

For this to work with guitar companies they would have to admit they have made an awful lot of shit and certain years are definitely worse than others(I'm looking at you 2015 Gibsons!) .  

as for the notion that anything pre 1985 or whatever is "vintage" that's just bollocks .

A Marlin Sidewinder will always be a Marlin Sidewinder ...just older . 

timhulio

Yep, the Marlin Sidewinder was introduced in the mid-80s, and is the main reason the universally recognised cut-off for what's vintage and what isn't is 1980. 

Strat54

George tells ya.....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bER-st-KjM

Voxman

Is it possible to define what is a vintage guitar?

Yes

Is it possible to get everyone to agree on that definition?

No

Elwood

A Vintage guitar, to me, is a blend of three things: desirability, scarcity and age.

Something you want, can't easily find and hadn't been made for over 25 years. Cost, while often high, doesn't define it but they are always valued highly. 

Take one of the three things away and the flame of desire will fade. 

Fuengi

Bridgehouse said:

I think 1950-1965 was the "golden age" especially for Fender and Gibson.

I actually don't think "vintage" is a particularly useful term.

Vintage is one of those terms which makes things less clear, not more.

If you've got a, say a 1973 Fender USA Strat that's all the info you need. Why then tag on 'Vintage' when it adds nothing?

HarrySeven

Fuengi said:

If you've got a, say a 1973 Fender USA Strat that's all the info you need. Why then tag on 'Vintage' when it adds nothing?

Other than a hook by which to snare gullible tw*ts?

meltedbuzzbox

Fuengi said:m

Bridgehouse said:

I think 1950-1965 was the "golden age" especially for Fender and Gibson.

I actually don't think "vintage" is a particularly useful term.

Vintage is one of those terms which makes things less clear, not more.

If you've got a, say a 1973 Fender USA Strat that's all the info you need. Why then tag on 'Vintage' when it adds nothing?

Why do you even need the year?

Octafish

meltedbuzzbox said:

timhulio said:

Anything pre-1980, regardless of quality.

Bollocks to that!

To right, all this "it's pre 1980 etc" or "it's more than 25 years old" kind if devalues the meaning and use of the tag vintage as it concentrates purely of the age of something and not the quality. Seeing as the dictionary defines the word 'vintage' as refering to a good year or period of production, I'm going to go with that rathre than interent bollocks used to inflate unremarkable 2nd hand gear.

timhulio

Quality is subjective. There are doubtless duff 60s Fenders and Gibsons. So the most useful use of the term 'vintage' - a term which is in no way useful - is to simply describe the age of an instrument.