Can we spot future classics???

stickyfiddle

Collectible things have always tended to be stuff that doesn't sell well then gets discontinued - see 50's Les Pauls as the OG example. 

MIJ Thinline Jaguars are a great example - most shops cleared the last of these very slowly when they were new maybe 10 years ago. They're closer to 2k on the used market now. 

tanihhiavlt

1984 Strats, 1 volume 1 tone, freeflyte trem - these have held their value at sub market prices for decades  

maltingsaudio

tanihhiavlt said:

1984 Strats, 1 volume 1 tone, freeflyte trem - these have held their value at sub market prices for decades  

Getting parts for that trem is going to be the issue, maybe add anything with a speedloader trem to the list if this one flies!

Bennyboy-UK

I think this is a tricky question - are we talking about stuff thats being made right now and over the last 5-10 years or so, or stuff thats been made since the 70s - or both?

Some of the stuff identified as potential future classics in the thread are already 35+ years old - and some of those I reckon are already thought of in that way

My first thoughts were trying to define what would make something a classic - some fo these maybe for example?:

• Maybe the first  guitar using a new technology and making it commercially successful?
• Some new Hardware, or feature or specification
• Some kind of totally out there image
• Super high end build
• Something great but short lived - either manufacturer or model
• Something with some of these features which was of somewhat limited supply
• Something that was great at the time and no longer made
• Something that was an example of a defining kind of guitar of a period or fashion - xyz was the ultimate 80's superstrat - or something well know as the worst ever xyz...
• Something that has a following of 'in the know' people, which will one day end up out to the wider guitary audience.

Stuff that came to mind for me (across that whole period above) - some might already be considered classics by some of the enthusiast groups:

• 80s USA Steinbergers
• 90's Parker Fly
• 90's Vigier guitars
• Teuful Birdfish (that was a great shout earlier)
• Valley Arts USA guitars pre 1990
• Strandbergs 
• Early Music Man Silhouettes, Luke 
• Early Tom Anderson guitars
• 70s and early 80s USA BC Rich guitars
• 80s and early 80s Dean guitars
• Older Brian Moore guitar
• Sid Poole LPs
• Pre 1990s PRSs
• 80s USA Jackson Soloists
• Collings 
• Early Knaggs guitars - just after Joes exit from PRS
• Maybe the 80's Fender signature guitars?
• First run Eric Johnson Stratocaster

And of course some Hamers - 70s 4 digit Standards have been attracting attention and perhaps some of the unusual models - like the Virtuoso (28ish ever made) and the Improv - which is an insanely high end jazz guitar which no one has ever heard of!

Thinking about Gibson and Fender these days, I think they are just churning out so much volume its hard for someone like me to see the wood for the trees with what they are making, and I'm not interested enough in the stuff they are making these days to put the time in to learn about them - I don't feel I'm missing out...

Actually, maybe I'm just listing guitars that I like!

Yorkie

Bennyboy-UK said:

Thinking about Gibson and Fender these days, I think they are just churning out so much volume its hard for someone like me to see the wood for the trees with what they are making, and I'm not interested enough in the stuff they are making these days to put the time in to learn about them - I don't feel I'm missing out...

This is a good point, and I think it's true of every industry at the moment. It's the fast fashion virus. 

Jon

DefaultM

I've just been on eBay looking at guitars for the first time in years, and apparently everything is now rare and worth 2.5 times what I thought it was. 

Yorkie

DefaultM said:

I've just been on eBay looking at guitars for the first time in years, and apparently everything is now rare and worth 2.5 times what I thought it was. 

Also true of other things such as pedals. 

Ain’t no such thing as “a £25 Guv’nor MKII on eBay“ anymore. They all seem to go for >£40 these days

Jon

RaymondLin

Miku is the new Klon.

HarrySeven

As others have said, I think something else worth considering is that back in the distant days of the ‘50’s/‘60’s/‘70’s/‘80’s, info was less easy to come by, communication was confined to physical viewing or printed media and an awful lot of stuff was just ‘old’, not ‘vintage’, ‘Lawsuit’, full of ‘Mojo’, blahblahblah.

As someone stated earlier, there was a time when you couldn’t give battered old Jags, JMs and Teles, etc away. The same went for my own faves, early Roland GR-series stuff (GR-100, 300, 500 and 700, with all associated controllers) - they were literally peanuts, whereas nowadays, people try and charge as much as £2K(!?!) for a GR-700/G-707 (even with dead or dying 80017A voice chips).

BillDL

The thing I would be most curious to know by leaping forward 30 years in time (because at this rate I won't be alive by then), is what country and what factory are going to be quoted along with the make and model to enhance guitars' values.  People talk about Matsumoku or Fujigen Gakki or MIJ guitars with regularity, and MIM and MIK abbreviations are also used constantly to confirm how excellent they are.  In 30 years will we perhaps be seeing MII (made in Indonesia or India), or whatever other country starts producing well made and well priced quitars.  Perhaps we might see something like "2020s vintage.  Made in the famous Ystafell Wely i fyny'r grisiau factory in Pontypridd" in advertising blurb.

guitars4you

HarrySeven said:

As others have said, I think something else worth considering is that back in the distant days of the ‘50’s/‘60’s/‘70’s/‘80’s, info was less easy to come by, communication was confined to physical viewing or printed media and an awful lot of stuff was just ‘old’, not ‘vintage’, ‘Lawsuit’, full of ‘Mojo’, blahblahblah.

As someone stated earlier, there was a time when you couldn’t give battered old Jags, JMs and Teles, etc away. The same went for my own faves, early Roland GR-series stuff (GR-100, 300, 500 and 700, with all associated controllers) - they were literally peanuts, whereas nowadays, people try and charge as much as £2K(!?!) for a GR-700/G-707 (even with dead or dying 80017A voice chips).

I think that is so true - I recall many times in the past, way before WWW, where certain guitars just would not sell - Be it instore or in the guitar ads in the appropriate national ads - I recall a period when old Jag's and Jazzmasters, for instance and Starcasters just had no value almost - Now it is far more global

Recall trends like used JMP Marshalls, AC30's were hard to sell as they were all been traded in against HH IC100's etc - This was mid/late 70's - It got to the point we didn't want any more such old valve amps on a trade in and could not get enough new HH Amps - Ditto WEM Copycats traded in against analog delays - We had to stop trading them in as no one wanted old Copycats anymore - Used Les Paul's in the early 80's were hard to sell - Superstrats was all the thing, along with electro pop etc so synths sold left/right/centre

Now it is almost a case that anything can sell, somewhere, via the likes of e-bay/reverb - A little shop in Cornwall can now have access to a UK national or EU global market - Touch less so now in the EU thanks to vat on used gear following Brexit 

One day, some new hot shot will play a Jap Charvel, or USA Kramer from that 80's era and they will be the thing again and prices will rise - We might even find a new Ed Sheeran playing a USA Ovation bowl back and watch for the demand

Stuckfast

If I was going to buy a newish/recent guitar as an investment I'd go for a Gibson Dusk Tiger or Firebird X or similar.

chris_john

Yamaha SA2200.  It is truly a well-made,  high quality instrument. I love mine to bits.

Yorkie

Yorkie said:

Chapman guitars. 

Let’s see who have it, the LOLs or the Wisdoms. 

Ok, the LOLs have it. 

Jon

skullfunkerry

Bennyboy-UK said:

I think this is a tricky question - are we talking about stuff thats being made right now and over the last 5-10 years or so, or stuff thats been made since the 70s - or both?

Some of the stuff identified as potential future classics in the thread are already 35+ years old - and some of those I reckon are already thought of in that way

My first thoughts were trying to define what would make something a classic - some fo these maybe for example?:

• Maybe the first  guitar using a new technology and making it commercially successful?
• Some new Hardware, or feature or specification
• Some kind of totally out there image
• Super high end build
• Something great but short lived - either manufacturer or model
• Something with some of these features which was of somewhat limited supply
• Something that was great at the time and no longer made
• Something that was an example of a defining kind of guitar of a period or fashion - xyz was the ultimate 80's superstrat - or something well know as the worst ever xyz...
• Something that has a following of 'in the know' people, which will one day end up out to the wider guitary audience.

Stuff that came to mind for me (across that whole period above) - some might already be considered classics by some of the enthusiast groups:

• 80s USA Steinbergers
• 90's Parker Fly
• 90's Vigier guitars
• Teuful Birdfish (that was a great shout earlier)
• Valley Arts USA guitars pre 1990
• Strandbergs 
• Early Music Man Silhouettes, Luke 
• Early Tom Anderson guitars
• 70s and early 80s USA BC Rich guitars
• 80s and early 80s Dean guitars
• Older Brian Moore guitar
• Sid Poole LPs
• Pre 1990s PRSs
• 80s USA Jackson Soloists
• Collings 
• Early Knaggs guitars - just after Joes exit from PRS
• Maybe the 80's Fender signature guitars?
• First run Eric Johnson Stratocaster

And of course some Hamers - 70s 4 digit Standards have been attracting attention and perhaps some of the unusual models - like the Virtuoso (28ish ever made) and the Improv - which is an insanely high end jazz guitar which no one has ever heard of!

Thinking about Gibson and Fender these days, I think they are just churning out so much volume its hard for someone like me to see the wood for the trees with what they are making, and I'm not interested enough in the stuff they are making these days to put the time in to learn about them - I don't feel I'm missing out...

Actually, maybe I'm just listing guitars that I like!

This is almost exactly what I was thinking as I read through the thread. Three more that I'd add to the list:

Ibanez JEM

Ibanez Universe (I think that's what it's called: Steve Vai's original 7-string), based on rarity

Blackmachine B2 and/or B6

ICBM

maltingsaudio said:

No chance unless it has Fender or Gibson on the headstock, the electric guitar market will never change mores the pity

Have you seen the price of old JEMs recently? I should have bought one about five years ago when they were only a couple of grand…

I actually think the opposite is true - there are so many Gibsons and Fenders, and especially Fenders in near-infinite variations, that the world will have lost interest in another 20 years.

I’d definitely pick something more metal-oriented as a future classic - because that’s probably the genre which will keep using guitars, which aren’t just re-hashed old ones.

(Edit - or what Bennyboy-UK said, if I’d read the whole thread before posting!)

Squareheadedfreak

Any small limited USA run from the main 3 (Gibson, fender, PRS) seems to hold value well. Even the more obscure. I remember when Gibson couldn't give away the voodoo line in the early 2000’s, now they sell for silly money. Same for the sandblasted editions from Fender, or the Fender ‘Selects’ and the proper anniversary editions.

PRS’s limited runs like the McCarty 594 hollow, or 35th anniversaries will hold value well.

In terms of Uk made, I think of all the brands Patrick James Eggle will hold value and be future classics, especially when he retires. The Berlins still sell well from the early 90’s.

Pedal wise, any limited runs. Klons will only get more valuable, especially when Bill retires and stops the KTR’s. Some of the walrus/earthquaker collectible artwork ones too. Aslong as limited enough. I know i’m a sucker for them and collect pedals for fun/art as much as I do playability.

Amp wise, I think we’re only a generation away from loosing tubes, I’d guess 80% if not more of amp techs are 50 & above, if not 60 & above, which will wipe so much skilled labour out in 30-40 years as don’t seem to be as many others learning. If governments bring in strict energy appliance rules that could stop new tube amps being built, or the remaining tube factories going bust. So limited edition tube amps in 30–40 years could be very sought after. Especially the hand wired/easier to repair ones.

TTBZ

The new Squier Contemporary series might be a contender for this. The spec and features for the price is pretty mad, and the Squier name is big enough to make them desirable. Harley Benton probably have a similar spec at lower price but the brand isn't so desirable imo. 

richardhomer

For something to be a future classic, it probably should be something that isn’t made by Fender or Gibson. On that basis I’d suggest the PRS DGT.

TTBZ

Those Epiphone 1955 Les Paul Customs are going for silly money now, there's one on reverb for £1300. I wish I'd bought one when they were £400-500.