Are old guitars actually better than new ones

GavRichList

ICBM said:

Teetonetal said:

As a player, not a collector - I would always fix a guitar I loved, because I want to play the damn thing. Which is also another reason why I wouldn't buy a 60's model now. Too expensive for what they are, purely because some other idiot wants to collect the damn things. The whole concept of guitar collection purely as an investment fills me with fury.

The ridiculous thing is that there's no reason they can't be both - as already mentioned, antique violins are. Every valuable old violin right up to Stradivari and Guarneri that's still in any way playable has a long history of repair and modification, and it doesn't reduce their value - quite the opposite, the played ones are worth more than the museum pieces.

I would always repair an old guitar that needed it - as conservatively as possible usually, but to me once the original part has broken or worn out the guitar is of lower "originality" anyway, and keeping it like that is pointless.

This is very true. I bought my 62 Jaguar with the intention of playing it. Its all original, but if something needs doing to it, I wont hesitate. I wont get into the debate of vintage Vs Modern because it's all entirely subjective; I personally prefer the feel of a neck thats been worn in for 40 years, and the nicest three guitars to play that I've owned have all been 60's Fenders. I'm not exclusive to that though; Right now If I had a grand and a half to buy another guitar, I'd be buying something new / non-vintage. I've also never played a CS, so cant comment on artificially worn necks - sure they too would feel preferable to me to a factory new one.

In short, play what you like. New. Old. Cheap. Expensive. Whatever lights your candle, Flower.  

Samgb

Fretwired said:

Pop over to YouTube and see an interview with Clapton. He had to buy over a dozen Strats to get a good one by swapping the parts around. Fender guitars were notorious for being variable in terms of quality - the ones that have survived have been set up and maintained on a regular basis, used and played in .. a nobody who has paid serious money for a 1950s or 1960s Strat is going to say "this is a crap guitar" ..

And when Cliff Richard bought a Strat from the States in 1960 he paid around £150 ... you'd be doing well to earn £1,000 per annum back then so in reality you'd need to compare a top Custom Shop guitar price these days. We're actually lucky that you can buy a MIM Strat which is playable for not a lot of cash these days.

There's a Clapton Youtube video where they give him a CS Brownie replica to play and he points out that all he was looking for in old Strats was a maple board that had signs of wear - he knew it had been gigged and would be decent. He uses the metaphor that the wear on a used guitar was like a restaurant, if its busy you know the food is good. 

He also talks about picking up 50s strats half a dozen at a time from pawn shops for peanuts...

And the point about price is well made. The big names were never cheap instruments once you factor in wages at the time/inflation/whatever.

ToneControl

bizarrely, old amps and lap steels are not (as relatively) expensive

Fretwired

Samgb said:

Fretwired said:

Pop over to YouTube and see an interview with Clapton. He had to buy over a dozen Strats to get a good one by swapping the parts around. Fender guitars were notorious for being variable in terms of quality - the ones that have survived have been set up and maintained on a regular basis, used and played in .. a nobody who has paid serious money for a 1950s or 1960s Strat is going to say "this is a crap guitar" ..

And when Cliff Richard bought a Strat from the States in 1960 he paid around £150 ... you'd be doing well to earn £1,000 per annum back then so in reality you'd need to compare a top Custom Shop guitar price these days. We're actually lucky that you can buy a MIM Strat which is playable for not a lot of cash these days.

There's a Clapton Youtube video where they give him a CS Brownie replica to play and he points out that all he was looking for in old Strats was a maple board that had signs of wear - he knew it had been gigged and would be decent. He uses the metaphor that the wear on a used guitar was like a restaurant, if its busy you know the food is good. 

He also talks about picking up 50s strats half a dozen at a time from pawn shops for peanuts...

And the point about price is well made. The big names were never cheap instruments once you factor in wages at the time/inflation/whatever.

I'd forgotten about that .. the Fender/Gibson reissues. Cool videos .. shows you can make an excellent 'vintage' guitar today.