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Before buying a vintage

AA00475Bassman

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 26, 2016
Messages
3,769
Why not just buy a guitar you'll want to keep, then you don't have to worry about losing anything on the 'investment'...

Personally I just don't understand why people buy guitars with the intention of selling them?

You will find a lot of people on this forum go threw a lot of guitars , each one is the grail the day they post NGD !!
 

comcf

New member
Joined
Oct 22, 2018
Messages
6
I was in the same boat as the OP last year or so. Bought, tried, and flipped a fair number of 50s-60s Gibsons, mostly of the ES variety (330s, 335, 345, 355s, early 60s Casinos, etc.), although I had a couple of SGs, too. No Les Pauls, but currently looking at a 69 LP Custom with 68 spec.

For me personally, the only value of a vintage instrument is that it's been played for 60 years and thus all kinks have been worked out. It's like a pair of super well worn shoes. The playing comfort is out of this world. They all just play differently even compared to Custom Shop reissues (like a 2009 ES-335 '59). Although I do suspect a super worn 80s guitar might feel similarly. For instance, I had a 78 LP Standard, which was similar, but just didn't love the neck. I appreciate the tonal differences, but that's secondary to playing comfort for me.

Numbers-wise, mortgaging a house to buy a guitar isn't advisable. A 68 LPC is probably 12-15K these days. Serious money, but not retirement savings. If you buy it for 10, you'll have some equity in it. If you buy it for 15, probably not much. Worst case scenario, if it's in one piece, even with a neck repair, it'll be worth 7-8K. Whether that bothers you enough not to play it out is really up to you.
 

ourmaninthenorth

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 28, 2009
Messages
7,119
Don't over think it.
If you want to play it, buy one you like to play. :salude

LCP.

This piece of advice is the only piece of advice you'll ever really need, vintage or otherwise.

It's worth it's absolute weight in gold.

A warm welcome to the Forum, good to have you here.

:salude
 

El Gringo

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 8, 2015
Messages
5,657
I will be buying several guitars for myself in the next few weeks and one of them is a vintage piece and I guarantee that I will play the snot out of it and I will not buy it to look at it even though I will because it certainly has the drool factor going on . Now for reality what will be important to verify with the reputable shop /seller will be how original everything is on the instrument from pickups, pots and caps ,wiring harness , solder joints, tuning gears and all hardware, the case is not original which is neither here nor there . Exciting times for sure !
 
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