Are Vintage Guitars Worth Buying?

[@gpapa31]

Excellent video as per usual. Purchasing a vintage instrument nowadays IMHO rests on only two reasons as you also beautifully outlined 1) INVESTMENT. They will only appreciate in value, like a good Rolex, provided is a shout-out model and in good condition 2) VIBE. That feeling of knowing you own a piece of history from the golden era of blues/rock music. If you’re looking for an instrument that plays and sounds good you can find it in modern produced instruments also. Going down the vintage guitar route will NOT guarantee you a great playing/sounding instrument. All that theory and rumour that vintage instruments play and sound better is simply hogwash. Yes, there are some great instruments from that era no doubt, but there are also many that play like a dog. Given the industry’s manufacturing standards and tooling of today, Fender and Gibson make some incredible instruments that easily rival and even surpass in construction quality the ones made from that era, especially at Custom Shop level. So remember, vintage doesn’t always mean better.

[@stevecox9871]

Great vid thanks. Old guitars do have the vibe but they're not all brilliant. Like old cars, just because it's old doesn't mean its classic. I recently played 3 different pre-CBS Strats and none of them were players guitars. Having said that, there is nothing better than a great old example from Fender or Gibson. Tread carefully if you want to play your investment too.

[@stratnut]

Nice video Sam. I enjoyed the impromptu tour to get to the vault. Would be great to see an actual tour of the shop and meet some of the team

[@johnmirabile3535]

even the finishes back in the day looked lush......i beleive just looking at a guitar you can tell its gonna be good 80% of the time

[@PLEVI]

Leo would have a fit seeing custom shop prices, USA prices in general, Probably shut the place down maybe even burn it down. Anyway I would love to try a vintage, Sure its all just tax avoidance, They are not so special, Pop down one day see if you trust me to plug one up, Love to try one for myself

[@carlmeiner]

Vintage: For buying, selling, collecting. New/Custom Shop: For playing.

[@benderdiver]

I just got a 1967 sg from the guy across the road, super light,NO NECK DIVE, tried to buy it 27 years ago,its Been under bed in spare room for over 40 years, its a proper war baby,but the frets are good the action is amazing, and sounds like the real thing, the kneck profile changes as you go up the neck it use the best guitar I have had over the last sixty years, I just wish it was a Strat, the nearest to my old sixty Strat,which I sold after an accident,is undoubtedly a costume shop Rory galhager,im an old git now and I aint got £3000. to spend on a guitar,

[@cullentheirishman6396]

There are vintage guitars that I'd love to own but I simply won't pay the money. I also try to remind myself that the stuff I buy now will be vintage at some point 🤷‍♂️

[@kyrandell3290]

Hi Sam, another excellent show. That '59 355 is fabulous. Thanks for sharing and some nice alternatives for less deep pockets! Ky 👍

[@b500l8]

Only if I had the money. although i own 77 blonde strat which is superb,,so getting on to be vintage

[@Deppel57]

I'm sure you can still get stereo 1/4" jack plugs and back in the day we'd have to make our own guitar leads!

[@AFaceintheCrowd01]

Never, never, never buy a guitar or an amp without playing it for a while first.

[@myworms]

Vintage Fenders and Gibson guitars are great investments if you’ve got the money…they just get more valuable with time.

[@L1V2P9]

Who will be keeping the prices up when the boomers are gone?

[@harryasstruman3101]

Yes! If you can get them cheap enough

[@danieljones8639]

No. New guitars are just as good and cost 10 times less in most cases. They're good for investors. People who like to take a beautiful instrument put it in a case and stick it in the closet, never to be played or admired, just so it can appreciate in value. If you want to have a really good guitar the best thing you can learn to do is tech your own guitars. But the absolute truth of the matter is there are guitars that you could tour national stadiums with that cost under $1000 nowadays. But if you've got 5000 or more dollars to throw away on an instrument that might fall apart in your hands while you're playing it, if you Dare to play it, go right ahead.

[@9th_note]

The simple answer, hell no! for the money that they ask for vintage instruments especially of the Gibson variety you could have a custom-made anything you want guitar out of any material you want in any configuration you want made by the best builders in the world. And if you are really convinced that a vintage instrument sounds so good then why does everyone have to a/b them to hear the difference. It should be utterly obvious if it's that good. I am 43 years old so I'm not a spring chicken and I have played plenty of vintage instruments in my life and no they are not worth the asking price of 5 or 6 figures... I hear this statement made constantly that guitar players listen with their eyes and I seriously am starting to believe that that is true, I am blind so that is impossible for me. Yeah the older instrument might have a nice neck profile or maybe the wood was a little bit older or whatever and I've heard stories about different glue that they have used blah blah blah. there is no audible difference to me and I am only using my ears. The only audible difference is the same audible difference in variation between any instrument that you play. Has nothing to do with its age. It's just delusional thinking in my opinion. I have three Ibanez prestige models and a fender custom shop along with a Martin D 28 and I guarantee you they all played better than a 50 year old guitar. they also cost a lot less than a single vintage guitar. I basically have five guitars that are not cheap guitars and all of them put together do not equate to the price of a single vintage Gibson L O L.

[@zigwil153]

The Strat from the custom shop wasn't close to the '69... pickups much hotter in the reissue... lacked the tone of the '69. The 355's were much closer in tone.

[@jackblack2321]

No, a guitar is only as good as the setup, player and amp. Guitar snobs tell you they are special but they are still just a guitar. Old would new would don’t matter

[@SFCDV]

Buy a good Fender Stratocaster, learn how to play and it is all that you need. Forget about vintage gear and about Gibson guitars

[@SFCDV]

No. Not at all

[@dbo5241]

Way too long winded

[@robertinogochev3682]

That's like asking "is it worth marrying a woman?". It really depends, mate.