Get Ready for Great 70's Guitars

Baxter and Jonathan talk about 70's Guitars and why you might start hearing how great they are as signature models based on 70's model guitars start being released!
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[@rosewoodsteel6656]

Baxter, you would love my 74 D-35. When I bought it, I was left alone in the bowls of Washington Music Center's basement and told I could try out all of the D-35's until I found the one I wanted. I was a young kid back then. My salesman, Ed Cornett, was a great guy and he trusted me down there by myself. I don't think that would ever happen today.. I still have the guitar and gigged with it for years. When it needed a neck reset, a young guy working as a guitar tech at a local music store did it for me. The guy was named Paul Reed Smith. He did pretty good work. I wonder what became of that guy.

[@cyber-psych2503]

Up Chuck, turn that damn thing down... been there, done that ... same sales guy ... what the odds ?!

[@rosewoodsteel6656]

I love my 1974, hardtail Strat. Perhaps I'm one of the lucky ones, because it's as light as a feather and plays wonderfully.

[@johnstillwell4353]

Those hardtail strats from the 70's are going pretty cheap these days.

[@rosewoodsteel6656]

I think I'll pick another one up. :)@@johnstillwell4353

[@vegashdrider]

Hard tail strats are totally underrated, better then stock in my opinion

[@Mister_Samsonite]

A friend of mine also has a '74 hardtail, and it's one of the best Strats I've ever played.

[@KBNZ83]

There’s a 70th anniversary hardtail Vintera strat

[@dalebodmer]

I'm 70, worked in a music store from 1970 to 1985. three big memories. 1. Fretless Wonder les paul, loved that neck. 2. Martin D-28 w/case $660. 3. i bought a 1967 Gibson ES-330 for $225!

[@georgejasper8794]

I still have my 78 Ibanez Artist that served me well for hundreds of gigs - probably the best guitar I ever owned. Sold my 79 Les Paul KM when I quit performing - definitely the best LP I played.

[@SavageJaceClark]

I agree with Baxter. I think home modded Squier Classic vibes will be the next generation of rock

[@jhwk1970]

I opened a guitar store in 1971 and sold Fender, Gibson, Marshall, Hiwatt, Ampeg, Acoustic, etc.. All the cool rock stuff. There were some great guitars and some others not so great. I recall unboxing 5 Les Pauls and thinking one of them was nice enough to be my next guitar. I recall a 12 amplifier Fender package and most of them went straight to my service guy. There was some really terrific stuff too. Fond memories.

[@Mikey__R]

Manufacturing and construction in general got poorer in quality, pretty much across multiple industries and either side of the Atlantic. You're right, you can find a few diamonds, but in general the quality dipped on just about everything.

[@SilverTurtleZ28]

The thing about those 1970s guitars and amps is that the ones that have become icons because of who played them, are heavily modified. Changed pickups, changed tuners, rewired to better electronics. All of that is commonplace with '70s gear.

[@stratjed]

Cool chicks and heavy guitars! Would love some 70s. Give me a Maple Koa Bubinga sandwich with 10 switches and 6 knobs! A six pack, a thousand dollar '68 Chevell ss, long hair, a skateboard, a double album and some weed with seeds. Growing up in the 70s was "outdoors" and kicked major ass.

[@ronpopeil7]

Just got an Ibanez ST200 from 1978. Active tone shaping circuit still works. Fretwork is amazing and the pickups scream. Love that thing.

[@rickharris4983]

Love the channel guys! My best guitar is a ‘76 Gibson Les Paul Standard, made in Nashville. It belonged to a good friend. He came by one afternoon with a couple guitars he was looking to sell. Needed cash for a new piece of equipment. They were great guitars, Dean ML and a BC Rich Mockingbird. Really nice but not what I wanted. I told him I’d be interested in his Les Paul but he replied it wasn’t t for sale. I told him I understood.after he left I turned to my wife and said I needed money in case he changed his mind. He came back 3 days later. I got my best girl(next to my wife) for $400 and my spare 2x12 amp. Almost 40 years later she still is a wonderful instrument, pancake body,3 piece neck and all.

[@steveatkinson9123]

Had a 68 Deluxe Reverb, silver face, great tone, loved that amp, my Les Paul's were all 70's never thought about them being heavy, but at 69 yrs. old. I realize they were heavy as you know what. Love the show guys.

[@1joshuajdilworth]

1977 Yamaha SA2000 is hands down the best feeling guitar I have played, and has pickups/controls able to make it sound every bit as good, if not better than any era 335 (PAFs, Pre-Ts, T-Tops) ever produced. Still plenty that come up for sale in great condition for 1/3 of what '70s Gibsons and Fenders command now.

[@johnbolton3542]

79 deluxe and 84 tokai strat love them both

[@bbrotherton6345]

In '77 and '78 I bought 2 Les Paul customs. They were so good I haven't kept a Les Paul since.

[@JKn1412]

My 76 LPC is my favorite hands down, and I don't think I'll ever let it go

[@Megarobotsquadron]

I have a sweet 70's Guild acoustic. Heaviest acoustic ever. But awesome

[@golfhound]

I owned a Music Man 2 x 10 65 watt combo amp that was awesome. Leo fender left Fender corp in the early 70's and started his own line of amps and guitars. This amp was perfect for playing in clubs. It was a tube amp that didn't weigh as much a I do and sounded as good or better than Fenders. Another great amp from the 70's was Mesa Boogie. They made this compact little 1x10 amp that was amazing. It was the best sounding amp and so compact. It was perfect. It didn't take up much room and was loud and sounded amazing. Hey Baxter and Jonathan, I don't know how you missed these amps of the 70's. Perhaps it was before your time.

[@rowbags3017]

I still play my Gibson The Paul that I bought new in 1978. It's never let me down and has aged beautifully (better than me... 😉). I've currently got it fitted with a Duesenberg Les Trem and it's a really versatile and reliable guitar. 😎

[@Kovboi]

Just got a 77 Strat the other week actually. 8lbs 13oz not the lightest but not too heavy.. killer guitar

[@garycrant4511]

British made Shergold guitars. Excellent necks and innovative pickup switching scematics.

[@larryzink8978]

Beatles late phase played silver face amps. Sounded good to me.

[@mileswatkinson8135]

My first good guitar was a 74 strat. It was a really good guitar, and the only actual Fender I could hope to afford back then. Since then I've had a couple of not so great 70's Fenders as well, so I've seen both sides. In the end, I sold that 74 Strat (for about $400) in the 90's, to get a Strat Plus deluxe. Now I see those 70's strats going for 8k. No regrets, that plus deluxe is the best guitar I've ever owned.

[@Echoes-]

There are no 70's strats going for 8k, the price range on sold Stratocaster from 1971-77 on Reverb are $2,087 - $4,107.

[@johnstillwell4353]

Thanks for the warning. I only played one guitar the first twenty years I performed and it was a 65 Gibson ES-345 (pretty on the date, one of first ones with the stop tailpiece). I tried a few other ones including a couple of 70's Les Pauls but the work out was - too heavy. I did pick up Strat plus in the 80's and played it a little bit and it seemed pretty nice, but the 335 matched up with a Mesa Boogie Mark ii-b (When Mr. Smith was still the builder was such a great sound. Now all I play are fenders. Go figure.

[@TJjjjjjjjjjj]

I scored a 71 humming bird for Xmas this year and it’s an insane acoustic

[@golfhound]

I had a Kramer DMZ 4001 bass guitar I bought in 1979. It had an aluminum neck and a single pickup. It was the best sounding bass guitar I ever heard. The neck gave off such a great tone and had wonderful sustain. I played it through an Ampeg SVT, two speaker cabs 2x15 JBL's. To date, I've never heard a better sound. Unfortunately, Kramer stopped making those guitars. The 70's had some great equipment.

[@jltrem]

Trogly is going to love this idea.

[@ripster8766]

I’ve got an 87 MIJ jaguar. It’s as old as I am and I’m totally cool with that being probably the most vintage I get lol.

[@robraaiii]

I was born with 3 weeks left of the 70s. Dec ‘79. I want quite a few 79s, Starting with a Sienna Burst Strat.

[@71kevman]

Ah, the trussrod scoop tone challenge. Looking forward to some blind side by side audio wave comparisons!

[@tomperkins6389]

I had a mid 70s LP. Ran into a spot and had to sell it and have regretted it ever since. Thing sounded great.

[@dhand34]

I got an 82 JV telecaster and it is an excellent guitar

[@GuitarWatsonMusic]

One correction: the Stairway solo was played on a Telecaster.

[@johndaugherty4127]

No one believes Jimmy recorded with a tele. Someday, my friend. Someday.

[@_rafael_b]

Hi guys! Great subject. I think that sometimes these kinds of things can get exaggerated somewhat. I also for a time bought in to the idea that all guitars from the 70s were bad. Specifically, Fenders and Gibsons. These companies in particular were struggling to keep up with demand, as Baxter pointed out, and it led to a rise in QC issues. They also had to be less selective with the woods that they used. Sometimes this gets blown up into people (myself included at one time) thinking that every guitar from the 70s was a heavy p.o.s. where not all the pickups could be guaranteed to work. In truth, although you did have a higher percentage of guitars that were that way, the majority of them were perfectly fine and worked as intended. An acquaintance of mine has a 1978 Gibson es-335 pro. It's completely stock and it's a wonderful playing and sounding guitar. Cheers guys!

[@paristhalheimer]

Having collected 1970s Strats, they can be hit or miss.

[@adamprice3466]

70s makes me think of Ovation, I was seeing so much live stuff on youtube from the 70s with that ovation trim I had to look up what kind of guitars they are.

[@ActionGuitars57]

I have a 1983 telecaster I bought new and its the best guitar I have ever owned. Its the last sun burst off the Fullerton line. It plays unbelievable, has tone from the Gods. I have had so many people want to buy it from me at shows because of the way it sounds. I have owned 60's, 70's, and 90's telecaster but none have been as good as this one. This guitar is over 40 years old and has been played live and in the studio all those 40 years and has stood the test of time. 70's, 80's gear is just as good as the rest if you take care of it and use it, instead of buying it to put on display. Ask Marty Stuart he's been using silver faced fenders for ever!

[@craigdonovan5068]

I have a 72 thin line reissue 2022 with real cunife its killer but its heavy AF but plays really well

[@myshow667]

i broke my middle finger tip back in dec. i have 1 guitar that has a super slim taper neck, and prob my lowest action, my early 70's Fugijen bolt on LP. I can wrap my thumb around enough to fret the low e and hold a chord kinda skippin the middle digit. its prob made out of an old cafe counter top but, thing plays great. Sounds pretty neat with a boss ds-1 and my lil sunn 160 by my bed

[@1Rockstok]

I love my ‘73 P Bass. Light as a feather, big, wide neck. Brown nitro.

[@TheStrings61]

I have a 79 strat hardtail . It’s on the heavy side but It’s fantastic.

[@davegallagher7428]

I had a 72 Fender American Strat that I had to sell for rent. I wish I could get that exact guitar back it was glorious.😢

[@garycoates4987]

I love my 79 stratocaster and my 79 Sunn beta lead,, I also love my 81 The SG firebrand,, there were a lot of great 70s guitars and a lot of terrible 50s/60s guitars , anything considered "vintage" isn't automatically made of gold so you really have to just be ready to look at everything. And with one of your points me being a teenager in the 80s a lot of my punk and post-punk and goth heros were playing their brand new 70s and 80s guitars back then. Probably 90% of the whole vintage market is nostalgia and hero worship fandom and has nothing to do with tone , the 10% who are actually looking for tone are usually playing slightly oddball vintage guitars like p90 Gibsons and transition era fenders and even danelectros through supro amps.

[@timedwards5600]

My blonde 76 bicentennial natural softail strat is awesome.

[@bradconklin2878]

My first "real" guitar was a '76 LP Custom. Still have it, still love it:)

[@sharonraizor2839]

The problem with silverface amps is that sometime in 1968 CBS/Fender started paying employees by the unit instead of by the hour. If you are paid by the unit, you will rush to get more units out! They also sourced parts from cheaper vendors. My father worked for Fender from 1964-1969.

[@darenanderson1960]

Is that a Ti jacket? All the cool kids had one in JR High. I love those jackets.

[@bluzzjazz]

I know it's fashionable to knock 70s guitars. What I will tell you as an owner of a 72 Gibson Goldtop Deluxe that I bought from my cousin in 75, and a 79 Gibson KM in cherry SB, is they both rock. The KM is heavy as stink but the uncovered cream bobbins absolutely scream rock. My Goldtop which was the first real guitar I bought starting out, is original except for one refret that I finally had to do about 8 years ago. The mini HBs have that perfect mix of sweet singing quality and HB drive.

[@dougburchfield7364]

Ah, the seventies. During the latter half I gigged with a '72 Telecaster Thinline (Black guard) and a 74 Les Paul Deluxe through a Music Man HD-130 Double 4-12 stack. I modded the LP with a DiMarzio Dual sound HB in the neck. I added a new Strat in '81, which was a good one, but not technically a 70's guitar. I still have the Tele because it covers a lot of ground tone-wise.

[@matthewdeheus3124]

I have two early 1970s SG and a 1975 Marauder that are all great guitars.

[@JasonCaron-qv3cp]

Hey Guys- So is it safe to say that in 2 years a 1976 Telecaster can be called a "Vintage" guitar when it turns 50 - or is that label only for late 50ies and early 60ies guitars (or older)? Thanks - no sweat if you do not see this. Looking forward to visitng your shop soon as I moved to NC back in December. Take Care.

[@theuserthatishere]

folks calling 90s vintage...... wtf?

[@dnields]

I’ve got a 1976 Gibson Les Paul Standard. It’s my favorite guitar and I play it every day, more than my 2000s Gibsons. It’s a mere 9lbs 4oz… a feather when compared to others of the era. Despite the often parroted opinion to the contrary, there ARE good Gibsons from the 70s.

[@LexingtonDaniel]

So, what you're telling me is that I sold my '76 Starcaster and Vibro Champ too early? Can't lie though, I am looking forward to big headstocks making a comeback.

[@solaris70]

i like those Telecaster Sounds From Both of the Steely Dan Guitarist's Performance on the Midnight Special My Old School Showbiz Kids

[@jasondorsey7110]

Got a 1976 musicmaster bass and after a pickup swap it's great...got a 2023 squier bronco and after a pickup swap it's great...biggest difference is price

[@THEItchybruddah]

Gentlemen…Joe Naylor of Reverend came up with the three string tree MANY moons ago and been on them for years. (They also sell them)

[@Winterfell1066]

I have a played a ton of great 70s Gibsons, Teles, and Strats. Are the specs different from the 50s and 60s? Yes. However, most of the music I grew up with in the 70s and 80s was played on these 70s guitars. Mine sound great.

[@66falcon99]

I sold all my '70s guitars. Gibsons and Fenders. A few good, but most were average to poor as players, compared to today's availability. I buy higher end more modern guitars now, like Tom Anderson. Way better than any of the boat-anchor '70s Stratocasters I used to have!

[@jameswhite1450]

Baxter, do you have the matching pants? Very 70s man.

[@mitchmatthews6713]

I miss my 79 Gibson The Paul.

[@WRCzATL]

I was a teen in the 70s, learning guitar, and hanging out in guitar shops, and even then, the word everywhere was that "all the new guitars are crap." Tele Deluxes and Customs that weighed like boat anchors, all-maple Gibsons like the S-1 and Marauder... on and on, no one thought they held a candle to the 50's and 60's guitars. Now those 70's guitars are legendary collectibles. Somehow. Maybe they aged well?

[@kevinstill1069]

I sold a ton of those large headstock Fenders and OH! the colors!. Loved those pastel finish strats. And a Gibson Les Paui heavy was WAY under a thousand bucks. And man! Did people hate and bitch about them. Keep in mind that the 70's were a decade of company buy outs. We were never quite sure who owned Gibson... even back then.

[@sclg560]

I’ll be entirely honest: I’ve never played a guitar made in the 70s with the possible exception of a Yamaha acoustic I bought for like 140 bucks in 2004 and a „Ventura Bruno“ that my mom had just kinda laying around. Neither were bad, neither were amazing.

[@Sean-cz2li]

Got a 70 hardtail Strat and a 72 Telecaster Deluxe.. both set fire to amps and the Deluxe eats Les Pauls.. absolutely first-class axes and my no1 and no 2 guitars.. I've got Gretsch.. Gibson etc.. the 70s Fenders are the best.. also have some 70s UK amps.. Session and Carlsboro.. hold their own against the Marshalls and Vox i normally play.. 👌

[@joelstephen3542]

My 70 LP custom is one of my most favorite guitars. AND my 84 AVRI 62 strat sounds better to me than my Masterbuilt strat.

[@johndaugherty4127]

I know my Bicentennial Firebird was the best sounding guitar I ever owned. Antigua strat was awesome too! 1:03 .

[@mattdesilva9665]

Very simply, while there are some good 70’s guitars, the majority 70’s Fenders and Gibson are what created the vintage market. It’s not that they were bad so much as they were so bad that people started buying the “old ones” which we now call vintage. For a long time you couldn’t give them away. It was only after the 50’s and 60’s ones became unaffordable that people started buying the 70’s ones.

[@IPLAYLOUD]

On Nov 19, 1976, I bought a new Stratocaster serial #714155. It was "meh" as I look back on it. (Well, the only amp I had was a Univox, so I guess everything would sound "meh"). It was Natural with a Black Guard and White Knobs/Covers. Maple board with Vibrato. I put a DiMarzio SDS in it and because that's what you did back then!! As bland as it was, I would love to have it back again.

[@jerrymorgan1752]

I’m a sucker for a Gibson with a maple neck and volute.

[@bb_lz9790]

Cat Scratch Fever...second greatest guitar lick every created (the greatest is Stanglehold). Don't believe it...just ask Ted, he'll confirm it! Beyond that...I had a '75 Strat that I bought used in the late '70s for something like $350. It had been refretted with bigger frets and had a Schecter tapped pickup assembly on it. It played like a dream and sounded great! Foolishly sold it in the late '80s to buy a fancy bicycle and have regretted it ever since. However, I bought a brand new P-Bass in 1974 as a teenager and the neck was never right. I was too young and naive to demand that Fender replace the neck under warranty and fought with that thing until it too was sold off in the late '80s. I've played other mid '70s P-Basses that are heavenly!

[@cpainyourass]

In my opinion 70s fenders and Gibsons are amazing. They got a bad rap because a lot of people in the 90s played 70s guitars that were used and abused and prob didn’t have a setup in a decade. The 50s and 60s guitars were so valuable that by the 90s they had all been taken care of and setup. 70s guitars were so cheap and not considered vintage that people let the playability on them get horrible. 99% of “bad” 70s guitars I played had bad mods or really high action. They honestly just needed a setup and were amazing. I worked in guitar center Hollywood and played countless amazing vintage and new guitars. The best guitar I have ever played was a 70s Les Paul and the best bass I ever played was a 70s p bass. The best acoustic I ever played was a 1970 Martin d-35.

[@Babook]

In the 90s, we were told that 70s Fender were to avoided like the plague. A friend of mine got a 70s Strat for free around the year 2000, because the owner hated the guitar, and it was fairly bad, finish wise. Now people are asking thousands of dollars for those, because they're very old.

[@johnperiard9594]

I don't believe The Man played the doubleneck on the recording. I love my 70s mij les paul sandwich guitars. Good video

[@caseysmith544]

I see brands making some of the first ever of Squire brand guitars again from 1980's or 1990 in similar ways like using Mexico factories as well as first ever Ibanez branded as Ibanez from company maybe even recreating Japanese made guitars Ibanez was importing before brand was Ibanez only making minor changes so guitar is playable using old names/brands and a smaller label saying by Ibanez on them. Also See some brand making Harmony clones using old names of models from 1970's.

[@Echoes-]

Many 70's Stratocasters ended up as boat anchors.

[@LXS-ud6yf]

Guitar great Molly Miller's favorite guitar is a 1978 Gibson 335.

[@golfrick007]

Back in 85 I was stationed in California and bought a used ( Must of been a late 70's) Les Paul that came in a chainsaw case for $550. Still kicking myself for trading it away. 😢

[@solaris70]

Albert Hammond Jr has a very nice 3 bolt 7 3/4 radius rosewood 🌹 fretboard 70's Fender ® Signature Stratocaster

[@b3pahunter546]

Ibanez made a double neck that comes apart.

[@bryantwalley]

I'll take a hard tail 70s strat any day of the week.

[@rosewoodsteel6656]

My 74 is a really nice guitar.

[@JayMoreau]

Can we talk about how good the 90s Gibsons are? Those guitars are fire.

[@michaelbell7541]

In the 70’s the bean counters took over at Fender and Gibson and bought cheaper materials and components. Also cutting corners to save money. Yet, there were some good ones. As a former vintage dealer and show owner, I’ll sell you vintage for an indecent price so I can buy a brand new one. Like John Page formerly of fender custom shop said, the best guitars are being made right now. If you disect old guitars, there were a lot of issues. Mojo is a cop out for practice time it seems .

[@johnstillwell4353]

It looks like we have some 70's fans in the comment section. Late seventies early eighties I was in music school (jazz). Didn't play anything else until I got out. Started the jazz thing on my 345 but I did end up buying a 68 L5 CES. Close to the seventies but no cigar.....

[@randrothify]

Is that Adidas track suit jacket a subtle nod to the 70‘s also😅?

[@brentbeltz8968]

Do not go out and buy up all the silver face Fenders. Cause they are mine! Got my silver face Princeton from Casino Guitars. Thanks guys.

[@gertjager335]

Fenders 71-74’s are mostly OK, just check mods before you spend your dearly earned money. The wide neck pocket (and 3-bolt neck plate on Strats) is mostly no problem. I am old and own 5 Fenders from 71-74, and I love them for their feel and sound. And their weight is no more than 3.5 kilograms/7.5-7.6 pounds.

[@SlimeyGuitarStrings]

The Adam Jones LP were 70 guitars weren't they?

[@vrvaughn]

Ovation electric solid bodies… Vipers, Breadwinners etc… Also late 70’s to early 80’s Gretsch solid body.

[@sconni666]

I got my1970 Goldtop in 1991 for $750. I consider myself very lucky.

[@dw7704]

A guitar made in the 70s is some 40-50 years old now So if it’s still around, it’s stood the test of time, especially if it has never been modded. I have gear I got used that’s from the 70s, and it’s great Some of it has been modded But there were some gems in there

[@Cycloneshockey94]

Most of the guitars from the 70's were modified / upgraded, the ones you see in mint condition were so bad, they were put back in the case and stayed under the bed or in the closet to hide the mistake from everyone.

[@dw7704]

@@Cycloneshockey94 perhaps most, but I am aware of, and have played stock 70s Fenders that are quite good, not closet queens or anything

[@Cycloneshockey94]

you found the only few.

[@dw7704]

@@Cycloneshockey94 no, there are others, but most were likely modded

[@flapjack413]

It was all the extra tone batter in the pancake body Les Pauls that made them so heavy.

[@voyxu143]

There are gemstones in every era, 70's included. Just make sure you actually play the guitar before purchase. Online buying is dicey at best.

[@georgelackey622]

That 3 string tree was actually started by Leo Fender on some G&L models!

[@johnbriggs3916]

Probably when he stopped using a wound g-string.

[@johnwhitmore4395]

Hahaha “nothing like the tone of a headless guitar” can’t get goofy smile off my face

[@dinosaursr]

I miss my 1970s virginity.

[@mikeblue385]

i like silverface fenders. there were some cool solid state amps. guitars, not so much.

[@rgerard5083]

I have a '75 Strat I bought new in the day. The only thing I dislike is that it is heavy. And a crappy trem I had to lock down. Now it's worth a couple thousand so all is ok.

[@austinmidwest7062]

i was also made in the 70s as cheaply and quickly as possible

[@An2oine]

I like the Reverend 3 string tree. Way nicer.

[@davidwood351]

70’s Japanese guitars are pretty darned good.