Why Are Guitar Players Obsessed With Vintage Gear?

Why are so many guitar players obsessed with vintage guitars, amps and pedals? Is vintage gear really that much better than modern stuff?
Thanks to ‪@CarterVintageGuitarsNashville‬ and ‪@gibsonguitar‬ for letting us film with these vintage Gibsons.
Thanks to:
‪@RickBeato‬
‪@jhspedals‬
‪@timpierceguitar‬
‪@501chorusecho‬ (Tom Bukovac)
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[@TR4Ajim]

There’s a contradiction in all this. On one hand people say to “find your own sound”. Thats what Hendrix, Clapton, Page, et al did. Then you have people searching and spending a lot to try to imitate those sounds. So if you are trying to recreate a sound someone already invented, by spending g $200,000 on vintage gear, then go for it. But if you are inventing your own sound, spend $1000 on something playable, and invent!

[@programmer1840]

I was about to say the exact same thing! There's some irony in thousands of people buying Eddie Van Halen's Frankenstrat because they wanted to be like him, whereas in actual fact he would't buy a signature guitar himself, he'd make his own so he could get his own sound. To be like him, be yourself! In imitating your heroes, that's the difference between sound like someone and be like someone.

[@charlesbolton8471]

@@programmer1840 I agree about EVH, but what about all of the legends who made a name for themselves playing Les Paul’s signature guitar? Personally, I just think it’s crazy that so many different artists have signature model LES PAULS.

[@programmer1840]

@@charlesbolton8471 yeh, there are some sounds that are almost objectively good. That's why so many people play a stratocaster or les paul. Probably the signature range thing just becomes a marketing thing at that point and I assume all the guitars are pretty similar?

[@charliewerchan7252]

Its harder to create than to copy.....we all attempt to copy other musicians, because we love what they did, so I think , people go to copy and feel they have to have the same instument, I think its always been this way....and always will be....Its not a mortal sin to do this, its just the way people (musicians) are....

[@robertclarkguitar]

Yes damnit!!!!!!!! Nailed it. I just gave my opinion too. Most buy to show off what they bought especially youtube channels of higher sub counts. Not all thank God but many!!

[@innocentpuppet1199]

Ancient Roman wisdom had it right: “An object in possession seldom retains the same charm that it had in pursuit.”

[@notbraindead7298]

Wow! Them Romans was smart. Whatever happened to them?

[@modestoney1577]

That´s right. But as you learn you manage to make it less seldom. I bought and sold a LOT of guitars. The ones that stay with me i love at least as much as when i bought them. Maybe more.

[@innocentpuppet1199]

@@modestoney1577 Well said.

[@gregwilson2721]

the romans didnt have 'bursts'

[@modestoney1577]

@@gregwilson2721 good point :)

[@MatthewScottmusic]

For me, it's the feel. Old played guitars have a different feel. As for the tone, I'll leave that to the comment section😉✌🏻

[@bolkoa.zgierski646]

But isn’t the feel subjective and changeable?

[@izuqh9884]

@@bolkoa.zgierski646 tone is also changeable and subjective

[@bolkoa.zgierski646]

True, I modified the shot out of my Harley Benton Tele - it’s from 2010s and sounds killer now (sounded bad at first). I also have Yamaha SL700 Japanese les paul from the 70s - I didn’t even change the strings after buying it - it sounds so good. There is no rule in it at all. Anyway, I think that without music we wouldn’t think nothing about anything, soooo... Keep playing, compose music, write lyrics, whatever - just do, and make history:)

[@louderthangod]

There’s a history to it as well, even if you don’t know. It’s got built in vibe. Even the dust and the way it smells when you open the case or turn on the tubes. It’s also cool that some of this stuff you just can’t quite get. You might get a similar one but not the same one. More about psychology than audiology.

[@joaco190]

@mattew scott I wish you could have been in the video!

[@davolk9525]

I love vintage everything. I like the idea of continuing the life of something, whether it's music gear, furniture, etc. I love that it has a story and that I get to be a part if its story.

[@solaris70]

me too .

[@WillyPDX94]

The older we get the more likely we are to care about the history of things and to value keeping those things alive. I think that's why Boomers like me became collectors and as we got older and our careers progressed and we had more money to spend, we all wanted to find old gear that was rare and had a real history. As we all know, supply and demand determine monetary value. The more people want them, and the harder it is to find them, the more we'll pay. That's why an actual 1963 Tele is worth 10 or 20 times as much as a modern reissue. That's also why people pay so much for Custom Shop guitars---because people believe (with some validity) that these guitars are closer to the old stuff: handmade, custom wound pickups, finest components, and often relic'ed to look old. I know some people hate relic'ing. They say, "I want to put my own wear on my guitar," and I understand that. But at the same time, while they're looking down their noses at people who buy Custom Shop relic guitars, they are still buying a reissue guitar which is made to replicate an old guitar even if the finish hasn't been artificially aged. And when you're dealing with top shelf Custom Shop guitars made by modern day master builders, I believe the relic work they do is amazing and an art form unto itself. One look at a heavy aged Murphy Lab R9 LP and you get butterflies in your stomach. True relic'ing is an art form. It takes years of experimentation to create finish checking that looks like the real thing. I give mad respect to those Custom Shop artisans for their mastery of aging a guitar. Sorry for being so long winded, but I work in a vintage guitar shop and I'm around both vintage and high level reissue guitars all the time, and seeing guitar players light up when I put one of these guitars in their hands is priceless.

[@ryantaylor1522]

30 years from now: "dude check out this vintage Line6 Helix"

[@tompoynton]

I mean look at the price of a Zoom 508 mk 1 these days

[@TeleCathster]

Hey I still have my line 6 pod which is over 20 years!! Yours for £2000! 😜

[@nica2411]

@@TeleCathster I remember having a pod in elementary school!!! It was the coolest thing back then. I lived on the rectified setting. I bet it sounds like shit to my ear now though lmao

[@jordandangelo180]

So true lol it will never be regarded like an old pre-war Martin or a 1959 Les Paul or 64 Strat or an old Tone Bender or Fuzz Face...but you never know what will be highly regarded years later. My Dad played guitar in bands in the late 1960’s and he always says they never anticipated the guitars they used being worth a fortune today otherwise he would of never sold all of the guitars he owned.

[@yashdaware2458]

It's going to happen, maybe not with helix specifically but something similar. Just like the Roland 808s.

[@RJRonquillo]

I appreciate you getting the guys to video chat using their respective "KZbin camera angles" 👍

[@cowieson]

@NigelDK Your comment is the current state of comments sections everywhere encapsulated; Rhett got several luminaries of the music industry in for one really interesting video and all you can comment on is the audio quality!

[@chubbypapaya]

@NigelDK yeah, dude. It's a video call. It's supposed to be conversational, not rehearsed and studio-recorded.

[@matthewcole6456]

RJ that is a hilarious observation!

[@tinkercitymusic]

Totally agree with this R.J. very cool to keep the perspective. This is a great video to boot :)

[@RichusRkr]

Vintage means going back to the mythical good old days where things really weren't nearly as good as we think we remember them..

[@fredstevens799]

make guitars great again! (sorry...)

[@IgorHatesEverything]

Exactly. The same people who say "they don't make 'em like they used to" are the ones who shout "kids these days" or "get off my lawn!" People have been complaining about how ever thing sucks now and how everything was great before, and yet the world still spins round.

[@claudevieaul1465]

Nostalgia ain't what it used to be.

[@realtruenorth]

Well, actually when you're talking about Gibson,, it's true, they were better LOL.

[@jabrockobiden9434]

Yes they were, not mythical at all.

[@danreyes7323]

I like vintage electric guitars because when I buy a guitar I want it to be as unique as possible, and having a vintage guitar gives it a unique vibe for me.

[@Gaslight.Guitar]

Lets not forget.. Hendrix played CBS Strats.

[@rowenlampe7426]

yeah.......vintage CBS strats

[@Gaslight.Guitar]

@@rowenlampe7426 back then they were brand new 👌

[@Scott__C]

And Leo used alder and ash because he could get it at the local lumber place and it wasn't expensive.

[@fposmith]

Hendrix could string up a walking stick and tear the house down with it !

[@tonyvardy2399]

Very good point

[@Jack-pp2ng]

For me as a young player owning a vintage gear has a coolness factor that you can't deny. There is just something about playing an instrument that is over 40 years older than me. Recently bought a 78 jazz bass after months of trying out all sorts of basses but there was just something about it

[@MS-iq4eo]

You are superstitious

[@danielpoole6704]

I’m a 26 year old and when I was 23 I spent my entire bank account balance on a 1958 Martin O-15. It still to this day makes my heart skip of how good it sounds. I’ve tried so many guitars and none have ever made me feel the way my guitar makes me feel. Vintage guitars are not just about the age, they’re about how they make you feel; and when you find the guitar that makes you feel like you’re playing it for the first time all over again, it’s like falling in love with your College Sweetheart again!

[@lostinspacecamp4245]

Fam your college sweetheart was 2 years ago at most, it's gonna be okay

[@wadehampton1534]

A well made acoustic guitar sounds better and better as it is played over the years. They all started out stiff and less responsive, but time, and the hours of playing time did their magic.

[@allosaurusfragilis7782]

I can understand the accoustics being lovely but surely the electronics are better now?

[@daltonbrennan8242]

@@allosaurusfragilis7782 that's what i was thinking. Its ironic how modern pickups often try to imitate the sound of vintage pickups.

[@patrickwilliamson29]

@@wadehampton1534 what? The fact that someone played it doesn't make it sound better over time

[@superjim3998]

Hi Rhett, I really love vintage gear! I am 17 so I definitely don't know what it was like when my favorite gear was built. I think about the past as if I am seeing through some rose colored glasses. I don't seem to see much of the bad, but most of the good. I don't see the lack of power scaling or master volume on the vintage 100 watt Marshalls, I don't see how easily the tubes blow. I just hear the sound off of my favorite records and want a piece of that for myself, so I go and hunt for that special piece even if it will cost me my entire savings and blow out my ear drums. It's a fascinating world. One day soon I hope I will get the chance to buy my first vintage amp or guitar. I like to imagine what the guitar/amp has seen and the stories it could tell. It's a cool hobby.

[@djencode]

One person said build quality was better but the opposite is actually true, and that's part of the appeal. They were more human feeling. Pickups were inconsistently wound, not every body cut was the same, or neck carve for that matter. Not every soldering job was the same. They didn't have robots and AI doing all these things like they do now. Each guitar was like a painting as if the painter was recreating his work by hand on every piece. And that meant when you found the "right" guitar, that wasn't just superstition, it had it's own identity as an individual piece.

[@notbraindead7298]

Good point, well said.

[@paulholod9902]

Word!

[@vorpalblades]

It also meant there's plenty of old junk as well.

[@ThePedroDB]

That just means less consistency to me. Hand made gear can look crudely finished and be lacking in certain details and yet we're supposed to embrace that/pay a premium for it because a guy carved it by hand with a pocket knife. No thanks! We can still play "finding the right one" today. Despite CNC and other automated processes, two very similar guitars can still sound wildly different. I'm not a 'tone wood' guy but because Wood is natural there will be differences between different trees, cuts etc.

[@DrUmSensitive]

I hope people will not hate me for this, but here's my story: at age 11, in 1989 my grandma who worked as an administrator in the local music school got me into the education program for piano. years before that I would come to my mom's kindergarten and play the piano there, everybody said I was very talented. Just a kid, what did I know, I just liked how it sounds. At age 13 I was in high school and the program was such, that I had to choose another instrument or choir singing, or something. Being no singer at all (and limited voice spectrum) but also heavily into punk at the time, I decided to start playing drums. Soon after I started reading classified ads because there was no music store in my town and that was the only way to buy stuff. I got to meet a lot of people and learned a lot. But it had awaken the "hunter" in me. I soon started flipping out old Fender amps and stuff, not really knowing what I was doing (in terms of future possible value, I just wanted to get stuff "right now" and was not concerned about the future at all. At age 20 in 1998 I started buying gear for a studio. Geeez... I had found so much amazing stuff and met so many people all over it was a journey I would not swap for anything else, including being a movie star or whatever. Strangely enough, the most valuable things I still own to this day were either presented to me, or I had bought them ridiculously cheap. A couple examples: Ludwig Supersensitive 6.5" 70's - 100$. Roland space echo - free. Yamaha E1010 - 20$. Jen Variospectra - free. Roland JC50 all original - 80$. Roland Juno6 - 140$. Yamaha SK20 - 150$. Fostex Model80 - free. Ibanez UE400 - 60$, Korg Poly 800 reverse keys - 110$, AKG D12 - 150$. And the list goes on. I rarely overpaid for something, and most of the stuff I got was only sought after afterwards. The probably most prominent was the Alesis MODfx line - I got them all as soon as they were out, mostly brand new but already discontinued - so "new old stock." Over the years I had already constructed a system for buying gear based on price and availability, so the harder would be to find something afterwards - the sooner I had to buy it. If something was coming up sparingly - that came second and if something was being produced now, try to anticipate how long it was going to be in production and hope to find it slightly used for a lower price. Being in Croatia, just a student without income, I managed to scrap some money along the way and amass as much as 50.000$ in gear. If something was "for repair" I'd buy it, try to fix ti myself, if I couldn't - I would find someone who could. Today: 26 vintage synths, 8 vintage drum machines, 7 vintage samplers, 12 drum kits - vintage, not vintage, double, electronic, etc., cymbals, all kinds of mikes, amps, guitars, pedals, whatnot and a collection of at least a 100 rack pieces. And then I got a brain tumor and to this day all this gear is in storage. I sparingly work as a hotel receptionist in the Alps just to survive, and rarely have enough energy to get out of bed and be productive. Unfortunately real estate prices are pretty much "Californian" in Pula, Croatia where I live, because of tourism and the sea, so I cannot afford to rent or buy a place. As I have no children, I just hope that when I die all this gear is not going to be sold separately for peanuts, I hope someone will continue to use it for years to come.

[@JAFOpty]

I think the reason is that we see a great player like you, playing tasteful licks... and we say "well I don't sound like that because I lack the vintage gear, and NOT because I suck and need to practice"

[@marcinjulius]

What I like in some vintage gear is the story behind them, the craftsmanship and the innovation that was needed to make something new. I have a ‘62 Framus Fretjet that was made by Czech violin makers in Germany and it’s a good example how the production went in that era. You can feel the personality in the end product, you can feel that someone cared about it.

[@yikelu]

Survivorship might play a role too. The better examples get used, preserved, the worse ones die out.

[@Adipsia1]

Whenever I pick up my 62 Strat it takes me back in time. There are stories held in the wood of that guitar that flow through me when I play it. In some ways it takes me back to my childhood and I love the thought of real people with their own imperfections having built it, rather than CNC equipment.

[@MSStateBulldawg83]

"This is the best time for gear, it really is!" Rick Beato nailed it!

[@cameron435]

When he was playing nothing was 'vintage' about Jimi Hendrix rig. Every album you love is an example of guitarist using what they had access to (much more limited access) at the time and making it work for them, and in turn, creating something entirely new. I worry that vintage gear actually stifles guitarist creativity and is part of the reason the dawn of digital music has made guitarist somewhat irrelevant - we want a bygone sound when we should be using the guitar and the technology of today to explore new sonic territories and create new sounds. We've become so hung up with old sounds that we've stopped innovating and pursuing tones that never have been done before. Guitarist used to do this.

[@OpethTheater3]

He literally was playing the gear we lust after, and it was probably better cuz it was new.

[@rogermoore2798]

Agreed....at the time Hendrix was playing a brand new guitar. Like we do today.... I'm sure he shopped around till he found one he liked. People who are searching for a similar guitar of that era to get the 'Hendrix mojo' may well be picking up a guitar that Hendrix picked up when it was new only he thought 'this one sucks'.

[@gregwilson2721]

@@rogermoore2798 hendrix would go to fender and play a dozen strats then choose. vintage guitars are the same way. go to a big guitar show and play 30 vintage guitars and you will find one that suits you perfectly and you will never get rid of it. you might even end up with a brand you never even thought of. do yourself a favor.. skip the slash snakepit or the joe perry boneyard les paul for 10k a pop. find an old junior for 5 grand that cranks.

[@less_concerned1221]

Two words... Tom Morello

[@alannedelec2714]

100 % agree. That's why the question of what will be the searched after as old equipment in 25 years is a non sense. Who are the new young guitar heroes now that people would want to copy in 25 years time? And yet we are on the golden age of pedals, amps and guitars..so much quality everywhere and so much brilliant and innovative stuff.

[@henrylowenstein4444]

Some of it is about a particular sound, but really, vintage gear is art and history combined. Humans are tactile creatures, and touching old equipment allows us to travel back to times we lived or times we wished we could have lived. Only half of the allure of the guitar is about sound. If you doubt that, the largest market for very expensive guitars--and pianos--is non-players.

[@jonathangalindo854]

When I play guitar, I usually end up allowing myself that allotted time to truly relax my body and let my mind flow. I imagine what a particular player might have been feeling or thinking, and in a sense gives me some insight into who they were or what they could have possibly been feeling from their music. It takes me to a whole other place. Your description reminds me of that a lot.

[@lukasnielsen1263]

The point about the allure of the guitar I believe to be true. It's a feeling as much as it's a sound!

[@IvorThomas]

There's an esthetic to the honest aging of very high quality materials. Having a '59 burst must feel like getting away with a museum robbery... every day!

[@prateekpoddar1890]

Nailed it my dude.

[@t-boog2173]

Very well put Henry. I feel you & Josh Scott pretty much summed it up. And it's the same reason digital modelers leave most of us feeling cold. They just don't have that precious, raw, spiritual, tactile mojo. And vintage gear REEKS of mojo. "Yeah Baby!"

[@marcblum5348]

Rick nailed it: "You love what you know." The sounds you internalized in your formative years, you will never get over these.

[@charleskinsey2141]

Josh is right about how we remember and associate things but sometimes it was better . Tube amps is a good example , some stereos were monsters with their analog bad selfs ,,there was variations , Leslie west and the Sun PA story comes to mind .

[@BrettPapa]

Cause they got it right the first time lol!!

[@stevenellis8365]

There is a lot of truth to that statement. My story, i'm 65, when I was 16-18 I learned the most from a teacher that also traded vintage guitars as a side gig. Through nothing more than the good fortune of him teaching at the closest music store to my home, i was able to play a 55 Les Paul Custom, a dot neck 335, a gold top or 2, a 56 Strat, and a 58 and a 59 Burst.Not to mention a number of Jr.s and Specials. All of them had something special, a sound that I can't find words for, but it's right there in your face with the first chord... Mind you these guitars were not even 20 years old at the time, yet the mojo was there. All, save for one of my guitars, are all 20 years old or older now. None have that sauce...

[@wadehampton1534]

Not necessarily, I'm 60 years old, and there was a ton of really crappy gear put out in the 60's and 70's, especially the affordable stuff. The pickups and the physical construction of the high end guitars like Gibson and Fender, were very inconsistent, there were a lot of clinkers for every good one. The samples that survived were the really good ones, they were taken the best care of because they had very few owners, the clinkers got passed around and beat up and trashed, so it only appears that all vintage guitars were better.

[@ashleyjohansson230]

Its just true for gibson because now no one wants one LOL

[@PhuckHue2]

Thats a stupid reply. My brand new instruments runs circles around that old crap

[@keithclark486]

@@PhuckHue2 Play the Instrument don't let the Instrument play you.

[@ptrgreeny]

The obsession over vintage amps confounds me even more. SO MANY parts of vintage amps NEED to be replaced, if for safety alone...what's the difference between a 57 Champ and a well made clone made to EXACT same specs and using most of the same parts? Sure the speaker may be better broken in, but that's an easy fix...play the thing. Other than viewing it as an investment...I'd probably lean towards the clone if I'm looking for an amp that I intend to use as a player. The prices of American 70's era guitars over the last 20 years to me is dumbfounding. 20 years ago, they sucked...now? Oh MY GOD the INCREDIBLE tone of this 3 bolt Strat that's needs work to keep the neck from shifting in it's pocket, the microphonic pickups, it plays like butter. Sucker born every minute.

[@glennlilley8608]

I was 16 in 1976 . Every guitar regarded as "proper " was a plank. Went Japanese Well made, well set up, did everything I, and everyone else wanted it to do! I'm fully aware this is an American channel, but don't get caught up in "blah " Just try the instrument!

[@ptrgreeny]

@Steven Turner I got bought a '77 Ibanez LP Custom copy, black 3 pickup... The quality of that guitar is equal to my 2020 Gibson LP Classic, which is an AMAZING guitar. I also have an 82 Ibanez AM50, think Gibson 339...best humbucker pickups I've ever played Super 58's. Those late 70's - mid 80's Japanese guitars are the best deal going for vintage guitars that you intend to play. They won't appreciate like a Fender or Gibson, but their price is affordable and the quality, from the ones I own anyway, isn't an urban myth. I can see how Gibson & Fender got scared and realized they need to change course.

[@TheChadPad]

I learned something recently from Aspen Pittman, one of the youtube videos he made, (he started Groove Tubes) about how old tube mic preamps had parts and circuitry that actually slowed down the signal path of the mic, giving a more natural feel to them. What Phil X told Tim Pierce really struck me, how old amps don't react as quickly to your playing. Maybe that has something to do with it, the speed at which the signal travels down the path of circuitry. We really need some of these amp guys and pedal guys to become electrical engineers, cause there is so much we've lost I think from the side of things, from how they had geniuses working over at RCA making tubes back in the day, chemical gurus, and how Seth Lover had a chemical handbook that he referenced when choosing the best materials for the PAFs. Seriously, we need some heads in some books

[@MooCow2X2]

I think some of this also boils down to changes manufacturers made over the course of production. As well as materials that simply are no longer available because either they’ve either been discontinued or replaced. As well as parts tolerances have gotten tighter with time. Which may or may not be a good thing. I mean that 260k resistor may sound better in a circuit than the intended 250k. It’s also a survival of the fittest thing. The good and great sounding examples have been held onto. The crap ones have more likely been discarded. (Before they became collectible that is) Now. Old wood is difficult to replicate so there may be something there. Now. Having built some guitars myself. My personal favorites use shellac on the necks. A material no modern production guitar (aside from very small builders) wants to touch!

[@officialWWM]

Lol, exactly!

[@CharlieMayMusic]

There's something about an old beat up guitar that really speaks to me. My '72 Southern Jumbo, "Chip" is well loved and worn in, but it adds a distinct character, to everything from her look, feel, and sound which makes her my favorite to play.

[@hendrixluis9175]

For me personally I love vintage gear because it feels alive and that it has a story. Its kinda similar to why i still like vinyl records, yeah I can just use my phone and spotify and it sounds good but i like holding these old records wondering who had them before and thinking about the stories behind them. But i think this idea is even more prevalent in guitars because its something you hold and physically work to make it sound the way you want so you really feel the soul of the instrument because you can feel your own recognizing it, ik it sounds dramatic but i def notice it, even though i love all my modern digital gear too.

[@dfoe108]

To me, the hype around vintage gear is created partly by natural selection. I think most of the vintage instruments from the 50s and 60s that weren't good have likely either been destroyed by now or haven't seen the light of day for decades, which leaves us today with the better instruments of that time, creating the notion that the craftsmanship back in the day was better than it is today. The vibe and the played-in feel do the rest. Great video as always Rhett!

[@dostacos1]

This is spot on. I’m sure there were a bunch of shitty ‘59 Les Pauls made, but all we’re left with at this point are the best that were ever made, so they’re somewhat mythical.

[@vorpalblades]

Same deal with vintage firearms.

[@barbmelle3136]

From Leo: I have several 1950's to 1960's guitars in my collection, Kraftsman, Kay, Harmony, Alden's, Kent, Silvertone, etc. They were not very good. An off the rack Squier plays at least twice as good. Now that they are old, they still are not very good.

[@EnterJustice]

Survivorship bias. The only old gear we care about, is the good gear. The only old music we still listen to, is the good music. The only historic buildings that are still standing, are the ones that were built well and were pretty/useful enough not to get demolished. The only successful college dropouts you hear about are, well, the successful ones. Etc. You don't see/hear about bad old stuff because it's already gone.

[@solaris70]

i don't think so .

[@tomseiple3280]

I was on the "hunt" for an ES 335 Orville by Gibson from the early 90s for the LONGEST time, and I finally bought one this spring. It's well loved and plays like butter. It inspires me to play. Sometimes, just looking at it, forces me to pick it up, even just for a few minutes. The feeling I get from owning something I spent so much time looking for and researching gives me a lot of joy and satisfaction. On the flip side, I feel none of that connection to pedals and amps. I've owned too many to count and they all have failed me or let me down one time or another. I really value modern amps, modern modeling, and modern pedals because they are reliable and don't crap out.

[@gregwilson2721]

find an old fender blackface showman head. you will be late for work just because you had to strum a few chords through it. find a good speaker or 2 to go with it dont go by the label on the speaker just try until you find a good sounding one. organ pulls are awesome

[@tjosep4636]

Interesting video. This video getting views -- also, helps prove the physiological and emotional impact of old gear. It, also, conveys the simple fact - that there is a lot of great newer gear. Whatever inspires you to create, go with it. New/old/obscure/famous. If you like it, and it makes you want to play.. That's good gear.

[@chriscarvalho2033]

I really like old gear, it just has a “vibe” that is admittedly, all in my head. I have had a few pieces of vintage gear over the years, 1962 Vox ac30, 1950s era Telefunken U47, both of which were amazing and both of which were sold to pay the bills when money was tight. So, as much as I like vintage gear, I can’t afford to like it too much 😁. New gears is also very cool.

[@peyotepete4903]

Vintage gear now was new when I started chasing tone. My son brings in new gear and I think it sounds great to but I don't Djent so I don't use it. To complicated for me! 🤘🤘🤘

[@PhuckHue2]

waste of money

[@luisxgonzalez]

I hunted for a 62’ AVRI Jazzmaster in Ice Blue Metallic for YEARS because Brand New is my favorite band of all time and when I finally found one on Reverb and got it in person, was kinda underwhelmed. I was fighting it for almost 2 years desperately trying to get it to play and adjust right but it wasn’t until I took the time and invested more effort that I finally got it to play perfect. Quarantine gave me the confidence to attempt my own fret level and that’s all it needed! These days I’ll play it for hours on end and not even notice! For me it’s the hunt and investment into an instrument to make it my own that makes me love the few pieces of gear I own.

[@soapboxearth2]

My dad's 53 j45 (now mine) is heaven . I have never played another acoustic that had that magic. I've played hundreds of guitars, lots that were astounding but all pale in comparison to this old girl I have inherited. Admittedly some of my reverence for it comes from my nostalgia for my father but this thing is simply mind blowing. I'm a hobbyist and I can say that professionals out there are cheating themselves if they don't save and get a great vintage guitar.

[@doczooc]

I LOVE Josh, he's the best! If he wasn't building pedals, he should definitely do Dr Phil stuff. I would watch every show!

[@The802Rider]

I am addicted to the hunt. I love the feeling of searching and finding that one thing. Once I get it in my hands, I am satisfied for a short time before the addiction comes calling again. It's the rush that I love.

[@gregwilson2721]

your right! folks have to realize.. a vintage find might be a 200 dollar silvertone at a junk shop, but the blast is taking it home and putting new strings on and cranking it through an amp! finding vintage guitars is a blast!! they dont have to be expensive. i traded a nova gas tank and a right front fender for a lipstick pickup silvertone. it plays like butter and sounds killer! its worth a few bucks now too! my advice would be to look for sleepers, gibson marrauder. s1, challenger. victory. these are all gibsons lesser known lower production guitars. that one famous dude found a challenger on ebay for $350!! its a vintage gibson! i got a blonde one for 400 its loud and rude

[@johnrcavanaugh4397]

Solid work today, Rhett. I don't own any vintage gear, but your great questions brought out the best of your guests.

[@devinwright131]

I play a 1936 French saxophone with original lacquer and it literally speaks to my soul in a way that no other instrument can. I actually never thought I would play super vintage stuff, played a 72’ for most of my career and every recording I’ve ever done was on that horn. Idk, sometimes it’s just a very specific way that a piece of gear connects with the player. Saxophone god Michael Brecker once said that his horn was a terrible specimen but was the only thing that spoke to him 🤷‍♂️

[@TheWeightRock]

For me it is the wood, how they were made and the time somebody had spent with the instrument over decades that makes vintage guitars so good and special. one thing added is the history the guitar "lived" through. a 1957 Junior was there when JFK was killed, when we landed on the moon or when Jimi Hendrix played Monterey Pop Festval. It does something special. Just a great feeling when you know that and play a vintage guitar. Greetings from Austria and stay happy and safe!

[@RolandSpecialSauce]

The moon landing was faked, JFK was an inside job and Hendrix is still alive living with Elvis and Tupac somewhere in Malibu.

[@druwk]

Old doesn’t always mean “great”. There are actual reasons why some of these guitars are epic. I love boutique builders that can figure it out, and incorporate those elements into their designs. Vintage Vibe is a thing! I appreciate retro, and a nice relic job...aka Novo, Rivolta, Danelectro, Eckopark, b3, Fender and Gibson Custom shop. I like to put guitars together, reshape the necks and change the electronics. I just rolled the edges of the frets and fingerboard on my FrankenStrat and set it up. I’ve been messing with that guitar for over a year, and it’s now in a place where sounds, plays and feels incredibly! I wouldn’t trust myself to do that on a Vintage instrument. Great design, Setup, finish, great wood, great pickups, great craftsmanship all make me drool more than “Vintage”. As prices have gone into an extreme realm, these amazing boutique and home made instruments are less “precious” to play with, experiment on, change, and take out of the house!

[@marks4801]

A few years into my guitar playing, we went to the Gibson Factory in Kalamazoo in the late 60's and were able to take a tour. It was an unforgettable experience for many reasons. The craftsmen creating these beauties were happy to share with us and even more, they showed pride in what they were doing...a great experience.. I owned a few of these along the way and either sold, lost or traded them. Now, I own many guitars from the 80's and early 90]s, I get everything I need from my 'runts'. Each has it's own sound, feel and nuances. I can play and record everything I need with them. And its fun. Do I miss the vintage pieces I used to own, yes. But also I can work very well with what I have and be very happy and productive. So, I am more of a utility player than a collector. Thanks Rhett for a great video.

[@RiotHomeRecording]

I absolutely love JMP’s from 77-79 & JCM 800’s from 81-83. I own 5 of them all with their original cabs. They’re amazing stock no mods needed. I also have a 1979 Lespaul Custom silverburst 1978 Lespaul Special 1979 Stratocaster 1978 Musicmaster these guitars blow away any new guitars I picked up in guitar center in the last decade. IMO

[@snakesandtrails9290]

Recently acquired my first vintage guitar - a 1960 Gibson ES-125t. I was chasing a specific sound when I purchased the guitar and it perfectly embodied what I wanted. Now that I've had it for a while, it amazes me how it is the first thing I grab. It's as if it were just made for me and what I want in a guitar. It amazes me that it had 64 years of its own life before it became such an important part of mine. I think that's part of the magic of a vintage guitar.

[@72spawndn]

Most of the vintage guitars that are still around are the ones that were really good in the first place. The others have been discarded long ago.

[@johnsmith-bk4ps]

wrong

[@bentlyist]

I had an early 70's Les Paul Standard that I played for years. I got it from a guy in San Francisco. For some reason, I never loved it but it did work for a lot of occasions so I was too lazy to find a replacement. My guitar tech bugged me to sell it to him for a couple of years because he knew I didn't love it and for some reason he did. Well I finally sold it to him when he upped the offer to about triple what I had paid for it. Since then I found a Gretsch Players Edition Jet that I bought brand new. This is the first guitar I've absolutely loved from day one, plugged and unplugged. It feels and sounds amazing and I wouldn't trade it for any vintage guitar. (well, maybe a '59 LP 😉)

[@mattcooper1840]

love the "feel" of old guitars. picking something "new" from the shop doesn't have the same vibe nor does it have a story behind it. History is always a fun journey .

[@RetroFan1992]

My dad grew up playing guitar in the early 80s. So I love that I inherited a lot of his vintage guitar gear. A part of it is well that’s what my dad used, I want to use it too! Examples would be the original CE2 and SD1 as well as the rack mounted ADA MP1 with MIDI foot controller

[@conb-hill6166]

They're the ultimate things you "can't" have. And knowing you can't have one pushes you to heighten their aura. The way in which we fantasise about these pieces of gear coupled with their aura makes us think they will make us sound better. The age old idea that "this piece of gear will give me the perfect tone". Only a handful of people know how good they are, likely a lot of people reading this won't have played any very rare vintage gear, simply because it's very rare. And this lack of knowing, mustique maybe, is what fascinates us about vintage gear.

[@gapalp]

Great video format Rhett. Loved the discussion around vintage gear and hearing from others on it. Good job putting this together.

[@thomasstankiewicz9730]

“Nostalgia” makes people play better because it inspires them

[@orlock20]

Looking for new sounds inspired people in the past. It's just the taste of the artist.

[@jakem711]

Awesome video Rhett. As a lefty, I don’t get into vintage guitars too much, just bc there aren’t a ton in existence that I could actually play. However, I love the history and knowing what made the sounds that inspired me to play in the first place.

[@claytonmurrayguitar]

I recently got my first “vintage” guitar. 75 Les Paul deluxe. Say what you will about that era.. but man. It’s just different than any of guitar I’ve owned. Feels so great, sounds amazing, tons of vibe and just kind of has that sound to it. Most of my other guitars I’ve owned were built no earlier than 2005-2009, up to this year, from boutique to sub $1000 guitars. And something about this Les Paul is just different, hard to say what it is. But it just has that thing to it.

[@DavideGranato]

You made a great job in the attempt of summing up the subject without making it a generalization, Rhett. To me has always been the instrument winning on me , most of times vintage , but sometimes modern too.

[@frankbelmonte1434]

When it comes to vintage gear, one thing I think everyone forgets is that when all these great musicians were making this gear iconic, the gear was new. Vintage gear is great because it keeps the history of music alive and it has a vibe thats been embedded into it, and if you're lucky enough, you get to experience that vibe. However, I think more people should look at new gear in the way all these great players looked at the "vintage " gear when it was new and just use it to create whats in their heads

[@davidpepper442]

Hey Rhett, thanks for the great video. Cool to get the perspectives of you guys on a subject that we have all discussed before. I'm obsessed with vintage gear. I know full well that I can probably get most of the same sounds out of a brand new guitar, for instance, but it just doesn't inspire me in the same way an instrument that has been around for decades does. In the end, whatever inspires us to make good music is valuable.

[@RC32Smiths01]

I feel that vintage gear is simply reminiscent of guitar history so much that they are relics, being so indicative of these classic eras that paved the way for the ways we play and perceive guitar today. They may not be as advanced, but they surely are important to guitar, no doubt.

[@dennisbuszko2099]

For me it's the feel and tone. I think the next vintage run will be the 80's metal guitars, 1st Jacksons, Charvels, 2nd Kramers, dean's & BC riches.

[@michaelcarey9359]

I already hear enough on the yutoobz where some great people claim there is no "tonewood" effect, and that there is no difference to the sound between amp modelers and the classic hardware is indiscernable. If I really want something for the "vintage" tone that is that hard to find, there are plenty of craftsmen near enough to get it built (usually they've already built a few of whatever) at much less than some "collector:" wants for it. Besides, at this point who really wants to hear another (yawn) Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck,Hendrix, SRV or Angus Young, etc... cover "nailing it". It's all pretty tired and already has so many fork holes that said it's been "done".

[@FabrizioRodulfo]

100% agree with Josh that there's something timeless about simplicity!!!

[@flowryan5829]

Because people who paid way too much for stuff want to validate their purchase by telling you „how much better it is“ than the new stuff.

[@tball5677]

Well said!

[@dostacos1]

Fax

[@gregwilson2721]

you yourself are validating them.. everytime you buy a custom shop re issue relic 56 or 58 or 61 or 63 or 68 re issue guitar. why are these companies copying the old ones? why is everyone buying them?

[@mebeasensei]

In an era where everything is thrown away, it’s nice to have quality stuff used, loved and refurbished

[@lanceg1312]

I've never cared about vintage gear, but I was born in the 90s so I have no nostalgia for times before then. I've played some really nice vintage guitars, but the best feeling guitar I've ever played was a Squier FSR Affinity Strat--I also think I was lucky, I can't think of any other reason why that guitar would outshine so many others I've played other than that there is some chance for each individual guitar, made in a factory or by one skilled individual or whatever, for it to be a really great instrument, even if other guitars from the exact same line aren't.

[@frankpaparo1097]

I have modern guitars, and I have 20 yr old guitars, both serve there purposes. For me it’s just a different feel of a 50’s Strat vs a modern, but to each his own. Whatever gets the creative juices flowing!

[@roblarson9065]

All vintage guitars that we love so much were new, recorded new, in then new amps and soundboards. We’ve come a long way just to say “older stuff” is better than anything we produce new. Especially at the price points!

[@malcolmjohnston4624]

The right guitar into the right amp, makes all the difference. Love the gear you have and feel the joy in creating music in the moment.

[@natehine8541]

The people who created these instruments made them with love .. the wood is no longer stressed

[@NewFalconerRecords]

I've been enjoying and liking your videos for a while now Rhett, but this was the one that made me a subscriber. Your quest for the philosophy behind a lot of this stuff is fascinating and I believe you've now risen to the top shelf of what I love to watch -- and you've got all your fellow top-shelfers in this very video who obviously respect you enough to give your their time and insight. You're onto something with what your presenting -- it's not a (quote/unquote) "expert"'s view but a questioning view, I like it and I can relate to it. Great job mate!

[@gooberthoreau]

Quick answer: Because we are easily manipulated by the opinions of others.

[@ttocserp0210]

I’m loving all of these colab videos from a bunch of you tubers.

[@sampacker6547]

I bet paul reed smith guitars from today will be worth drastically more in 25 years.

[@Gaslight.Guitar]

Yep. Because thats real craftsmanship. ;)

[@yashdaware2458]

Not if they keep making guitars that are as good as now or improve.

[@sampacker6547]

@@yashdaware2458 even if prs continues to improve, i still think certain models and colors will be collectable. I'm wondering if the first round of john mayer silver sky's will reach that in 10 years even.

[@michaelschiessl8357]

I think the PRS mid to high quality guitars will be in demand 50-60s Les Pauls will still be hot and even more expensive also certain things that they only produced a small number of, boutiques guitars..And they were right this might be a great era for guitars and pedals due to being mass produced. The reason that I say that is choice so many choices on the market..

[@silverfr3ak]

Paul always say his new guitars are always better than the old ones.

[@maynardmadsen8712]

Cool video! I’ve definitely played some stellar vintage guitars, and also some not so stellar vintage guitars. I’m still hoping to own a killer example of a ‘61 strat someday.

[@edwindude9893]

Because everything was made better back then. My dad still has his 54 gold top with P90’s. He keeps it in a gun safe.

[@patrickwilliamson29]

Not everything dude, there was also a lot of crap as well. It's just that people actually held onto the decent ones because they were good and cost a lot of money. Just because it's old doesn't make it good and imo. If you spent the similar amount (just so we're clear a les paul in 1970 cost $1000 or $6540 now if you adjust for inflation) you would get a fantastic guitar suited to you

[@brandonbock4763]

Edwin Dude, please talk him into putting into a humidity controlled system. Gun safes are made to keep things dry and for a guitar it could be too dry.

[@brentparks3669]

Yeah that wood could dry out and spilt

[@adamhenley6534]

Watching these guys get together for a chat is one of my favourite things to do!

[@AngusNB]

I don't care about vintage gear at all. The history, mystique, whatever you want to call it, is just superstition. The "vintage sound" can be recreated. I do understand the superstition. I still have the first Yamaha acoustic my Mom bought me 44 years ago. The guitar and I were both 14 years old at the time. It reminds me of her and how happy I was when I got it. It doesn't make the guitar any better or worth more to anyone else.

[@BatmanWangChung]

Very cool seeing all the dudes weighing in!

[@dogauslu]

TL:DR - The myth of contagion: "Once in contact, always in contact." There's psychological phenomenon called the "contagion heuristic" where it's explained as "once in contact, always in contact". If Elvis touched a guitar, people subscribe to the narrative that some residue could still remain within the object, thus could spread. This is an ancient bug where people touch those who they deem holy, or refuse to eat a meal that they found a hair in. Even if the hair is removed and the dish proven to be clean, the residue remains in the psychological level. I'm no psychologist though, an expert can explain this better.

[@whittlad]

An interesting vlog. When I first started playing guitar back in the 80's to own a Les Paul or Telecaster was so old fashioned and I always wanted (and my guitar playing friends included) a Superstrat type guitar. A late 50's/early 60's Les Paul could be bought for under £1k back then but nobody wanted them as they looked old fashioned and non of the hot shot guitarist played them. How times have changed. That said I love the tone of a Les Paul but still love Superstrat type guitars like a Charvel or Jackson et al so its as ever all about feel, tone and what floats your boat😊

[@Benwooododododo]

“Fall victim to hype” is why all of us are broke

[@letzrok1016]

Great video Rhett! Vintage gear is art now. It’s a resemblance of what was going on at the time it was made. And we are in love with the history of our music. We romanticize those days of old.

[@eddiegodoy5120]

the jhs pedals guy got it dead right in my opinion

[@eddiegodoy5120]

@@hazymous yes

[@anachronism78]

Great conversation! Loved hearing the multiple viewpoints. Thank you

[@billybob9144]

ARE most players obsessed with old gear, really? Id say 70% of players right now are either into or getting into shred style music and modern guitars are WAY better designed to do that, with better access to upper frets and better puckups and more stable necks with carbon rods so nexts wont twist. Most modern players worship at the alter of PRS, music man, ibenez, kesol etc, most modern players wont touch a gibson, new or old. And as for amps, there are SO MANY amazing boutique amps, that self bias and aren't a ticking timeboom waiting to eleticute or burn you, and they weigh less and their more reliable. Nah old gear is the luxury of the few and the scorn of the new.

[@gregwilson2721]

somebody forgot to tell ingvae malmsteen that. how about aldrich from whitesnake? also i dont feel any of the boutiuqe amps are any better than an old cranked twin or super lead with a good stomp box in front of it. and i have 200 amps

[@alastairfoster3871]

Malmstene uses DiMarzio HS3 in a very heavily modified strat, little to nothing about his guitar is stock, I sort of see your point but it’s a bad faith argument, those guitars are hardly vintage they’re player grade modded to the nines

[@davidwilliamson41]

A great question and a great video! Enjoyed the insights from your expert panel. It all boils down to "if it sounds good, it is good", but then again, there is the hunt ...

[@PrOfEsSoRsVgE46]

You are skeptical of vintage guitars until you play one that is better than any modern guitar you’ve ever played. Broken in, comfortable to play, tells a story, sounds amazing.

Hi, I had a hunt last year, which did not result in obtaining vintage gear, but in studying the schematic and buying an amp kit. And the rewiring it completely couple of months later with close to vintage components. This was a 5F1 champ clone. I realized that back then there were no grid stoppers on power tubes, no screen resistors, power transformers with way to much voltage and very high bias, so they were red plating the 6V6. But that gave that raw Champ sound. My hunt is the understanding how it was built, why and how can I get close to it.

[@beatuplexus]

One word the older guys love to throw around: Mojo

[@rodriguezelfeliz4623]

@Luke hahahaha, I wish that was not as true as it is

[@gregwilson2721]

@@rodriguezelfeliz4623 ever held a guitar with 30 years of bar nicotene on it? if mojo isnt fitting we should all start kicking ideas around for a cool word for an old battle axe like that. battle axes! i have had tons of old guitars. i can always tell when it was played to death but it was somebody's 'baby'. just got a 65 super 400 like that, tons of wear plays like butter , not many actual scratchches though. the owner was some kind of union musician in new york. wish i knew more about him.

[@danielwest3087]

Funny I was just watching the Vintage gear video that you did with Rick and Dave. And now I get the sequel!! Love your channel Rhett!!! Keep rockin!

[@dostacos1]

Just remember, all vintage gear was new at one point.

[@johnaeff]

for me it's the search for Tone in following time tunnels, that brought me back to my history to vintage gear again , this vintage gear which can give the feel of the true Tone that i have heard and never forgot

[@ASM881]

These dudes sound like drug addicts telling stories in the basement of a church while drinking bad coffee out of styrofoam cups. "Oh man, I once had a "insert drug/pedal/guitar here" and it was sooooo amazing, it moved mountains, ect.

[@mediumshreddercheese]

I haven’t played much vintage stuff but I have played some older well worn acoustics and really enjoy hearing the stories that go along with them as well as the tones. I love when an artist talks about which songs got written on specific instruments too, especially if I like the song!

[@PhinnOz]

The answer is capitalism... but yeah this works too Rhett

[@warholnyc]

Great question! I turned to vintage late in my playing career. For me, it’s strictly about tone. I am really turned on by PAFs and old Fender pickups. 50’s P90s are other worldly in tone. Secondly, it’s about owning instruments made by serious professional luthiers who worked by hand, armed with the finest tone woods known to man, and elegant guitar designs that culminated in that Burst. I wish you had shared your thoughts immediately after playing that 1959. I played my first one a year ago, and it was a veritable freak of nature. Owned previously by Paul McCartney’s guitarist, and I’m still speechless. Any long time guitar player knows there is something amazing out there they’ve never encountered that would blow their minds. There is! The real issue is money. Vintage is expensive as F. But, you can get there on the cheap. Best examples are 50s and 60s Epiphone electric and acoustic guitars are amazing and much cheaper than their Gibson counterparts. Gibson amp from late 50s thru the mid 60s are all amazing and a fraction of their Fender counterparts. Okay, one more log on the fire, I actually “play” significantly better on old vintage guitars. For example, I am a better guitarist when I play my ‘61 335 than when I play a modern Les Paul R9. The 335 has PAFS in addition to great tone woods. That being said, I recently played a PRS Blue Sky and the pickups sounded identical to my pre CBS Strat. It didn’t play anything near my ‘65, but blew me away in tone. Go figure. If you intend to play for a lifetime, invest in the best. If that’s a modern rig, that’s cool. If you are a tone freak, do your homework, play a lot of guitars, and explore the exotic world of vintage. My .02

[@pfmdude]

As a synth enthusiast, the Synthoma Elkorus is without question my most prized piece of gear. The Elkorus is a rackmount analog effect unit that perfectly simulates the chorus/ensemble effect found in 1970s string machines such as the Solina String Ensemble and the Logan String Melody. The heart of the Elkorus is 3 BBD chips that are essential in this sound, and they're the exact same ones that the original string machines in question used. Those chips being the legendary TCA350Y. Anyway, I'd like to think of the Elkorus as a time machine and takes you back to when string machines were a vital instrument in some of the greatest songs of the 70s, and also some amazing film scores. It's that ensemble effect sound that has hit a certain market of players. You hear it one time and you know... It just hits a certain sweet spot that people just after and new players want that sound for there own sound exploration. It really is thing of beauty to just run a simple sawtooth wave through it and almost instantly, the magic happens. You're right there back in 1975 or 1978.

[@adamziolkowski2549]

I like older gear simply because it makes me more inspired to make music. It's cool to think of the stories they can tell. I love old drums, percussion, Guitars, basses, amps, Leslie's, pianos, synths, organs, effects and pedals even studio and tech equipment. Not all old stuff is great though, I had a Rare as heck Farfisa Made Leslie RSC 350, a 350 pound boat anchor, needing so much more work than what it was worth..... and some stuff is all it's own. New is just as swell.

[@71tbomb]

I was lucky. My dad gave me a Goldentone Amp. 17 and didn't realise how good it was at the time. I still have it and I'm restoring it now. I'm now 49. Took a while. But still have it & now I know how good it is. I also understand why it is so good. Cheers Y/All.

[@telecastersRthebest]

The flame on that '59 Les Paul is just superb! All valid points about why people tend to gravitate towards vintage gear. Especially on vintage acoustic guitars sound, the dried out wood has so much effect on tone and they sound so much better than newer ones of the same model.

[@louisricciardi326]

I think it’s the history. Having played both vintage and custom shop models, I would argue the custom shop models are made better but you can’t beat the cool factor of these old guitars.

[@HunterMann]

Thanks for such a good video exploring the passion and obsession with vintage guitars. I deeply regret having sold off my vintage tenor guitar collection, including a Gibson, a Stella, and one that may have been an early Martin. I was pleased but not surprised to see Rick Beato In this discussion video. 😃🎶🎶

[@footnotedrummer]

The guy in the black shirt with the white background (first interview) has all of the (what I would call) right answers. It seems like he has analyzed this question many times in the past and really dug into why guitar players are obsessed with certain things.

[@Frapzoid]

I have a 1966 Jazz Bass and a 1968 SG. There is a certain vibe they have that new stuff new can't duplicate.