Is Vintage Gear Worth The Money? A Look at Gibson, Fender & PRS
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- Опубліковано 5 лис 2019
- In this episode, Rhett Shull, Dave Onorato and I discuss whether Vintage Gear Worth The Money. We discuss the Gibson and Fender custom shops along with PRS Guitars.
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Watching these three almost makes me feel like I have friends. Almost.
:-) Great comment George!!!
Pets make better friends than people supposedly, so, do guitars ?
You’re literally a guitar player. Go get you some friends
Awwwww.
Now I know why I'm watching this !!
Buy the guitar that makes you want to pick it up and play, regardless of brand or vintage
A buddy of mine picked up a LP Jr. at Music Go Round as a lark. He LOVES it. And he has lots of expensive guitars. Plays it all the time.
Agreed.
I think it's infinitely more important to find a guitar that resonates with you as a player. If you can do that, everything else is kinda an after thought.
So said Joe Satriani with his Ibanez brand guitars!
I respectfully disagree. If I'm lonely a human friend beats heck out of a freakin'
guitar. You know that's true.
I dig. Some guitars can make you smile. Practice is usually the missing ingredient.
It’s really what speaks to you as a player. If it’s a cheap guitar that blows you away or a $10k+ guitar that does the same. All that matters is it makes you want to play music and put a smile on your face.
Like Rick Nielsen once said "back in those days, those guitars were called "used"".
Tom B
He and Billy Gibbons bought a lot of those used guitars.
I've been playing guitar for 57 years now and I find myself to largely be in agreement with these guys. When I think back to some of my earlier instruments, there were three guitars I owned back in the 60s that, if I wanted to buy them today, no way would I be able to afford them. They were, in the order of purchase, an early 60s Strat (sunburst with a rosewood fingerboard), an early 60s SG Special (cherry red), and a firsr-year-of-reissue 1968 Gibson Les Paul Custom. There isn't a week that goes by that I don't regret selling those guitars, but I was an idiot teenager back then, so what did I know? Of the three, I miss that SG the most.
Now, about woods, I'm not just a guitarist, but I'm also a luthier. I specialize in classical guitars, but I've built others. When it comes to woods - for a classical, at least, and for acoustic guitars in general, woods are critically important. The tap tone of the soundboard is of supreme importance. And the tap tone of the back wood is almost as important.
But electrics, especially solid body electrics, are a different animal. With electrics, anything goes, and often you still can wind up with a nice sounding instrument. I do believe woods still play an important role, however. For example, with a Les Paul's construction, you have a solid mahogany body with a maple cap. I believe that combination lends a certain "woody" character to the Les Paul that gives it its unique sound. SGs and other Gibsons just sound different. With Fenders, especially Strats, on the other hand, I think the pickups play a much more important role than the woods. I have two Strats, each made from different woods, but their sonic properties were affected more by the pickup selections than the woods they were made from.
I have a theory as to why there is this difference between, say, a Les Paul and a Strat. A Les Paul's bridge and tailpiece are anchored into that maple cap, and the strings are directly coupled to that, whereas a Strat, with a tremolo, the strings are secured to a tremolo block that doesn't touch the wood at all. Yes, the bridge plate is anchored to wood, as are the tremolo's springs, but I just don't see these two points transferring as much of the wood's sonic properties as Gibson's system.
Anyway, great talk, and my take on the whole vintage guitar thing is, if you play long enough, and just hang onto your guitars -- and don't sell them, one day they'll be vintage.
“Typically the woods came from North America...Canada too..”
😂
Was about to comment about this lol
BIG BRAIN
I’ve noticed that Canadians don’t like to be called American and will correct you but it’s all the same continent isn’t it?
Lisbonized We are one continent but very distinct countries
Old records were made with people playing new instruments, I never thought about that, kind of makes sense!
@@allrequiredfields i wonder what kind of cheap gear you've stumbled upon to think like that. The fact that Gibson sells crap nowadays doesn't mean others do. Mayones, for example, makes absolutely astonishing guitars that are more affordable than gib / fen customshop. That's just one of many companies.
I love it when the 3 of you get together and just "shoot the breeze" about a topic. It is so entertaining and educational.
A thing to add, that I tell younger kids, the best way to get good vintage gear is to buy good brand new stuff, and wait 30 years.
An even better way to get good vintage gear is to buy 5 year old gear for 60% of the original price and then wait 25 years.
The other guitarist in our band picked up one of those Fender amps for gigging, it's really good. He's in a wheelchair so it makes loading in/out so much easier for him.
Absolutely 100% spot on about the resonance of the older guitars. I remember as a kid in the eighties playing a 57 Strat at Axe in Hand in Dekalb IL. Unplugged that thing sounded like an acoustic. Not to mention the neck shape and over all feel. Should have begged, borrowed and stolen the $1700 and bought that guitar.
These are my favourite videos, with Rhett, Dave and Rick chatting.
It's something along the lines of what Dave Simpson said: vintage guitars aren't automatically better. Are some magic? Yes. Are some crap? Yes.
I grew up right down the street from the old Gibson factory on the north side of Kalamazoo,MI. Love vintage Gibsons!!
In 1975 I bought a 1958 Strat for $125.
In 1969 I bought a Gipson SG for $60.
Yup, I'm 61 and back in the mid 70's these guitars that people cherish today were just...guitars! There were some good ones and some bad ones. I laugh when I see the prices for vintage gear. To me, they're just old guitars. I think today's instruments are nice with fairly consistent quality even at the low end. Lucky kids.
Scot Combs - I bought a 1954 Tele (serial #5004!) with a 1954 Fender amp in 1978 for (drum roll) $75!
jaxterboy Wow😊😊😊
in 1974 I purchased a 1974 strat for ~$600. I walked past older guitars leaning up against amps - mesmerized by the new Fenders on the wall - I was 17. sigh. but in 2020 I managed to snag an early 67 BF Reverb Deluxe - (from a touring / recording pro) at about $1.8K - and every guitar sounds great through it.
As someone who also plays a violin, I love how quaint the vintage conversation is. From what I’ve read from luthiers, wood that has been cut and aged for 50, 100, 200 years in instruments does change sonically. This is why when a luthier passes-there is a bit of a bidding war for the wood. And this debate has been going on since the early 19th century when the first “aged” instruments where being made in England and France to recreate the Italian greats.
shergold masquerader (from the 70"S) and a hofner violin bass (63-64) nothing touches them
I played a gig in a club in Hollywood with a young classically trained violin player. she had left her violin perched on the bass amp during a break. I casually asked her how old it was and she said, "it was built in 1869". I gulped and said "why would you take a 135 year old instrument to a bar gig", and she replied, "Because I didn't want to bring my good one". That's when I realized the hugh difference between a rock musicians idea of 'vintage' and a classical musicians idea of vintage.
Let Rhett finish a thought once in a while... I tune in for the wisdom of the guys on the ends.
jdrichmond237 - You're right about acoustic instruments such as violins of course but electric guitars which use magnets and amplifiers to convey their sounds are a totally different thing.
epicmeade That difference comes down to the World Wars: violins were produced for centuries before the wars saw the majority of the old growth trees torn down for the war effort, while modern guitars as we know them barely got a look in (and only acoustics) before that happened.
These are my favorite videos on this channel. You three are the best!
My favorite guitar I own is a 1994 MIM Fender Strat. Got it for 200$ on reverb and while it needed to be set up and the electronics replaced, the neck and body is the best fender I’ve ever played. I know the 90s MIM fender have a weird story to them, but I think it’s also that the guitar has been with me for years and I know every aspect of how that guitar will respond. It’s the friend that’s always been there and will never go away
I remember back in the early 80's when I was living hand to mouth down in Central Texas, I used to see these incredible vintage guitars, in these fantastic pawn shops there (they were really more like vintage music gear stores). I remember a particular Gibson Flying V from the 50's that they were asking $500 for; I went to everyone I knew to try and get the money to buy it, because I knew...."they dont make 'em anymore", and that they would just skyrocket in value. Couldn't get anyone to lend me the dough. I weep today over that. Could have retired 10 years ago on what I got from selling a guitar like that, and that was just one example of many of the guitars and amps that were available for next to nothing, back then.
I always kick myself for selling my 66 Mustang 20 years ago, but then I remember playing it and thinking "This thing kinda sucks"
I did the same
Yep we've all had stuff that became collectable. Like betting on a horse race... Afterwards it's easy to see what you should have done. I think a lot of this collectable market is about burying money and avoiding tax. Who the hell would buy a £50k guitar and take it on the road! Duh?
Same for me with an early 1960's Gretch. Wish I knew then what I know now. The poor thing just needed a good set up, and an intonated bridge.
Be glad it wasn't a '66 Ford Mustang you sold!
@@StratMatt777 yep crashed the ford. But sold my Rickenbacker 1995 (?) 330 from 1963. Then sold my Marshall.....which was like the 10th ever built. Mmmnn....collectable value? But hey I avoided buying Amazon in 1998 when I was an internet consultant and the stuff I did buy tanked. So my £5k into Amazon would have now been £350k. It's all sooooo easy in retrospect!!
Some guitars have songs in them. Sometimes that exceeds any other consideration.
my point exactly
These sit down talks you guys do are great. Awesome insight!
"Just because it's old doesn't mean it's good" ~ spot on.
I could never afford vintage gear, but they sure would look and sound amazing in the collection, no doubt! To say that is worth it is up for debate.
I spent almost a year learning amateur lutherie, so now I buy inexpensive gear, and spend $1000 worth of my time and $200 in parts, and they are great for me. I have learned to pick and choose the the best of the worst, and the easiest to fix. Of course, being older, and nearly tone deaf helps too...
This made me laugh heehee :) Thank you for that 😉
@@alenac7269 My pleasure.
@@RAkers-tu1ey ceci n'est pas une guitare
@@marfaxa ... yes, I should photoshop a new version of the Magritte... very funny.
Maybe create a sepia tone illustration of one of my frankenstrats.
I wonder how many people would get the joke?
I bought the Deluxe Reverb. And I own a late 60s blackface pro Reverb, multiple silver face fender amps, amongst a few univox, and early Vox amps. That deluxe is climbing up to be my most used studio guitar simply for the ease of having a DI out to track, and then doubling it with a live microphone at a low volume level (thank god for that attenuator). I whole heartedly suggest that amp
This was a sensational show - great conversation. I learned a lot about the history behind some guitars here. Excellent.
I went through the “ get the LP” or “ get the whatever is hot...” and at the end of the day, the ones that I loved, were no where near those “ hot” guitars. I simply love playing Godin guitars. Everyone who hears them and plays them, are shocked at the feel, sound and definitely the price. Play what best reflects you! Great video guys 👍🏻
Godin's are great - a shame they aren't more popular.
Godin player here. I own 3.
I absolutely LOVE my 5th Avenue archtop!
@@ZacCostilla I love my 5th Avenue as well!
For me, talking acoustics, it's Yairi.
I love Rick's reaction at the price at 7:02!
7:02 Rick's reaction though.
Rick, I love these kind of videos. Feels like a conversation with you guys. Thanks
A really exemplary piece of gear is more likely to be kept, cared for, used and passed on in one piece than a mediocre one. Many vintage guitars survived in part because there is something special about them. But Rhett is right...for every one of those wonderful ones there are many more that were merely acceptable (or worse). We absolutely *are* in the golden age of gear. A player in 1975 would be amazed at what a modern buyer can get for a few hundred bucks. Squier in particular is killing it.
I bought one of those Deluxe Reverbs the day they were released.. LOVE it! I have a room full of Fender Tube amps and the Tone Master is my go to..
@Luke Robinett I've never tried those Luke.. I have a 59 Bassman that I adore! but, it weighs a ton and I can never play it loud enough to hit the sweet spot. I also have several modeling amps: Champ2, Vox, Line 6... I really like the authentic sound of the DR.. AND you can attenuate it! Sweet spot achieved at bedroom volume. Extra bonus.. light as a wet tissue..
Damm - UA-cam won't let me do 50 likes! Why is it so satisfying listening to three guys talk about stuff you completely AGREE with?
Rhett you are so sharp, focussed and on point with all your opinions - wise beyond your years
I bought myself my first guitar. I play drums. But, I grabbed, dare I say, an epiphone LP Studio. Back in feb. The thing is a beast. Sounds absolutely amazing. I dont care what anyone says. For $260ish........thats it, seriously. the thing is incredible
I started with vintage guitars, because they were used, and relatively inexpensive. I mostly play new guitars now. There's something great about being the only owner.
My buddy has the tone master deluxe. Awesome. I’m really loving the quilter stuff. All solid state, and loves pedals. Great stuff is being built now. Only getting better too. Love what you guys do.
Hey, Rick, as a Tokai enthusiast, I would love to hear your take on the so-called lawsuit guitars.
Love these Amp Side Chats so much!
I can't afford PRS guitars so i usually by POS guitars LOL.
😂😂😂
There are still some decemt deals to be had on late 80s and early 90s PRS guitars, especially the CE24. I'd love to have one.
Lol
@a free man in america SRV's #1 was actually Christopher Cross' old guitar that he had toured with into the 1980s. Crazy, huh?
Doesn’t matter if you can play.
90's Gibson's a vintage? now i feel old...
Yep
Love these chat sessions these guys have. Feel like I am sitting on a couch ten feet away with one of my vintage guitars in my hand just waiting til we jam!
I enjoyed this segment. I found a Schecter Damien Elite used for $250 at Guitar Center one weekend I stopped by in between gigs. I always wanted a Les Paul type guitar since I had to sell my old 71 wine red custom and there this was, a guitar with EMG's for that price. It plays great and sounds killer. It does way more than metal.
Best guitar player I ever played with, 20 years ago, used to say: never spend more than $500 on a guitar. So, adjusted for inflation, maybe a grand? His point was, from a playability and sound POV, diminishing returns kicks in with a vengeance at that price point.The history/cool factor influenced hm not at all. He was ridiculous player, a hear it once, play it right no matter who the source.
Just a data point.
@Denis Well., I'm a piano player. With pianos, diminishing returns kick in around $40K. I have a Steinway. ;-)
I played that deluxe tone master today and had no clue it was the tone master. I thought it was just a normal deluxe until someone pointed it out. I bought it on the spot.
Love that you have Rhett to add his knowledge, opinions, etc... in an easy going way, and also Dave being such a guitar encyclopedia...but I think the bottom line is we can all agree...Rick - 'you da man'... Cheers, Guys!!
Brilliant interview, as always, guys.
For vintage guitars, Johnny Ramone's white Mosrite (in the RRHOF museum) is a beautifully worn work of art. He treated it like a Dewalt tool, and it shows.
My Greco Rock Spirit 3/4 bass circa 1985 was a total heart decision. I just saw it & fell in love. Never seen anything like it EVER. Broke all the rules I set for myself for buying an instrument. Was on line interstate and the price was high for what it is. Just did the intonation today with new nickel round wound 50 - 105 strings and I regret NOTHING. Its a fucking WEAPON! Looks like a les paul black w gold hardware but plays better than any Gibson I've ever held. Its like this old stuff has a soul.
Wheras the new stuff is just product.
I know thats likeley just bullshit in my head. Dont care. Im one happy little piggy 🤩
The vintage market has nothing to do with logic. The value is a heart decision
based on nostalgia, image & scarcity.
The reality of ownership of vintage gear also is a hassle unless you get real lucky like I did. Every decade the vintage passive guitar pickups loose 4-6% flux density ( magnetic force) which after half a century or more renders many almost unplayable. Unless you use backing magnets or re- magnetize.
Yet people debate weather this should be done or not? WTF? If it aint played its an expensive boat anchor. For me any instrument that isnt played is useless.
Just in case this wasn't picked up: 'The Wind Cries Mary' was recorded in January, 1967 - in roughly 20 minutes at the end of the session for 'Fire' (sans future overdubs).
I own a tone master twin reverb and it sounds phenomenal, there’s rich harmonics, there’s tons of headroom, you hear every note in every chord, it goes loud as all hell, and quiet enough to play in the bedroom.
The main problem I've had with older guitars is that they're much harder to play. The necks are usually narrower and shaped less ergonomically while the frets are much deeper.
Hey Rick, this video made me very happy. I actually recently bought a tonemaster deluxe reverb a few weeks ago before I listened to this video. I had heard about it and I listened to a few blind comparisons and I swear I liked the tone master over the tube version every time. I really committed to it after I heard a demo from Andy's channel. I couldn't believe it and I'm not a pro by any means. But aside from the weight, the other major benefit is that when your amp is solid state each amp is wayyyyy more likely to sound like the next whereas I find there to be much more variation in tube amps. Basically if you want to pick something off the shelf if you're an amateur player and be confident you are getting that "fender tone" this is probably a better bet then a tube deluxe reverb. Also not to mention aside from the base price being less then the tube version, there really are no consumable parts or biasing and maintenance, so in the long run it will be much cheaper I believe. I just love it and the built in attentuation was a must for me as I live in NYC and don't want to upset neighbors and family.
Yes, but the thing is Tubes will give more sound to the mid tone of guitars. Bass Guitar is more a genral low tone so the solid state can capture that. The Tone of the solid state tends to not capture the middle part of the tone on a guitar and will capture the higher and lower end tones more.
Great video, as usual, guys. Thanks. Very informative.
Rick, love your vids, insights and teachings. I'm a new fan and love the gear geekery!
Well speaking as a Keyboard player (mostly) - There's nothing that still can replicate a Fender Rhodes or a Mini Moog.
Or a Hammond and Leslie
@@gcaligula6653 True.
compared to vintage guitars, Moog Model Ds are lower in cost
@@gcaligula6653 Roland VK-7 or VK-8 does really perfectly the B-3, try it ! And it's much more transportable !
Build your own modular mate
Good Show. In 70ish I crashed the after party of JJ Cale's Performance at the Saenger Theater In Mobile. JJ told the roadies to let the kid in. I got to drink Schlitz and smoke Kools with Him and the band. And to top it off JJ Cale signed 4 or 5 items in my wallet for proof. He was the Koolest.
great chat. agree, new guitars are so amazing now. it's actually quite unbelievable. i had a couple of vintage pieces that as beautiful as they were it didn't make sense keeping them under lock & key as they were too valuable to gig & travel with and/or even play on a regular basis.
Good information makes Rick so happy, and it makes me happy as well
I remember an interview with the guy who built slash’s Paul clone on Appetite say that he was going to guitar shows in the mid eighties and there were rows and rows of bursts they couldn’t move at fire sale prices.
Great point by Dave that the "vintage" guitar trend started during a bad era for Gibson and Fender in the 1970s, where customers would buy/try the current models, and find them worse than the ones produced 7-10 years earlier.
As Dave said, though, the premium back then was, what 200-400%? It's like there was the "vintage market 1.0", when players could save their pennies and splurge on a 1960 ES-335, and then "vintage market 2.0", when the market for certain instruments made them too valuable to be pursued for any reason other than as an investment and a conversation piece. It's all fine with me, as it spurred the boom in reproductions that, as they said in the video, can often surpass some of the originals. In the video, they kind of move quickly back and forth between discussing things like '59 Les Pauls (that nobody today buys to actually play on a regular basis), and much more affordable vintage gear like Rick's SG. Hopefully anyone in their teens or early 20s will walk away understanding that any guitar purchase (vintage or not) should be preceded by a ton of online research, so you avoid buying the ES-335 with the crappy neck angle, or the acoustic guitar with the laminated maple top that looks cool and sounds like a dog.
Norlin (Gibson) and CBS( Fender) damn near killed two great guitar companies. One has to look at the models produced during these eras .Green wood necks that would never hold ...the Gibson Marauder, Korvus...Fender star caster ......Fender Coronado...blehhhhhh....
@@Dman85612 Norlin and CBS proved that if you own trademarks like "Stratocaster" and "Les Paul", your business cannot be killed. Even if those 1970s zombie versions of Gibson and Fender had both declared bankruptcy in the 80s, we'd still have a Fender Corp. or "Fender, a division of Acme Corp.", and the same with Gibson. The IP was still hugely valuable, no matter how idiotic any given CEO was during the dark ages. I'm sure the descendants of Stradivarius and Guarnieri wish their family names could be legally protected trademarks.
Great video guys! I bought a Deluxe Reverb Tone Master last year and love the amp. I've had a few tube amps along the way that I've sold, and still have a Blues Jr., but the DRTM is my go to amp now. It's just perfect what I need at this point in my life.
I use fairly new guitars on the road because of the reliability factor ... and if it gets damaged or stolen , it's easily replaced ... you guys are right ... again ... great channel (s) all 3 of you guys are awesome ! Thanks for the interesting content and analysis !
I have been collecting vintage guitars since the early 70's. I never paid much for them because my BFF owned a pawn shop and when they came out of pawn he would call me. I ended up with over 30. Since I retired I have came to the conclusion that if I do not play them then someone else needs to enjoy them. So I have sold over half and kept only the ones I play at my shows. Yes I miss them but someone else needs to enjoy them now (0)=+
Short answer: "Generally no"
Long answer: "If it's cheaper than non-Vintage and not too used up, then yes. Otherwise, only if you run a museum."
Yeah.
Yep, if you haven't got security watching your Vintage gear, Some drunk fuck is going to trip over it or another will try to steal it.
Cheers. It took me a while to scroll down to find the nutshell answer, rather than listen to three guys sucking each other off about their guitars, trying to sap nearly an hour from my life.
This was very interesting thank you.
Also, I have heard great things about the fender tone master and it’s greatest strength is that it looks like the amp we all fell in love with.
I don’t know how to play at all but I could listen and watch these conversations all dayp
Right, "Why bring it to a gig....?" if so valuable. I like having decent "cheap" things that I can take out and not worry so much. Thanks for such a good rundown on values of guitars.
Never a truer word spoken mate. This is so bloody accurate!!!
The one amp that I've had since 1965 and I'll never get rid of is the Princeton reverb the black face something about the app I just love.
'64 Bassman here!
Bought my son the same Twin Reverb in 95, when he was 8, ( bought off a friend for 350.) along with a new Squire Strat. His collection is massive now. But he said he would never part with that first amp. The sound is beautifully unique. As for the the Squire, It now has DiMarzio’s, and screams! For some, parting with your foundation and history, is unthinkable. Peace.
Great review of the Fender Deluxe Reverb! Saw a Ton of reviews of this Amp. They all totally agree with you Guys!
What a team! Great job guys.
I want to see a video of you three jamming!
Just another thought: you want to buy a “vintage quality” guitar? Build your own Warmoth. The quality is incredible. As good or better than old guitars. Blows away any off the shelf model. Costs a reasonable $ fraction. The neck on my Warmoth with the raw unfinished Goncalo Alves and Ebony, I would say is a warm and incredible to play as many vintage Gibson’s.
Kevin Sturges I have a warmoth neck on a partscaster. It’s fine but what’s the big? Come on, a Gibson neck is a far cry from anything warmoth offers - and it’s glued in, to boot. I don’t even own a Gibson but let’s be real.
I have nothing but great stuff to say about Warmoth. Todd Nichols of Toad the Wet Sprocket built me a blonde strat with a Warmoth body and not only is it one of the lightest guitars I play but I cannot get the damn thing out of my hands!!!
I can vouch for what they're saying about the Fender Deluxe Reverb Tonemaster. I tried one at a local shop and was gobsmacked! It's insane how much it sounds and most importantly. REACTS like a tube Deluxe Reverb, with volume on your guitar, or pick attack. You'd swear it has to be a tube version. I was hoping in a year or 2 I can pick one up used for a good price, but based on what I played, and the love it's getting online from so many tube snobs, I think these amps will not be depreciating very much, very soon in the used market once they start to show up!
Hands-down the best guitar/gear/music content on UA-cam today. Change my mind.
Man, every time I see you three in the thumbnail for the video I can't click on it fast enough.
Apparently the myth of maple fingerboards having a brighter, snappier tone came about because in the late 60s/early 70s, people found the fifties Strats and Teles brighter. The only difference seemed to be the rosewood fingerboard. People assumed this is where the difference lay. Truth was that around the time the switch to rosewood happened, Fender started winding the pickups a bit hotter. Ergo, the older maple necks sounded brighter.
Enjoyable bull session. Just bought a PRS Hollowbody II, used but mint, from a store in England. Very easy to play, lots of different tones, very light (this is why I bought it, on Rick's recommendation), and I wanted the Piezo. It was about $3,700, not a steal, by any means, but a lot less than buying it new in Europe or UK. I also love the small body of this guitar, it's just very comfortable for me to play, more so than any guitar I have ever played, really, better than an acoustic parlor guitar. I love this guitar. Decent jazz tone with just the neck pickup, not as good as the two real jazz boxes I have, but I'll live with it, because it's way more versatile than a jazz box and it sounds fine, it's just not as mellow as a dedicated jazz box, less of a wood sound. I bought this guitar without being able to play it, or any model like it. I think this is the guitar I will die with, I'm about to turn 70. But we'll see, it's early days. This is also the most expensive guitar I've ever bought, but not by much. I've got a luthier-made steel-string acoustic that I now think I overpaid for and would have trouble selling for what I paid, although the same model that I paid about $3500 for 15 years ago (so, adjusted for inflation, it was more expensive than the PRS) is now close to $9,000. I bought this PRS guitar because of Rick Beato. Now I see that a lot of pros are playing this guitar.
On the vintage guitar market, one could sum up the conversation simply by saying that it's like the art market, or the market for gold, it's completely irrational, it's not clear to me that these prices, which are unrelated to what Marx called use-value, in this case, the marginal utility to a professional player, should be permitted, in the sense that some people clearly have too much money and should be giving that money to other people. The people who have too much money include some professional players.
I have a deluxe tone master and I love it. Downloaded the bright clip mod firmware and it fixed the reverb being too much as well. Can’t say enough about that amp:
Outside of genuine collectibles, the only time I think vintage gear is worth the price is if you find more inspiration playing it than other gear.
Some vintage acoustic guitars can be worth it in my opinion. You can't replicate the aging process of a played in solid wood acoustic.
@@bgilley8199 They have character for sure. I had the pleasure of playing an old Martin once and it was sensational. The cost to have that all the time was way out of my reach though.
@@TheRealReTox yeah I've only owned one Martin and it was just a 90s low end (for Martin) model. It still sounded great. Personally I buy old 60s Hofner and Framus acoustics and I've found some incredible sounding guitars over the years. Nothing like a prewar Martin or anything, but still fantastic sounding guitars.
@@bgilley8199 My dad had a Hofner, good memories of that sound.
@@TheRealReTox my favorite acoustic is a 60s Hofner, I like the fretwork, they really put some craftsmanship into their guitars, and they can still be found for under $200 because a lot of people don't respect anything not labled Gibson, Fender, or Martin.
I have a new Fender Duo sonic and a Gretcsh streamliner, both great new "old" guitars.
Great discussion especially about the Fender! Thanks gentlemen
I'm with Rhett. I'm a player, not a collector. Prices are so ridiculously inflated these days on vintage stuff, and so much of things have been modified and aren't 'collector' grade anyway. I'm thrilled with the guitars and amps I own and play that are essentially better quality and more reliable.
The amps behind them about to give them a robot beat down for giving the guitars so much credit
A lot of the old guitars weren't sought after (like say a 50's guitar in the 70's) because, out of the box, they were AWFUL! Only after an experienced luthier sets it up and makes it "right" does the instrument shine. Most of us back then didn't have the cash to spend on a decent set-up, or didn't even think that it would make much difference. It does!
Also, in the case of hollow bodied guitars (Acoustics and open chambered electrics) they often change tone and sometimes get better sounding with age.
Rick, I have a 1956 Gibson Country Western that looks just like that. I call it my “Beatles” guitar, because it sounds just like their albums every time I record with it. Really enjoy your videos!
As a collector and as 75 yr old "want-a-be" player, The turn of the century Parlor with Brazilian and Adirondacks Spruce,
is "Fine Art" grade eye candy and sweet music to my ears. People are now buying them and having a luthier rebuild it into
a modern steel string instrument with a neck reset and new high quality tuners with less than a $2,000 investment.
Why doesn’t anyone ever talk about a good setup and perfect intonation? I was talking to a luthier today and he said the difference is in the neck.
Even more on a bass.
Nope...
filip hendrickx thank you, very enlightening.
Daniele Milazzo you are so correct I have a Strat someone screwed with the bridge intonation is so bad it’s unplayable ice pick sounding crap I did a set up now totally different sounding guitar two thousand dollar guitar now sounds like it should
When will we see a rundown of all your guitars, amps and pedals? That would be so interesting.
I have a mid-range vintage Yamaha acoustic guitar that survived a house fire. The heat must’ve dried the wood out a bit because after it was recovered, it sounded completely different. Massive sound, great sustain and just a sweet timbre that can’t really be described.
This is an eye opening material. Thank you so much for sharing all your knowledge!
Is good to know that my kids will inherit my gear and by that time they will be vintage.
2005 Stratocaster Deluxe, USA Made.
1967 Epiphone Zenith.
2014 Duesenberg Starplayer TV.
2002 FMT V Fender Jazz Bass, USA.
2001 50th Anniversary Fender P Bass, USA.
2004 Fender Jazz Bass, CIJ.
"I could probably sell a couple of things I I want to buy this...." said every guitarist ever!
Went to guitar center, tried the Tone Master Deluxe Reverb side by side with the “real” tube Deluxe.
Couldn’t find a thing that could justify the purchase of the tube version! To me the difference one would find, can also be found on two real tube deluxe Reverbs, made a couple of years apart.
Please fender.... make a couple of tweed tonemasters!
For 45 years I've had my Gibson SG with an original Dimarzio Super Distortion in the bridge position. I love this guitar. I recently bought a PRS Santana SE and put new Dimarzios in it. For under $850 I have a guitar that sounds amazing, with a rich sustain. It's my new favorite. So much so, I'm selling my Gibson.
Great podcast. I agree that not all vintage guitars are better than the new ones. A friend of mine who played with Bonnie, Delaney and Friends got to play the all-rosewood Telecaster that George Harrison gave to Delaney Bramlett. He told me that it wasn't very comfortable to play and also didn't sound that great for a guitar worth six-figures.
someone else out there will be happy to pay 6 figures to put it in glass box and say to a few people “this belonged to george harrison” regardless of its tone 🤷♀️
Current Magnatone amps have unbelievable sound and build quality.
Guitars are better now than ever, same with all gear imo
could not have said it better
Rob DeGolier - and it's the same with solid-state amps nowadays too; the Boss Katana is kind of a meme in the guitar community but for good reason
@@blue-tb2fd agreed. I had a crate amp and Ibanez gio when I started, worse rig ever haha, the stuff kids can get now is incredible
The quality is better "levelled", more consistent. But... there are lesser and lesser "exceptional" sounding instruments for sale out there, including vintage, as they will find their way into collections,experience damage, etc...
(except for Gibson)
Really enjoyed listening to this! Would love to hear a similar discussion aimed solely at acoustics....
Love this post. For the longest time I chased specific sounds. I think a lot of guitar geeks do lol. Now I just realize it isn’t simply getting the Exact gear Page or Hendrix had. Or for a pint of comparison any two players from the same era using the same or similar stuff completely sounded different. I have a ton of guitars and gear but my go to for everything is a 2005 PRS McCarty and a simple BlackStar HT 20 head. With those two things I can dial in the spirit of any era really. I’m not saying there isn’t value to vintage gear, I’m just saying more than anything I believe it’s the player that make something sound great. Brain May would sound like Brian May probably with anything he played for the most part.