I have only aproached vintage in the recent years and am learning the do's and dont's. I would divide vintage in 2 areas: 1) the users 2) the collectors/users.
If i'm a user and want the sound of a 64 strat i can find one refinished with maybe some minor modifications (pot change or toggle switch changed)  at $8000 vs the over $20000 of the untouched version.
For the colector guitar i have come to the conclusion that the only acceptable modification is a refret as this is considered vital for the guitar to be playable. A part from that all the rest is strictly prohibited.
Having said that i'm in between. My current small collection includes two refinished guitars: a 72 strat and a 71 Les Paul Recording and two collectibles: a 68 thinline Tele and a 66 Gibson 335. Now i am in the process of buying a 63 strat  and in doing so i selected a refretted one with no other modifications.Statistics: Posted by mke52 — Tue Sep 29, 2009 3:21 am
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