The vintage axes of tomorrow

[straycat113]

[Michael Ambrose]

[Mgeek]

[Michael Ambrose]

[VintAxe]

[straycat113]

LOL. No Mike I dont need no tips.McGeek I agree with you 100% about the 70s strats as there value is amazingly climbing and now Fender is even doing a reissue on them.When you think about it the 70s were probably Fenders most diverse decade Knopfler,Raitt,Blackmore,Bolin,Lowell George,Niles Rodgers,Ron Wood,Jeff Baxter,Zappa,Mayfield and on and on.Plus not everything about them were horrible a lot of people dont realise the big Headstock started in 65. In 71 the bullet trussrod became standard and made things easier but they also started the use of cheap diecast saddles which had to go. But today they are going up in price no doubt about that.My brother is a huge collector of vinyl records and some years back I told him to unload but he hung on to long and now 45s he had wort $700 are going for $80 as you stated the guys interested in that are not young anymore. I am really a straight up player who after not being able to play for 18 months due to nerve damage which needs surgery started looking into the collectors side of things just because they are also art to me and was just wondering what you guys look at as the future. Fender and Gibson are always going to be there though they are not the power houses they were. But most of the young guys are into speed and shred and when they are the guys pulling the strings those axes are going to have a place in there heart believe me .Maybe not to the extent of a 59 Gibson or 54 Strat but you never know.

[straycat113]

Great response Vintaxe as you understood exactly where I am coming from. The guitar is the most popular instrument in the world and I am amazed at how some people think that when the collections from the classic classic rock movement is over so is collecting. I am a member of about 10 forums and you can tell the ones that are used mostly by young guys in there teens and twenties and the love they have for there axes is no different then we had.The names are though Jackson,ESP,music man and when you look at the prices of these guitars they are expensive. So my thinking is that 10 to 20 years from now when a lot of these guys are clocking big money things will be the same.Just maybe a differant cast of characters.

[Michael Ambrose]

I've still got to disagree here.

I honestly don't think you'll see the late-70's/80's shredder guitars shoot up in value the way you see pre-CBS Fenders and Gibsons. Sure, there's the baby-boomer nostalgia element... but the other end of that is that each of those guitars was a hand-crafted piece... not CNC-machined, but hand-crafted... like a Chippendale dresser or a Tiffany lamp, or, more appropriately, a Stradivarius violin. I don't even think you'll find a first-gen neck-thru Dinky fetch what a "Golden Age" guitar will fetch down the road.

You'll never see a guitar boom like you see in today's market.

When the current generation of shredders hits middle-age-hood, you'll undoubtedly see a big bubble for JEM's and Dinky's and (American) ESP's... but I only expect a few select instruments to rise from this breed the way golden-age guitars have.

You'll see pointy guitars with their control plate signed and numbered by John Suhr or Rudy Pensa blow up to Pre-CBS proportions... some PRS 10-tops and one offs will shoot up there... maybe some Zon or pre-Gibson Tobias pieces...

But don't forget that at the same time that these guitars are getting up there, that names like Wayne Charvel and Grover Jackson are going to be going up against names like Chris Flemming, Yuri Shishkov, and Tom Anderson. You can't neglect the fact that while the shredders may have started the high-end customization movement, the big boys also got in that game.

Another point to consider... If you're suggesting that each generation will have its own corresponding boom, why haven't we seen custom guitars from the 70's shoot up in value as THAT generation gets nostalgic and comes into money? These were terrific guitars, often hand-numbered, well-crafted pieces... You've got Alembics, you've got Travis Beans, you've got the Kramer DMZ series and the early Stu Spector work... Granted they have appreciated, but not to the extent of the Golden Era guitars.

Bottom line is that nostalgia will only play a small factor in the longevity of the collectibility of a particular guitar. Ten years from now, a Silvertone 1413L will in no way in hell fetch more than $500... I have no idea how these are selling for this much now!... Golden Era guitars (even second-fiddles from this era like Gretsch or Guild) will always and forever reign supreme in the vintage market.

(By the way... I'm only twenty-seven.)

[Mgeek]

[RuppMusic]

[johnnyb]

[novi]

[straycat113]

[VintAxe]

[Mgeek]

I was going to say I could see the price of Bursts crashing down to 20 or 30k once the generation of folks who still worship Clapton and Peter Green is gone- but I suspect they've risen to such a high value that they will remain a 'trophy' item for the ridiculously rich- Bond villains and the like- regardless of whether they have an interest in music.

Re: Not being able to get that wood anymore- Are you SURE? I've seen some outrageous flames on non '58-60 guitars, and likewise some totally plain '59s. I'm very skeptical of the whole 'old wood' hype. At the end of the day it's a lump of mahogany/maple whatever.

A nice worn nitro finish does a lot for the feel of a guitar- I reckon that's the main thing that makes the old ones feel so much nicer. Just my opinion of course.