It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Subscribe to our Patreon, and get image uploads with no ads on the site!
Base theme by DesignModo & ported to Powered by Vanilla by Chris Ireland, modified by the "theFB" team.
Comments
Until the last few years, anything post-mid 60s was considered '2nd division'
I played a Blonde '68 Esquire a couple of years ago. I was heavy, had a really over-sized neck pocket and a poorly shaped neck. It sounded dead. at £4000, it was and nowhere near as good as an American '52 reissue - the older version of which can be had for around £800.
Any old(ish) guitar seems worthy of a premium these days.
I remember when it was all just fields....
The truth is, a used American Standard Strat (at £500 - £600) would be a significantly better guitar.
Fools and money are easily parted...
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
It's certainly true that some decent guitars were built in the '70s. I once played a lovely Olympic White '72 Strat that was the 'right' weight, had a lovely neck and sounded superb. I would certainly pay 'good' money for that guitar today - though probably not as much money as the market/dealers might 'say' it is worth....
The trouble is, even the junk (like the '81 Strat @koneguitarist posted the link to) is 'silly' money.
To me, one of those should be cheaper than a used American Standard - it is a 'lesser' guitar by comparison.
A 'good' one (like the '72 I mentioned) shouldn't be more than a Custom Shop guitar. The current 'dealer' price for one of these is over 50% more than this - which is simply too much....
I do not subscribe to the view that just because something is old, it is inherently better. It's a well worn cliche but when Eric Clapton recorded The Bluesbreakers album, his Les Paul was about 5 years old. It was almost new!
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
Prices near me seem to follow the rule of thmub to that the older it is the more you can charge.
One well known shop even peddles the line that older (Korean) Epis are better than the current Chinese lines, which may be true in some instances and models but which isn't right as a blanket assertion. As a result they have some really indifferent guitars for sale for as much as or more than the new equivalent.
I also remember a write up on buying vintage Strats in a magazine once and they quoted a shop as saying a late 70s model for sale was the "world's worst Strat". Didn't stop them asking good Strat prices for it though.
For me, a good guitar is a good guitar regardless of age or where it's from,but mere age is no guarantee of superiority.