Buying an 80’s guitar.

TheMarlin

A good friend of mine is an ok guitar player (lives in Sweden) and have a very lovely acoustic.  He would like to get a nice electric, but can’t justify it to his wife. 

I’ve suggested that some 80’s Fenders/Gibsons may be a good buy as they were well made, and likely to increase in value, so he can pitch it to his wife as an investment. She liked money, she’d go for that. 

What 80’s guitar would you buy to play, and as an investment?

I’m thinking Strat Pro, or maybe a Jaguar. We’re there any iconic 80’s Teles?

Cheers

Marlin 

Musicwolf

TheMarlin said:

What 80’s guitar would you buy to play, and as an investment?

Personally I would either buy a guitar to play or I would buy something as an investment and I wouldn't buy a 1980's Fender (I'm not well up on Gibsons).

The 1980's was a turbulent decade for Fender.  The company changed hands during that decade (started the decade as CBS) and they moved manufacturing location if memory serves.  I was a bass player in the 80's but I remember a friend buying a Tokai at that time.  Tokai were gaining ground at that time in no small part due to the poor state of Fender.  I recently did some work on that same guitar and it is a beauty.  The 80’s Squires are well thought of (I bought a Squire Strat in about ’88) but I think that, as with any era, you need to take each one on it’s own merits.

munckee

I had an 86 MIJ strat which was great and I have an 88 american standard tele which is also great.  Haven't played loads of 60s stuff to compare it with but I gather they were hit and miss too.

I don't think there is any year you could buy blind and be sure of a great guitar.

Philly_Q

TheMarlin said:

We’re there any iconic 80’s Teles?

Hmmm....?

Fishboy7

80s PRS seem to fetch unfeasibly large sums 

francer

There was some really nice Fender MIJs from that era but people are asking daft money for them now (IMO) so I think the investment ship has already sailed there.

However, does he actually want a guitar as an investment, or just something he can pass off to his wife as an investment? Occasionally Squier come up with something that everyone loves and could turn out to have modest investment potential, how about something from the original CV series or an early Mascis JM with a rosewood board, not a big investment risk and I’m sure he’d get his money back at least.

edit: typos

ICBM

I think the only 80s Fenders which will be 'investments' would be the very first vintage reissues, possibly the Strat Plus, and at an outside chance the Tele Plus Deluxe, purely because of the Radiohead connection.

80s Gibsons... not really. Perhaps an '80 Silverburst Les Paul Custom, but that's going to be serious money already, so how much more it would go up is debatable.

I'd probably look for a Rickenbacker Susannah Hoffs model or something like that.

Jackobean

I'd question buying an 80's Gibson or Fender.
 
Although this is the period when both companies began looking to their past,
nothing I could think of is better than the modern equivalents.
Early AVRI's have tiny necks and will cost him similar money to a recent custom shop.
The Gibson Heritage 80 isn't even the right shape, and go for silly money now.

I'd echo that a Strat Plus may come good in the end, but he might be waiting a while.

Gerz6558

It was a patchy decade for Fender and Gibson, but still some decent years of which prices are already high. For example, late 80's gibsons are now fairly desirable and expensive.

I want an 89 Les Paul custom again, but they frequently sell for 2.5k to 3.5k these days. Not any cheaper than any of recent year.

crunchman

As an investment, 90's might be better.  They seem to be cheaper than the better 80's models, and the production was probably more sorted by then so the quality is likely to be better.

They are over 20 years old so it's only a matter of time before "vintage" dealers start to ask more for the "mojo" of an old guitar.

ICBM

crunchman said:

As an investment, 90's might be better.  They seem to be cheaper than the better 80's models, and the production was probably more sorted by then so the quality is likely to be better.

They are over 20 years old so it's only a matter of time before "vintage" dealers start to ask more for the "mojo" of an old guitar.

90s Fenders aren't going to be a good bet - that's the era of block & veneer bodies.

Costello

I tracked down an 1980s Ibanez JEM this summer and can tell you those things are definitely getting expensive!

Depending on his budget, and if he can bear the look of one, it shouldn't be the world's worst bet for your friend to 'invest' in a 1987 JEM 777 in Loch Ness Green (very expensive and rare), an unfaded JEM 777 SK from 1987-89 (more of these around but many have faded) or maybe one of the first run floral JEMs in good condition. 

I'm really enjoying mine, it's a lot of fun and quite inspiring to play. Necks of the 80s models are not as thin as later models, as I understand it. The DiMarzio PAF Pro pickups are lovely; very vocal and not at all 'high gain-y'. With coil splits on both 'buckers they're surprisingly versatile. And would certainly be a contrast to his acoustic!!!

I sold a 70s Gibson LP Custom to help fund the JEM and that's an example of the potential pitfall of going with an 80s Fender - it happened to be a really great guitar but because of the overarching reputation of 70s Gibsons, it was never going to command a premium (also, to be fair, it had been modded with P90s - a good move but not a value-adding one). I think your friend could definitely find an 80s Gibson or Fender that's a great player, but not necessarily one that is also an 'investment' that will accumulate in perceived value. Investment in his playing... well that's another question...

Funkfingers

TheMarlin said:

Were there any iconic 80’s Teles?

The James Burton signature model.

•

For many punters, Eighties Guitar suggests pointy headstocks and double locking vibrato systems. i.e. Jackson, Charvel, Ibanez and their imitators. 

skullfunkerry

I’m a bit late to the party but I was going to suggest a superstrat of some sort...

idiotwindow

As has been pointed out, many 80s guitars are already priced high so I'm not sure of the investment potential of buying at the top of the market. However, in a world of quantitative easing that is debasing western currencies and low or negative interest rates for the foreseeable future, asset prices will probably continue to rise inexorably so what do I know?

To be honest, I don't really get the scenario that the OP presents. If money is tight, spending money on any guitar with the hope of it having investment potential seems somewhat inadvisable to me. Better to forget the whole idea and be happy with the acoustic. If the couple are okay for money, I'm not sure why the OP's friend needs to justify the guitar to his wife. (I presume by "nice", he isn't contemplating only buying a Custom Shop Les Paul or something even more expensive?)

riffpowers

Late 80’s Gibson’s are good . 

RaymondLin

You are much more likely getting your "investment" back from getting a used Gibson guitar of some kind.

HarrySeven

Well, I would say this...

https://i.imgur.com/ht8PhSy.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/jMmwJxM.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/PBhZfW8.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/NTYARcm.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/1YiqWiK.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/9bBjOP3.jpg

riffpowers

JV squire Strat ?

guitargeek62

Fishboy7 said:

80s PRS seem to fetch unfeasibly large sums 

Whereas my ‘87 Cu24 is very reasonably priced and a great player’s one!

crunchman

riffpowers said:

JV squire Strat ?

They are already ridiculously expensive.  They are probably the same money as a reccent second hand US Strat.

If you buy second hand, then you won't lose on it.

If you want to take a real punt, find a second hand guitar from a young luthier that someone is selling cheap, and hope he becomes the next Patrick Eggle / Feline / Rob Williams / Martyn Booth and gains that kind of name recognition.