Affordable Vintage
Not every vintage guitar is a ‘holy grail’ but there are still plenty of gems to be discovered outside the realm of collector-grade classics. Here’s how to find them
Few players are immune to the charm of old guitars. Yet the instruments we’ve all grown up idolising are, in many cases, way out of reach of the average player’s budget. As the saying goes, an object is only worth what people are willing to pay for it – and that also rings true with vintage guitars, where the desirability of golden-era instruments propels them to sixfigure values in some cases. But it’s important to remember that those ‘perfect’ guitars are driven up in price by the needs of collectors, for whom originality, condition, rarity and provenance of a guitar are paramount. Most players aren’t collectors, however – they just like the feel of old, played-in guitars and the character that years and use impress upon an instrument. So that means wherever there are factors that put collectors off, you are in with a chance of finding a ‘player’s-grade’ bargain – a classic guitar that sounds and looks the business but which falls outside of that seriously expensive zone inhabited by pristine 60s Strats, all-original Blackguard Teles and the like.
There isn’t a single route to such bargains, either. Sometimes you might find a really nice refinished guitar that’s half what it might otherwise cost because of the non-original paint. Or you might find yourself drawn to a forgotten classic: a model that’s great-sounding, original and old but not one of the hallowed group of ‘holy grail’ models. Maybe the year the guitar was made in isn’t reckoned among the great eras of production – but the guitar is still good. Factors such as these are shifting sands but navigate them carefully and you can end up with a really characterful, capable vintage guitar in your hands for new-guitar money.
Over the next few pages we explore the practical pros and cons of owning vintage guitars and suggest some promising areas to look for good-value vintage. Not all of the guitars featured are dirt cheap – our criteria for inclusion takes in everything from eye-popping bargains to instruments that are comparable in price to their new-built equivalents or even Custom Shop counterparts. Nor do we argue that vintage is always best – for there are plenty of old dogs that will never take to new licks on the market, too. Instead, we’ve aimed to help you find an old guitar that’s a good fit for you at a price that’s fair – and just maybe a steal. Happy hunting.