# Are vintage guitars actually played or just for show



## XxJoeBlowxX (May 22, 2008)

Are vintage guitars actually used for playing, or are they just for show like a collectors item

This might be a dumb question but im extremely noob and I really want to know

If you do play em do you have to be extra careful and go rly easy on them?


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## sneakypete (Feb 2, 2006)

I have a few guitars that qualify as vintage and play em all, who could own this 1950 Kiso-Suzuki and NOT play it?


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## RHGraham (Nov 13, 2008)

I think vintage guitars *should* be played, this is what they are crafted to do.
Personally, when they go into the collectible object phase, they no longer serve their original purpose, and I think this is a shame.
A guitar is supposed to make music. Not die of loneliness in a glass case.

But that's just me.

Randal


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

RHGraham said:


> I think vintage guitars *should* be played, this is what they are crafted to do.
> Personally, when they go into the collectible object phase, they no longer serve their original purpose, and I think this is a shame.
> A guitar is supposed to make music. Not die of loneliness in a glass case.
> 
> ...


Count me in also...I agree 100% with what you wrote.

Dave


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

Guitars like Sneaky Pete's 1950 Kiso-Suzuki SHOULD most certainly be played.
Any vintage guitar that is in playable condition, should be played.
If it's not in playable condition and it makes sense to restore it--restore it & play it.
If it's beyond that, then display it as history--and admire the craftsmanship that went into it all those years ago--and learn the history of it.

Not everything lasts forever--even the most finely crafted guitars.
But while they last, they should be enjoyed.

In any case there are those who throw around the word "Vinatge" too freely--so that some of my guitars would qualify---although they are over 20 years younger than sneaky Pete's.

If they're vintage--well--I do play them.


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## Rick31797 (Apr 20, 2007)

*vintage*

I think most would agree Vintage guitars should be played but also should not be treated, like a gig guitar.

The better the condition , the more the reward, when you sell it.

A person that has a vintage guitar and only open's the case up once and awhile to clean it or look at it, in my option is being short changed.

Guitar's where not made to just look at.. they are to be played., no matter what year they where made.

Rick


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

XxJoeBlowxX said:


> Are vintage guitars actually used for playing, or are they just for show like a collectors item


They are even more valuable when they are attached to a vintage player like myself. :rockon2:


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## gtrguy (Jul 6, 2006)

I can't really speak for vintage guitars but my vintage amps certainly get played!

gtrguy


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## gurianguy (Nov 20, 2007)

Hey Joe, (Sorry, I couldn't resist that)

Of the guitars I own, I regularily play my vintage Gurian S3R much more than my other acoustic. It has a much better sound, and the feel is quite unlike most other acoustics I have played. I have had to have some repairs since I have owned it. It has had work done on the saddle, nut, and it has been refretted. One of the internal neck pins had also come loose. As it turns out, the guitar was not being humidified enough. I have hopefully corrected this oversight now.

The '63 SG Jr is my electric of choice. I like the neck on it the best of my other electrics. It already had much of the parts replaced, such as the bridge, the tuning pegs, and the original pickup was nearly dead, so I had that replaced also. 

So both of them are players, and I do not have any qualms about using them, altough I don't play professionally, which would maybe be different. I would like to hear what guitar players that do play regular gigs have to say about this.

Craig


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## J S Moore (Feb 18, 2006)

This question comes up a lot on the LP forum and the usual response is "show me that person". None of the big players in the vintage market know of any collector who is not a player. Some of these guitars may not see a stage these days but that doesn't mean they aren't played and enjoyed by the owners.

I think the notion that these guitars are locked away somewhere is a myth born of resentment. Sounds a little harsh but that's how I see it.


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## xuthal (May 15, 2007)

David Gilmour still plays his,Model 0001

[youtube=]ONFQDXGskzI[/youtube]


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

J S Moore said:


> I think the notion that these guitars are locked away somewhere is a myth born of resentment. Sounds a little harsh but that's how I see it.


I agree. Most vintage guitars are owned by guitar players. And all vintage guitars aren't worth a kazillion $. Very few are. Most are reasonably priced very high quality instruments, with a bit of mojo thrown in for good luck.

If you haven't played an old guitar yet, search around, find out what you are missing.


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## RIFF WRATH (Jan 22, 2007)

Does it count if YOU are vintage , but the guitar is new..........hey, my new middle name is gonna be Mojo..........


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## J S Moore (Feb 18, 2006)

Damn! I was going to make that my first name. Mojo Jonny. Kind of has a ring to it.

Here's some old wood in action.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1eZ204P79Y


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqAuuIDU2sw&feature=related


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

Alvin Lee no longer tours with 'Big Red'. He said it's just worth too much (He has been offered $500,000 for it). He did have Gibson make a copy for him that he uses on stage.


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## Dabluz (Oct 9, 2008)

I've got a very sad story about my vintage guitar.

I was about 17 (1964) when I bought it. It was a used Gibson Switchmaster. I knew nothing about guitars. What really interested me was the fact that the Switchmaster had a Bigsby vibrato on it. They seller offered to give me the original tailpiece for it but I said I didn't want it. It was my second guitar. My first one was an acoustic guitar that Sears sold for about 10 dollars. Anyway, I paid 250 dollars for the Gibson. There was a bit of wear on the fret board....it looked like the owner only played the G, C and D cords.

Since my finger tips were still sensitive, I bought flat wound strings for the guitar. The store owner said that heavy strings were the best. So, for many years, I just used heavy strings for my Gibson Switchmaster. In those days, very little info was shared among guitar players and the guitar players I knew were about as noob as I was. I also bought a used Silvertone Twin Twelve amp. You know the one where the head of the amp fits into the bottom of the cabinet for easier transportation.

Yes.....I did the high school thing....played at the school gym on saturday nights. Our band did not have a singer so we played instrumental stuff. We were not very popular. We were not very good either.

A few years later, I joined the RCAF and hardly touched the guitar after that. About 20 years later, I sold the guitar. Nobody I knew wanted it. It was too big, neck was short....not very "metal". Nobody even wanted the Vox (made in England) Wah Wah that I had bought in 1967. My wife told me to throw it into the trash can...which I did (sob). I eventually sold the Switchmaster for 600 dollars (around the mid 80's). It was in beautiful shape. It was in it's original hard leather red velvet lined case.

In 2000, I wanted to play guitar again. I hadn't touched a guitar since the late 60's. I bought a cheap guitar on Ebay and then a bunch of other guitar stuff. I even learned to play harmonica. In 2001, I joined a blues band.

Oh how I wish I still had that Gibson, that Vox Wah Wah and that Twin Twelve for my harmonica.

The Gibson Switchmaster was made for a few years. From 1954 to 1958. Only 450 of them were made. Gibson did make a reissue commemorative Switchmaster and sold it for about 5,000 dollars. I did pick on up one day, closed my eyes and it did feel a bit like my old Switchmaster but it felt less smooth and did not sound as mellow. Close....but no cigar as they say.

Anybody want to kick me?


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## Rick31797 (Apr 20, 2007)

*vintage*

Well thats a great story, even though it has a sad ending.. Nobody wants to kick u becuase we have all did things, in the passed that, we wonder why we did that 30 years later.

I think the vox wah wah is a big ouch!!! But it is what it is... WE are all suppose to get wiser as we get older and most do.. Maybe thats why today we dont throw anything away. just incase, it goes on the wanted list for big $$$$
I have a 70's jen cry baby here i paid 20.00 dollars for. i have used it 3 times. Its in mint condition. I did good to keep it, all these years, but it doesn't say i have not did some bloopers in my life time.

For an eg.. how about my 1966 Guild , i got when i was a kid and i decided i didnt like the color and sanded the crap out of it and refinished it using a paint brush.
Or how about the day i traded my 1970 Mustang fastback for a snowmoble.. yep i did.. looking at it now, it was a stupid move.. but back then i just wanted to get rid of it.

So I believe we all had did things, that don't seem right now, but at the time it seemed to be the right thing to do.
I dont let things go as easily today, and time is not on my side. 

So don't feel bad for the passed, we have all been there, and there are some young guys right now trading and selling gear, that they will wish they had kept when they get our age.

Rick


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## dwagar (Mar 6, 2006)

the internet is a wonderful thing. All of us 'old guys' have stories like that. We didn't know we could change pickups, pots, caps, etc. An old guitar was just a guitar, if you didn't like how it sounded, you got rid of it. 

A couple of my stories ('66 thru '70):
- the '56 Tele I sold for $200 - but I think I paid $225 for it. IIRC it had a P90 in it. 
- the '57 Strat I passed on, it was $225
- the '55 Les Paul Special I played in my high school rock band years, got about $300 trade in on it. I never did care for that old brown case with the pink lining either. I think I paid $350 when I bought it.
- the '68 LP Goldtop, I think I got about $300 for it. I didn't like the gold. I'd bought it and a 2x15 JBL Dual Showman cab from a friend for about $550 I think. Hey, I still have that cab though.

It's really too bad old guitars have become vintage guitars and are priced so high. Guitars really shouldn't be all about the money.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

dwagar said:


> It's really too bad old guitars have become vintage guitars and are priced so high. Guitars really shouldn't be all about the money.


It doesn't seem to have done much for Les Paul copy that's 32 years old.:smile:

But I agree with your post completely. People selling older guitars privately & pawn shops often will have unrealistic expectations on prices for older guitars, simply because they're old.


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## demon (Feb 20, 2006)

I'm kind of a bottom-feeder vintage guitar guy, all my stuff has issues. But even if they didn't, I would play them, and transport them when it's cold etc. Having a guitar that you can't play is like being married to Halle Berry and..well..you know..


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## Dabluz (Oct 9, 2008)

Well....one thing to be said about us old geezers who did so many stupid things.....we certainly did get to see some very nice guitars and amps in our day, even though we did not appreciate how unique they were and are now.

I used to practice (I played a few chords) with one of my dad's friends. He had a big hollow body Gretcsh guitar and played just like Chet Atkins. That was 45 years ago. Man, he could have taught me stuff if I wanted.

Our lead guitarist built his own guitar to start out with. He was 16 just like us. He later bought a cheap guitar. It was a 60's Fender Jazzmaster.

I had a chance to buy a very old Gibson Les Paul Jr. The one with just 1 pickup and nothing else. Could have got it for a few dollars. But I already had my Gibson Switchmaster. I thought that 1 guitar was enough.

I got to see a lot of very old Fenders, Rickenbackers etc. Saw tons of old tube amps (saw very few solid state amps).

I was a pretty good singer too. However, too shy to sing in public. I tried real hard one time. There were about 4 or 5 who attended our practice. We had an upcoming gig at the school gym. We needed to learn about 2 dozen tunes real quick. We knew about 4 tunes already. After about 6 intros which lead to sudden silence.....I quit the singing career. Now I only can croak a few sounds in the background and rarely in tune with the music.


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## CustomBuilt (Apr 8, 2008)

*Vintage Bill Lewis guitar*

I play it as much as I can with attitude, the only time i worry is when Im not playing it.


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## djdeacon (Jul 8, 2008)

A buddy of mine still gigs with his '58 Junior...as a spare. Most of the time he just leans it against a wall - no stand....I'm sure most people who would recognize it for what it was assume it's a relic'ed reissue!!


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## fraser (Feb 24, 2007)

i beat the hell out of a 68 strat for years, wasnt vintage until it was junk-
i have a bunch of 30's and 40's acoustics, if they work i play them, those i break wait in line for repair. i was wresting with a girl a few years ago and crushed a 32 oscar shmidt stella. it was worth it.


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## devnulljp (Mar 18, 2008)

fraser said:


> i was wresting with a girl a few years ago and crushed a 32 oscar shmidt stella. it was worth it.


_mott the hoople and the game of life yeah yeah yeah yeah
andy kaufman in a wrestling match
monopoly, twenty one, checkers and chess
mr fred blassie in a breakfast mess
let's play twister, let's play risk
see you in heaven if you make the list_


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## devnulljp (Mar 18, 2008)

J S Moore said:


> I think the notion that these guitars are locked away somewhere is a myth born of resentment. Sounds a little harsh but that's how I see it.


Could be a bit of both. I saw guitars in Japan that would make you weep. All the classics, 59 bursts, 58 Korina Vs (plural), more Strats and Esquires than you can shake a stick at...all under lock and key under glass. No-one was playing those things.
Although I met one guy who ran (runs probably) a vintage music store, a great player, with a roomful of his own special gear. His main guitar was a '54 Strat and it was never far from him. he gigged with it, he noodled on it in the store, I suspect it got into bed with him at the end of the day...
he thought I was crazy for buying 70s Tokais. 
He built fuzz boxes too...damn I wish I'd bought one.

Sean Costello was gigging with his 1953 Les Paul, with an R6 as backup. 
Rory Gallagher's Strat 
Eric Johnson...but hasn't he ditched a lot of his vintage gear now? He sold that 54 Strat.
Lots of folks playing their vintage gear. Although I'd always want a RI as backup on hand.


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## billygoat (Jun 26, 2008)

I gigged my 51 J-45 just last weekend sweated on it, hit it hard, in a sweaty little club. If I don't play it, what's the sense in having it? 


Besides it's a refin...

bg


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

"Vintage" instruments have a number of roles to fill. Certainly, they have a role to fill of providing a certain quality to the sound that should be exploited and made audible as often as possible. But another role they fill is that of archival evidence. In other words, they are an example of something that is rare and unlikely to re-occur. So, the reason why Fender or Gibson or whomever can produce historic re-issues is because someone has a flawless 100% unaltered example of the original to work from. In that respect, rare vintage pieces should be preserved as much as possible so that we know about them, and anything that risks damage to a vintage piece should be avoided, including touring/gigging with them. Of course, if one happens to be a multi-platinum "star" and can afford the sorts of security and shipping containers/system that safely avoids that risk, and you don't show up to gigs stoned and tripping over cables, then you can and maybe even should use a vintage piece in gigs.

In some instances, wealthier musicians will use a true vintage piece as the basis for commissioning a reproduction, and tour with the repro. The vintage piece then becomes the "blueprint".

There is the matter of reliability, though. A person may decide that they do not wish to alter or update a vintage piece, and that may undermine its reliability for performance purposes. Remember, those pots and switches may have seen a LOT of duty in the last 50 years.

Myself, I have 2 vintage axes, a 1939 Kalamazoo archtop which is sweet as honey, and a 1963 batwing Epi Coronet that has been modded and abused every way imaginable. I don't gig, but the Kalamazoo I would not gig with simply because it is too fragile and next to impossible to replace in my price range. The Coronet I would unhesitatingly gig with because it stands up to abuse (maybe even benefits from it), and passed the point of being a piece of archival information over 25 years ago.


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## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

demon said:


> I'm kind of a bottom-feeder vintage guitar guy, all my stuff has issues. But even if they didn't, I would play them, and transport them when it's cold etc. Having a guitar that you can't play is like being married to Halle Berry and..well..you know..


Man..my sentiment EXACTLY..heheh....who would keep Hally Berry in the room corner just staring at her when you could be "making" the blues with her..


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## Prosonic (Apr 28, 2009)

Play Them!


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## Big_Daddy (Apr 2, 2009)

Prosonic said:


> Play Them!


Agreed!! I have a '64 Strat, '65 Gibson SJ, '74 Tele Deluxe and Mustang Bass and _I play them all_. The Strat hardly ever gets put in the case 'coz I play it almost every day. And when I do gig, it's with the Strat. The only reason I'm not playing my 1934 May Bell is because it needs some repair work. When I get it fixed, it will go into the "rotation". *Beautiful instruments were built to be played.*


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## Steve_F (Feb 15, 2008)

What little vintage gear I have sees regular gigs. I couldn't imagine owning a guitar and not playing it. I guess if you are into buying and selling guitars for a living it makes sense. I guess at the end of the day, I'm a guitar player, not a guitar collector.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

I will have to admit my one vintage guitar does not get a ton of play. Mainly because the frets are getting a little low and I just can't afford a refret on it. So I just tend to play my other guitars more. But, I gigged with the guitar for several years. As others have said, they were built for playin'.


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## scott (Apr 25, 2009)

XxJoeBlowxX said:


> Are vintage guitars actually used for playing, or are they just for show like a collectors item
> 
> This might be a dumb question but im extremely noob and I really want to know
> 
> If you do play em do you have to be extra careful and go rly easy on them?


For guitar, I pretty much only play instruments made by two people; one is a modern American manufacturer, and the other is Joe Kovacic, maker of Lado guitars. I've played a Lado guitar at almost every show I've played in the past I don't know how many years. Many of those shows, I played Lado Falcon #001 (first one ever made) which only had around 20 or 30 hours of use before I bought it. Guy bought it directly from Joe at a NAMM show like 25 years ago, and only took it out to play it for minutes at a time.

I've played it live a bunch of times.

I make a point of not bumping it into anything, but I play it like a normal guitar. If these old guitars aren't to be played, then they're not guitars anymore, they might as well be vintage rugs or something. And man, people really knew how to make a guitar in the late 70's, early 80's. I feel like that was the peak time of guitar building, when people were willing to just make the best thing possible, rather than focus so much on profit margins or cost of production or whatever.

It's always tough to play a 30+ year old instrument when it's in excellent condition, for fear of decreasing its value. But really, it's an instrument, it was made to be played.


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## russell broom (May 4, 2006)

i drag my 57 esquire out to almost every gig or session, its already beat up, so i don't worry about it. it just sounds and plays so well, it's hard to justify leaving at home!


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## Rick31797 (Apr 20, 2007)

*vintage*

I agree with playing a vintage guitar, i cant see why somebody would want to just sit and clean and look at it.
But i don"t agree with taking a very expensive vintage guitar and giging it.Too many things can happen, I have heard of guitars be lifted right off the stage from behind the guitar player.You cannot keep your eyes on them all the time.
I think vintage is better left at home, but still injoyed.
Rick


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