I've owned two. One had playability issues. The other one was too nice to play - if that makes sense. Both of them were occupying allot of money I needed for other things. I got over it very quickly. But I had to learn the hard way. I'm not one to tell others how to spend their money, and if you are at a certain income level - then please, enjoy it. But a mid 70's Telecaster going for $6K to $12K is insane. And you make a brilliant point! When Jimmy Hendrix played the guitar, it was practically brand new. So much for old wood! Please look up the song: "Deadwood and Wire" by Buddy Whittington. It tells the tale nicely! Thanks for this video! Cheers!
Thanks for your nice comment! From all the vintage guitars I've played so far, maybe half of them were really good. The rest was either nothing special or even had flaws. Which guitars did you have? Like you said, prices are insane right now and if I could I would buy a 60s Tele but not as my main playing instrument. ;) I will check out out your suggestion! Peace.
I think it's important to remember why people wanted to buy 'vintage' guitars back in the first place - when they were actually cheap. Because they were better instruments than the new ones at the time. But now.... does that point still stand with the new offerings we have? The only problem I have with how the values have gone - is that it gives legacy brands like Fender, Gibson free rein to charge WAY over the top for reissues today, its like oh you think that's too much - buy a real one then.
Speaking as someone who owns and gigs with vintage and modern guitars I'd say the following... Build quality IS amazing on vintage, they were built by people happy to be alive after the war, hey were craftsmen, and hand built is certainly better than CNC... look at the Gibsons from that past 2 decades... some awful guitars were built by people that simply didn't care about quality, only now are they amzing quality builds but you still have to spend serious money to get close to a vintage one... Old wood.... well no the guitar wasn't old but the wood was.... they lost the ability to source the wood hence why modern gibsons became heavy... an old LP is light and yes it DOES resonate more as a result... playability... well if a guitar has had 50 years of playing on it, id say it had playability... so re-fret it if they are too low... Tone... yeah there are 1000s of devices to choose from to impact the tone... and that works if you are after a modern tone... if you are after a classic Fender Gibson tone pick up an old guitar plug into an old amp and bingo.... no need for devices... price, this is the only aspect I would agree... but a high end custom shop will be as much as a mid range vintage and so you have the same issue.... I use both modern and vintage, i take the vintage into the studio, and some on gigs, and modern if I'm concerned about security, but frankly 99% of the audience wont know the difference seeing a strat on stage as to whether its old or new... if you love any guitar it's the right one for you... old or new, don't waste money on vintage if you are not going to play them... that's the only reason not to buy IMO
Thanks for your comment. Do you really think all old LPs are light and resonant as hell? Ive played some old wood that was no more resonant than newer guitars. From the 60s and 70s mostly. And come on, CNCs are great for a lot of stuff, also electric guitar manufacturing -> see novo guitars factory tour. Handbuilt can be better but not if it is Monday after a long hard weekend totally hungover. ;)
@@Gaslight.Guitar Yes I do I’ve played a good number and compared to 70s-80s-90s-2000s LPs they are significantly lighter and we now know that lighter means more resonant, the CNC thing is fine it’s identical all the time but that doesn’t make it ‘better’ it just makes it the same, so sure if you want the same feel on a 1000 guitars fine but part of the joy is finding the right one for YOU the one that fits your hands…
Having said all that I have nothing against modern guitars I own plenty… but my personal view is the lower end ranges tend to lack soul… they become more like an individual instrument if you move up into better electronics and build quality with that parts that are finished off by hand I think that’s my point here, instruments are maybe not meant to be identical… they are things that have a feel and personality and you have to find ones that suit you
@@jonathanplanner3270 yep I agree. I think there are great guitars in every price category. I love custom shop guitars because there it is quite easy to find the perfect guitar for you. Specwise and soulwise. There are so many options. :)
They are not better than CNC. They were certainly way less consistent. Early Gibson and Fender are notorious for bad pockets and poor neck angles. There is no magic in the wood or in the magnets. It's confirmation bias every time you pick one up. I know y'all want to justify those high prices though.
I'm a 50 years old carpenter. I've been working with wood all my life. Wood, if it doesn't rot, gets harder as it matures. This doesn't seem like it would contribute to a warmer tone.
I think the wood becomes less susceptible to tuning issues from temperature & humidity changes as it ages. I have three guitars that are pretty old, but I bought them when they were new or much newer. I can grab them off of the rack and they will be very close to in tune. And they started just as fiddly as my newer ones are. I'm also not much of a believer in "tone" wood myself.
I think tuning stability usually gets a little better as guitars age. But I agree, cheap new guitars have never been better and they are much more suitable for most people and most situations. The only vintage guitars I've ever bought were guitars I fell in love with that were no longer available. That's why I think paying insane amounts of money for old Fenders or Gibsons is crazy. They've never not been available.
expensive old guitars are for people with more money than time to play actual guitar. OR they are bored rich musicians who actually will play most of the collection like Joe Bo or John Mayer. BUT 99.5% of the vintage buyers are lawyers dentists and Tech boyz. To me my 2001 USA Strat is vintage because its over 20 years old haha. I do like vintage amps though. but not the small expensive ones...i like the boat anchor fenders i have a 66 twin and a 71 Super ...
Yeah you need the cash to get them… vintage amps are also interesting. If they are modded to modern security standards they are great! Damn, those are really some boat anchors. 😂😂
You had me busting out laughing when you said you've played Vintage Guitars that sounded and Played like Shit! That has been my experience as well, and I've been playing since the mid 1970's, and my father was playing before me when all of today's Vintage instruments were new. give me a new guitar any day of the week. There is such a Myth that has carried through the years I've been playing that Old guitar's are just better than anything modern. this is so not true. Old Vintage instruments tend to have poor Sustain, and can be fussy and temperamental, and can be painfully fragile. But, they are old and are thought by too many, to be so much better than anything made today. It's a Myth people, a very expensive Myth.
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If you want a vintage guitar, buy a new one while you are young, and just wait.
Great idea. Is 35 still young? 😂🤦♂️
@@Gaslight.Guitar Yes but even if you were older, at least then you can be a vintage guitar player, even if you only play new guitars.
I've owned two. One had playability issues. The other one was too nice to play - if that makes sense. Both of them were occupying allot of money I needed for other things. I got over it very quickly. But I had to learn the hard way. I'm not one to tell others how to spend their money, and if you are at a certain income level - then please, enjoy it. But a mid 70's Telecaster going for $6K to $12K is insane.
And you make a brilliant point! When Jimmy Hendrix played the guitar, it was practically brand new. So much for old wood!
Please look up the song: "Deadwood and Wire" by Buddy Whittington. It tells the tale nicely!
Thanks for this video! Cheers!
Thanks for your nice comment! From all the vintage guitars I've played so far, maybe half of them were really good. The rest was either nothing special or even had flaws. Which guitars did you have? Like you said, prices are insane right now and if I could I would buy a 60s Tele but not as my main playing instrument. ;) I will check out out your suggestion! Peace.
@@Gaslight.Guitar I had a 72’ Tele and first year, low serial number Peter Frampton Les Paul.
@@ourlifeinwyoming4654 nice. I love Teles! Simple and versatile at the same time.
I think it's important to remember why people wanted to buy 'vintage' guitars back in the first place - when they were actually cheap. Because they were better instruments than the new ones at the time. But now.... does that point still stand with the new offerings we have?
The only problem I have with how the values have gone - is that it gives legacy brands like Fender, Gibson free rein to charge WAY over the top for reissues today, its like oh you think that's too much - buy a real one then.
100 per cent!
Those reissue prices are even more ridiculous to be honest. 10k for a MB strat? Ouch.
Speaking as someone who owns and gigs with vintage and modern guitars I'd say the following... Build quality IS amazing on vintage, they were built by people happy to be alive after the war, hey were craftsmen, and hand built is certainly better than CNC... look at the Gibsons from that past 2 decades... some awful guitars were built by people that simply didn't care about quality, only now are they amzing quality builds but you still have to spend serious money to get close to a vintage one... Old wood.... well no the guitar wasn't old but the wood was.... they lost the ability to source the wood hence why modern gibsons became heavy... an old LP is light and yes it DOES resonate more as a result... playability... well if a guitar has had 50 years of playing on it, id say it had playability... so re-fret it if they are too low... Tone... yeah there are 1000s of devices to choose from to impact the tone... and that works if you are after a modern tone... if you are after a classic Fender Gibson tone pick up an old guitar plug into an old amp and bingo.... no need for devices... price, this is the only aspect I would agree... but a high end custom shop will be as much as a mid range vintage and so you have the same issue.... I use both modern and vintage, i take the vintage into the studio, and some on gigs, and modern if I'm concerned about security, but frankly 99% of the audience wont know the difference seeing a strat on stage as to whether its old or new... if you love any guitar it's the right one for you... old or new, don't waste money on vintage if you are not going to play them... that's the only reason not to buy IMO
Thanks for your comment. Do you really think all old LPs are light and resonant as hell? Ive played some old wood that was no more resonant than newer guitars. From the 60s and 70s mostly. And come on, CNCs are great for a lot of stuff, also electric guitar manufacturing -> see novo guitars factory tour. Handbuilt can be better but not if it is Monday after a long hard weekend totally hungover. ;)
@@Gaslight.Guitar Yes I do I’ve played a good number and compared to 70s-80s-90s-2000s LPs they are significantly lighter and we now know that lighter means more resonant, the CNC thing is fine it’s identical all the time but that doesn’t make it ‘better’ it just makes it the same, so sure if you want the same feel on a 1000 guitars fine but part of the joy is finding the right one for YOU the one that fits your hands…
Having said all that I have nothing against modern guitars I own plenty… but my personal view is the lower end ranges tend to lack soul… they become more like an individual instrument if you move up into better electronics and build quality with that parts that are finished off by hand
I think that’s my point here, instruments are maybe not meant to be identical… they are things that have a feel and personality and you have to find ones that suit you
@@jonathanplanner3270 yep I agree. I think there are great guitars in every price category. I love custom shop guitars because there it is quite easy to find the perfect guitar for you. Specwise and soulwise. There are so many options. :)
They are not better than CNC. They were certainly way less consistent. Early Gibson and Fender are notorious for bad pockets and poor neck angles. There is no magic in the wood or in the magnets. It's confirmation bias every time you pick one up. I know y'all want to justify those high prices though.
I'm a 50 years old carpenter. I've been working with wood all my life. Wood, if it doesn't rot, gets harder as it matures. This doesn't seem like it would contribute to a warmer tone.
Thanks for this info. :) so as it dries it gets harder Im assuming? Cheers
@@Gaslight.Guitar Correct. It dries and gets harder. Every type of wood.
@@jasondesselles9168 good to know.
I think the wood becomes less susceptible to tuning issues from temperature & humidity changes as it ages. I have three guitars that are pretty old, but I bought them when they were new or much newer. I can grab them off of the rack and they will be very close to in tune. And they started just as fiddly as my newer ones are. I'm also not much of a believer in "tone" wood myself.
I think tuning stability usually gets a little better as guitars age. But I agree, cheap new guitars have never been better and they are much more suitable for most people and most situations. The only vintage guitars I've ever bought were guitars I fell in love with that were no longer available. That's why I think paying insane amounts of money for old Fenders or Gibsons is crazy. They've never not been available.
Thanks for your comment. I agree 100 per cent. To each his own I guess ..;)
expensive old guitars are for people with more money than time to play actual guitar. OR they are bored rich musicians who actually will play most of the collection like Joe Bo or John Mayer. BUT 99.5% of the vintage buyers are lawyers dentists and Tech boyz. To me my 2001 USA Strat is vintage because its over 20 years old haha. I do like vintage amps though. but not the small expensive ones...i like the boat anchor fenders i have a 66 twin and a 71 Super ...
Yeah you need the cash to get them… vintage amps are also interesting. If they are modded to modern security standards they are great! Damn, those are really some boat anchors. 😂😂
yes they are. hhahaha
The best guitar is the one you play. Great video for drinking game - take a shot every time he says, "Yeah".
🔥🔥🔥
🙌
vintage guitars are cool but too expensive. 😅
You had me busting out laughing when you said you've played Vintage Guitars that sounded and Played like Shit!
That has been my experience as well, and I've been playing since the mid 1970's, and my father was playing before me when all of today's Vintage instruments were new.
give me a new guitar any day of the week.
There is such a Myth that has carried through the years I've been playing that Old guitar's are just better than anything modern.
this is so not true.
Old Vintage instruments tend to have poor Sustain, and can be fussy and temperamental, and can be painfully fragile. But, they are old and are thought by too many, to be so much better than anything made today.
It's a Myth people, a very expensive Myth.
Haha. You are right in many cases, yes!
They’re overpriced for what they are!!