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Vintage Guitar Market Out Performs Wall Street

Written by vintage on October 16, 2009 – 4:35 pm -

ShareIn April of 2007 the Vintage Guitar market saw gains in value of over 50%. Yes this was a bumper year with gains above the norm, but gains in value have been happening for the last 30 years and have never gone backwards. Vintage Guitar magazine the market bible on all things Vintage Guitar, developed the "The 42-Guitar Index" in 1991. It tracks the ongoing values of excellent condition original pre-1970 Gibson, Fender and Martin guitars. Pre 70's because those instruments are the most valuable, however guitars from after 1970 are starting to rise steadily. The average value of an instrument in their index for 2007 is a very healthy $19,706, and that represents a staggering 438% increase since 1991. This equates to an average of... more


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Posted in ES, Fender, Gibson, Gretsch, Guitar News, Les Paul, SG, Stratocster, Vintage Electric Guitars, Vintage Guitars | No Comments »

Marin Hendrix fan plans tribute with 3,000 guitar players

Written by vintage on September 1, 2009 – 3:48 am -

SharePaul Liberatore Forty years ago, rock guitar legend Jimi Hendrix made history with his anguished rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" at Woodstock. Now a Marin County Hendrix scholar is attempting to make another kind of history by assembling the world's largest guitar ensemble for a tribute to the late guitarist in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. Steve Roby, a San Rafael resident who teaches a Jimi Hendrix course at College of Marin, is trying to gather 3,000 guitar players together to play "Purple Haze" on Oct. 25 at West Fest, a Woodstock 40th anniversary tribute concert in the park's Speedway Meadows, where Hendrix played a free concert in 1967. Roby, author of "Black Gold: The Lost Archives of Jimi Hendrix," hopes to... more


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Posted in Fender, Guitar Events, Guitar News, Stratocster, Vintage Electric Guitars | No Comments »

Legendary Guitars

Written by vintage on August 16, 2009 – 8:12 pm -

ShareTop 10 Legendary Guitars By Devin Pratt NO.10 - B.B. KING'S "LUCILLE" One night in the 1950s, B.B. King was playing a dance hall in Twist, Arkansas. In those days it wasn’t uncommon to light a barrel of kerosene to keep the building warm. Unfortunately, that night a fight broke out between some rowdy locals and the barrel of kerosene was knocked over, causing a massive fire. Once safely outside, B.B. realized that he had left his cherished guitar in the dance hall. He quickly ran into the blaze and grabbed his Gibson before the roof collapsed. Later, it was revealed that the men were fighting over a woman named Lucille. From that moment on B.B. christened all of his guitars “Lucille” to remind him never to fight over a woman. NO.9... more


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Posted in Fender, Gibson, Guitar News, Stratocster, Vintage Electric Guitars, Vintage Guitars | 1 Comment »

Starting your vintage guitar collection

Written by vintage on July 26, 2009 – 9:03 am -

ShareLou Carlozo It may sound like rock-opera fiction, but it happens: Weekend Warrior hits garage sale and buys dusty old Fender guitar for $50 (or, cleans attic and finds the Gibson he bought in high school for $100). He visits a guitar shop in "Antiques Road Show" fashion -- and discovers the "beat-up axe" is a vintage collectible, worth $10,000. Or $20,000. Or $100,000. The vintage guitar market has declined like other investments in this recession. But if you have cash to seed a small collection, why not start a fun hobby that's financially savvy? After all, when your 401K takes a beating, you're broke. When your vintage guitar takes a beating, it may continue to appreciate anyway, just because it looks so cool. Besides, who... more


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Posted in Epiphone, Fender, Fender Bass, Gibson, Gibson, Gretsch, Guild, Ibanez, Martin, Stratocster, Vintage Acoustic Guitars, Vintage Bass Guitars, Vintage Electric Guitars, Vintage Guitars | No Comments »

The Who rock memorabilia show opens today

Written by vintage on July 17, 2009 – 8:23 pm -

ShareSidney & Berne Davis Center displays John Entwistle bass guitar, spider necklace BY CHARLES RUNNELLS • CRUNNELLS@NEWS-PRESS.COM • JULY 17, 2009 Everywhere John Entwistle went, his one-of-a-kind bass guitar and "Boris the Spider" necklace usually went with him. Now The Who bassist has gone where his belongings can't travel — he died of a heart attack in 2002 — and his beloved Buzzard bass and Boris necklace remain behind. They're more than just mere belongings, though. They're artifacts from the golden age of rock 'n' roll. "He changed the face of music," said friend Steve Luongo, who drummed in The John Entwistle Band. Those same artifacts are on display this weekend at Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center — along... more


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Posted in Epiphone, Fender, Gibson, Gretsch, Guild, Guitar Events, Guitar News, Stratocster, Vintage Bass Guitars, Vintage Electric Guitars, Vintage Guitars | 1 Comment »

Lovely axes to grind at Montreal Guitar Show

Written by vintage on June 30, 2009 – 4:41 am -

ShareBy Bernard Perusse, The Gazette June 29, 2009 Rediscovering his inner Hendrix inspired Jazz Festival marketing vice-president Jacques-Andre Dupont to launch musical instrument shows and a blues camp. If Jacques-André Dupont hadn’t had one of those benign midlife crises, it’s entirely possible that a depressed 15-year-old kid wouldn’t be healed by playing the blues this summer. If Dupont hadn’t rediscovered his inner Hendrix, guitar fanatics from all over the world might not have a place in Montreal to gather every year and talk guitar geek. Most important, if a meeting with Montreal International Jazz Fest sponsors hadn’t been cancelled at the last minute, he might never have walked into Steve’s Music Store in Toronto. That... more


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Posted in Epiphone, Fender, Fender Bass, Gibson, Gibson, Gretsch, Guild, Ibanez, Martin, Stratocster, Vintage Acoustic Guitars, Vintage Amplifiers, Vintage Bass Guitars, Vintage Electric Guitars, Vintage Guitars | No Comments »

1963 Fender Stratocaster Review

Written by vintage on June 27, 2009 – 5:26 pm -

ShareThe Fender Stratocaster guitar is probably the most popular solid body electric guitar ever made. Early models (1954 to 1965, known as "pre-CBS" models, since CBS Broadcaster Company bought Fender in January 1965) are the most collectible. Originality and condition are the two most important features of a vintage Fender Stratocaster guitar, and Fender Strats do seem to have been easily modified (due to their "bolt together" nature). 1963 did not bring any huge change to the Fender Stratocaster (compared to late 1962 models). The one subtle change is the movement of one pickguard screw, located between the neck and middle pickups. Other similar very subtle changes were seen. Probably the biggest change was the Tolex case material... more


Posted in Fender, Stratocster, Vintage Electric Guitars | No Comments »

Determining the Production Year of a Vintage Stratocaster

Written by vintage on June 27, 2009 – 5:20 pm -

ShareDetermining the production year of a potentially vintage instrument requires more than basing your opinion on just one piece of information. In the case of the Fender Stratocaster, what can make determining the guitar's probable year of manufacture difficult is simply the fact that the instrument bolts together, so that over the years, the original body, neck, pickguard assembly, and pickups could have been replaced or be missing. I'm going to start the discussion of the identification process by briefly breaking down production eras by neck and fingerboard information. In 1954, the introductory year of the Stratocaster, the instrument featured a one piece maple neck that included the fretboard, and it would retain that design... more


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Legendary Guitars Go On The Road May/June

Written by vintage on May 29, 2009 – 3:46 pm -

ShareGuitar Center Takes “Legends Collection” on Tour, Showcasing Eric Clapton’s “Blackie®” Fender® Stratocaster® and Gibson ES-335, Along With Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “Lenny” Fender® Stratocaster® Tour Will Also Include a Vintage Road Show, Featuring Hand-Selected Pieces from the Nation’s Largest Vintage Collection. Los Angeles, CA, May 3, 2009 – Guitar Center will take its iconic “Legends Collection” on the road beginning May 23 for a 4-city tour that will make weekend stops in Fountain Valley, La Mesa, San Francisco and Hollywood. The “Legends Collection” will feature three of rock’s most famous guitars - Eric Clapton’s “Blackie®” Fender® Stratocaster® and Gibson ES-335, as well as Stevie... more


Posted in Fender, Gibson, Vintage Acoustic Guitars, Vintage Bass Guitars, Vintage Electric Guitars, Vintage Guitars | No Comments »

Eric Clapton Stratocaster “Blackie” Becomes Most Expensive Guitar Sold at Auction

Written by vintage on March 9, 2009 – 11:15 pm -

Shareby TOM WATSON June 25, 2004 Eric Clapton's prized Stratocaster, "Blackie", brought $959,500 in the Christie's Eric Clapton Crossroads Guitar Auction, becoming the most expensive guitar ever to have been sold at auction. Stevie Ray Vaughan's Stratocaster, "Lenny" received the second highest price ever paid for a Fender Stratocaster at auction, fetching $623,500. A new world record was also set for the sale of a Gibson guitar - Clapton's 1964 red Gibson ES-335 brought $847,500. Guitar Center, Inc., was the buyer of Blackie, Lenny, and Clapton's 1964 red Gibson ES-335. Christie's representatives describe the event: In a thundering two-hour sale, carried by waves of fierce bidding and outbursts of devotional excitement, many Eric... more


Posted in Fender, Vintage Electric Guitars, Vintage Guitars | No Comments »
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