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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 »

Guitar Center announces ‘King of The Blues’ Contest

Written by vintage on July 17, 2009 – 1:40 am -

ShareGuitar Center has announced the return of King of the Blues, the nationwide search for the next great undiscovered blues guitar player. With sign-ups launching July 1, Guitar Center's King of the Blues will feature competitions in over 200 Guitar Center locations across the country, culminating with the Grand Finals in Los Angeles this November. In addition to showcasing the top-five finalists, the King of the Blues Grand Finals will also feature performances by renowned blues guitarist Joe Bonamassa, who has been awarded "Best Blues Guitarist" by Guitar Player Magazine for the past three years, and Grammy Award-winner Pete Anderson. Introduced in 2006, Guitar Center's King of the Blues is designed to offer similar life-changing... more


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Posted in Guitar Events, Guitar News | 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 »

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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Posted in Fender, Vintage Electric Guitars | No Comments »

The Fender Stratocaster and the Legends Who Play It

Written by vintage on October 19, 2008 – 6:58 am -

ShareThe Fender Stratocaster (Strat) electric guitar was first designed by Leo Fender and Freddie Tavares with involvement from musicians Rex Gallion and Bill Carson in the early 1950s and commercially introduced in 1954. It's been manufactured continuously ever since it was originally designed. It has become one of the (if not the) most famous guitars in the world. It's been played by countless guitar legends many of whom are listed below.   Due to the immense popularity of this model, musicians are listed here only if their use of this instrument was especially significant — that is, they are players who:   1.  Have long careers and a history of Stratocaster use. 2.  Have a particular guitar that was unique or of historical... more


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