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CNN discusses investing in vintage guitars

Written by vintage on July 6, 2010 – 3:53 am -

Is investing in a vintage guitar a "sound investment?" Doug makes a brief appearance in this clip about investing in a different type of alternate investment. From a segment that appeared on CNN's "Your $$$$$" with Ali Velshi and Christine Romans. Rudy Pensa’s interesting comments on investing in vintage guitars.  Read More →


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

Vintage Rock ‘n’ Roll guitars offer 500% appreciation

Written by vintage on March 23, 2010 – 4:55 am -

These items cherished by rock gods of past decades are big business If I asked you to guess an investment that can give you 500% appreciation of six months, what would it be? I'll bet that guitars wouldn't be your first response. In the forty years since Jimi Hendrix played his white Fender Stratocaster before a 500,000 people at Woodstock, guitars are now firmly established as collectible items. Such legendary events have led thousands of enthusiasts to seek out vintage Fender Stratocasters from the 1970s. A late '60s Strat', then worth a couple of hundred dollars, can today sell for as much as $30,000. Other items, like a '60s Gibson Les Paul Jr., can appreciate by an incredible 500% after six months of ownership. And the best news is,... more


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

Factors That Influence the Value of a Collectible Instrument

Written by vintage on February 1, 2010 – 12:53 am -

by George Gruhn As both a dealer and appraiser of vintage fretted instruments I am faced with the daily necessity of placing dollar values on instruments. Any appraisal or price determination is to a certain degree the subjective judgment of the particular dealer or appraiser involved, however, the figures that I or any other dealer or appraiser place on instruments are firmly based on our knowledge and experience of the market involving supply, demand, and prior precedent for instruments of this type. While there is no one simple formula that a dealer or appraiser uses for evaluations, the following factors are critically important: 1. Maker Instruments made by famous luthiers or manufacturers are far more sought after than those by lesser... more


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Posted in Guitar News, Vintage Acoustic Guitars, Vintage Bass Guitars, Vintage Electric Guitars | No Comments »

GIBSON CUSTOM LES PAUL AXCESS STANDARD REVIEW

Written by vintage on January 8, 2010 – 5:58 am -

This is one of those guitars that gets under your skin very quickly and is prone to making you forget your previous favorites! Gibson Custom did an extremely good job with Les Paul Axcess Standard. A phrase “words are not enough to describe it” suits this instrument well. Les Paul Axcess Standard features: Les paul style body with Weight relieved mahogany back with belly scarf Carved mapleneck top with 1-piece set mahogany neck and Rounded with contoured heel cut neck profile Rosewood fretboard 22 no. of frets Pearloid trapezoid neck inlays hardware Klusonelectronics tuners pickups: Burstbucker 1 neck with Burstbucker 2 bridge Guitar features are a very important aspect to evaluate when buying a new instrument, and that is just what Gibson... more


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Posted in Gibson, Les Paul, Vintage Electric Guitars | No Comments »

Gibson Custom Shop Announces the Jimmy Page “Number Two” Les Paul

Written by vintage on December 29, 2009 – 12:03 am -

Every musician knows that late ’50s Sunburst Les Paul Standards are hard enough to come by as it is. Obtaining a pristine and exemplary ’59 ’Burst and modifying it for heightened performance and vastly expanded tonal options? Unheard of… unless, of course, you’re Jimmy Page. That’s exactly what the legendary Led Zeppelin guitarist, perhaps the world’s most iconic Les Paul player, did with his own ’59 Les Paul Standard, and now—thanks to the extreme efforts of Gibson’s Custom Shop and the intimate cooperation of Jimmy Page himself—the artist’s hallowed “Number Two” Les Paul is available to mere mortals, in the form of the Custom Shop Jimmy Page “Number Two” Les Paul. Produced in strictly limited numbers, with two... more


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Posted in Gibson, Les Paul, Vintage Electric Guitars | 1 Comment »

Gibson J45 Standard Rosewood Electro Acoustic

Written by vintage on December 5, 2009 – 5:38 am -

The J-45 has been Gibson’s top-selling acoustic guitar for years. Nicknamed, The Workhorse, and first introduced in 1942, Gibson’s most popular acoustic is now the icon of its round-shoulder, dreadnought line, world renowned for its full, balanced expression, warm bass, and excellent projection. Subtle changes to the bracing of its predecessor, the J-35, made Gibson’s J-45 one of most technically advanced guitars of its time. Nickel Grover Rotomatic tuners are an engineering marvel, with abundant style and performance exactly suited for the J-45. With a gear ratio of 14:1, the Rotomatics deliver precision tuning in a durable housing that provides maximum protection for the gear and string post. All moving parts are cut for exact meshing,... more


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Posted in Gibson, Vintage Acoustic Guitars, Vintage Guitars | No Comments »

Gold, silver and vintage guitars are best sellers at Treasurer Hunters Roadshow

Written by vintage on October 27, 2009 – 4:22 pm -

By Eric Robinette, Staff Writer, Middletown Journal For some people, selling goods at the Treasure Hunters Roadshow in Middletown has been music to their ears — particularly if the good was a guitar. The Roadshow, which evaluates valuables and antiques, has been at the Manchester Inn since Tuesday; today, Oct. 24, is its last day. Many items, even if they’re antiques, haven’t been fetching high prices in the weak economy, said Greg Taylor, a manager at the Middletown show. However, gold, silver and guitars are the exceptions. “Gold and silver prices are so high, and with vintage guitars, the wood they used can’t be reproduced today,” Taylor said. For example, earlier this week in Middletown, someone brought in a Gibson ES 330 from... more


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Posted in ES, Fender, Fender Bass, Gibson, Gibson, Gretsch, Guild, Guitar News, Ibanez, Les Paul, Martin, SG, Vintage Acoustic Guitars, Vintage Bass Guitars, Vintage Electric Guitars, Vintage Guitars | No Comments »

Gibson Thunderbird Bass

Written by vintage on October 16, 2009 – 4:23 pm -

Gibson Thunderbird Bass Guitar ( 1963 - present ) After the first EB basses Gibson manufactured another more important bass which were cousins with the Firebird I - III - V and VII guitars and were introduced at the same time in 1963 . The firebird and the thunderbird always shared the same body shape. In 1963 Gibson introduced 2 thunderbird models , these Gibson bass guitars were called the : Gibson Thunderbird II Bass ( 1963 to 1969 ) These basses in 1963 had reverse solid body shapes ( long horn at the bottom of the body ) , they had 1 metal pickup with no visible poles , and were mostly made in sunburst finishes , some other custom colors were also available . In 1965 Gibson redesigned the thunderbird II with a non reverse solid body , custom... more


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

Gibson Les Paul Junior

Written by vintage on September 23, 2009 – 7:46 pm -

The Les Paul Junior is a cheaper version of Gibson’s iconic Les Paul. It was introduced in 1954 at a budget price of less than $50. Like other Les Paul models the Junior is made of mahogany and has a mahogany neck and rosewood fingerboard. These are the only materials used for the construction of the guitars, unlike the other Les Paul models, also available in maple. It was designed as an entry-level model for younger players who couldn’t afford a Les Paul but still wanted a high quality Gibson model. The original versions had single cutaway bodies, but there was a double cutaway version available from 1958. The body is the same shape as the Les Paul, but with different finishes, including TV Yellow and cherry red. The Gibson finish TV Yellow... more


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Gibson Les Paul: A Financial Investment?

Written by vintage on August 25, 2009 – 3:41 am -

By Jonathan Starkey Washington Post Staff Writer Gil Hembree was 20 years old and working the counter at Kitt's Music on G Street NW when he spotted a 1962 Gibson catalogue featuring the music-making duo of Les Paul and Mary Ford. It wasn't the couple that caught his attention but rather the guitar slung over Paul's shoulder: an original-style, single-cutaway Gibson Les Paul model with a gold finish. That was 1966. Soon after, Hembree saw an Evening Star classified ad for a 1952 Gibson Goldtop Les Paul. He paid $100 to a country-music fan in the Maryland suburbs. Hembree later sold it to a musician for $400, booking a profit he used to help cover tuition at American University, where he studied accounting. "He had no idea, and I didn't really... more


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