What's been your experience with vintage acoustics?

[Parlorman]

Originally Posted by Brucebubs

'Worn in' comes just before 'worn out'.

In what world? I've got guitars over 100 years old that are FAR from worn out. People playing 300 year old Stradivarius violins might beg to differ as well.

[Mr Fingers]

30 years old is vintage? The guitars from that period can be truly undistinguished and in many cases are surpassed in tone and feel -- the reasons we buy vintage -- by new production, and current production of vintage-spec but new guitars. 30 yr-old guitars are hardly "great white buffalos" as they're everywhere. Functionally (that is, in terms of make, feel, and sound, not just a date) it's really aged wood, sometimes better wood, and perhaps many decades of use that (to me) count in finding a good, old guitar. I have a really crappy '36 Gibson that sounds beautiful, and I promise you it's not because it's built well. But that old spruce top and old mahogany back and sides do everything for it. Personally, I'd try for either truly old vintage, or recent (though of course there are good guitars in every era... even the 70's). I also had a '47 0018 that was unremarkable in every way except tone and volume, where, again, that good old wood allowed it to have volume and overtones that were unbelievable coming from a smallish box.

[Parlorman]

To OP: I've owned (and owned) a bunch of vintage guitars. My favorite so far is my Larson Stahl. I've never played anything quite like it.

It's been well played but is all original except for the strings with no repairs made or needed.

[Toby Walker]

Your 'White Buffalo' - 30 + years, played in, and solid wood - is actually quite easy to find, and your assumption that you'll have to sink a fortune into repairs is more unfounded than true, as long as you are dealing with a reputable dealer. If an instrument is in need of repair, they will also price the instrument accordingly. That's why they are reputable.

I've owned dozens of vintage (50 to over 100 years old, solid wood, played in) guitars and have only had to have some minor repairs on a few of them. One or two needed a neck reset which, while not cheap, isn't a fortune. Besides, those repairs were 'built into' the price before purchasing, so I wasn't out any money.

Again, make sure the dealer has a SOLID reputation. The yardstick to measure others by would be, hands down, Gruhn Guitars - http://guitars.com/. Matter of fact, George Gruhn is one of the original dealers in vintage guitars AND wrote the book on them!!

A reputable dealer (and there are also some on this very forum) will know their products inside and out, price the instrument fairly and will give you a short trial period to have the instrument checked out for yourself.

In all of my dealings with vintage instruments, I've never had a single problem keeping to this advice.

[Lublin]

I wasn't into vintage acoustics until I recently played and bought my '44 0-18. I've never heard a guitar sound that good.

[DiscoCat]

19 years ago when I was broke (working a barely above minimum wage job) and fresh out of college, I bought a either '74 or '75 (the label had fallen off) Harmony Opus guitar. I am not sure if that counts as vintage.

Of the handful of guitars I have played, it sounds amazing. It's the only full size guitar I own (jumbo) amongst a small collection of small guitars. I didn't know that it was once a premium guitar until I googled it a few months ago. It just says, "Opus" on the headstock so when I bought it, I just thought it was some no-name cheap guitar that I probably paid too much for ($150). When I bought it I didn't know what made one guitar better than another, but it sounded really loud (like "boom" from the sound hole) compared to the other used guitars at a store. At the time, a knuckle-headed coworker said it was probably a cheap guitar since he never heard of Opus either. So I thought for 19 years that I had a crap guitar until a few months ago.

Recently I developed a GAS problem when I started playing the guitar after my 19 year break (and now I have a decent paying job) and became enamored of small guitars because I realized they existed, and they are more comfortable to play for me because I have small hands proportional to my small body. It was only after I played these smaller guitars that I realized how good my Harmony Opus was--like honey and sunshine.

Paradise was there all along.

But now I probably wouldn't buy another used guitar because I heard that sometimes people play guitars in the bathroom.

[vindibona1]

I'm not sure what qualifies for "vintage", but I have two guitars that are 40+ years old, one that is 36 years old and yet one more that is 27 years old.

My first one was a 1974 Alvarez Yairi (in 1981). It had a hairline crack in the top that was fixed by the luthier at the time. It sounded better than the Martin I was considering. While the crack has visually reappeared over time it doesn't re-require additional repair structurally and still sounds great.

The second acoustic I owned was a 1990 Alvarez Yairi, purchased in '96. Was perfect then, still near perfect. The only thing that has been an issue is the adhesive on the pickguard and laminate on the headstock has dried. I've fixed the headstock and am will sooner or later change the adhesive on the PG.

My 1972 Martin D35 was in immaculate condition. The action was a bit high and I decided since I'll probably have this guitar for life, to have the neck reset and do a refret. Other than a bit of yellowing (which looks cool) of the binding you'd think it was only a couple years old by looking at it. Sounds AMAZING.

I subsequently picked up a 1981 Epiphone PR-755s. It has a nice aged look to it. The top was separating in one small place, but a small dab of wood glue and clamping overnight and it's just perfect. Sounds like a D35 and the neck feels amazing.

I expect every one of these guitars to outlive me.

[DesertTwang]

First off, I personally don't consider anything "vintage" that was produced during my lifetime. That excludes any guitar made after 1972.

I've only had one experience with a vintage guitar, my 1933 Epiphone Olympic. With that particular guitar, my experience has been that the sound stands out from any other guitar I've ever played. The thing just sings. It could probably use a bit of repair, as the fretboard is a bit "concave" for lack of a better word, and might need a shave-down and refret at some point, but as long as it's playable, I'm ok with it. One of the tuners is bent, too, and sometimes pulls the G string out of tune. i'm currently looking for replacement tuners. Other than that, the guitar is great. It seems to be built like a tank, too. I've never seen it to react to humidity changes in any way.

How I found it? Well, one day, I was driving and listening to a Gillian Welch album on my iPhod. I remember sitting at a stop light and listening to a guitar solo. That was before I knew about Dave Rawlings (the guy who played that guitar solo). But in that moment, I knew I had found what I personally consider the holy grail of guitar playing. I know I never will be able to play like him, but his tone and style are my aspirations. Next, I set out to search for the same kind of guitar he plays. I got incredibly lucky - within two months, one popped up on eBay. It was at a pawnshop across the country. The listing was set for a week, but I really wanted that guitar, so I didn't want to wait until a whole bunch of other people bid on it.

So I went to a local store, showed them pictures and descriptions of the guitar and asked them for an estimate in repair costs that guitar might need. Then I took that number, factored it into the maximum price I was willing to pay, and called the pawn shop. I asked how much they wanted for it on the spot and gave them my credit card number. That was it.

[motojosh]

Originally Posted by LessPaul

I'm starting a piggy bank for a dream guitar. I'm hunting a great white buffalo - solid wood 30 years or older that got tuned up and played regularly.

Not sure where in Colorado you're located, but my advice would be to take a quick trip up here to Missoula and spend a day or two at Greg Boyd's House of Fine Instruments (http://gregboyd.com/). I'll even pick you up at the airport.

I try to not go in there too much, because every time I do I have to come home and talk myself out of buying another guitar. They've got three different J-50s right now that are all great (I've spent some time with this one, and it's awesome: http://gregboyd.com/instrument_detai...rument_key=702). But this D-18 is the one that I'm currently thinking about taking a second look at: http://gregboyd.com/instrument_detai...ument_key=2089. Ready to play, and needs no repairs or anything. Gorgeous sound. And I don't have a Martin yet...

[Mr Fingers]

I love TobyWalker's post because it describes the vintage experience well. I, too, have been able to deal with reputable dealers and repair people (I build and repair myself, too) and the experience has always been super-positive. These people love guitars, love to connect players and guitars, and in my experience, have been absolutely straightforward. Deals have been good, the guitars have held up beautifully. I think you can tell, or find out, what dealers and individual sellers are like, and if you trust your judgment and can resist impulse enough to deal only with the ones who comes across as excellent, it's a lot of fun and is quite rewarding. Since a good purchase retains its value, while a longshot or risky impulse buy may not, it's worth working with good dealers.

[MikeD]

Originally Posted by LessPaul

"I own a bunch of prewar guitars" "I own a bunch of prewar guitars" "I own a bunch" ..."of prewar guitars" ...It just keeps echoing in my head over and over again. What?? What's your favorite? Which ones are close? Are we talking golden era guitars? Do you still acquire vintage guits or is the collection complete?

Thanks for pointing me to UMGF!! The Vintage corner is massive!! I'll be on there quite a bit today

Ha! The collection is never complete. There are always better examples of vintage guitars you stumble across, and when doing so I sell what I have and replace it with something I found that I like better. The newest Martin I own is an early 1938, and the oldest is a late 1924, so yes they are "Golden Era" guitars. My top 3 (in no specific order) are a 1930 OM-28, a 1937 D-28 and a 1928 00-42... but their mahogany counterparts are no slouches either. I look for guitars as original and clean as possible, with the "sound". If they don't have the vintage tone I'm after, I'm not interested. Hope that answers your questions.

[Everton FC]

Originally Posted by ZealotsRUs

but, Four Nil!!!!!!

anyway, nice Hansel

Loved that score!

Yes, it's a nice Hensel. My gues is mid-30's. Incredible woods. Incredible sound. A Canadian-made guitar, too. I was very fortunate. Just have to get the necessary work done and she becomes a daily player!

[Mr. Jelly]

I think I picked up on something during this thread. When I think of buying vintage I envision it from a person and not necessarily a guitar player. I'll call it old school thought. Buying at pawn shops and junk shops. It appears that now days people are purchasing from a vintage dealer. So the issues are taken care of. I quit hunting for those rare finds years ago. After EBay started it changed the guitar buying world.

[6L6]

So what constitutes a vintage guitar? I asked the question recently in the UMGF and here are the responses:

http://theunofficialmartinguitarforu...Vintage-Guitar

[Mycroft]

Easier to think in eras, which are usually bookmarked by some significant change. For example, a prewar Martin has changes in bracing and necks both at the beginning when they began bracing for steel strings in the 20s and at the war, with narrower necks, forward X bracing, and by 1944, then ending of scalloped bracing. The postwar era could be said to have ended when Martin ceased using Brazilian in the late 1960s. Gibson has different markers, with a prewar ear, the wartime "Banner" guitars, and a postwar era that ended earlier than Martins with experiments like screwed on and plastic bridges. Post 1970 also began to see the rise of newer builders, like Gurian, Taylor, and the small-shop/boutique builders.

So I guess that saying "vintage" is onl6y half the descriptor: "70s-vintage," "pre-war vintage," "50s vintage."

As to experience; others on this thread have far more than I, but one thing that I have learned is that unlike when buying a new guitar, or even a recent vintage used one, where you are buying a guitar for what it is, when buying older vintages you have to be able to evaluate what the guitar could be. Of my three "vintage" guitars, both old Martins needed neck resets and frets, and one needed finish-work and a pickguard. The Gibson Banner, by contrast, had had all necessary work done by the previous owner and was good to go right out of the gate. All three were priced according to condition and work needed.

So I guess that the takeaway is that old guitars may need more care and maintenance than a new one. I am willing to invest the money, because of the return that I get in playing these old guitars and helping insure that they stick around. I do love my new guitars as well; but I am a bit saddened at the knowledge that I'll never hear my Froggy when she turns 70. But at 20, she sure is lovely.

TW