making your own vintage guitars

Hi guys,

my 000-18MC turned 15 years old this year. It's the longest I've ever owned a guitar from new for sure. I was looking at some nice vintage guitars for sale locally and I starting thinking about how my guitars are slowly turning into "vintage" guitars before my eyes, the 000-18 especially. The 000-18 finish is sinking and the spruce really is darkening. The tone is maturing and the neck, once satin, is now glossed and is starting to wear down to bare wood in places. Small character marks here and there. The 000-28VS is 10 years old now and is heading for it's first full refret next month. It has a nice patina and is really starting to sound great. The J-45 is maturing but it's only 6 years old and the L-1 still thinks it's a tree at this point. They all get played a lot so there's lots more of this "aging" to look forward to.

Are any of you watching this happen to your "once new" guitars too?

[redir]

My oldest was built in 1990 and looks like hell but sounds and plays great

[larren]

I can help anyone "age" their guitar. Send it to me and I'll put it into service with one of my high school music classes. 1 year in a high school situation will add 15 years of wear, dents and scratches . At least I have them playing guitar though!

[reeve21]

Doug,

My Martin MMV is only about 6 or 7 years old but it is really looking and sounding nice. I've started to leave it out of the case on a stand (letting the top darken) so it is only a matter of time until it picks up some vintage wear, hopefully nothing major!

I have one older guitar, an Ibanez Artwood from around 1980 which I bought about 12 years ago when I got back into guitar after a long break. The top is a beautiful dark honey color, and it sounds pretty darn good for laminated back and sides. It has a twice repaired crack in the neck right below the headstock which really doesn't seem to be a problem other than visually. At this point it has opened up a little bit again, and I'm just going to leave it alone. It may explode someday but so be it.

So to answer your question, yes I'm watching them become vintage, but I fear I'm getting there faster!

Here they are side by each, as we say around here

[fazool]

Originally Posted by J-Doug

Hi guys,

my 000-18MC turned 15 years old this year. It's the longest I've ever owned a guitar from new for sure. I was looking at some nice vintage guitars for sale locally and I starting thinking about how my guitars are slowly turning into "vintage" guitars before my eyes, the 000-18 especially. The 000-18 finish is sinking and the spruce really is darkening. The tone is maturing and the neck, once satin, is now glossed and is starting to wear down to bare wood in places. Small character marks here and there. The 000-28VS is 10 years old now and is heading for it's first full refret next month. It has a nice patina and is really starting to sound great. The J-45 is maturing but it's only 6 years old and the L-1 still thinks it's a tree at this point. They all get played a lot so there's lots more of this "aging" to look forward to.

Are any of you watching this happen to your "once new" guitars too?

I bought my 2010 Taylor GC7 new. It has a cedar top and it has slowly, slowly taken on that classic aged cedar orange. When I look at it sometimes I am amazed at how much it has darkened.

[SalFromChatham]

Doug my 2012 J50 was Snow White new... today, 6 years later, it’s a toasty brown color that I love.

That’s it on the right

http://i.imgur.com/BejXRbY.jpg

Now that my Guild is 21, it's really starting to show its age -- in a very good way! Since I really can't see selling my others, I hope to watch them go through the same transformation as the years go by.

[jaymarsch]

I am amazed when I think that I ordered my custom Wingert 15 years ago. The used 00 that I bought online was built in 2001. It has a cedar top and was owned by a gigging musician before me so it has quite a few "bits of character" on it. Both sound fabulous and the grand concert's creamy German top is now a nice honey color punctuated with some streaks from the wood grain. But overall it cleans up pretty well and doesn't have major scratches or dings like the 00.

This thread is screaming for some more photos but I am preparing for my work day so posting those will have to wait.

Best,
Jayne

[walknbass]

My guitar top has darkened too, when will it become vintage, I

[Eric Greno]

I have an alvarez that I received as a Christmas present in 1988 or 1989. My son uses it as his main guitar when going to lessens. Still sounds good for what it is and I still play it occasionally.

[Misifus]

My Kinscherff High Noon is fifteen years old. Of course, for real age, I've got a bowl back mandolin that dates from about 1898.

Duplicate post. Please delete.

Originally Posted by jaymarsch

This thread is screaming for some more photos

Here's a photo from 2 years ago. Too much sun to really tell the top color and the plain tops have darkened quite a bit more than this. The 000-28VS top is darker than the 000-18MC, even now. Not sure why.

[Photojeep]

A few months ago, I traded for a Martin DCPA4 Siris with an AGF member (Thank you again Terry!) She has a very nice honey-colored top that I never really thought much about for the first couple weeks I owned her.

I'm the third owner of this fine guitar and was told she was gigged quite a bit by the original owner and she has the battle scars to show for it. Nothing major, just a few here and there showing she was played often.

Wanting to learn more about this particular model, I began searching the internet and came across a review by Teja Gerken that mentioned how the white binding matched the white spruce top to the point it almost looked like the guitar had no binding at all until you looked closely.

After 6 years, the top has "aged" to the point the white binding is a very pleasant contrast showing just how much she's darkened.

Funny thing, I've never owned a natural top guitar before to see the change actually occur, but if the review is to be believed, now I have proof they do change!

Best,
PJ

[muscmp]

i'm sure they are but i just play them. they don't seem to mind getting old, unlike me. ha

play music!