Will Vintage Guitars Be Worthless When Boomers Are Gone?

[jojobean39]

As the boomers die off, so will the number of instruments. So, whilst the pool of potential buyers dies, the number of vintage instruments are also dying down.

I’m not a vintage instrument guy. I have played some and some sound absolutely amazing. I’ve yet to play the vintage instrument I find more desirable than a modern day luthier made instrument. I’ve played $75k Martins and, in my opinion, they don’t come close to a McPherson or a Charis. Those aren’t exactly cheap guitars, but they aren’t a large down payment on a house either.

While most millennials and zoomers are unable to find enough money to buy a house, they won’t have enough money to spend on vintage guitars. However, MOST people don’t buy vintage instruments. The pool of buyers would probably remain proportional to the number of instruments available.

[Al Mojo]

The level of negativity against "boomers" and "vintage" guitars that somehow tie in to "investment value" is as shocking as disappointing. So, the sole factor propping up vintage guitars prices is .. boomers? �� We love ALL guitars, right? Do we have to justify what guitars we play? This isn't a discussion as much as a diatribe platform blasting anyone who enjoys buying, selling, trading and most of all playing, vintage guitars .. you know, boomers.

[usb_chord]

Originally Posted by b1j

Remember the oligarchs. Lots of them around these days. Their sights will home in on the attention grabbers — those crazy expensive guitars we’re gazing up at in this thread. They’ll drop two or three hundred grand on four guitars and then pay a cabinet builder $30,000 for a gaudy wall case to display their good taste.

A 1958-60 Les Paul (for instance) is expensive because the demand (relative to the supply) is high. There are a number of reasons why that is, but one of the main ones is . . . the good ones sound incredible. The same can be said for late 20s to early 40s Martins, Dumbles, Trainwrecks, blackguard teles, small burst / elevated fretboard L-00s, Banner J-45s / early AJs and, I dunno, a LG-1 Gold Sparkle Gibson. Pick a fetish.

Sure, it’s a wealthy man’s game, but make no mistake - well-informed enthusiasts, collectors and historians are the catalyst for that market and a good part of the reason we’ve seen so many wonderful sounding modern-day guitars built to “golden era specifications” ... is because of them.

Now that’s a kind of “trickle-down” economics I can get behind

[L20A]

My .02.
Yes, value will decrease on Pre War/Vintage guitars, as less bidders are around.

I don't expect to see guitars from the 50's and newer, ever commanding the high prices that Pre War Martins do.

[Russ C]

Stuff from the past has held a pretty continuous appeal for humans - certainly when associated with musicians and actors, and some instruments may be in better because of their age so I say they’ll keep a lot of their value .. though that will always fluctuate with demand.

[AfterViewer]

Originally Posted by jojobean39

As the boomers die off, so will the number of instruments. So, whilst the pool of potential buyers dies, the number of vintage instruments are also dying down.

I’m not a vintage instrument guy. I have played some and some sound absolutely amazing. I’ve yet to play the vintage instrument I find more desirable than a modern day luthier made instrument. I’ve played $75k Martins and, in my opinion, they don’t come close to a McPherson or a Charis. Those aren’t exactly cheap guitars, but they aren’t a large down payment on a house either.

While most millennials and zoomers are unable to find enough money to buy a house, they won’t have enough money to spend on vintage guitars. However, MOST people don’t buy vintage instruments. The pool of buyers would probably remain proportional to the number of instruments available.

Well put. The antique's markets of collector/dealers know well how speculation into the future and the buying obsessions of generations beyond the Boomers is fraught with gators along the suspension bridge walk of potential profit.

[pagedr]

Originally Posted by Al Mojo

The level of negativity against "boomers" and "vintage" guitars that somehow tie in to "investment value" is as shocking as disappointing. So, the sole factor propping up vintage guitars prices is .. boomers? �� We love ALL guitars, right? Do we have to justify what guitars we play? This isn't a discussion as much as a diatribe platform blasting anyone who enjoys buying, selling, trading and most of all playing, vintage guitars .. you know, boomers.

So mad lol ��

[Guitars44me]

If I actually PLAY it and make real music on it, it is a reasonable investment.

That said, I am not stockpiling vintage stuff. But I do have a few very nice gits and I play them all.

To each his/her own…

Cheers

Paul

[biotechmgr]

If this question were asked circa 1980, it might have appeared to become the decline and relegation of the acoustic guitar to a niche.

Yet 40 years later we have a boom in guitars. The population keeps growing, and YouTube introduces new generations to great music using guitars.
My forecast is for the guitar to live on, and the vintage market along with it.

[Guitarplayer_PR]

Originally Posted by Mycroft

While a lot of this is orientated toward vintage electrics, there is enough comment on and spillover about vintage acoustics as well.

so, who are your acoustic guitar heroes?

There's not a single word I hate more that "boomer." Is that the new politically correct word for "old?"

[buddyhu]

The dead boomers will be worth less. The guitars will be worth more.

[AfterViewer]

Originally Posted by Guitarplayer_PR

There's not a single word I hate more that "boomer." Is that the new politically correct word for "old?"

Yep. Boomed-out -a- site!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKPimE93FjQ

[Horseflesh]

I don't know anything about the guitar market, but I collect another kind of vintage Americana... Pinball machines. Prices on the old classics have been shooting up year after year with no end in sight even though there is a fairly healthy market for brand new games nowadays.

I would be surprised if the market for original vintage classic guitars ever really collapses.

[jojobean39]

Originally Posted by Guitarplayer_PR

There's not a single word I hate more that "boomer." Is that the new politically correct word for "old?"

I think it’s actually used as a slur.

[RP]

Originally Posted by Guitarplayer_PR

There's not a single word I hate more that "boomer." Is that the new politically correct word for "old?"

NEWSFLASH: We are old. I think "boomer" is shorthand for a certain age range, but I don't consider a reference to my age as a slur. I'm 72, and that's plenty old. On Wednesday I went for a three-hour kayak paddle with my 70 year old SO; didn't see any young'uns out on the water on a beautiful day. You must have led a terribly sheltered life if "boomer" is your most hated word...

Originally Posted by jojobean39

As the boomers die off, so will the number of instruments. So, whilst the pool of potential buyers dies, the number of vintage instruments are also dying down...

While I understand the predator-prey relationship that we were all taught in Biology 101, I don't get that "logic" at all as you apply it to humans and vintage instruments...