🎸 “Vintage Vibes: Why Old Guitars Still Rock the Stage”
There’s something magical about vintage guitars—it’s not just the mojo, it’s the tone, feel, and craftsmanship* that still inspire today’s players.
🕰️ Why vintage guitars are still in demand:
- âś… Unique aging and resonance from decades of play
- âś… Timeless designs and hardware
- ✅ Built to last—and still going strong
* Well, “craftsmanship” in the respect that they didn’t have the computers and CNC machines back then so they had to build with less accurate machines and a lot of hand crafting.
But using the word “craftsmanship” does not mean that vintage guitars are built better than modern guitars.
Putting “craftsmanship” aside, there are other variables that can make a vintage guitar a risky purchase:
- Fret wear
- Truss rod
- Deteriorating glue
- Melted pickup potting
Fret Wear – It’s really hard to detect serious fret wear without strong, direct, side lighting. You need to push strings aside a bit and study the frets, especially those “cowboy frets”. Never buy a guitar without inspecting fret wear! It may have taken a decade for those little grooves to start, but once they’re there, the strings hit the bottom of that groove every time, accelerating wear exponentially. Full re-frets cost $300 and up!
Truss Rod – It’s almost rare that we get a vintage guitar whose truss rod isn’t maxed out or stripped! Replacing a truss rod can easily cost $500 or more!
Deteriorating Glue – Heat, humidity and decades are not especially “friends” to the glue that attaches bracing to the sides, bottom and soundboard of your vintage acoustic guitar. Of course, most acoustic guitar necks are also held with glue. Bridges are usually the first part to self de-attach. If it has had or needs a bridge repair, it’s a good idea to check all glued parts.
Pickup Potting – Air gaps between pickup coil wires can cause “microphonics” and feedback issues. I’ve had vintage guitars that were so bad, I could speak into the pickup and my voice came out of the amplifier! Pickups are often potted with wax, like beeswax, which has a melting point of just over 144F, and starts getting “mushy” at much lower temps. How hot do you think your car gets parked in the summer heat? Has this guitar ever been left in a car? How would you know?
Now after raising all these concerns about vintage guitars, I have to admit, I play an Orlando semi-hollow, and I love it! Orlando semi-hollow electric guitars were primarily made by Matsumoku in Japan during the late 1960s to early 1970s.
If you’re thinking of buying a vintage guitar, have the seller meet you at Hank’s Guitar Shop. Either get here before the seller or call to let us know what’s up, and we’ll be happy to show you how to check out the guitar.
Got a vintage axe or curious about getting one? Swing by Hank’s Guitar Shop in Clearwater to talk tone history and try a few classics!
#VintageGuitars #GuitarHeritage #ClearwaterGuitarShop 🎶🧡
