When does a bass become "vintage"?

[fourstringbliss]

How old does a bass have to be to be considered "vintage"?

[Pet Sounds]

It depends on who you ask. Some say it's not vintage if it was built after 1969. Others say anything over 30 years old qualifies.

[jeffbonny]

Based one what I've seen happen price-wise with different eras of Fenders I've owned I'd say twenty-ish years? Just recently I've noticed a couple of '82 P Basses going for more than I paid for mine new.

[two fingers]

Depends on the bass. To me (others may disagree) "vintage" is a market term, not a set number of years. It's almost as though "vintage" and "collectible" have become synonymous when it comes to the bass market. Sure, by definition, a 1981 Cort beginner bass might be (technically) vintage. But I wouldn't think that word would be used in an ad describing the bass. However, a 1983 Fender Precision Bass Elite probably would.

I know that doesn't help. But anyone who offers up a definitive one-number answer isn't seeing the whole picture. It will be a discussion for sure.

[Projectile]

There is no strict definition, but I would say about 30 years.

[MoeGJBeener]

I'm almost vintage... :-(

[jeffbonny]

Originally Posted by Projectile

There is no strict definition, but I would say about 30 years.

Jeez is my math ever off....yeah around 30 years not 20. And I think we'd be safe ruling out run of the mill student POS instruments and just keep it to higher quality or unique stuff.

[ExaltBass]

IMO, mostly when it becomes 'collectible' - but age also factors in. I'd say roughly 20-25 yrs + collectability. For example... I'm thinking that an early 90's Sadowsky (or older) is vintage, and my '97 Warrior is getting there as it is one of the first years Warrior made basses.

[dedpool1052]

vintage is a nicer way of saying old. kinda like how car lots use the term "pre-owned" now instead of used.

[fourstringbliss]

I have a 1994 Peavey Foundation - that's why I'm wondering. I agree it's more of a marketing term, though. We've all seen "vintage" POS basses on CL.

[Munjibunga]

Originally Posted by fourstringbliss

How old does a bass have to be to be considered "vintage"?

If it's a Fender, 1964 or older. If it's a Gibson, 1959 or older.

[GRollins]

Around here, the word vintage can be applied to anything once the lacquer is dry and the first speck of dust lands on the finish. Needless to say, that sorta corrupts the accepted meaning of the term, at least as I understand it. I'm willing to accept that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but surely some of the people using the word can't possibly believe that their 2 year-old Fender Squier is truly "vintage" or "classic"...
Can they?
Please say it ain't so.

Grey

[aguacateojos]

My buddy who works at Guitar Center told me that they have a "vintage department" and that any gear older than twenty-five years goes there.

[Ric5]

When does a bass become "vintage"?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When it gets sold on ebay!!!

[Nev375]

When its market value starts going up every year instead of down and there's been enough years to determine the trend is not just a temporary fad.

Everything else is just an "old" instrument.

[Mark4]

If it's older than I am, then it's vintage as far as I'm concerned.

[rojo412]

Man, so many ways to look at it and none of them are really 100% right, so yeah, a marketing term for sure.

But let's say you have a Valenti, built in 2002.
That would be, in my mind, a "Vintage Valenti" because it was one of the earliest ones.
But it's not really "Vintage" in the sense of aged in X number of years.

[JGbassman]

Ugh. I just realized my 86 p-bass i bought new is going to be 30 soon. I wasn't really feeling old until I though about that....

[Davo-London]

Because 1965 is such a milestone in the Fender story and because of the dominence of Fender in the vintage market, it is natural to think of pre-1965 as vintage.

That said any 60's bass would now be considered vintage, as they are already 50 years old or coming up to be 50 years old, which is significant IMHO.

In the antique market an item should be 100 years old to be called antique. However, items from 30's and 40's will still be called antiques.

70's wasn't a great decade for quality (thinking mainly of Fender) but it was a period of increased production and so even though they are starting to increase in value the amount of basses available means that it may take some considerable time yet before they become truly collectable.

Obviously, IMHO and meaning no offence to anyone. I own a 60's and 70's P (bought from new). So I don't mind either way! : )

Davo

[ewe2]

"Vintage" is just good old, what the market considers a prize piece. Whatever the reason people start collecting just for the sake of having it, once it reaches a critical point, that's when "vintage" happens. There has to be an element of exclusivity about it, not just the age.