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vintage = good? why ?

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#61
eggfan said:
I get that you don't buy instruments for collector value, but my question was meant to get at whether others who paid more for a vintage instrument were necessarily making a "poor value judgment" if they were taking appreciation into account in their decision making process.
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I guess it depends on what they want to do with their money. People do things all the time that I think reflect poor value judgment, and I'm sure some of the things I do would be similarly judged by them.

If someone has a lot of money that they can treat as discretionary, then they can afford to buy instruments on speculation (which is present regardless of how the market on a specific instrument has performed) and see whether the instruments appreciate.

But if they do that, IMO they'd better not play them - just put them into climate-controlled storage to preserve their value.

When I pay money for an instrument, it needs to be something I can afford to play.
 
#65
crusie said:
I've been looking around on this forum and other places - no matter where I go some people tend to think that the only "right" sound for a bass is how it sounded in the 60's. I mean a 62 fender p is almost impossible to get a hold of.

Now, what I really don't get is, why on earth do people crave that sound ? to me it sounds awful.

I know this isn't a fender, it's a mustang.



at least the first 2 minutes ^^
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That's more like it!
 
#68
An analogy would be Harley Riders and the rest of the riding community. Harley engines are prehistoric and so not sophisticated compared to the bikes of today, plus they are ten times the price. Why? Because you look cool riding them...just kidding im gonna get killed. :hiding:
 
#69
Personally, I love "The vintage sound" especially Rickenbacker sound ... :bassist:

Previously: musical instruments were built with more material quality. My first bass - cheap line for studies - came with pickups made almost plastic! The world now is just plastic!
Today engineers develop instruments in limit, less matter, lower costs, more profit! $ $

Another point: merchandising

one example is the Seym Duncan Antiquity Pickups.
I bought one, to put on my bass…

When I showed my mother she started clean them. .. She asked "Why you bought pickups to dirty and rusty bolts?":rollno:

Replied that I like ... anyway, the pickups are quality and comes with a story and merchandising!:D

Merchandising vintage ´60s photos… :smug:
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#71
michael_atw said:
I'll do both. If I find a good deal on a 70's Fender, I'll do the same with it as if I got a good deal on a '01 Fender.
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A '70s Fender is not vintage. It's just an older CBS Fender of no distinction and commanding less ridiculous prices. As such, it is not subject to as much fakery and needs less authentication (if any) because no knowledgeable buyer cares about it as anything but a player.

If you're talking an all-original pre-CBS model, then you're not going to be able to find many around, and none at a bargain price except by a miracle. These will require authentication and you'll probably find that they are less authentic and original than they were represented. If they aren't original and authentic, they aren't worth any significant amount of money to a knowledgeable buyer. Part it out to crooks on eBay.

Basically, there are much. much. much easier ways to make money than screwing around with vintage instruments. It's a fool's errand if you're not a pro.
 
#73
Badbear79 said:
An analogy would be Harley Riders and the rest of the riding community. Harley engines are prehistoric and so not sophisticated compared to the bikes of today, plus they are ten times the price. Why? Because you look cool riding them...just kidding im gonna get killed. :hiding:
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I've got your back. You're right. Rice burners have better engines, better transmissions, better chassis ... they're just better.
 
#74
king_biscuit said:
70s Fenders are becoming more collectible every year (they certainly are vintage now), and it's just a matter of time before they are worth enough for the crooks to get interested! I happen to really like 70s Jazz basses, btw.
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This is exactly the issue. '70s Fenders were arguably some of the worst instruments they've produced. Their recent instruments are far superior in every way.
 
#75
Munjibunga said:
This is exactly the issue. '70s Fenders were arguably some of the worst instruments they've produced. Their recent instruments are far superior in every way.
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Not all 70s Fenders were/are bad. In fact I have two pretty darn good ones (light with straight necks). I love my 76 Jazz more than any bass I've ever had. But no matter how bad you, Bongo, Harry, JTE, or SMCD think they are it doesn't change the fact that they are vintage and collectible. :)
 
#77
Munjibunga said:
I've got your back. You're right. Rice burners have better engines, better transmissions, better chassis ... they're just better.
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Steve Morse and Eric Johnson, are better guitarists in every way than Eric Clapton or Buddy Guy, right? They are faster, cleaner, actually understand music, and aren't limited by one narrow style. Should we stop listening to Eric and Buddy? Why can't people just like something without having to really explain or quantify it?
 
#78
king_biscuit said:
Steve Morse and Eric Johnson, are better guitarists in every way than Eric Clapton or Buddy Guy, right? They are faster, cleaner, actually understand music, and aren't limited by one narrow style. Should we stop listening to Eric and Buddy? Why can't people just like something without having to really enplane or quantify it?
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I agree with the last part of this wholeheartedly. Get what you like, play it, enjoy it. Who cares what everybody else thinks? What works for one may not work for another.

As far as the 70's Fenders go, I think it's like any other period in their production history. Some were really nice, others, not so much. I had a '73, and a '75 P Bass that I thought were really nice. The '75 had a DiMarzio in it, and IMHO it sounded really nice in that bass.

I had a '76 jazz bass that I was glad to see go. Heavy, not a nice feeling instrument, and even with the DiMarzio pickups in it, I never liked its sound.
 
#80
I have a 69 Jazz and a 2006, the 06 was bought to replace the 69 as I started to get paranoid during set breaks thinking some would nick (steal) my irreplaceable 69. While the 06 is a fine instrument it just does not have the depth (in tone) that the 69 has. Even with identical EMG's. I have speculated that the wood has gotten denser as it ages. If you have ever done any home improvement projects in an older home you know old 2x4's get as hard a steel, you can't drive a nail into them and my skill saw struggles to make a cut. Just my own theory, I'm no expert on molecular structure.

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