When does a bass become "vintage"?

[mikeswals]

What if we're not talking about Fenders or Gibsons?
Many high-end companies that started putting out instruments in the mid-late 70's are well beyond 30-35 years old. Companies like Alembic, Carl Thompson, Spector, etc.
The car world seems to make 25 the magic number.
But at the same time I always say 'vintage' and 'collectible' are two completely different things, don't confuse the terms.
A '79 Peavey T-40 and a '79 Spector NS-1 are certainly both vintage, but one is barely worth scratch while the other fetches a premium.

 

[mongo2]

Never, they're all just used basses.

"Vintage" is just a marketing term used in an attempt to imbue an item with some sort of mystic in order to make something old more appealing and to increase profit.

 

[ukulelelab]

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.

Yes that's what I always thought as well (vintage guitar means older than 25 years). No idea where that rule is coming from though

 

[InternetAlias]

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=vintage
Sue me

 

[fourstringbliss]

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=vintage
Sue me

Sounds about right!

 

[the mojo hobo]

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

I think you could add at least 10 years to the Gibson date. All the basses Gibson made in the 1960's are considered vintage.

From the above link a good definition:

"Too old to be considered modern, but not old enough to be considered antique"

 

[InternetAlias]

Another thing I'd consider vintage... Ever seen russian Urals? As far as I know, those basses were terrible in pretty much every aspect, but they look as vintage as you can get. I'd say vintage look (out of current fashion) is also an important part to mention because you can build a bass to modern standards and make it look like something from 60s (and I don't mean by relicing). Where the P or J design can be regarded as a 'timeless' there are some designs that simply scream 'vintage!' at you, like those Urals. Their look is out of fashion, so they could look way more vintage than a P from 60s that looks much like it does today (and is still being widely used!).

So that's sort of funny to me - I get the perception an instrument like an Ural is older than a '51 P becuse it looks more out of fashion, anybody thought of this?

 

[scotch]

I think that when you stop equating 'vintage' with 'valuable' it's easier to make sense of the term. With musical instruments, 25-30 years old or more seems to be the concensus where the term 'vintage' applies. Whether or not a vintage instrument is valuable or not involves so many other factors!

For instance, I have a 60's Decca bass (re-branded Teisco) that is by all descriptors a vintage instrument. However, it has no appreciable value advantage from that fact and is only worth 100-150 bucks.

As long as you don't let yourself get sucked in purely by the term 'vintage', confusing it with 'valuable', the terminology is easier understood and less polarizing.

 

[calypsocoral302]

An instrument becomes "vintage" when the music that came out around the time of its manufacture starts getting played on your local "classic rock" radio station.

This is also how you know you're getting old...

...

...okay, when did Nirvana and The Smashing Pumpkins become "classic rock"?!?!?

 

[InternetAlias]

The scale of time is becoming smaller and smaller. What this means is that with modern technological advancements people start perceiving newer stuff as older. To put this in perspective, one of my houses has a 60 years old fridge. That's right. It does it's job after 60 years of (ab)use. However, in my other house, we switch fridges every few years. What do fridges have to do with anything? Well, since before things were made to last, new generations of things didn't come to replace anything, today we have an idea that every new thing that comes replaces what came before it, meaning that everything gets replaced sooner, meaning our perception of time has wildly changed and things go out of fashion rapidly and much faster and this is one of the reasons as to why the term vintage is widely used nowadays.

 

[96tbird]

When it starts to smell funny. That's key.

 

[77PBass]

Ah.. the age old question. Marcel Duchamp asked when is art, art in 1917.

Invalid Link Removed

 

[eyeballkid]

whenever the company that originally made it thinks it's time to make a "vintage reissue".

 

[Runnerman]

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.

Well the Mustang bass came out in '66 so that means there's no such thing as a vintage Mustang.

 

[Mark4]

What I'd like to know is what's the difference between regular sunburst and "vintage" sunburst.

 

[DeltaPhoenix]

When I am selling it

 

[tappingtrance]

When I am selling it

Brilliant!

 

[marchone]

Interesting discussion. This thread demonstrates the use of the word vintage is a term of art.

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

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.

One school of thought applies the term vintage to basses as other industries do for items at least 25 years old. The second defines it as as an historical point of a particular company's products.

I did not expect to see the definition of vintage as a particular and immovable point in time. Interesting points above.

 

[eyeballkid]

or... when it goes well with a cabernet.

 

[RedMoses]

Generally in automotive terms it's 25 years to be a classic, i think the same hold for insturments becoming Vintage, however the "desirablility" factor is also important, while a squire from the early 90's may be vintage nobody really cares...