When is a bass "vintage"?

[roller]

Lots of good points in this thread... yet I still have a hard time calling an early 80s Fender "vintage," even though by many standards, it applies.

 

[Bass4Brkfast]

Applying buzzwords like "vintage", "cool", "rare" or "classic" to an instrument listing denotes the seller is looking to cash in on those buzzwords for perceived value to the potential buyers.
Based on that, as a buyer, I would be biased to think the item is priced high, or at least higher than what one may consider a "good deal", even when the price is probably fair.

 

[Jim Nazium]

If I'm selling, it's vintage / seasoned.

If I'm buying, it's old / worn.

 

[Killing Floor]

Could mean almost anything depending on context. I wouldn’t expect a 10 year old bass to be called vintage but beyond that use your judgment. If I was listing mine I would not use that word for under 30 years. But vintage doesn’t mean old so the semantics are flexible.

Maybe if Fender reissues something twice the previous reissue is vintage?

 

[rickster4003]

I think in terms of time frame. 50's to 60's is vintage, maybe slightly into early 70's. Mid 70's to 80's are older. Everything else is older current to current. But then again my mind is stuck in the 80's

 

[gln1955]

In an ideal world a seller would just say how old it is and let the buyer decide if it's anything special or rare. To me "vintage" is a buzzword that I ignore.

 

[two fingers]

I mean, such a definition is "vintage" in the most traditional sense; the word comes from winemaking in which "vintage" refers to a harvest of grapes from a particular place in a particular year that yielded particularly good wine. "Vintage" wine is not simply old wine; it is wine that comes from one of those good harvests. Wine can be old and yet not vintage, if it didn't come from a good year or if it's a blend of several harvests. Instruments are much the same in terms of quality.

Personally I think it's a dumb word to use specifically because of the reason that you stated. But I do have an unscientific belief that "vintage" instruments (in the sense above; not just "old") do tend to sound better when I have the chance to play them. But I also believe they share that quality with the better made offerings you can find today.

So, to me, whether an instrument is "vintage" or not is less important than how it sounds, but "vintage" instruments definitely tend to have something different about them in that respect.

EDIT: ope, looks like I was late on the wine thing.

OP's question was in regard to selling his instruments. How does was "sell" how a bass sounds?

Also, I've played several "vintage" Fender basses that were amazing. I've also played a '59 P bass that was nothing special at all. If you GAVE it to me I would sell it to some dipstick who listens with his/her eyes.

 

[yodedude2]

If I'm selling, it's vintage / seasoned.

If I'm buying, it's old / worn.

like the saying from the used car lot: if i'm selling it, it's gold. if i'm buying it, it's tin.

 

[Fynn]

Let's remember that the word vintage has as its root vin - wine. Therefore, in its original usage, you might ask "What is the vintage of this cabernet?" and be told "1988." Vintage, unlike antique, does not imply "old."

TalkWine

 

[gln1955]

TalkWine

Buncha cork sniffers who wouldn't know a good piece of tort if it hit 'em in the....

 

[swink]

Vintage is about quality and not age.

Some things are old, and are just old.
Through some old things, a hint of quality still shines through.... and then we're into vintage.

 

[themickster]

As I'm selling off some of my older basses, I started to wonder if I should call them vintage or not. Looking around the web I found several answers, but for different items.
Some antique dealers say vintage furniture for example, is 20-99 years old, some say 40+.
I've always considered it to be around 20+ years, but what do you guys think?

Saying 'Vintage' is a marketing trick. Tell them what nick your basses are in and how old they. Readers can choose for themselves, whether or not to call any of them vintage.

 

[klejst]

In theory, I believe most things are technically classified as vintage in the standard musical world after 20 years. Keep in mind, sure it's cool to say you have vintage, but it does not make it good or overly valuable.

 

[legalbass]

It's a word that means whatever the person using it intends it to mean at that moment in time.

So when someone describes anything as "vintage" you should, basically, ignore the use of that word and instead inquire into meaningful details -- all original parts? Year of manufacture? General condition? Any repairs or refinishing? Etc.

I once was heavily into collecting sci-fi memorabilia. The endless debate amongst some collectors about which collectables were "vintage" or not was exhausting.

 

[frnjplayer]

When I think vintage there are two things involved. Age is part of it and has been beat to death in this thread. The other part is quality. The POS catalog store instrument from 1975 isn't vintage. It's just old. It may be interesting in some quirky way but.....

 

[blacktocomm]

To me vintage just means something 30+ years old. No scientific backing for it, it’s just what I think when I see the word.

 

[devnulljp]

It's vintage when you're selling it.
It's old when you're buying it.

 

[Acoop]

These days, 'Vintage' is factory made and says so on the hang tag.

 

[tb-player]

As I'm selling off some of my older basses, I started to wonder if I should call them vintage or not. Looking around the web I found several answers, but for different items.
Some antique dealers say vintage furniture for example, is 20-99 years old, some say 40+.
I've always considered it to be around 20+ years, but what do you guys think?

Vintage is just a word used to justify paying 10-20x the new price of an old instrument. Also, builders use the word 'vintage' when they spend a good chunk of their time building overpriced copies of popular instruments that have been around for a while.

In my mind, if you have a 1959 Precision, you have a 1959 Precision. Words like 'vintage' 'classic' and the like are just buzzwords used to justify a premium price. Since you're selling, I say go for it and GLWTS!

 

[King Harvest]

It's vintage when it used to be commonly available and now it's worth more than it was new (adjusted for inflation).