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When is a bass "vintage"?

How old does it need to be to be vintage?

  • 10+ years

    Votes: 3 1.4%

  • 20+ years

    Votes: 54 24.4%

  • 30+ years

    Votes: 90 40.7%

  • 40+ years

    Votes: 52 23.5%

  • Older than me atleast

    Votes: 22 10.0%
  • Total voters
    221
#61
I think as time wears on it changes. In 89 one wouldn't hesitate to call a 30 year old pbass vintage. But as that technology becomes accepted and ubiquitous over time it changes. Does a 1992 pbass despite being the same time differential feel like it should be called vintage? Should there be a hard and fast rule? I think calling something vintage a couple of decades after it's adoption makes sense, but as time grinds on I think we reserve the vintage moniker for those instruments that were born within the first couple of decades their coming into being.

Would you call a 1993 Chrysler Lebaron a Classic car?
 
#63
Razman said:
Wrongooo! :spit: You can say "period" at the end of all the sentences you want to Two Fingers as if it were some authoritative, definitive statement to crush all other opinions but really all it sounds like to me is that you might be texting. :spit::spit:

That clarified, Pearl Jam to me is 'grunge' not 'classic rock' - stuff from the late 60's, 70's, and possibly some bleed-over into the 80's may be considered 'classic rock' - we straightened out on that now?

Okay, leaving now to go correct some other ignoramus in a different thread...

(Did I just practice some Seagull Management?)

:D

Raz
Click to expand...
This does make some sense as most radio stations in the 80's were using the term classic rock to describe music that was currently being created. In fact the rock music from the 50's was being called oldies. I always thought of "classic" rock as being a descriptor of rock music made from like 67-83 or so. After that things became more fractured into subgenres. Frankly I barely understand how the term came about but it is a confusing one as no one is going to mistake Lou Reed for Bad Company. How they both carry the same description of classic rock is beyond me.
 
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#64
deff said:
Would you call a 1993 Chrysler Lebaron a Classic car?
Click to expand...

Only if Jon Voight owned it.

upload_2022-9-12_11-58-14.png
 
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#65
H K said:
I started to wonder if I should call them vintage or not.
Click to expand...
Assuming you're going to state the year of the bass, I suppose you can add "vintage" or not, depending on if you think it'll enhance its attractiveness to a potential buyer. :)

That said, I thought I read that 25 years old was considered "vintage", which didn't match up with any of your poll choices.

I would define vintage as something that was different in some way from what's available new now, especially a particular model that's not even available anymore. :)
 
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#66
In Ohio, a car that is 25 and older can get a antique license plate.

So I guess that a bass that is 1997 and older is vintage.

But in my mind......... using Fender Basses as an example, 1976 and older would be so called "vintage".

With pre-CBS being real deal vintage.

There is no right or wrong with this vintage thing. No defined definition of the term, "vintage bass".

Usually, vintage basses are unaffordable for us common folks.
 
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#67
Old, for a cabbage, but as a mountain, not even counted in years.

I have a 1988 Fender Power Jazz Bass Special... It is a nice bass, and probably would be considered 'vintage'. But it is not worth any more money because of it. When people want to talk vintage, they want to talk value. No bass made in the 80's should be worth more today than it was then. They are just pieces of lumber with magnets in em. Nothing special
 
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#68
Razman said:
Wrongooo! :spit: You can say "period" at the end of all the sentences you want to Two Fingers as if it were some authoritative, definitive statement to crush all other opinions but really all it sounds like to me is that you might be texting. :spit::spit:

That clarified, Pearl Jam to me is 'grunge' not 'classic rock' - stuff from the late 60's, 70's, and possibly some bleed-over into the 80's may be considered 'classic rock' - we straightened out on that now?

Okay, leaving now to go correct some other ignoramus in a different thread...

(Did I just practice some Seagull Management?)

:D

Raz
Click to expand...
Meh.

As I stated in another post, 80s Michael Jackson, 80 Hall n Oats, Prince, Madonna, etc. are played on the oldies station here. 1980 was 42 years ago, after all. In 1985, "42 years ago" was during WWII (1943).

Red Hot Chili Peppers, STP, Pearl Jam, etc. are all played on the classic rock station.

Both are owned by huge corporations (not "mom n pop" stations). I'm guessing the execs at those corporations get more say in the debate than you or I.

By your definition, 70s Van Halen was "classic rock", but the "OU812" album isn't???? That's just silly. Ridiculous.

I don't make the rules. But I observe them (without emotion), and live by them.

I tell you what you do. Check out the websites of any classic rock station you wish in any major metro area. They'll likely have streaming. They'll likely show you what kinds of music they play. Find me ONE that stops cold around the early 80s and refuses to play anything after that. Just one. Go ahead. I'll wait.

Then, find me and oldies station that doesn't play ANYTHING from the late 70s or into the 80s. Just one. Sure, in a small town somewhere, you might find some sort of throw-back "sock hop" station that only does 50s doowop or something. But the VAST majority of oldies stations will play some Kool n the Gang or MJ or "Funkytown" or "Shining Star" or "Heartache Tonight" or Air Supply or "Drivin My Life Away" or "Hurt So Bad" (all songs/artists from the 80s). Sure, they'll do it in between 60s bubblegum pop and Beatles. But they'll play it.

(I used to work in radio, by the way. In the 90s I worked for two stations.... a classic rock station and a new rock station.... owned by the same company. The vast majority of artists that USED to be played on that new rock station back then are played on the classic rock stations today.)

The INDUSTRY has settled the debate. THAT is why I'm so emphatic about it. I don't have a dog in the fight because I frankly don't care how music is labeled. I'm looking at this objectively.

Computers from the 80s? Vintage and collectable
Video games from the 80s? vintage and collectable
TV shows from the 80s? "classic TV"
Clothes from the 80s? vintage (you'll find 80s clothing in vintage stores everywhere)
80s toys? both vintage and very collectable (some of my Star Wars toys are worth a ridiculous amount of money)

I could go on for days. There are TONS of categories of items that are from the 80s and are both "vintage" (according to the market) and collectable (read valuable). Heck, even late 70s and early 80s Datsun/Nissan Z cars are getting CRAZY expansive in good shape.


You don't get to decide what is or isn't classic rock. You don't get to decide what is a vintage instrument. Neither do I. But the market sure has. Price an early 80s Fender Elite sometime. Price ANY late 70s Fender. That prices are way into the thousands.

It is what it is. ;)
 
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#73
two fingers said:
Are the execs at those stations wrong?
Click to expand...
Yeah in my opinion. I mean I am just some guy on the internet though so my opinion is just that. I wonder if the "classic rock" station you are talking about is strictly a "classic rock" station or just a rock station that plays a lot of classic rock?
The term golden oldies caught on for referring to early rock and roll, but calling 70s hard rock golden oldies didn't sound right so the term classic rock caught on. A new term to refer to 90s music hasn't caught on but an absence of a better label doesn't mean that the classic rock label is correct. Labels exist in order to communicate what something is. If the majority of people don't define Pearl Jam as classic rock then it's a bad label.
 
#78
H K said:
... 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?
Click to expand...

What's a vintage car? Antique plates are 20 years (maybe 25) but I don't consider that vintage. I think vintage might apply when the instrument is in it's original configuration, and maybe you could wriggle that but it is a classifier. Any Fender that was made when Leo was in charge is definitely vintage.

Anything else not all original could possibly be considered road worn, modified vintage, closet queen, babied, modified road worn (faux worn)...

Squishy answer? I think so. But... take it into a music shop on the pretense of a trade-in and see what they offer you. Chances are they will lowball it. Or.... pull out the magic "blue" book and look it up, I know there's a book out there...
 
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