Why Vintage gear is more valuable than new gear?

I think it's because of the advancements in technology. The new instruments can't quite get that 'vintage sound' that most people who buy vintage look for. Just a guess, though.

 

See this -> http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=387678

There's a coolness factor to vintage instruments due to scarcity and that it looks like the instrument has a story to tell, simple as that IMO.

 

Because you can't get them anymore???

Don't misunderstand me, yes you can get a new Fender Jazz bass or Precision bass. But, you can't get a bass that was built by Fender before they got sold to CBS anymore. Whether this is advantageous to you or not is for each person to decide for themselves, but many feel that the quality of the pre-CBS basses was far superior to anything Fender has made since. Obviously, a company like Fender is not building basses the way they used to. That doesn't mean the new basses are junk though, they just aren't getting the hands-on attention they got in the old days.

I have also played a few examples of vintage basses that were "beat up and rusted", one in pariticular was a P-bass that was badly beaten up. I asked the same question, why is this worth so much? So I played it and I haven't played a P-bass like it since. It was so much deeper and more resonant than any new P-bass I've ever played. So, there might be something to it. I would never buy one without playing it first though.

 

I can't follow this trend either. I noticed the other day that Sound City are being made again: in the UK they were for people on a budget and held in pretty low esteem by anyone serious. Also, a lot of new amps have modelling circuitry, so you'd think that they would offer far more versatility. I know that when I started out in the mid-70's if someone told me that 30 years on people would be paying top $$ for 30 year old gear and buying ready-battered guitars I would consider them out of their mind. Oh, for a crystal ball-I would be a rich man on some of the old junk I had!

 

supply & demand and some of the stuff you just can't get exactly the same new, as the vintage stuff.

T-40
Gibson Non Reverse
Ovation Magnum
Early BC Riches
Gibson RD Artist

Yeah, why would any one pay a $100,000 for a 60's Muscle car when a Suburu WRX or Honda can whip it's arse and you can drive it everyday and be a heck of a lot safer?

Why do people pay all that money for fine wine when you can get a gallon of it at Walmart for $6.00?

I don't get it either.

 

Fender may not do it, but there are plenty of other companies who do

 

Fender Custom Shop.

 

Because for some items, we apply a value to an item that is sometimes worth more or less than the sum of its parts. A bass is what is, right? What may be garbage to one, may be a feast for another.

 

Trophy collectors and icon worshipers will buy into just about anything to gain peer recognition. Those old mass-produced-to-a-mass-market-price-point beaters have nothing over a well-built modern instrument, but image and make-believe "mojo" are irresistible lures to fashion-obsessed, validation-hungry collectors.

 

supply and demand
scarcity
the way leo fender made them previous to cbs
cbs making changes in both negative and positive ways
the fact that they're just different instruments
most new age stuff is rehashed crap
it'll only be harder to find later and more expensive once found
hand wound pickups

the list is endless.......

i suggest you play one, if you can find it. then decide for yourself

new stuff is good too man, and not all vintage is exactly worth the money (in fact most of them charge you an extra grand or so simply because its been sitting around for 50 years in their garage :C), it simply depends on the same factors as would getting any bass

playability, appeal, etc.

unless your a collector, THATS a different story

 

+1

Vintage instruments are a piece of history to some people. Owning and playing one provides a link to the past. If you're young and have no experience with that part of history, or if you aren't interested in history, then the whole vintage instrument thing wouldn't make much sense. Imagine a violinist who owns and gets to play a violin that was made and used when Mozart was alive and composing his music. The same applies to art, automobiles, aircraft, etc.

 

hahaha you seriously have a issue with vintage gear..

Ok here is a list of possibilities as why one might consider a vintage bass

1.) Feel, a neck that has been played for 40-50 years is going to feel a lot different then a new one with a thick poly finish

2.) Tone, myths, hype, truths, it all depends on your opinion, but wood does change with age, and so do other variables magnet pulls affect on tone, woods age affect on tone, the whole vibrating theory etc.

3.) Collectibility, like it or not these pieces will continue to become more and more rare.

4.) Storytelling, some of these instruments could of been played at famous places that have closed, seen people who have died, played on some of the best music recorded, touched by some of the best musicians ever, etc. Documentation is key here.

5.) The Look, to me nothing looks sexier then a well worn instrument if its Jacos Jazz, SRVs #1, Claptons Blackie, etc etc.

6.) Market Value, These instruments will only increase more in value from year to year. Imagine if you will you buy a 59 Pbass for $16k in 50 years from now your investment would be thru the roof.


Just a few examples.

 

In a world of supply and demand, the supply of vintage instruments is comparatively low, while the demand is apparently high. This combination leads to high prices. No more vintage basses can be produced, unless you want to wait 30 years.

I, on the other hand, have absolutely no demand for vintage instruments, so they have no value to me. I'd rather pop $3k or $4k for a superbly crafted bass with modern electronics and carbon truss rods. It's all in one's jones.

 

It's actually not as simple as that.

 

Excellent post.

 

Nicely elaborated

 

You can ask the same question as to why do people spend upwards of 100k on an old restored muscle car when its loud,gets atrocious gas mileage, you can barely hear the radio because of all the road noise, and lets not forget the horrible comfort compared with todays cars... its just coooolll... and it sparks an emotion that goes back a long time.

I personally love old fenders but I refuse to pay the ******** money that they draw. Thats why I go the American vintage reissue route. The reissues give the save vibe without breaking your wallet Plus I'd rather have a shiny new bass than some 30 year old rusty paint cracking warping wood POS =) (joking fellaz)

I know its popular with a lot of you TB/rs to "relic" your new basses to make em look old but I like to take care of my stuff, if I wanted them to look like s**t Im sure I can do that on my own lol

Another reason why they are popular imo, is because you are holding something that to some, was made before you were born. It has history. You can stare at it and imagine how many smoky clubs it has been in throughout the years. There is something romantic about a old fender. it just makes you play different for some reason.