5 Vintage Guitars Every Musician Should Want In Their Collection
Duane Beckett
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Whether you are a guitarist looking to have a full arsenal of vintage guitars, one for every day of the week. Or just an admirer of great craftsmanship looking to begin or add to a growing collection of the finest specimen of guitars the world has given to us.
Don’t buy a dud:
If you’ve got money to burn, but are finding it difficult to decide which guitars are worth splashing the cash on. We can help. This list gives you the 5 most in-demand vintage guitars that you should covet.
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5. Fender Telecaster
The Telecaster is the first solid-body electric guitar ever made.
It was produced in 1952 after Leo Fender managed to secure a patent for the unique single cutaway design.
Although it’s very difficult now to find an original 1952 Telecaster, in recent years Fender has been producing a near-identical copy:
Complete in butterscotch blonde and with Maplewood fretboards. Its Pure Vintage ‘52 single-coil pickups, and brass saddles, emulate the original 50’s sound we all know and love.
These guitars are a must for your collection.
Whether an original or a reproduction, join vintage guitar royalty, with the likes of Kieth Richards, Pete Townshend, and Bruce Springsteen.
Own a piece of history that helped shape the design and development of modern guitars:
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4. Gibson SG Standard
This vintage guitar was first produced in the ’60s and caused the breakup of the creative partnership between Gibson and Les Paul:
FACT: The design was produced without the knowledge or approval of Paul, who reportedly disliked the guitar’s fragility.
Infamous for its devil horns design, and cherished by AC/DC guitarist Angus Young.
Sadly, numerous companies offer a far cheaper copy of this vintage guitar design, often with poor-quality components that don’t come close to the original product.
With a mahogany body and neck, a rosewood fingerboard, and a Tune-O-Matic bridge, this guitar is perfect, both for the image and sound of Rock and Metal.
It is without a doubt one of the most iconic guitar designs of the 20th century and is most commonly produced in a beautiful cherry red.
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3. Gretsch 6120
In my opinion, every guitar enthusiast should have at least one hollow-body guitar in their collection:
And the Gretsch 6120 is simply one of the best.
Heavily promoted by Country musician Chet Atkins, the guitar was popular for musicians looking to bring a sound that was somewhere between the twang and warmth of acoustic guitars, and the vibrancy and volume of an electric guitar.
This guitar boasts an all-maple construction with Filter’tron pickups and has been produced in several signature editions:
Including Chet Atkins, Brian Setzer, Eddie Cochran, and many others getting their own editions of this timeless vintage guitar.
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2. Rickenbacker 360
Popularised by The Beatles guitarist George Harrison, these vintage guitars are built just as much for their aesthetic appearance as their functionality:
The above-translated means, it will look great in your collection even if you don’t use it.
The crescent moon shape of its body makes both playing and looking at it a treat.
Plus the unique triangular Pearloid markers make it easy to see what you’re fretting.
Armed with a rosewood fingerboard, and Hi pickups, the sound of this guitar is most favorable for those playing Rock’n’Roll, Blues, or Jazz:
FACT: The sound resonating inside the hollow body of the Rickenbacker produces a warm, twangy sound.
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1. Gibson Les Paul Standard
We’ve already spoken about the breakdown of the relationship between these two manufacturers:
However, before that happened, these two companies produced one of the most popular guitars ever.
The formula for this model is perfect, with a mahogany body and neck, paired with a cutaway design making reaching the higher frets on the guitar easier than ever.
Whilst some 1959 editions of this guitar have fetched over $300,000 in auctions, remakes and reissues can be picked up for around $2,000:
And that’s with most of the original components unchanged.
So, if you only buy one vintage guitar for your collection, a Gibson Les Paul Standard deserves top billing.
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So, now that your eyes have been opened to the wonders of the world of vintage guitars, you’re wondering where you can find the real deal.
After all, no one wants one of the cheap knock-offs floating around the internet.
Vintage guitar auctions can be found all over, with each guitar’s authenticity being verified using experts in the field.
Yet, these can cost a fair price, so make sure what you’re purchasing is really what you want before you take the leap of faith and “buy”.