What's with the Vintage guitars?

Question

I'm thinking about getting a guitar soon, and I was thinking about getting a stratocaster. I thought it would be easy, but it isn't. There's all different ones from 50s, 60s, 70s etc. Whats the difference between those vintage ones and guitars made recently?

Answer 1

It's like with cars - some people pay lots of money for oldtimers, even if the newer cars outperform the old ones. But you pay to have a piece of history. But be careful about Strats. There are those made in Mexico, they cost about $300 - 600 (Deluxe Player's Strat), and American Custom Shop ones, with prices upward of $1300. If I had to buy a Strat now (28+ years of playing just about every guitar there is), I'd go for Mexican Delkux player's Strat, about 600 at musiciansfriend.com (buy online, save money). It has the pickups & hardware like its cutom shop brothers, but at 1/2 or even 1/4 of the price.
However, ever since I got my first Ibanez RG Prestige, I forgot about Fenders and Gibsons... those guitars have everything a Strat does, and then some. After all, Vai, Satriani, Gilbert, Metheny and George Benson probably know a thing or two about guitars.

P.S.
... and the possibility of making a mistake is HUGE - bmarcus above has Gibsons from the 70s, when both Gibson and Fender manufactured horrible guitars. But he paid them a lot!

Answer 2

Wood changes it's tone after years. Get a decent Mexican Strat. They are actually made in the U.S.A. but painted and sanded in Mexico. Put some nice pickups on it like the Fender Noiseless and you won't need much more. Look down the neck and make sure it is straight, check the finish flaws, put new keys on it too, I like the vintage style bridge but you may want one with a two post bridge to be more like the American Standard. I would say the keys and pickups will make it or break it. Don't believe Mexican Strats are made in USA? Check out and READ the website below.
Someone above mentioned Asian or imported stuff is made by children. Actually they are made by CNC machines which can do things no human can remotely come close too. Argue all you want about it but that is a fact. No human can compare in talent to a CNC machine's abilities. CNC machines are why Americans can't compete with the Asians. Look at any Ibanez. Even the cheapest model will really get to you when you see how perfect it is made. American made is just a cliche. I am a luthier and I enjoy making guitars and don't build them to remotely compete with Asian made stuff because they have superior machines and cheap, cheap, cheap labor.

Answer 3

welcome to the world of beautiful ladies called fenders :). lol if this is your first guitar you dont want anything vintage first of all its gonna cost you arm and a leg and second its something you put on the wall and not play. now as far as differnce goes its differnce of quality over time when you touch a 60's strat your touching the era of 60s imagine that the body the paint job the knobs everything of 60s the other more notticable differnce is in late 60s the headstock shape was changed fender went from using the CBS headstock style (nice curvy fat looking) to a skinnier more elegant looking design, but these are just a couple of things if you ever have a few hours we can go over all the differnces in details over some stogies.

Answer 4

The older guitars that are in really good shape are worth good money, its the same as old gibsons the appreciate in value when they get older, if you buy a classic its somthing to hang on your wall not play!!! newer guitars have more tech. into the pickups and so on and so forth

Answer 5

vitage are american made
better quality and workmanship handmade too
cost 500

other ones are made by 12 year old kids in china
200 dollars

Answer 6

the old ones are more valuable cuz they stopped making most of them