Vintage Electric Guitars Categories

Collectible Vintage electric guitars

Anyone interested in vintage collectibles including those who enjoy rock ‘n roll nostalgia and general music fans enjoy collecting vintage electric guitars, either for their history or because they make excellent inflation-proof investments.

They were first used in 1931, and while they're clearly electric guitars, there are big differences between them and the guitars of today. They were actually acoustic hollow-bodied guitars that used tungsten pick-ups to gather the sound and send it to a speaker.   Today's electric guitars use magnets and are solid-bodied, with an entirely different sound.

Rickenbacker created the first electric guitars, instruments that were used to play jazz. 

Then Les Paul created the first solid-bodied guitar, paving the way for the first popular solid-bodied version called the Esquire that was put out by Fender in 1950.  The solid-bodied electric guitar gained popularity and was widely used throughout many different musical styles, from blues to rock ‘n roll.  Then later it was used in country and contemporary music, too.

The 1954 Fender Stratocaster is still one of the most popular instruments ever created, and one of the most desirable vintage electric guitars today.  The Les Paul guitars put out by Gibson have always been popular in their many incarnations.  Any of these items in good condition dating from the 1950s and the 1960s are very valuable.  Even some from the 1970s are great collectible vintage electric guitars.

There are many things that make these vintage electric guitars special and prized by collectors and music enthusiasts.  The early instruments had pickups that were wound with wire by hand-these lie beneath the strings to capture the sound and transfer it to a speaker.  Once they were machined wrapped, each was exactly the same as every other with none of those interesting sound variations as they had previously.

Vintage electric guitars have been through many owners, so it's possible that the instrument isn't in the greatest shape.  Check to make sure the neck joint is sturdy and not loose. And check to see that that all the hardware is firmly in place, nothing rattles or is loose. If anything is loose or you find anything wrong, you still might have a valuable purchase, but it won't be as valuable if everything were intact.

To make a great purchase, examine the guitar extensively and ask tons of questions.  If you're browsing via online auction, you have to ask even more pointed questions than if you were buying it in person. Replacement parts like pick ups or tuning pegs might make a vintage guitar easier to play or sound better, but they drop the value of vintage electric guitars. Sometimes people don't realize the value of their item and replace parts when needed without realizing the damage that it causes.

Ask about the wood used in the guitar if the seller hasn't pointed it out already.  And don't neglect to ask if the guitar has been refinished.  If you can find an instrument that hasn't been refinished, and the surface is worn and rough looking,   you still might want to purchase a collectible that has been refinished, but if you can find one in is natural state, you're getting more for your money.

And the type of wood is also a factor when it comes to collectibles and investment value.  If the wood is mahogany and maple, two of the most commons woods used in the manufacture of vintage electric guitars, the value is higher.  Other woods like spruce and ash were popular woods, too.  Brazilian rosewood is an excellent find if you come across a guitar that was manufactured with this rich wood, as guitars aren't allowed to be manufactured from this wood in the US today.

And decide why you want vintage electric guitars. If you'll play you'll want different instruments than those best for display.  And if the instrument was played by a famous musician, the value, of course, skyrockets.