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Limited Edition Jeff Beck Tribute Electric Guitar
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Purchasing Fender Vintage guitars
A little research can help immensely when you go to collect Fender Vintage guitars. A little know-how can help you decide which instruments to purchase and which to pass on. Fender instruments are among the world's best, whether they're Vintage or not, but the most desired instruments were those created before CBS purchased the company. The sale of the company was in 1965, so by 1966 the Fender instruments had changed quite a bit.
Fender Vintage guitars were known for their custom-contours and exceptional craftsmanship. Once CBS took over, though, the bodies lost their sculpted look that gave Fender Vintage guitars their distinctive and unique look. The Fender Stratocaster, one of the most sought out Fender Vintage guitars desired by collectors today, was even changed under CBS management, with the introduction of large pegheads.
They changed from using Brazilian rosewood to less-expensive Indian rosewood, pearl inlays were added, a polyurethane finish, and new and cheaper plastics were used. The mass production for profit's sake instituted by CBS is considered to have ruined the classic look of Fender Vintage guitars produced after 1965. The early guitars produced in the 1950s with their one-piece maple necks, are considered the most desirable for collectors. These guitars were the results of fine craftsmanship rather than the overly commercial bent CBS brought to the production.
Fender Vintage guitars created in the 60s before the CBS purchase are also collectible, but they're not quite as desirable as those manufactured in the 1950s. The 1960s guitars that were made with rosewood fingerboards aren't quite as valuable either as the earlier models with slab-style fingerboards. These slab fingerboards were produced from 1958 to 1962. The Fender Vintage guitars with the least value for collectors are those from about the summer of 1964 to December of 1965, the ones created during the transition to CBS ownership.
The Esquire was the first of the Fender Vintage guitars, followed by the Broadcaster and the Telecaster, which were actually the same guitar, renamed at a later time.. The first Esquires came out in June 1950 but production stopped in September of that same year. The Broadcaster with two pickups and the truss rod that was missing in the Esquire and causing the necks to warp was released a month later, in October. The early Esquires had two pick ups, and these are the most desirable for collectors because only about 50 were ever shipped. When the Esquire was re-released as a new model of Broadcaster, it only had one pickup.
The Broadcaster was renamed the Telecaster in February of 1951. The first Telecasters don't carry the name decal because of a conflict with a drum company, so only Telecasters produced from the summer of 1951 carry that decal. The Telecaster and the 1954 Stratocaster are responsible for the popularity of the solid-bodied electric guitar, some of the best made instruments in the world, and highly valuable to collectors of Fender Vintage guitars. The Stratocaster is still viewed as one of the top guitars ever created, and some believe it to be the very best.
The three pickups of the Stratocaster, its unique contours designed for playing comfort, and the tremolo bar set it apart from the competition. A custom-finished Stratocaster is one the most valuable Fender Vintage guitars available today. But even Fender Vintage guitars in common colors like Sunburst, are also very valuable. Any of these instruments, even the least desirable ones, are among some of the most highly collectible instruments for guitar enthusiasts and music collectors worldwide.
The first fretted electric bass is also among the most valuable Fender Vintage guitars. This Precision Bass model set the standard for similar instruments. And the first amps, covered in tweed, like Bassmans with 4 10-inch speakers and multiple input are also highly valuable. All of the early tweed amps with multiple speakers are valuable collector items, and make good investments, as the value only tends to increase.
