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View Full Version : Oh my . . . where does one start?



Nelskie
August 22nd, 2006, 04:22 PM
First off, I am very happy to see that this section of the forum finally materialized. And secondly, with 69SL at the helm, it's direction is in very capable hands.

I think one of the most important questions one asks when standing on the threshold of purchasing a vintage piece of gear is, "is it worth it?" Of course, there are many other things to consider when asking this question - as in 1.) whether or not you're buying it to re-$ell it later on down the road; 2.) for sentimental purposes; i.e. "I use to have this so-and-so amp back in '72, and it kicked total butt"; 3.) to use it as a primary piece of gigging equipment . . . *GASP* :eek: ; 4.) to dangle it in front of your amp afficianado pals for the purposes of improving your status quo in their "cool collector dudes who know it all" circle :cool:; and lastly, but perhaps most importantly . . . the sheer fun of doing it. :) Yes, there many reasons to get involved with vintage gear - and all of them are viable reasons, or if you ask your wife . . . excuses.

So how does one take that first step in buying vintage gear? What are some things to look for? Are their pitfalls, or things to avoid? Where are the best places to find such treasures? Yes indeed, there are many things to consider before pulling the trigger on your first vintage gear purchase.

Perhaps our fellow Fretters would like to also share some stories on how they got their start in collecting / buying vintage gear, as well as some of their most memorable buys / rip-offs. Maybe there's one piece of vintage gear that they fiercely covet - the holy grail of all vintage items. Or, a piece of vintage gear that they will ultimately be buried with. Man, there's millions of things we can talk about here.

C'mon dudes, let's get this thing on a roll! ;)

Tone2TheBone
August 22nd, 2006, 04:35 PM
I would love to buy something vintage. A beautiful mint condition Fender blackface or tweed would simply be incredible. Even a little Champ since I'm hungry for small tube amp again. What I would need to get past is how badly do I want something like this. I'm a gearhead but at the same time I'm a middle of the road gearhead. I love expensive high quality magical old or new things....but suprisingly I do have "boundaries". I tend to go middle of the road on purchases and I'm not sure I would go out and get vintage for vintage sake.

Do MIJ Strats count as "vintage"? :)

6STRINGS 9LIVES
August 22nd, 2006, 07:25 PM
I dig the vintage stuff because it is the sound of my youth, cant get past it , thats why i enjoy playing through old amps , its the sound.Dont get me wrong , i think that there are great amps that do not have Marshall Vox or Fender logos , there are great amps being made today, I'm oldschool i guess.
And theres more to vintage gear than just dusting them , they were well built , road worthy and dependable and if maintained can perform for decades more , they can be gigged , lots of the audience appreciate good tone and its neat to be able to take the old dogs out for a walk , they were built to please people .
Then theres the semmingly endless body of knowledge to sift through , i get a buzz when i discover something new( at least to me) about a 40 year old piece of gear..i enjoy the learning , i enjoy the fact that there are tens of thousands of people out there who share the same interest and know much , much more than i do that are willing to answer , e-mails , posts and phone calls from someone who'll they'll probably never meet.
I collect because i play , I collect because i enjoy the stewardship , and thats how i see it, of a amazing piece of craftmanship and design , that I know I wont be taking with me , but might well outlive me .
I guess thats why I'm into vintage gear ..
I think that anyone who is thinking about buying that first old amp or guitar should take the time to do the research and get some general info on the particular piece you are interested in . Go to the guitar shows , get a feel for what the fair market price is , educate yourself , there are thousands of vintage music stores all over the world , there are tens of thousands of web sites that buy and sell vintage gear , and of course there is ebay , which on its own has become the instant barometer of market value for old gear. Are there bad deals out there ? you bet , thats why you need to know what it is you are buying , but there are great deals to be had as well . Buying something unseen is always a crap shoot but you can increase your odds of not being dissapointed or worse ripped off, by dealing with reputable dealers who know what they are selling and can answer questions . Local classifieds and estate sales are other opportunities to find that vintage piece ..
thats the why and the where , how? , well you can buy a vintage tube amp for 50.00 to 10,000.... vintage guitars have gone through the roof in the past 5 years with 50's Fenders and Gibsons out of reach of most of us , so amps still seem like a pretty good deal at the moment . A Fender Champ or Vibro Champ from 64-82 is a great place to start , there are lots of them out there , prices range from about 200-700 dollars , the circuit design of the amp remained basically unchanged over that time just some cosmetic and changes in the woods used were the only major variances. So a late 70's champ is a relatively inexpensive entry point a couple of hundred bucks ..a black face vibro champ runs between 350-700 depending on condition and originality ..they do not go down in value , if you dont like it or want to move on you can always sell it and recoup your money and maybe even make a little ..they are indeed 5 watt wonders with legendry tone , great for small room practice , awesome for recording and gigable when mic'd through a pa , and when wired to a 2-12 closed back 4 ohm cabinet, mercy ...
As Nelskie said lots to consider ... , thanks Nelskie for your kind words . And Tone i agree with you I wouldn't get vintage for vintage sake either ..there is lots of great sounding gear out there , so its whatever floats your boat or in the words of Freddy Freak.."different strokes man, different strokes"..........6S9L