What is vintage
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Journalist for Axe and author of:
The Gibson "P.A.F." Humbucking pickup: from myth to reality Pickups, windings and magnets: and the guitar became electric |
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Sometimes I get the impression that if you tell someone that their guitar is not ‘vintage’ but just ‘old’, they take offense.
Even though the market now seems to define as ‘vintage’ every guitar with a few decades on its back, I insist on sticking to the definition that George Gruhn gave: “To be defined as ‘vintage’ an instrument must be at least twenty years old, have a certain historical importance, represent constructional excellence for that model and present innovative aspects for the period in which it was conceived, as well as being in good condition (playable) and possibly with all original parts. All copies, reissues, re-editions of any kind are excluded.” |
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In practice, what counts for each model is the importance it had in the evolution of the instrument, the influence it exerted on other manufacturers or the fact that it represented an era. For example, apart from the shape, a Flying V or an Explorer technically have no innovative features that were not already present on other models, but they have become much imitated rock icons and are relatively rare, so they fall into the category. I understand that this may sound restrictive, but it is a clear definition based on objective criteria even if it does in fact reduce the definition to the original series only. This does not at all mean that if a guitar does not fall within the prescribed criteria it is to be thrown away. Nothing prevents a copy from being absolutely excellent, from a functional point of view.
Books by Mario Milan
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There are models that, even if they do not fall under any of the criteria mentioned, are collectible, for aesthetic reasons, rarity, association with famous people, such as, for example, the Les Paul Artisan with the banjo-style fretboard decorations or other very limited edition models, but that is another matter, you can collect instruments on the basis of color or any other criteria.
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In conclusion, when you see an instrument for sale advertised as ‘vintage’, before putting your hand in your wallet assess the objective characteristics, playability, tone quality, conformity to your needs and check that the definition makes sense and is not simply an excuse to increase the price, which should simply be based, for instruments that do not fall into the category of true vintage, on the law of supply and demand, not on improper blazons. If you like a guitar, don't look down on it if it can't be called ‘vintage’, it can still sound good and become your favorite.
