[gcd23]

I have heard that the old classic guitars from the 50's through 70's cost more than they did back in the day like a 59 Strat or a 60 gibson acoustic or what have you. My question is how do you know if the guitar cost more without taking it in to a shop to get looked at? Would a 2001 Taylor 314 cost more than a 2001 Taylor 314?

[dadfad]

I'm not sure exactly what you mean, but old vintage guitars go up in value. Generally only quality-made guitars (like Gibson, Martin, etc). I have guitars that new cost thirty dollars that I have been offered thousands for. Guitars like that are the exceptions, but guitars (quality brands) used to be made better, out of better woods with more care taken by more skilled luthiers. They are better guitars, and so demand has driven their values up (sometimes ridiculously so). Not all old guitars are worth a lot. If it was a crap-guitar in it's day, it's still a crap guitar (that being said, a crap-guitar many years ago was often as good as many higher-priced guitars being made now). Take Fenders for example, in the fifties and early sixties Fenders were cheap-guitars, made for people who couldn't afford Gibsons or Gretches, etc. They were all American made and pretty good quality. I paid $200 for my 1968 Fender Strat new. It's worth MANY times that now (although most of that value is based on demand/collectibility as opposed to quality). Even some of the cheapest 50s/60s guitars are becoming "collectible" more for nostalgic value than anything else (Danelectro, Del Rey, etc). Don't rule out the demand part of the equation in a guitar's value. It can be the greatest guitar ever built, but if no one wants it it isn't worth much (and the same is true with the reverse).

It's hard to tell with modern guitars. Taylor is a new company. There's no history yet of them becoming more valuable, although they might be. Same with Gibsons and Martins... although they have a history of becoming more valuable, the fact that they are now made in more of a mass-produced way might make them not as sought after as the much older ones are. You can't speculate with new guitars. Too many changes in production and society. Years ago few people played and even fewer could afford nice guitars. Nowadays a lot more people play, and the factories are churning out guitars as fast as they can. This probably won't help to make them valuable. Years from now, they might just be considered "old guitars". Don't buy one because you think it'll be worth more someday. Just buy it because you like it.

[gcd23]

Thanks for clarifying that for me. I do understand that if the guitar is crappy in the first place it won't cost much more with age but brands like Gibson, Martin, Taylor, etc was more of what I was talking about. But how long does it take before the guitar is vintage? Is there a certain period of time before its called vintage or is it the owner himself that determines that after a period of time? Even so is there a price guide for vintage guitars or is the price based on the sound of the aged wood? Sorry if I sound confusing, just curious about all this. If you can't help its ok also, I understand I'm asking too many questions.

[tapelator]

amen to that, it's all in the head, if you ignore it, you might end up with a best guitar for you.

new or old, a good guitar is a good guitar, my fender is new, but it captures the classic sound and with the new technology...

new produced guitars are good in technology imho...but i guess the workmanship isn't there anymore, which it has to count for something..

[dadfad]

The term "vintage" is relative, but generally meaning at least twenty-five years old. Usually more. Like wine, there are good and bad years, or eras of manufacture (for example, Gibson had a bad period from 1969 into the 80s, the company was bought by a company that cut costs, and quality). A 1969 Gibson acoustic isn't vintage, a 1969 Martin is. There are price guides. The value (selling price) of a guitar depends on the demand for that guitar. If it's a desireable guitar, the price is higher. If it's also a rare guitar, the price is higher still (Depression era guitars are rare because very few were sold because so few could afford them and so not many exist. That coupled with the fact that they were of exceptional quality, and therefore desireable, make them very valuable. There's a lot to it. The best way is to just see what guitars are going for around you. Play a few valuable ones and compare the differences. Check out prices at vintage shops (below my post, click the box that says "Card". That'll show you a web-site. Go to that web-site and near the bottom is a link to Elderly Instruments. They sell lots of vintage instruments there (as well as new ones) for some ideas on vintage prices. It takes a bit of time to get a good handle on what's vintage and why and the values given vintage instruments.

(And never worry about asking too many questions here. Everyone in this forum is usually more than willing to help when they can.)