Cheapest way into a vintage offset?

Discussion of vintage Jazzmasters, Jaguars, Bass VIs, Electric XIIs and any other offset-waist instruments.
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marqueemoon
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Re: Cheapest way into a vintage offset?

Post by marqueemoon » Fri Apr 02, 2021 6:00 am

graceless wrote:
Fri Apr 02, 2021 12:35 am
Have I lost my mind...a refin '58 for 13k

Image
Saw that. Pretty sure there was a thread on the rehab work on this one here.

I just don’t get it. I’m sure it’s a perfectly fine instrument and maybe a really special one, but that price is bonkers.

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Re: Cheapest way into a vintage offset?

Post by graceless » Fri Apr 02, 2021 9:23 am

Axolotl wrote:
Fri Apr 02, 2021 3:25 am
Hold my beer...
(it's a refin too)

Image
LOL.

No mustang on earth is worth that price
(yet) :D

marqueemoon wrote:
Fri Apr 02, 2021 6:00 am


Saw that. Pretty sure there was a thread on the rehab work on this one here.

I just don’t get it. I’m sure it’s a perfectly fine instrument and maybe a really special one, but that price is bonkers.
I do not like this trend of re-fins going for the same thing as an original. I don't care how expertly 'crafted' or 'massaged' the guitar is - it's like saying a vintage car with new paint and a new interior is worth the same as an original in great condition with original paint and parts. Ugh

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Re: Cheapest way into a vintage offset?

Post by marqueemoon » Fri Apr 02, 2021 10:20 am

graceless wrote:
Fri Apr 02, 2021 9:23 am
Axolotl wrote:
Fri Apr 02, 2021 3:25 am
Hold my beer...
(it's a refin too)

Image
LOL.

No mustang on earth is worth that price
(yet) :D

marqueemoon wrote:
Fri Apr 02, 2021 6:00 am


Saw that. Pretty sure there was a thread on the rehab work on this one here.

I just don’t get it. I’m sure it’s a perfectly fine instrument and maybe a really special one, but that price is bonkers.
I do not like this trend of re-fins going for the same thing as an original. I don't care how expertly 'crafted' or 'massaged' the guitar is - it's like saying a vintage car with new paint and a new interior is worth the same as an original in great condition with original paint and parts. Ugh
Easy for me to say since the vintage gear I have I bought 20 years ago, but most vintage stuff has been in “not worth it” territory for me for a while now. I honestly doubt that even if I could afford it I would not re-buy guitars I own for the prices they go for now.

A high quality setup and good pickups and electronics go a very long way in making a guitar great. CNC machines do a great job with cutting things straight and with tight tolerances. The quality of materials and experience of the builder matter a lot, but guitars these days are very good.

Vintage guitars can definitely have a vibe, and I don’t think Custom Shop instruments fully capture that, but how much does it really matter for the purpose of making music? I even think there’s a bit of truth to the “guitars have songs in them” thing, but it’s no substitute for putting in the work.

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Re: Cheapest way into a vintage offset?

Post by Highnumbers » Fri Apr 02, 2021 10:41 am

I think these things have sailed well past their intended purpose of "making music" a long time ago.

You can make music on a $300 Squier Jazzmaster. A $20K '58 Jazzmaster is a collector's item, period.

I don't like it either, but that's apparently the reality we're dealing with.

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Re: Cheapest way into a vintage offset?

Post by graceless » Fri Apr 02, 2021 11:03 am

marqueemoon wrote:
Fri Apr 02, 2021 10:20 am

I even think there’s a bit of truth to the “guitars have songs in them” thing, but it’s no substitute for putting in the work.
Ha, one of my favorite stories in my 20-year + musical journey was a trip to Norman's Rare Guitars where Michael Lemmo played a vintage guitar I had been eyeing for months - he demo'd it right in front of me. Ironically, it was watching him play - never mind, absolutely shred that thing right in front of me that convinced me I didn't need the guitar, I needed to spend more time practicing. He made sounds I didn't even think were possible, and he was just plugged straight into an amp, with no effects other than some reverb. Seeing that in person showed me that 1. internet marketing videos are incredible at telling us we "need" something to sound good, and 2. that dude could absolutely MELT a squier and it would sound 98% as good (if not the same) as that 1960 Fender he was playing. It's all in the hands and seeing it in person is just something else entirely compared to youtube.

That being said - where is the collector value in a refinished, refretted, re-necked guitar? Get lost, internet flippers :D

If you're a player, you don't care, if you're a collector - you want the real deal. Who tf is buying these re-fins?!

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Re: Cheapest way into a vintage offset?

Post by bterry » Fri Apr 02, 2021 2:29 pm

^^^ people who don’t know any better, unfortunately. I guess it’s true what they say about a fool and his/her/their money.

As long as original vintage examples slowly eeek out into the market prices are going to remain ridiculous for refins and beaters. Gotta be honest, though - I’ve spent the better part of the past 25 years hunting my Jazzmasters down so you won’t be seeing any of mine for sale anytime soon!

My bet would be as soon as we see 4 or 5 gold guards back up for sale at the same time we’ll continue to see this kind of bullshit on the regular. It will happen, though - if you can think back to 12-18 months ago there were many gold guards available and folks were having a hard time selling them for $10k. Supply V demand, plain and simple. I do think prices will stay higher than they were but we should see a correction that isn’t altogether insignificant.

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Re: Cheapest way into a vintage offset?

Post by adamrobertt » Fri Apr 02, 2021 2:45 pm

Highnumbers wrote:
Fri Apr 02, 2021 10:41 am
I think these things have sailed well past their intended purpose of "making music" a long time ago.

You can make music on a $300 Squier Jazzmaster. A $20K '58 Jazzmaster is a collector's item, period.

I don't like it either, but that's apparently the reality we're dealing with.
Yeah, agreed.

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Re: Cheapest way into a vintage offset?

Post by Mechanical Birds » Fri Apr 02, 2021 8:15 pm

Is it just shitty piled on shitty to message those people and tell them to feel bad for doing such blatantly ridiculous shit like that? That Mustang is the craziest thing I’ve ever seen

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Re: Cheapest way into a vintage offset?

Post by bterry » Fri Apr 02, 2021 8:41 pm

Mechanical Birds wrote:
Fri Apr 02, 2021 8:15 pm
Is it just shitty piled on shitty to message those people and tell them to feel bad for doing such blatantly ridiculous shit like that? That Mustang is the craziest thing I’ve ever seen
I kinda think it is, yeah. They own it, they can ask whatever they want for it, obviously. The values of guitars are almost completely market driven (like everything else if we’re talking US economics) so values are entirely relative. Besides, that’s what threads like this are for :)

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Re: Cheapest way into a vintage offset?

Post by shoule79 » Tue Apr 06, 2021 12:24 pm

I’ve owned around a half dozen vintage guitars over the years, including a couple Mustangs (a strat, Rick, Guild, an SG, a Junior, Les Paul, Silvertone and Harmony). I still own the SG, but it would be gone at today’s prices if my wife didn’t like it.

I’ve had a couple chances on a couple 60’s jags and a JM lately, but passed because they objectively weren’t any better than my contemporary versions.

I wouldn’t be adverse to another vintage guitar, but am not going out of my way for one either. But I do get the appeal. It’s just getting pricey to try something out these days.

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Re: Cheapest way into a vintage offset?

Post by CivoLee » Tue Apr 06, 2021 9:20 pm

bterry wrote:
Fri Apr 02, 2021 8:41 pm
Mechanical Birds wrote:
Fri Apr 02, 2021 8:15 pm
Is it just shitty piled on shitty to message those people and tell them to feel bad for doing such blatantly ridiculous shit like that? That Mustang is the craziest thing I’ve ever seen
I kinda think it is, yeah. They own it, they can ask whatever they want for it, obviously. The values of guitars are almost completely market driven (like everything else if we’re talking US economics) so values are entirely relative. Besides, that’s what threads like this are for :)
I think one should at least be able to call out bidders/buyers that buy things (not just guitars) for more than what they're currently worth and unfairly raise their value out of reach for the "average" buyer, but I guess that's a different topic...

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Re: Cheapest way into a vintage offset?

Post by rank » Wed Apr 07, 2021 1:26 pm

I feel like every answer has already been given so I will just add some sarcasm: cheapest way into a vintage offset? Buy a Squier & wait 20 years.
We are merely moving shadows.

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Re: Cheapest way into a vintage offset?

Post by bterry » Wed Apr 07, 2021 8:55 pm

CivoLee wrote:
Tue Apr 06, 2021 9:20 pm
bterry wrote:
Fri Apr 02, 2021 8:41 pm
Mechanical Birds wrote:
Fri Apr 02, 2021 8:15 pm
Is it just shitty piled on shitty to message those people and tell them to feel bad for doing such blatantly ridiculous shit like that? That Mustang is the craziest thing I’ve ever seen
I kinda think it is, yeah. They own it, they can ask whatever they want for it, obviously. The values of guitars are almost completely market driven (like everything else if we’re talking US economics) so values are entirely relative. Besides, that’s what threads like this are for :)
I think one should at least be able to call out bidders/buyers that buy things (not just guitars) for more than what they're currently worth and unfairly raise their value out of reach for the "average" buyer, but I guess that's a different topic...
You can do whatever you want to, of course - I think it’s misguided but that’s just my opinion.

What’s a refin gold guard currently worth and why, by the way? What’s an all original one worth? If a GG Jazzmaster is worth $18k to someone else but only $12k to you, who’s right? Who’s average?

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Re: Cheapest way into a vintage offset?

Post by rbrcbr » Thu Apr 08, 2021 4:34 pm


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graceless
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Re: Cheapest way into a vintage offset?

Post by graceless » Fri Apr 09, 2021 9:11 am

rbrcbr wrote:
Thu Apr 08, 2021 4:34 pm
Dear lord...

https://reverb.com/item/39836720-1962-f ... t=39836720
$8.5k for a '62 jag. Good god.

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