GuitarPoint - Vintage and Custom Shop Guitars (2024)

FAQs

What is the most sought after vintage guitar? ›

Generally speaking, guitars from 1950 to the early 80s are considered “vintage” instruments. Among the most expensive guitars are vintage Gibson Les Pauls, Explorers, and Flying Vs, with 1958 to 1960 models fetching the highest prices.

Seven years later, Fender USA manufacturing, R&D and Custom Shop divisions, were moved to its present location in Corona, California. The Fender Custom Shop employs over fifty craftsmen and produces both custom one-off projects and limited CNC-tooled production runs.

The index guitars that cost $153,000 in 1991 could have been bought in 1980 for around $37,550 and in 1970 for around $15,100. Our experience has been that from 1963-75 vintage fretted instruments increased in value as much as 25 percent per year.

Custom guitars, also referred to as bespoke guitars, are typically made by a master builder. They carry out every step of the design and build themselves. As there are many complex steps in making a guitar from scratch, the master builder requires an array of skills and experience to produce a quality electric guitar.

What is a vintage guitar? While an antique is defined as an object over 100 years old, there's no strict chronological definition of what makes something vintage. Typically, though, guitars around 30 years old or older fall into that category, and even newer instruments will often be labeled as such by sellers.

Masterbuilt guitars can take 6 to 10 months, however some builders have up to a 4 year backlog due to high demand. The Music Zoo can get an accurate estimated build time for your Fender Custom Shop idea by submitting your specifications to our sales team for a free quote.

The average Luthier base salary at Fender Musical Instruments is $33 per hour.

Modification is just a no-go don't do it. Don't wrap the body for other pickups and don't refinish the guitar. Some vintage instruments can lose as much as 50% value from refinish, and there are some examples like this early Esquire that could lose maybe 70 or 80 percent of their value with a refinish.

In other words, the older wood becomes more stable and reaches equilibrium. These changes cause the guitar top to become dryer, and lighter and more stiff as it ages… the perfect recipe for an improving top. The lighter and stiffer a top is, the better it will sound if everything else is equal.

The majority of Gibson Guitars are made in the USA which means that higher labour costs are often incurred. This can be compared to Epiphone for example which are made off-shore and come in at a lower price-point to Gibson.

Do Fender Custom Shop guitars have serial numbers? ›

For years, serial numbers have been used in various locations on Fender instruments, such as the top of the neck plate, the front or back of the headstock and the back of the neck near the junction with the body.

Environmental regulations, labour controls, higher wages, materials procurement and market competitiveness mean there can never be a true return to the 1950s guitar making days. That being said, relative to monthly wages, a Fender Custom Shop guitar is only marginally more expensive today than a Strat was in 1954!

A quick Google or Ebay search of your make and model will show you what others are selling guitars like yours for. You can also consult the Blue Book of Guitar Values to see what it is worth. Another great resource is Vintage Guitar Magazine's Price Guide, which is regularly updated and available at Amazon.

Key Factors That Primarily Dictate A Vintage Guitar's Value

It all depends on its quality, rarity, and originality, to mention some. Here are some key factors that dictate a vintage guitar's value. Its Condition: An instrument in mint condition, with the original case and parts, is a sought-after find.