Over the weekend I read a very interesting article by Michael Albo in the Los Angeles Times regarding the vintage guitar market. Apparently the down economy has prodded some one-time investors in collectable guitars to cash out. This is good news for music stores that sell vintage guitars like one of the retailers featured in the article, Norm’s Rare Guitars in Tarzana, CA. (WARNING : SHAMELESS PLUG: a photo accompanying the article shows a teenager playing a classic Les Paul with the caption stating that “the appeal and cool factor of vintage instruments” isn’t lost on the young guitarist. The reference to my book is purely coincidental).
I have worked with Norm Harris over the years, mainly on his fund-raising concerts to benefit the Midnight Mission, one of LA’s oldest homeless shelters. The company I work for, Fender Musical Instruments Corp., has been a strong supporter of Norm’s events which have featured well known artists such as Bon Jovi’s Richie Sambora, REO, Los Lobos, John Mayall and many more. One even featured Tom Petty and his original band, Mudcrutch, who donated there first concert after they reformed after three decades to Norm’s fund-raiser. Norm has these relationships that he can call on for his charity because he is a trusted friend and the go-to guy for many artists who want to get the best quality vintage instrument, sometimes regardless of price.
For the boomer generation, it goes like this: we started out in bands in high school and if we were lucky, borrowed or saved up our money to purchase our dream guitar, most likely the ones that our heroes played. They would have been Fender Strats or Teles, Gibson ES335’s, SGs or Les Pauls, or maybe even a Martin acoustic that would have cost in the hundreds of dollars (lot a money back then). Then when rent was due, most of us at one time or the other sold those pieces, which are now looked at as the “Stradivarius” of Rock ‘N Roll instruments that collectors desire most and in the process of acquiring, drove prices up to the tens of thousands of dollars. If an artist eventfully became famous, they searched for models similar to the ones that they let go of. Most of the time, the boomer came into money through a successful career and just wanted to purchase a certain model for nostalgic purposes (a similar thing happened in the vintage car industry).
In my world, my folks bought me ‘65 Fender Jaguar just like the ones I saw the Beach Boys play. It cost them $390.00 which was probably at least a week’s salary for my dad. I loved that guitar and it actually accompanied me as I built my career in music, but when rent came due, broken heartedly, I had to let it go. But I didn’t sell every one of my guitars, or basses (I switched to bass when I realized there were hundreds of guitar players better than me, but a strong bassist always had work). In my entertainment room at home I still have my original ‘65 Fender dot neck Jazz Bass, ‘66 Gretsch Tennessean, ‘64 Hofner Beatle Bass, and even my very first guitar, a Kay hollow body that my mom bought off one of her neighbor friends for a whole 5 bucks. I guess I held onto these partly from the remorse of losing the Jaguar, but also because of what those instruments personally meant to me. Artists talk about the “soul” of an instrument, and some are downright superstitious. I remember an interview with Niles Rodgers where he discussed putting down his favorite Stratocaster guitar in favor of some newer guitars. He had so many hits with that original guitar, and he didn’t have another hit with the new guitars, so he went back to the Start - and you guessed it - another hit! Soul in an instrument can mean the tone as the wood ages and the pickups begin to lose their magnetism so that a weird transformation takes place that makes them actually sound better. I remember when the late Delaney Bramlett brought a 50’s Strat for me to look at that had once belonged to Duane Allman. Some of the master builders in our Custom Shop wanted to check it out, and at first glance it didn’t seem to be all that spectacular considering its pedigree. But once they plugged it in, they realized its “soul” contained one of the sweetest tones anyone there had ever heard.
I guess that’s the other part of the allure of vintage guitars. Who did it belong to? Were they famous? Did the guitar appear on a famous record, or in a legendary concert? Many guitars are well documented (Eric Clapton’s Blackie sold for just under a million dollars which “slowhand” donated to charity), but just the same, many a guitar’s historical significant remains locked inside, maybe never to be revealed with the only hint being the soul in that magic tone.
Happy hunting!
