For those with vintage instruments...Do you play them?

[Outlaws]

I have a 1980 G & L F100 hardtail with a very low serial number on it. It's the very first model of the first year that G & L was in business. The inside of the neck is hand-signed by Leo Fender, as he was the main designer of this guitar. The hardtails made up less than 10% of that first year production run of the F100, and only a small percentage of those hardtails were candy-apple red like mine, making it a pretty rare guitar. It's been my main axe since I bought it new in late 1980 and I don't think twice about gigging with it. This is one of my guitars that I will pass on to my sons, along with 3 or 4 others that I think are worth keeping.

I feel the same about my LesPaul Studio, Its Vintage 1996 , but all in all, it was an expensive guitar to me (I never thought I would own a real Gibson - and NEW to boot!), but I still take it anywhere I need a guitar. Its become beat to shit cosmetic-wise, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. Even now with my Martin D41, I would save my LP first without even thinking about it.

 

[Frank Story]

Quote -
"You wouldn't have had all those memories of every nick, scratch and worn place that was put on the guitar....THATS THE FUN PART!"

The answer to all this is to buy a Telecaster. Waylon Jennings used to say that it was the only guitar that he could use to fight his way out of a bar fight and still find it in tune afterwards!

 

[ggunn]

'61 Strat, purchased in 1978 or so. I play it every day.

 

[Fenderville]

..... 71 Telecaster .......



........ sigh ........


I have a 52RI does that count? LOL

 

[WERNER 1]

I've got a 64' SG Standard that I play on occasion.....it's got some dings here and there, but it's been appraised at between 5-6K ......I still like to play it though...

Now I just purchased a 50th Ann. Strat and I'm very protective of it for some reason........maybe since it doesn't have a scratch on it yet.

Funny thing about the SG.....

When I went to have it appraised here in St.Louis, the guy had it sitting on the work bench and as he was swivling it around to look down the neck it slipped out of his hand and crashed down on the work bench.........You could have heard a pin drop in there as there was about 15 people standing around oohing and ahhing over my SG. The poor guy didin't know what to say!

My SG:

 

[acorec]

1) I never said under glass or museum piece.

2) There's no abolute truth that the guy with the job can't be a collector and "real" player too, or that the "real" players can't afford fine instruments.

3) Just because monty has a Mexican Strat, it does not make other Mexican Strats harder to get or more valuable. Anything that's truly collectible, is way out of all our league anyway. None of us on this board are bidding on George Harrison's or John Lennon's guitar, or considering anything that's truly collectible. We're going to the Guitar Center and buying a "production" (i.e., mass produced) instrument. As finer instruments go, the next fine PRS is just as far away as your pocketbook or Visa card.

4) There is no direct impact to "real" players, (whatever that means), that someone might choose to "collect" guitars. None.

All this holier than thou "I'm above collecting I'm gonna play my guitar" is a lot of posturing. I'm above just collecting guitars, too. I'm a "real" player. I'm gonna play a different guitar every day of the week, if I want, and different ones the following week.

Dead wrong. The impact that collectors have had is to make ordinary guitars much more expensive than they were new. The collecting frenzy put Gibson and Fenders out of range for the avarage guitar player. I used to buy Les Pauls and Strats for $400 all day long before these money grubbing collectors drove the prices up sky high. The CBS Fenders that were laughed at and made fun of as not being "real strats" are now worth up to $5000. I guess age makes a CBS Fender better and some time in history time converted them into "vintage" guitars worth way too much $$$

 

[ggunn]

Dead wrong. The impact that collectors have had is to make ordinary guitars much more expensive than they were new. The collecting frenzy put Gibson and Fenders out of range for the avarage guitar player. I used to buy Les Pauls and Strats for $400 all day long before these money grubbing collectors drove the prices up sky high. The CBS Fenders that were laughed at and made fun of as not being "real strats" are now worth up to $5000. I guess age makes a CBS Fender better and some time in history time converted them into "vintage" guitars worth way too much $$$

I know what you mean. Every time I go into a music store I thank my lucky stars that I bought my Strat and Les Paul in the 70's.

 

[Nakatira]

I`ve got a german guitar "klira" made by hofner from the late 60`s that I never use, only use it for decoration.

And I also have a 12-string terada wich I use all the time.

 

[therage!]

I have a mid 1930's Martin ukulele and a 1965 Gibson ES 125.

Don't play the Uke much but the Gibson is sweet on slide.

 

[astoebe]

I have a 1956 Fender Bassman Dual Rectifier and geez louise it sounds good....I have to use it, it just sounds too beautiful....It is one of the most collectible amps around from what I hear, I kind of fell into it, one of the best things that has happened to me in my short life

 

[ggunn]

I have a 1956 Fender Bassman Dual Rectifier and geez louise it sounds good....I have to use it, it just sounds too beautiful....It is one of the most collectible amps around from what I hear, I kind of fell into it, one of the best things that has happened to me in my short life

'
Google as I might, I cannot find any reference to a Fender Bassman Dual Rectifier head. In a related question, is that what makes a Dual Showman dual?

 

[astoebe]

It's not a head, it's a 4x12 cabinet....it looks like this on the outside
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=home/search/detail/base_pid/480726/
however, i think in 57 they added a mid control....according to the tube chart mine is from 56 (plus is doen't have a mid control)....dual rectifier refers to the diodes/tubes that drive the speakers right? Anyhow, my uncle bought a house and contents after an old lady got taken to the old folks home and this was in it along w/ a 1958 Fender Duosonic (I sold that 'cause I wasn't real interested, and my uncle isn't interested in musical stuff at all). Anyways, my uncle said if I sold the guitar I could have the amp.....so I was pretty excited. The chassy (or however you spell it) is all original, but whoever had it had the tweed taken off and some vinyl put on. It looks cool, but I would like to get some tweed put back on it one of these days. It had some old Sovtek tubes which I replaced w/ JJ's....ummm.....anyways, I could take a picture of the inside if you want, it's kinda cool....alright, see ya'll later

 

[bongolation]

Not the all-original stuff that's worth over ten grand. That's moronic.

None of this stuff becomes that valuable because it's fantastic gear, but entirely because of collector's value -- and condition is all.

It's just freakin' stupid to play all-original, high-value gear and incur further wear and risk of damage. I have better modern axes anyway, so what's the point?

Really dumb people always give me a hard time about this, but let's just take a little side trip to Antiques Roadshow. You see all those obscenely valuable vintage toys they're always oohing and ahhing over? OK, what do you do if you find an $8,000 vintage toy truck in Grandpa's attic? Do you give it to your knucklehead kid to kick around out in the driveway?

I didn't think so.

He has better, more entertaining toys anyway.

It's exactly the same thing. I also have some less valuable vintage gear that I sometimes play, but it never leaves the studio.

 

[joethebaddog]

I played my '75 strat in '75 and it just kinda became a habit ! I bought a '74 Les Paul Custom a few years ago and I definately play it. I just don't let most other people handle those two. They can play with the Samick ( or the playstation, WHEE !). I don't think I'd want a guitar I was afraid to play.

 

[ggunn]

It's not a head, it's a 4x12 cabinet....it looks like this on the outside
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=home/search/detail/base_pid/480726/
however, i think in 57 they added a mid control....according to the tube chart mine is from 56 (plus is doen't have a mid control)....dual rectifier refers to the diodes/tubes that drive the speakers right? Anyhow, my uncle bought a house and contents after an old lady got taken to the old folks home and this was in it along w/ a 1958 Fender Duosonic (I sold that 'cause I wasn't real interested, and my uncle isn't interested in musical stuff at all). Anyways, my uncle said if I sold the guitar I could have the amp.....so I was pretty excited. The chassy (or however you spell it) is all original, but whoever had it had the tweed taken off and some vinyl put on. It looks cool, but I would like to get some tweed put back on it one of these days. It had some old Sovtek tubes which I replaced w/ JJ's....ummm.....anyways, I could take a picture of the inside if you want, it's kinda cool....alright, see ya'll later

It's a combo (amp and speakers in one package). The rectifier circuit is what converts the high voltage AC from the power transformer into the high voltage DC that the tubes take on the plates. There is a limit on how much current a rectifier circuit can handle, and at high volumes the power tubes can draw more than the rectifier can supply, so the voltage on the tube plates drops (sag). Some amplifiers put a pair of rectifiers in parallel (some have three) so that more current can be delivered and therefore there is less sag. At least that is the way I understand it; boingoman (or anybody knowledgeable) please correct me if I'm wrong.

Anyway, I've heard of Mesa and others with dual rectifier designs, but not Fender, except that there is a Fender Dual Showman, hence my question: is there a dual rectifier in a Dual Showman?

 

[snipeguy]

Play 'em all the time.......for twenty five years. Wouldn't have it ant other way. I'll never sell 'em.