Overrated vintage guitars and your own experience with them

[Blazer]

I'm sure we all know the stories of "This-brand-was-at-their-best-in-this-period-because-of-them-using-those-materials-and-using-these-kinds-of-pickups-making-them-better-than-that-brand-that-was-going-through-a-very-bad-period-because-of-management-issues-and-poor-quality-control" with which the guitars of a brand are being sold for high prices and everybody praises them into heaven.

But let's talk about the instances where we found out for ourselves that most of that actually is a load of hot air. And the instrument failed to live up to it's reputation.


In my own case it involved an Ibanez Les Paul Copy from 1977, it had the works: the post-lawsuit headstock, the correct square butt-neck, the super 70 humbuckers and was original down to the tiniest screw. The kind of guitar everybody says was better than the real thing, a collector's dream...

...a complete nightmare.

Because the stock tuners would slip constantly, those fabled "Super 70" pickups sounded aweful, squeeling and mircrophonic, the bolt on neck shifted in the pocket. "Better than a real Gibson" my ass!

In order to make this guitar work I replaced the pickups with Dimarzio Humbuckers and the tuners with Schallers and I used grazy glue to keep the neck from shifting... ever again! And when I sold it the guy buying it was calling me crazy for having performed all those mods, in his opinion I "Defaced a work of art", in my opinion however I made a usable guitar from that piece of shit.

Nope for me that guitar was a wake-up call, most of those claims they make are false.

[shobet]

There will be lemons and diamonds amongst whatever products you're looking at.

[Cygnus X1]

You got a dud.
(Obviously).

I have played quite a few 70's Ibby's...very nicely built guitars!

[SEEGERMANY]

Maybe I mis-read or perhaps mis-understood, but the picture you posted was a "post lawsuit" Les Paul. The picture above is a "lawsuit" LP and I'll take every one you care to send my way!

[straycat]

He did say post lawsuit.
Most overrated vintage guitar I have seen was a Fender strat.IIRC it was a 58-59 and it sounded like canned ass and played like a 2X4.

[jgcable]

I played an old 1965 Fender Mustang that was a complete turd.
I have also played several vintage late 60's early 70's strats that were virtually unplayable and sounded like ass.

[Bengal65]

Well, I can't really say. I've never been into the vintage thing because a guitar is a guitar, and wood varies. You can have a great or crappy sounding new guitar or a similar experience with a vintage "desirable". I'm real happy with my reissues with all the makes.

[MetalHeadMat]

I don't know if this was just your experience story but hey I'll chip in:

In the summer I bought a Dean Dime Slime ML, in the coming months it came from nice guitar to piece of shit. Eventually I hated teh feel, sound, and even the Floyd Rose! Everyone I knew loved these Deans, so I told them to try mine out and eventually they hated them. I hear the Dean From Hell (Lighting Bolt One) had a better neck and sound, but I dunno.



*Edit* Yes I found the edit button

[straycat]

I had an 81 Dean V (blueburst)that was an excellent player I kick myself for selling it.
Had a newer import white gold V thats was great as well.Traded it for a Jackson and ended up with some thing I really wanted.
The vintage market is more for the avid collector not the player.You can find some killer players tho'.
Hell I love the old vintage MIJ L.P. copies like the 70's Cortez in my avatar it kicks ass in a big way.Paid $100 approx.

[Grandturk]

My first guitar (a loaner) was a 70's Japanese LP copy. It was utter crap - trying to play that thing probably set me back three years until I "got serious." I need to find a pic of it, because it even had the lawsuit headstock.

So no, I would not support the idea that LP copies of that era are "better than..."

Now, for some other gems in my travels:

- early Ibanez Artists - these are typically well-favored. I've played a bunch, and every one has been a lead turd.

- 70's big headstock strats - there's a reason why they retooled in the 80's - these things were (and still are) crap. I can't believe the prices they're getting today.

[heartfielder]

Turk,

I have to disagree with you regarding the Ibanez Artists. I've owned three and they were all excellent players and sustained for days. Extremely well-made. Here's one of the best guitars I've ever played:

[Blazer]

I owned a 1981 Ibanez Artist and it was a wonderful guitar aside from the fact that it weighed a TON.

For the sake of my personal health I sold it.

[85 San Dimas]

Well, in my experience ( I have a couple of old Ibanez guitars-destroyers in fact) that the set-neck Ibanez models from 75-85 or so are excellent a compare favorably to most anything you want to pull out. The sounds is a tad different due to the wood but they are well made guitars. The bolt-ons are more hit and miss but a good one is a good one on those. I thought it was shame when Ibanez rolled the rent money on the jem guitars. They're fun, attractive, and I guess its what they needed to do business-wise but the craftsmen from the 70's and 80's could really build set necks and they were hal the price of Gibsons. On top of that a lot of Gibsons of that oeriod had maple necks which most don't like the sound of. I wouldn't sell my "Korina" destroyer, or the Collen DT-555 but again both are set necks.

[SEEGERMANY]

Hey Paul, didn't Steve Miller play an Artist during the 1970s? By the way, thanks for calling the other day! It's so cool to visit with people that experienced the music scene during the 70's much like I did.

[MetalHeadMat]

Well, in my experience ( I have a couple of old Ibanez guitars-destroyers in fact) that the set-neck Ibanez models from 75-85 or so are excellent a compare favorably to most anything you want to pull out. The sounds is a tad different due to the wood but they are well made guitars. The bolt-ons are more hit and miss but a good one is a good one on those. I thought it was shame when Ibanez rolled the rent money on the jem guitars. They're fun, attractive, and I guess its what they needed to do business-wise but the craftsmen from the 70's and 80's could really build set necks and they were hal the price of Gibsons. On top of that a lot of Gibsons of that oeriod had maple necks which most don't like the sound of. I wouldn't sell my "Korina" destroyer, or the Collen DT-555 but again both are set necks.

San Dimas... Will you sell me your Geroge Lynch? If not lol, but how is it (like feel, sound, etc.)