concerns about buying a 16 year old guitar?

[PallarAndersVisa]

as some of you know ive been dying for an RR1, and i finally got an email about someone who is selling a couple of them. one is s 1989 custom piece, and one is a 1990 regular RR1 I believe. I am totally interested and thinking about pulling the trigger.

my only concerns are these..... I plan on making this guitar my main axe. I know its 15-16 year old guitar, and I am a little concerned about how well its going to hold up in the years to come. I am pretty careful with my guitars, I've had my RR5 for over a year, and theres not one scratch or ding in the paint, and its my main axe. I take care of my shit, but does anyone else think I should be concerned about making an older guitar feel young again? I just dont want to spend 1000-1500 bucks on a guitar that will only hold up for another 2-3 years

[markD]

Re: concerns about buying a 16 year old guitar?

old guitars are great. sometime the tone mellows out. sometimes they are already scratched and beat up...don't sweat it. they'll hold up unless there is major structural damage, like a taped on neck or crooked super glued frets or something.

[Tetsuo]

Re: concerns about buying a 16 year old guitar?

It really depnds on you and your taste as long as the guitar is in good shape no issues really but if you like "New" things you are more than likely not going to be happy with the guitar IMO.

[StukaJU87]

Re: concerns about buying a 16 year old guitar?

My Gibson V is 24 years old and one of my Explorers is 29 years old. No problems with older guitars unless they are beaten and broken already, as was pointed out.

[~K~]

Re: concerns about buying a 16 year old guitar?

[ QUOTE ]
old guitars are great. sometime the tone mellows out. sometimes they are already scratched and beat up...don't sweat it. they'll hold up unless there is major structural damage, like a taped on neck or crooked super glued frets or something.

[/ QUOTE ]


That my friend is called mojo ..

[mudkicker]

Re: concerns about buying a 16 year old guitar?

I thought mojo only came with Charvel SD neck plates... [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[Ace]

Re: concerns about buying a 16 year old guitar?

I have a guitar that is 40 years old that plays BETTER than it did when it left the factory. Honestly for the most part I HATE new guitars. They are all sticky and shiny and pretty.

The last guitar I seriously considered buying was from 1969 and had the entire body re-glued from being broken in half. Half the finish was missing from the body and it had a sticker that had been on it for years... I seriously considered blowing off renewing my car insurance and paying all my bills for two moths to drop $1200 on the thing.

Right now I am looking into buying for my next guitar a certain model only made between 1979 and 1981.

Bottom line: new guitars, like new cars, suck. If you drop some serious money on a new guitar you can get a good one. Same as if you spend $120,000 on a new Mercedes. But just like you'll have more fun in a '56 Corvette than a '05 Corvette, I'll have more fun with a '65 Epiphone than I would with a '05 DXMG.

Guitars need to be broken in. One of the best playing acoustics I ever played was over 100 years old, and the longer I own my guitars the more comfortable they feel. All new guitars feel stiff to me, but when I'm in the shop and I pick up a well-loved guitar that's been played plenty, it just melts in my hands and my fingers simply let it sing me it's song. Every guitar has a soul, just like people, and the longer it's been around and the more use it's seen, the more soul it has.

[ApeDosMil]

Re: concerns about buying a 16 year old guitar?

I hate new guitars as well. They don't offer any vibe and you cry when it gets its first boo boo. [img]/images/graemlins/sick.gif[/img]

[hippietim]

Re: concerns about buying a 16 year old guitar?

[ QUOTE ]
That my friend is called mojo ..

[/ QUOTE ]

I thought mojo was in the Brand Name(tm).

[fett]

Re: concerns about buying a 16 year old guitar?

Why do you think these yahoos pay the big bucks for the old Strat-a-various'. As long as the intregrity of the guiat is there, old is always better than new. Wood takes years to mellow out. The electrics are better. (A magnet on a pickup loses about 10% off the bat, and then it takes another 300 years to lose the rest). Old is good and older is better.

[Manyaxes]

Re: concerns about buying a 16 year old guitar?

Ace, you've couldn't have said it better! [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/notworthy.gif[/img]

[charvel750]

Re: concerns about buying a 16 year old guitar?

Go for it, Grant!

[PallarAndersVisa]

Re: concerns about buying a 16 year old guitar?

hehe! yes!

[Newc]

Re: concerns about buying a 16 year old guitar?

I agree, Ace, but if a guitar has been put through hell, it loses its soul. I played an old ('69) Gibson Hummingbird in a shop that they only wanted $650 for. It was dead. It sounded ok, but it had no "life" and defintely no soul.
Then the guy tells me they had cut the neck off and reseated it. It was a good job, but it killed the guitar.
Meanwhile, I've got a Japanese-made Gretsch Dorado acoustic that NEEDS to have the neck reset, and needs new strings, but it's got a tone that's out of this world, and a lot left to sing about.

[83REDCHARVEL]

Re: concerns about buying a 16 year old guitar?

If the guitar is all its supposed to be why not buy it? ROXANN (my baby) is a very young 22 and she play the sweetest of sweet.If I could find another just as nice as she is I would not even think twice about buying one. Just dont tell ROXANN she might get her feelings hurt.