Vintage guitars

[dave robinson]

Does anyone have experience of these wonderful guitars ?
This week I purchased a white Les Paul, gold plated, Wilkinson parts and PAF humbuckers. Before I bought it we took my mates real Gibson Les Paul Custom into the shop and asked if I could compare the two. Both are solid mahogany bodies with no maple top, with mahogany jointed necks with rosewood boards.
The test was simple, just to play a few licks and chords on clean and dirty settings on both guitars using the same amp, in this case a new Hughes and Kettner 60w combo. Each of the guitars were set identical for A/B tests and they were 99.9% identical in all areas - except the price. The Gibson Les Paul Custom today will cost £2999.00 and I was charged for the Vintage V100aw £256-36. I have a real Gibson Les Paul with P-90s that sounds good, but my Gibson SG Standard doesn't compare to the equivalent Vintage model and I'm seriously thinking of selling or finding better pickups for it. The problem is that Gibson have changed from the PAF pickups to something they say is an improvement, but I can't agree as I sold on my ES-137 earlier this year because I didn't like the sound - it had those same 'improved' pickups on as the SG.I believe they are called 490R & 498T, whatever happened to PAFs ?
Anybody had similar experience, if so I'd be interested to hear.

[JimN]

About a year ago, I borrowed a Vintage (Wilkinson) "Lemon Drop" model copy of the LP for a jam night. The owner is a Vintage endorser and is provided with instruments either free or at a much reduced price.

I have three Gibson Les Pauls and I found the Vintage guitar to be the equal of any of them as a player and for sound.

I was staggered by the quality.

[RayL]

Agreed - and not just solids. Reasonably-priced electro-acoustic 12-strings aren't that easy to find (especially with a playable action) and I finally found this one a few years ago way up in the North (that's High Barnet, at the far end of the Northern Line). Plays well and sounds good (Shadow pickup).

Vintage 12-string.JPG

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Ray

[Billyboygretsch]

I bought a Gretsch 5570 a few years similar to a Duo Jet. Build quality / feel better on the 5570.
I really believe the quality of new guitars from many countries is of high quality and better than many of the vintage guitars being offered. If you remember Fender and Gibson suffered from terrible quality problems in late 60s early 70s
Modern guitar manufacturers have some amazing manufacturing tools and computer technology to ensure quality and design is repeatable and consistent. Much of this equipment is used by all the modern manufacturers.The only thing with this is many modern guitars have lost their individual character.
I was one of those who looked down on the "cheaper manufacturers" and went for the "quality" manufacturers". This is now almost the reverse.
On this site many have been swayed to to G&L on quality and value. The Gretsch Corvette 111 I purchased is probably of better build quality than the ones from the 60s at a fraction of the price.
The availability of parts and knowledge,now available, allows for fine tuning to get exactly what you want.
I am really nervous of paying a lot for a guitar I have neither seen or played. The "vintage guitar market" is a minefield with so many fantastic luthiers and specialist equipment available to the less honest. I am sure I have seen more 1959 Gretsch available than were probably ever made.
This is not to say the real genuine vintage do not have a place - I love mine

[dave robinson]

Just to add to what I discovered when comparing, a friend came round with his 2004 Arctic White Gibson Les Paul yesterday and he was stunned how my Vintage equalled his own guitar in playability and tone. The Les Paul with which we did the comparison in the shop was a 1979 model that is still in showroom condition. One difference is that each of the Gibsons' weigh 11kg and the Vintage weighed in at 9.9 kg. I'd be interested to know wher the difference in weight came from, but that said, my Gibson Les Paul weighs in at 10kg.

[Graham S]

One difference is that each of the Gibsons' weigh 11kg and the Vintage weighed in at 9.9 kg. I'd be interested to know wher the difference in weight came from, but that said, my Gibson Les Paul weighs in at 10kg.

Dave, surely you mean Ibs not Kilo's.
Graham.

[Mikey]

Reasonably-priced electro-acoustic 12-strings aren't that easy to find (especially with a playable action

Vintage 12-string.JPG

Ray

I like the look of that. I have my Burns D6 but an acoustic 12-string is always nice to have.

[negninegaw]

Are Strat models just as good?

[David Martin]

You may recall, Robbo, that I posted on Facebook about acquiring a Vintage VVTA 60 Flying V...

The recommended retail on them was £379 I think... I paid £179 via Ebay for a guitar from HW in Lancashire because I knew them to be reliable. The guitar is absolutely fabulous straight out of the box, with a superb setup and fret job. Plays and sounds great... as this one is destined to be the basis for something really special in the modifications dept, I just bought another one on Ebay through an auction from toms19 in Sunderland for £107 plus delivery - it looks like he has bought the lot, 'cos he's offering a couple on auction + delivery and a couple on Buy Iy Now for £145 inc delivery... again, a splendid guitar...

The pickups are the Wilkinson pickups as described above - I believe them to be PAF alikes. The Gibson pickups you mention are ceramic and are likely to sound rather more pointed than PAFS but will take big gain better...

I'm a fan of Gibson Burstbuckers as fitted to the VOS Custom Shop Les Paul Standards, and, if you want something beefier - but not sterile like the 490 etc - Seymour Duncan SH-5 http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/electric/humbucker/medium-output/sh5_duncan_cust/

[dave robinson]

I do recall that Flying V David but had missed that it was Vintage. Thanks for the heads up on those pickups, I have to decide whether to find some pickups to suit it or get rid. This Vintage Les Paul has really impressed me as it is so close to the real thing and has the sound I associate with that guitar, I love it for that style of music, just as I do the Strat for our stuff.