$100,000 worth of vintage Gibson Les Paul guitars

Quick question: It's 2021 at the time of this writing. What year was it 50 years ago?

Answer: 1971.

You really, really need to know this before even thinking about buying a vintage solid body electric guitar.

Most guys regardless of age don't take into consideration that buying anything made before the 1970's is over half a century old.

Again, these guitars are for collectors and not players. The main reason to own any of those high-value vintage electrics is pride of ownership. It's not about the sound, how it feels or how it plays. It's all about owning it.

Consider owning one of these vintage electrics the same as owning a vintage Rolex Submariner wristwatch. It's a working watch that can be used if desired, but it's the ownership of the item that matters more than anything else. Most of the time you keep that watch tucked away safely and just wear a modern Seiko regularly as your daily.

Similarly, sure you could own the real-deal vintage Gibson, but like the Rolex, it's used sparingly and kept tucked away most of the time. Again, it's all about the ownership. Your regular player is something like a Schecter Solo-II that is obviously much newer and you don't have to baby it.

If you have really deep pockets, the seller of those big-value vintage electrics by the way is a Texas shop, Jimmy Wallace Guitars. No, they did not pay me to say that.

And what were the best guitars I saw at the Guitar Festival? I'll show you.

Published 2021 May 4