$100,000 worth of vintage Gibson Les Paul guitars

First, a 1990's Fender Stratocaster made in Japan.

What a gorgeous blue. The year of the guitar wasn't mentioned on the card, but it's definitely a '90s Fender. Worth $1,000? Not to me.

This pair of '90s Fender Mexico Stratocasters, one 1996 and the other a 1999:

Both were priced exactly right, and both looked beautiful - especially the dark red one.

When I saw these two, I smiled because I remembered these things back when they were new in the '90s.

For a moment, I did consider buying one. It would have been a tough choice deciding which to go with. Heck, I probably could have bought the pair and talked the seller down a few hundred bucks just to get the guitars off his hands.

The reason I thought about getting them was that smile I had.

When I was looking at those super expensive, ultra rare vintage Fenders and Gibsons, I didn't get the smile. It wasn't the price that put me off as those vintage electrics are priced to what people will pay for them. Instead, it was the fact those guitars are not from my generation. Different time, different era and I wasn't even alive. I really can't identify with any of them on a personal level.

But for those Fenders from the 1990's, yes I can. I know those guitars. I remembered how cool they were and still are. When I touched the neck on one of them, the neck felt instantly familiar. The shape, the feel of the satin finish, all of it. This was a guitar I knew.

Why didn't I buy one? Because nostalgia isn't enough to make a sale for me. Maybe one day it will be, but not now. A $600 Mexico Strat from the '90s will probably sell for about $800 in 2025. Maybe I'll get one then.

Published 2021 May 4