Oldest I own is my 1965 Fender Musicmaster II

Oldest I've played was my dad's friend's 1957 Gibson Les Paul. The guy just hands it over to me like it was nothing, and I had a damn near heart attack cuz I was just starting out on guitar and the guy paid $80k for the thing so I had this undying fear it would just break in my hands and I would have to die by sword to restore my family's honor.

1954 Gibson Meliody Maker

[img][img]http://i419.photobucket.com/albums/pp271/paulgb/DSC00397.jpg[/img]1972 Electra bought it as junk and had it restored . Brass nut ,rosewood frettboard , active pickups run off 2 9 v batteries ,crazy wiring for splitting the pups .[/img]

The oldest i own is a 70s no name it looks almost identical to the one in the post above. It weighs a ton and screams pretty good. The oldest i've played and once owned is a 55 silvertone. Igave it back to my wifes grandad because it was too fragile to use and it need too much restoration for what it's actually worth.

Ha - me too!

This was my grandmother's guitar: she was a school teacher and I believe she used it for music lessons with the small kids. I had no idea what it was until Forum user Echo-Delta turned out to have one exactly the same and identified it as a 1920s Selmer, built in a factory in Charring Cross in London.

Not remotely a valuable instrument though, for all that:


Cheers - C

Oldest I have is Dobro from late 30's.

Like a lot of other folks here, the oldest guitar I own came from my Grandmother. It's a 1937 Kay acoustic that was given to my Grandmother by my Grandfather on their wedding day. Unfortunately the guitar isn't really playable any more as the neck is very warped (read as "banana") due to sitting in a gig bag, strung up sitting next to my Grandmother's furnace for many years. This instrument was pre-truss rod, so there aren't many options as far as repairing it goes...I could have it steamed but without a truss rod, eventually it would re-warp again. I've often considered pulling the fretboard and having install a truss rod...as it's only a Kay and not something like a Gibson or a Martin, there isn't much "fiscal" value to the instrument and she is a very lovely sounding guitar to say the least, but that keeps getting put off for other projects. Frankly, the idea of pulling a fretboard off an instrument that's close to 70 years old just scares the hell outta me (regardless of the financial value of the instrument). So basically it sits as a family heirloom and memento.


Sorry the pics aren't the greatest...I shot these long before I really started to take photography seriously. Either way, here she is...






Other than the neck, she's actually held up really well over the years...considering how she was stored that is. The finish has some obvious checking that you would expect from an instrument of this age and there are a few nicks here and there but otherwise, no cracks or damage or anything. I had replaced the tuning keys about 20 years ago in an attempt to make her more playable (the original plastic knobs had broken long ago) and my Grandfather had added the tail piece sometime back in the 40's. Being a wood worker, he was afraid the bridge was going to come off. I don't believe the pickguard is original either but I've never been able to prove it either way.

Again at this point she's just a wonderful family heirloom more than anything else. Some day I may go ahead and install a truss rod...I know it would have pleased my Grandmother to see this guitar back in use again, but I have a ways to go with my luthier skills before I'm ready to tackle that one.


Enjoy,
Jim

Oldest ever played - A vintage gut string classical guitar (1940's?)

Oldest ever owned - '54 LP TV Model.

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Being able to play and enjoy music is a gift that's often taken for granted.

Don't leave home without it!

Oldest played was a late 50's Gibson ES-135

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"I started out with nothing, and still have most of it"

Nothing really old for me. I bought both of mine new in 2008/9.

Oh the pic I posted was the oldest i own. the oldest i played was a Gibson arch top from the 30's or early 40's that a relative owns. I think it's a L4 but I haven't seen it for a decade, so not sure. i only got to see it once. It was as good of shape as possible, no scratches or dings, just checking in the finish, not sure if it was lacquer or shellac, back then.

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I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

Oldest acoustic i have played: A mid 40's Levin guitar from Sweden.
Oldest electric: '57 Hofner guitar.
Oldest guitar i have owned: late 90's classical guitar, but I am considering buying my cousins late 50's/early 60's Hagstrøm acoustic....

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It's a mix between Jazz and Funk, it's called "Junk"

The oldest I've ever played where I knew the age was a friend's 58 LP Goldtop. The oldest I've ever owned was a 66 Mustang and the oldest I currently own is a 73 Mustang.

My college roommate had an old Gibson acoustic and a Melody Maker that he said his dad picked up after Korea. I never verified the story though they looked old enough. If his story was right, then I've really played two that were 1954 or earlier. The only problem is that I got to try them for less than 10 minutes ... he brought them in because he'd sold them to someone else.

My father gave me his 1966 Telecaster. It was the guitar I learned on, and I still play it everyday just to let it know that I still care about it even though my Strat has replaced it as my main guitar... =P