I would consider a 25 year old guitar to be vintage. That's about how old the original Fenders were in 1980.
Time eh? It bloody well refuses to stand still.
Really though, "vintage" is a meaningless word. To be vintage,a bottle of Champagne only needs a date on the label.
Goodonyaz ...Mark.

We agree on something!

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1984 Squier Contemporary Stratocaster
1986 Peavey Envoy 110
1967 Kingston Acoustic

I'll have to content myself with spelling it right.

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I have some Fender gear.
(Telecaster, Jaguar, Villager 12 String. Mustang l, Bronco, SCX2, Rumble 350, HRDIII, Rumble 2x8 Neo Cab)
http://www.reverbnation.com/modwiz

I thought that more opinions would chime in on this. Oh well...

Such is the nature and age group of the ones that did.

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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!

I've heard the 25- or 30-year rule of thumb, too; however, I think the word "vintage" has the connotation of something "special" or "better"--something that a rule of thumb may not necessarily support. I think part of the word has to do with the perceived "hey-day" of a manufacturer or a particular model.

Case in point: my 32-year-old G&L F-100 and my 29-year-old G&L Nighthawk are both excellent guitars from the earliest years of the company's existence, but many/most people wouldn't put them in the same category as an average Fender or Gibson, even though they're certainly better than the instruments that Fender or Gibson were putting out in that dark era. 

Connoisseurs of early G&L's assign these axes some honor and respect, but don't put much value on them as the (rare) G&L Broadcasters and the (less rare) early G&L ASATs are generally given rave reviews...even though those more "valuable" guitars were made later (1986 for the Broadcaster, 1987 and later for the ASAT) and in greater numbers (only 869 Broadcasters were made, unknown total of ASATs were made [they're still in production] versus 269 Nighthawks made in total). By numbers, providence and history, the F-100 should be somewhat valuable (one the first instruments made by the company) and the Nighthawk should be VERY valuable (one of the rarest of the rarebirds), but they're not referred to in the same hushed, reverent tones as the Broadcaster.

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Good Vibes To Y'all!



Screamin' Armadillos
Texas Roadhouse Music
Guitar/Slide Guitar/Harp/Vocals

My drummer has a 1979 Ibanez acoustic (formerly mine, but he bought it from me)--beautiful glossy black dreadnought with a wonderful balanced tone--rich without being boomy, bright without being shrill--but outside of collectors of early (earlier) Ibanezes (Ibanii?), very few people would assign any value or honor to the instrument.

Personally, I would never assign the word "vintage" to any of the pointy-headed shredder guitars like Kramer or BC Rich, but some of them are now 25 years old and older; conversely, the early aluminum-necked Kramers are rare and quirky enough to be assigned that honor (at least in my mind).

Nobody who was alive in 1982 will ever call a Chevrolet Chevette "vintage" or "classic"...but a similarly aged sports car might deserve it.

An original script logo MXR Phase 90 is very valuable and respected, but few people assign similar honor to the rarer "transition" Phase 90 (it had the "script logo" electronics but the "block logo" graphics)...just because a different silk screen was used on the casing.

So, by strictest definition, "vintage" is 25 or 30 years old...but there's a lot of stuff that fits that definition that doesn't necessarily deserve the title.

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Good Vibes To Y'all!



Screamin' Armadillos
Texas Roadhouse Music
Guitar/Slide Guitar/Harp/Vocals

Funnily enough, some people swear by the '77 or '78 transition Phase 90s, perfering their sound to the fabled '74/'75 script ones.

I just bought a Maxon PH-350.. newer school but certainly not "worse" than a vintage model.

I've noticed the same on the MXR Distortion + pedals without the LED behind the switch.

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

Don't leave home without it!

Vintage Schmintage. Vintage is just a term used all too often to embellish the description of an instrument that didn't get played much because it was (and remains) a dud. I'd pull the beat up '95 P-Bass that's been played within an inch of it's life over a pristine "Vintage" one almost without fail. Vintage is meaningless unless you follow "vintage" with the exact year anyway.

+1

cheers

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It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting - paulo coelho

Interesting...the urban dictionary defines it as...

"Too old to be considered modern, but not old enough to be considered antique. Often used to describe items for sale online such as ebay auctions or craigslist posts though may also be found in printed listings such as classified ads. Can also be a euphemism for "heavily used" items."

...and I never even typed "gear" into my search!

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

Don't leave home without it!