Alas this era is well over...

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http://www.guitarmotel.com

Yep makes you sick doesn't it?
I just wish I had bought as many as I could have at the time....just really didn't want them...I had a nice Les Paul and a '65 Strat,a late '60s/early'70s Marshall 2X12 combo that got serious tones and a tweed Champ and a '66 BF DR....had all my bases covered.
All I have left of all those is the BFDR. plus a lot of stuff bought since then.
$300 was a lot to me in 1971.

Je m'excuse...I stand corrected..
But whaddya mean you don't own them all

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"C'est parti mon Kiki "

Do you mean a similar agreement as it exists in the classical string world
Where a gifted violinist like Lara St. John or Leila Josefowicz is loaned a priceless Guarneri,
or a Stradivarius for a certain period of time, then may be passed on to another deserving musician.

I'm not sure this would work all that well in the Rock/R.B. world. In classical, not too many players are seen bashing a Strad or guarneri around like so many guitarists abuse their instruments.
I would think a collector owner of a 56 Strat would say " Thank You..But No Thank You "

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"C'est parti mon Kiki "

i second scentence # 2

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"Blues, as a human you get it right"-

John Mayer
'84 MIJ(#1)
90's Samick S-Type (Slim)
Vox AD50VT-XL w/Footswitch
Peavy Audition Chorus 10 watt

Paris gave a pretty good explaination of price deviation.I have a small collection-28- of both vintage and newer guitars.I don't look at myself as the owner of these guitars but a temporary custodian of instruments that-I hope -will survive possibly centuries.
I absolutely abhor non-playing hoarders of beautiful guitars who keep them sealed and mute inside huge vaults and warehouses just in the hope of someday making a killing by selling them to some other non-playing collector for a huge profit.
As a caretaker of these instruments it is incumbent on me to keep these guitars as close to mint condition as possible in the interest of subsequent caretakers who want to know how beautiful and rich a particular guitar felt and sounded new.If properly cared for a guitar could last centuries as evidenced by some of the ancient Italian,Spanish and German models that survive to this day.As a lover of fine vintage instruments I can fully understand why the prices of some of these guitars are so high for they are very important artifacts of musical history and eras long gone.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

Pas besoin d'excuses bien sur

Yes, we are several collectors putting on line their own instruments.
When I say several, it's less than that; I'd say I'm not the only one...

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http://www.guitarmotel.com

That's a good point - where you are has a lot to do with pricing. Also true that acoustics, particularly pre-WWII Martins, were the real start of the vintage market.

Here in Louisville we also had a pretty good-sized used/vintage dealer; he was probably #2 to Gruhn here in the southeast so that drove prices here (Jimmy Brown is his name; his store is Guitar Emporium - they are still around but primarily do business with new guitars from Fender, Rickenbacker, and PRS these days).

I started in '79 so I just missed the real good deals; by that point 50s Strats were already going for $1,500. I've told this story before, but back then the mid-60s early CBS guitars were the "players grade" pieces. In 1985 I stumbled on a '67 (large headstock, transition decal) at the local Fender dealer in what we would call "mild relic" condition these days. Someone had put late 70s black plastic parts but the original parts were in the case. They want $600 for it. Of course at that time I thought it was just a used guitar and didn't want to go $600 for it; after all it wasn't a Pre-CBS and therefore couldn't be worth all that much. It turned up a month later at Guitar Emporium with the original plastic parts back on it for $875. Learned my lesson about not learning everything I can about the guitar market on that one.

Hindsight being 20/20, someone was probably looking out for the old guitar at that time; if I had bought it I might have routed it for a humbucker and slapped a Floyd on it.

Your last statement is sadly true,that happened to many old Strats "back in the day".
That is one reason why Strats were hacked,they were fairly cheap and they were easy to change necks on and make pickup swaps and mods and so on.
The ones stuck in the closets and under the beds are most of the pristine examples we see today. I saw a 1957 Gretsch in mint condition last year and the guy who now owns it said the guitar had only been out of the house once since '57 and that's when he bought it and took it home,the original owner couldn't play very much and was shy and never played it outside his home...it was in almost brand new condition.

I am a player not a collector.I just like the look and sound of some of the older guitars.I think they all should be played instead of locked away.I agree with some of the comments on craftsmanship also.I am a machinist and photographer with interests in anything made by a artist/craftsman.I have worked for places that mass produce and there is no joy in it.No sense of pride in what I made.On the other hand when I worked in smaller shops that made custom stuff for others there was a since of pride in figuring out how to make it and then getting it done.That's why I like vintage.I will keep looking for the one that talks to me in just the right way.But as for the high price ones a guy can dream can't he?

I would also like to say that I have been looking at a couple of new ones too.I am kinda interested in the american standard and the american special.Any comments on either?

Think that, globally, qualitywise, the modern FMIC guitars are much better than the vintage ones in their time.
and who knows what they will sound like in 2060
Alas not me

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http://www.guitarmotel.com

I've been impressed with the Road Worn Strats, but the necks need more attention to detail. The frets need a propper fret dressing. Over all they look, feel and sound great.

Paris