Dallas Guitar Show (pics attached)

Hi gang....

Just got back from prowling the 2006 Dallas Guitar "Festival" (they don't call it a show any more). Bought a few things (nice hand tooled El Dorado guitar strap, some replacement tone/vol knobs, etc) but really went to look. Prices for vintage guitars have skyrocketed on the same level as gasoline. That aside, saw some fabulous guitars - not many Japanese pieces.

That said, here is a little visual sample of my visit (comments below some of the images)


Special guest at the show






Peter Green's Les Paul - later owned by Gary Moore


Tokai TST 56


Thousand bucks for it....


Original 57 Goldtop. That's not yen folks, on the price


57 Closeup


Original 59 Strat - $48,000


Look that this old girl....


65 Strat - I bought one of these in museum condition about 6 years ago for $5,000. Nice return on investment, I'd say.

Thought I'd share these with you guys....

Marcus

may not be yen...yet. If a Japanese buyer got it, double that amout and expect to see it for sale in next months magazines here.

marcusnieman said:

Original 57 Goldtop. That's not yen folks, on the price

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Thanks for the pics, Marcus! I just saw a VHS tape with Larry Carlton and Lee Ritenour on the Newport Jazz Festival 1995 where Larry played a similar Goldtop over his Dumble. Of course he sounded the same as with his ES 335...

may not be yen...yet. If a Japanese buyer got it, double that amout and expect to see it for sale in next months magazines here.

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Interesting that you mention that - didn't see much of a contingent from Japan. The Japanese buyers usually have booths with nothing on display but lots of vintage guitars in closed cases stacked behind them - opened only during a sale or trade on the spot.

These shows aren't the things they used to be - it seems that people slap ridiculous prices on guitars and amps to see what the market will bear. But I really do enjoy seeing some of the true old originals - overpriced? You bet.....but they're still works of art.

marcusnieman said:

Peter Green's Les Paul - later owned by Gary Moore

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Now for sale again for a little bit more...

http://www.maverick-music.com/scripts/vintage-guitars.asp?idproduct=1211

Gary Moore's other original is for sale, too:

http://www.maverick-music.com/scripts/vintage-guitars.asp?idproduct=1214

Is Gary getting a little bit strapped for cash?

I remember reading all the stories about how he was sold/given the guitar by Peter Green. He is one of my all time favourite guitarists, so what a great opportunity to buy his old dog.... can anyone loan me $2,000,000
:lol:

cheers for the photos hans, wouldnt have heard of this otherwise

The vintage guitar market is getting a little crazy.

The vintage guitar market is getting a little crazy.

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Amen to that. It's no secret that vintage guitars have become appreciable investments - far out performing most other typical investment vehicles.

If you scroll up to the 65 Fender strat I photographed, you'll see the price is at $27K (most I've seen in this kind of shape are regularly in the $20K's). I bought a 65 in museum quality a few years ago for $5,000 - nothing else I've put money into (even the new kitchen I put in my house) will show that kind of return in the same amount of time.

But I've always said that a guitar is only worth what someone will pay for it - if and when you decide to sell it. Right now it's a chunk of wood and metal - I can't take it down to the car dealership and leave with a car or hand it over to the hospital to fund an appendectomy.

Where will the prices end, who knows. Never thought in my life I'd see a Les Paul sell for 5, 6 or 7 figures. I have a stable full of Japanese guitars but over the years I've had the foresight to buy a few vintage US guitars and amps because they are only going to go up in value. I keep them locked up and play them on occaision but for the most part, they stay put.

I remember reading an article, I think it was from VG magazine, where they were comparing the performance of the stock markets to the Vintage Guitar market.

They were suggesting that the only risk to the continuing rise in prices was that a lot of the expensive wood out there is soon going to have to transfer ownership to the next generation of collectors.

The question is whether the next generation is interested enough to sustain the spiralling prices of vintage guitars.

I have been going to the Dallas guitar show for years and it has become a sellers market. I haven`t seen a good deal at that show for 2+ years. That is why a lot of us play Japanese models now and I am afraid the price of those will keep going higher to. But I think the vintage market will cap and the next new thing will appear.
I would have a hard time paying $$$$$ ( I would not give a nickle) for a 3 bolt neck Fender Stratocaster. But people pay top dollar now.