Vintage gear that has a history is so much cooler

[Gearjoneser]

I've gone through a lot of gear as a musician, and also as a guy who's made it a big time hobby and business. Over the years, I've had some great vintage pieces go through my hands.....sometimes knowing a part of it's history, and even amazing history, but usually not. And that's a real bummer.

Sometimes, I wish people signed their most recognizable name or online handle in the cavity of their guitar, just so everyone in the future could trace it's ancestry. It would be cool if this were a common practice. I've even thought of writing what I know on a piece of paper left in the cavity or chassis of an amp, just to pass on some history.

What are your thoughts when looking at a well used vintage piece?
Does anyone have a good story about something they've owned or own?

 

[BrianS.]

Re: Vintage gear that has a history is so much cooler

I like knowing the history of old gear, and think it would be great if people did try to record some of that and keep it with the instrument/amp.

I recently purchased an old Traynor amp and was able to get the back story from the seller. I posted about it here, so there is some kind of record of it, but I should write it down and keep it with the amp.

A couple weeks ago I worked on a Vox guitar and amp from the mid 60s that were still in the hands of the original owner, and that was a neat story. Right now I have a 1964 Bassman amp on my bench. The customer purchased the amp mounted in some kind of homemade or recovered cabinet and had no clue as to what he really had...the story of that amp is basically erased from history...bummer.

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: Vintage gear that has a history is so much cooler

The only piece of gear I have with history (that I know of) other than my own is my MIJ Boss CE-2 that came from Indigo Ranch Studios. Indigo Ranch was a 60 acre property near Malibu owned by the Moody Blues, and the studio was famous for its scenery and massive collection of vintage gear. It was known for being a favorite of Bob Dylan, and also for being the "home base" of Ross Robinson, who produced lots of nu metal bands including Korn and Slipknot.

The studio closed, and all their gear was sold on eBay. I happened upon the auction when I was searching for a chorus. It was a bargain at $60 plus shipping. When I got the pedal, one knob was missing, the other broken, and the LED didn't work. None of this was a problem for me - I replaced both knobs with Boss knobs and the LED with a nice blue one to match the housing. It of course also has lots of paint chips as an old, heavily-used Boss pedal normally does. The tone is gorgeous, as you'd expect from an old Boss analog chorus.

The only indication of its history is the word "INDIGO" written in faded Sharpie on the back.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Vintage gear that has a history is so much cooler

I like the fact that I was able to find out the history of my ES-335.

I bought it from forum bro Lazarus1140 a few years ago and he had owned it from sometime in 68 or 69 and wilder than that he bought it from the original owner so despite the guitars long hard life I am only the 3rd owner!!!

Another cool story is my 1982 Moderne...I bought it form a local spot I used to love to go to when I was still in high school...I bought it on a LONG term lay-away and I literally sent them $100 every Saturday until it was paid off and then I went and picked it up.

The story is that when it was brand new in 1982 a Gibson collector bought it along with a matching Flying V and Explorer and kept them for quite a while but sometime in the mid 90's he sold the entire set of 3, which were all NOS never played and in MINT condition to a local shop. The owner plit them up in order to sell them easier and the Moderne sat for a while but then sold to a local guy that was in a country band...he loved it and bought it but brought it back less than a week later saying that the guys in the band said it was too funny looking to play in a country band. He traded it back in on a more country looking guitar, a few months after I bought it and that was that.

The nuts part comes late last year when I find a new music story in Atlanta and wonder in, I start talking to one of the guys on the floor and after a whiel we find out we know a lot of the same guys, shopped in a lot of the same stores, etc...

The conversation turns to guitars and he tells me that he used to have a great guitar and he just knew I'd like it...it was a 1982 Gibson Moderne that he bought then traded back to the store I bought mine from...I cut him off and asked if he was still upset that the guys in the band hated the way it looked...

His jaw dropped and then he asked, "Do you know what happened to my Moderne?"

I told him that I'd bought it right after he traded it back in and it was still in my collection where it was going to stay!

It was just very cool to meet the guitar that I'd heard about all those years before that very briefly owned my Moderne!

 

[BrianS.]

Re: Vintage gear that has a history is so much cooler

^Great story!

 

[d1dsj]

Re: Vintage gear that has a history is so much cooler

Whenever I see a piece of vintage gear I always wonder what kind of life it's lived.... where it's been, who it's seen, what type of music has it made, has it been modded... there must be some awesome stories. And then I see my gear and realise what a boring life it leads! :boggled:

 

[richard parker]

Re: Vintage gear that has a history is so much cooler

There was a very old Epiphone for sale in a local guitar shop. The owner of the shop was known to make trips to the States to pick up some interesting stuff. This guitar had a card attached explaining that for years it had been passed from various death row inmates to one another when their time had come. Can't remember which prison it was. It had a larger card to attract your attention saying SERIOUS MOJO.

 

[TattooedCarrot]

Re: Vintage gear that has a history is so much cooler

Sometimes, I wish people signed their most recognizable name or online handle in the cavity of their guitar, just so everyone in the future could trace it's ancestry. It would be cool if this were a common practice. I've even thought of writing what I know on a piece of paper left in the cavity or chassis of an amp, just to pass on some history.

If I had been doing that, just about everyone would own a TC guitar.

 

[Andrew Lamprecht]

Re: Vintage gear that has a history is so much cooler

Right now I don't have anything with a lot of history, at least that I know of. I have one of the earliest 59s to come from SD and that is cool but I know nothing of the history.

Once I had a small clone that Kurt Cobain had used on a tour. I am not a Nirvana fan but it was still interesting.

 

[Bludave]

Vintage gear that has a history is so much cooler

I have some vintage gear.
Mainly because I don't sell anything but I do buy a lot. I now have 32 guitars,7 amps and 3 pedalboards. Over the years I have some "vintage" gear but mostly I have stuff that speaks to me

 

[youngthrasher9]

Re: Vintage gear that has a history is so much cooler

Vintage gear with a story is cool. But IMO, it's nowhere near as cool as getting a trustworthy piece of gear and making the story yourself.