Perhaps the most ubiquitous musical instrument in a home will be a guitar and then possibly a piano. The guitar has the singular advantage over a piano because of its portability and the fact that most popular music bands today usually have at least one guitar.
The guitar market itself is replete with glitzy looking instruments manufactured mostly in third world countries. However, there is a large market for the upscale instrument and especially those instruments that have attained almost mythic, classic status. These are normally older instruments and are typically very pricey.
What makes a Guitar a Classic Musical Instrument?
There is no straight forward answer to this question. In some cases, the classic status may be conveyed upon it because a famous performer typically played that type or brand of instrument, i.e., Rickenbacker guitars and the Beatles. In other cases, the guitar may have been related to a particularly important musical genre. Finally, the instrument may be of such high quality that many, over the years have acquired them because of the materials, workmanship and the reputation of the instrument relating to its playability and sound.
The manufacturer in and of itself is not nearly as important as the particular model or style. For instance, a new Martin D45 commands a price of over $4,000. This guitar is a steel stringed, acoustic guitar played by many of the top country and western performers.
A classic D45 might have been manufactured in the late 40s or 50s with the body fashioned from Brazilian rosewood. This is automatically a classic and will command a price well in excess of $10,000 (depending upon condition). This points up one of the best aspects of owning a classic instrument: they hold their value and usually increase in value over time and many amateur guitarists might consider purchasing a classic for its playability and resale value.
The Top Acoustic and Electric Classic Guitars
In the acoustic "Flat Top" guitars types are:
- Martin D18, D28, D35 and D45s. Any of the older model years (Brazilian rosewood)
- Gibson J200 (1950s, 1960s model years), Gibson Humming Bird 1960,
- Epiphone acosutic guitars from the 1960s
- Taylor Model 810 - 1978
Among the best known electric guitars include:
- D'angelico Guitars(1932-1964) Among the finest "F" hole and hollow body electric guitars
- Gibson ES models from the 1950s and 1960s and 1960s ES series semi hollow bodies, Gibson Super 400
- Fender Jaguar, Fender Stratocaster (Fender Strat) 1960s era
- Gretsch Country Gentleman (1960s)/Chet Atkins Models
- Rickenbacker Guitars 1960s era
Certainly, some very fine guitars, destined to be classics are made today. For example D'Quisto guitars, Mortoro Guitars, Buscarino, and Benedetto Guitars are among the finest instruments available today. As the desire to possess beautiful and fine instruments continues, the market for classic guitars will continue to evolve and prices will continue to climb.
Nick Schklair - Nick Schklair, author, writer and business consultant has published a work on business startups in today's economy.
