Fender Stratocaster electric guitar hit stores in 1954

Linda Hamer Kennett

The first electric guitar, invented in 1934, had an annoying hum which prevented it from being played at high a volume. Sixteen years later the Gibson Guitar Corporation, in collaboration with jazz guitarist Les Paul, would use double-coiled wires to cancel the hum and introduce to the world the Gibson Telecaster.

Gibson's main competitor, and to some its superior, was the Fender Corporation. Leo Fender, a onetime accountant and radio repairman, took up musical instrument manufacturing near the end of World War II.

It was he who is credited with making "feedback" a tool to be used by guitar players rather than an annoyance to be tolerated. With its high frets and light weight, the Fender Stratocaster hit the stores in 1954 and quickly became the guitar of choice for many performing artists.

Vintage guitars from both Gibson and Fender are sought by today's collectors. The sound of these guitars is the sound of the rock culture of mid-20th century America. Quality vintage electric guitars from these companies are consider by many to not only be instruments, but "functional art."

As with any commodity, supply and demand greatly influences value. Many of the most popular vintage guitars were produced in limited quantities.

For example, Gibson built only 643 sunburst Les Pauls in 1959. This guitar, which sold originally for $260, was bringing $50,000 in 1998. Ten years later, in 2008, it would not be uncommon to have to lay down in excess of $100,000 for this classic.

Provenance can send the purchase price of a vintage guitar through the roof.

Examples of this theory include the Fender Stratocaster, played by Jimmi Hendrix at Woodstock, which sold for $1,300,000 in 2003, and Eric Clapton's 1956 Sunburst Fender Strat (used to record the rock anthem "Layla”) which saw a record price of $469,500 on the same London auction. A guitar custom made for the Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia by Gibson recently sold for $957,500 and Eric Clapton's 1958 Gibson Explorer brought $124,500 when the hammer came down.

Vintage guitars can be an excellent investment for the cautious buyer, especially in the current soft market.

Watch for original hardware. Tuning pegs, bridges, and pick-ups have often been replaced. While upgraded hardware might make for better sound or playability, they minimize the value of vintage electric guitars.

Hardware needs to be solid and well-seated. Make sure the nut holds the guitar strings in place and doesn't rattle.

Always deal with a reputable dealer and ask if the tuning pegs are solid and hold true. The same goes for the bridge. Pick-ups should be shielded from electronic interference with either epoxy or wax. Loose neck joints won't handle string vibrations well and can rattle the neck of your vintage electric guitar. Some guitar manufacturers have glued the neck in place, providing a more solid connection between the neck and the body.

The quality of the wood used in the production of a vintage electric guitar is the key to the quality of its tone. Mahogany and maple are the most common woods of choice. For solid-body electric guitars, mahogany produces a warmer tone, and maple produces a brighter tone. Electric guitars that can provide an acoustic output should have a spruce top with a maple back and sides. Less expensive vintage electric guitars will be solid maple.

You'll also find tone woods such as ash, alder, and kornia. Rare, but available, are guitars from the 1960s made of Brazilian rosewood.

Whatever wood you prefer remember that a vintage guitar, even though scratched and dented, should always have its original finish.

In the mid-'60s, as demand increased, quality decreased with both the Gibson and Fender factories. Serious collectors tend to avoid guitars made after 1965.

Until next time – Linda.



Linda Hamer Kennett is an associate member of the International Society of Appraisers specializing in the liquidation and valuation of antiques and may be reached at 317-356-9067 or lkennett@indy.rr.com

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