Buying Used/Vintage Guitars As Investments

One of the main reasons for the gov’nor founding Guitar Village was and still is his passion and interest in used and vintage instruments. Equally before I was employed at Guitar Village I used to love visiting the shop and drooling over the cool rusty stuff you just wouldn’t see anywhere else – most major shops have Gibson Les Paul Standards not everyone has a Gibson Les Paul Jimmy Page Number One Aged and Signed!!!

With this in mind it is a known fact that vintage guitars have proven to be excellent investments often outperforming the stock market. What makes them unique unlike some collectible items is that you can have years of fun playing and enjoying them whilst they grow in value unlike that bottle of Châteaux Lafite-Rothschild 1869 in your cellar where you face the dilemma do I drink it or not!!! Like any good investment whether it is a bottle of wine, a classic car or a painting you want it to be as original as possible you are ideally looking for that Fender Stratocaster purchased not played in 1954 which was then stored away in a time capsule till present day original strings and all!!! but due to the popularity and nature of guitars those sort of instruments are extremely rare and command huge prices.

That said there are some more recent pre-owned instruments like the previously mentioned Jimmy Page Number One Aged and Signed which have rocketed in value in a relatively short period of time. Like anything it is having the knowledge and foresight to make the right investment in these instruments which is why many collectors, artists and enthusiasts have come to Guitar Village  over the decades to seek expert advise in this area of the market. As a customer and employee I think it makes for a more interesting canvas having new and pre-owned guitars displayed side by side in store, there’s not many shops where you can try a pre-war Martin D-28 alongside a 2016 Martin D-28!!!

We recently had a huge influx of pre-owned instruments which we purchased from a very good customer of ours Roger Bicknell. Roger has been coming to Guitar Village Limited for as long as I can remember buying interesting pieces from us like the Gibson Les Paul Standard 12 String, Fender 50th Anniversary Stratocaster Deluxe, Gibson Les Paul Classic Antique to name but a few. Roger was looking to down size his collection to convert a room for his family to stay in when they visit. We purchased around forty instruments from Roger and believe it or not he still has some which he has kept. All of Rogers guitars are really interesting pieces in excellent condition, they are all listed on our website and are available to purchase in store or online.

So whether you want a top up on your pension fund, or pass your beloved instruments on to your siblings buying new, used or vintage guitars is a great investment generally speaking. My advise would be to always buy instruments with prestige like Fender, Gibson, Martin, Rickenbacker etc. Along with Vintage, Pre-Owned and New, Custom Shop Re-issues, Limited Edition, and Anniversary models are very popular with collectors. Also buying from a reputable shop like Guitar Village who have had decades of experience in dealing with pre-owned and vintage guitars would be advisable.