The reality of owning an antique guitar vs expectation?

[Rickco]

I acquired 2 prewar epis, a '35 16" walnut with mohag 5pcneck Broadway and a '42 ritz, I bought them because they were in "nice" shape and priced to be sold. They both needed a refret and the Bdway needs a reset. Ive gotten the refrets done and hopefully in line for the reset with a well known luthier. I wanted a truly acoustic guitars that could sing and what I really wanted was a luthier guitar made acoustic which I was able to aquire. I wouldnt trade or sell any of the three. With the added costs of restoration the Epis were still more affordable than a custom made luthier guitar and for me have the magic sound and fit. I dont think a good condition prewar is a maintenance problem. What I found was because specs are all over the place finding the good fit was the hardest part. I thought I wanted an old L5or7 (of course) but after playing and owning several they just werent a good fit for me, weight, neck, size just didnt work even though I wanted it to. So my big point is there are so many variables in hindsight I could have called TRM and saved a year or 2 of looking and trying and mabey found the one guitar to rule them all or just make a phone call.

[GuyBoden]

"No amp needed"

Playing a good acoustic archtop "Acoustically" is one of life's great pleasures.

[jads57]

Now begs the question which one of the acoustic Archtops is BEST!
LOL!

[Gilpy]

Getting back to the OPs question about the experience of owning a vintage instrument compared to modern:
I currently own two 1936 and one 1975 acoustics. My electrics are ‘64, ‘68, and ‘73. They don’t require any special maintenance once they are in good playing condition. They do carry the aura of their history, which is cool, and I prefer the look over a new guitar.
The key thing is: these were all excellent instruments when they were made and they have been well maintained. A mediocre instrument won’t get better with time. A good one can have an acoustic tone that it would be hard to find in a new guitar.
So, when buying vintage, look for good condition first then make sure it sounds and plays well. Some older necks are not what the modern player is used to, so be sure about that.

[garybaldy]

Now begs the question which one of the acoustic Archtops is BEST!
LOL!

Trophy or tool?

[AllanAllen]

Now begs the question which one of the acoustic Archtops is BEST!
LOL!

Epiphone

[jads57]

I’m more of a Gibson Devoute!

[entresz]

I'm not sure if it's classed as an 'antique' but one of my main guitars I gig with is from 1960, and it's a carved top acoustic archtop with a DeArmond 1100 on it. The finish is heavily crazed, the neck has once been broken at the headstock (before my ownership of it), and it's had a neck reset. The neck reset was just a consequence of the age of the guitar, and in my view is not a big deal in the scheme of things.

It's no less or more fragile than a modern instrument, but the tone, both acoustically and amplified, is something I'm yet to hear a modern guitar produce. It has a big, brash acoustic sound that projects amazingly well, but can be tamed to sound remarkably delicate by adjusting the picking technique.

Compared to a modern custom-made archtop, vintage instruments can still be a relative bargain and I'm yet to hear a modern acoustic archtop project like a vintage one.

[213Cobra]

Now begs the question which one of the acoustic Archtops is BEST!
LOL!

Looking past the LOL: Among the majors and the luthier builders, there isn't a "best." Just different. My Epiphone, Guild, Gibson, D'Angelico (CA built) solid woods archtops are all equally well-built yet differently-voiced to their makers' preferences. Even within one maker, I could not label any among two Gibson Super 400s, two L-5s, a LeGrand and an L-7 of different eras a single "best." I suppose within Guild, my Guild-Benedetto 2006 Johnny Smith Award is the best Johnny Smith I have, since it's the only Johnny Smith-designated archtop I have, but among three Guild Awards, that 2006, a 1999 Corona G-B and a 1994 Westerly, I couldn't pick a "best." Even within a Guild family sound, they all sound different. Then the sound and play differences between makers further diverges. Which is why I have them. When someone asks, which is best, my response is "for what?"

Phil

[pcjazz]

When someone asks, which is best, my response is "for what?"

Exactly.

[jads57]

Different strokes for different folks! I’m sticking with the Gibson Johnny Smith and L-5 for the blueprints.
But then Johnny Smith’s D’Angelico was the inspiration behind the Gibson J.S. Guitar and the Loyd Loars L-5 model.

So chicken or egg scenario!

[GuyBoden]

Different strokes for different folks! I’m sticking with the Gibson Johnny Smith and L-5 for the blueprints.
But then Johnny Smith’s D’Angelico was the inspiration behind the Gibson J.S. Guitar and the Loyd Loars L-5 model.

So chicken or egg scenario!

[AllanAllen]

Different strokes for different folks! I’m sticking with the Gibson Johnny Smith and L-5 for the blueprints.
But then Johnny Smith’s D’Angelico was the inspiration behind the Gibson J.S. Guitar and the Loyd Loars L-5 model.

So chicken or egg scenario!

Pretty impressive that a guitar Johnny Smith played in the 1950s preemptively inspired the 1920s L5.

[Stringswinger]

Pretty impressive that a guitar Johnny Smith played in the 1950s preemptively inspired the 1920s L5.

Jads messed that up. The Loar L-5 inspired D'Angelico's guitars and one of D'Angelico's guitars inspired the Gibson Johnny Smith. They are in fact all connected. And all three are among the best guitars ever made, IMO.

[MarkA]

I think it depends on what your ears are telling you, how well it was built (and maintained), your budget, and how often you can see yourself picking it up and playing it while smiling. I have had both some newer and more older archtops, my favorite is a ‘36 L-5 that I regularly play on gigs. I also have a Gibson made Recording King M-4 from the late ‘30’s that has seen gigs recently. I like the sound of both of them. My other archtop is a ‘90’s Heritage Eagle Classic, it’s growing on me. I was recently in Nashville and had the L-5 with me. I took it to Gruhn’s and Carter’s, both places could not have been more welcoming. I played several older and newer archtops comparing them to the sound of my guitar. At the end of it, there were two guitars that sounded better to my ears, both older, a Stromberg Deluxe and a John D’Angelico Excel. It was a great use of time, and while I still have the L-5 it was a treat to find some different voices I liked even a little better. So, try out as many as you can, stick with a quality build and solid condition, and good luck, enjoy the search!!

[Oscar67]

A few of my experiences of vintage guitars:

1.) Action too high when the bridge is set at it's lowest, can indicate that maybe a neck reset is needed.

2.) A twisted neck can be a big problem. Ensure that the neck is straight.

3.) Can the Truss rod nut be adjusted. Is there enough thread for tightening adjustment or too much thread. If there is too much thread the truss rod has probably sunk into the neck wood.

4.) Binding can detach from body over time.

But, all can be fixed by a good Luthier at a cost.

I’ve had a 1937 Gibson L7 for a few years. As the above post indicates, you need to be able to identify existing issues and potential issues. Those can range from nonexistent to minor to really serious. My L7 needed a refret and new neck binding. I got a quote from my luthier and he did a magnificent job, but the neck binding turned out to be twice as much work as expected. To my luthier’s credit he didn’t charge me more. If he had, it would have become very expensive.

Another aspect is how the guitar reacts to climate and weather changes. All the wood surfaces on the inside of an archtop are bare, making it easy to soak up moisture or dry out. The effect this has can be worsened by age-related maladies such as a partially sunken top (a dent underneath the bridge) or incorrect neck angle. The effects add up.

If you want a high-performance archtop that can take the rigours of travel and frequent gigging and will never let you down, get something like an Ibanez GB10. If you want a vintage archtop, then make sure you know what you’re getting and what you’re getting into. They’re great fun but they’re not necessarily high-performance instruments.

Edit: just an afterthought but it’s somewhat similar to getting a 50s Ford compared to a new one. There’s the charm of vintage design and it’s a ton of fun to drive on a summer evening. But are you going to use it daily to get to work and put 15k miles on the clock every year? Can you get parts? Can you find a mechanic who knows these old beasts inside-out? What if the leather upholstery of you seat dries out and gets torn?

[jads57]

I believe each new manufacturer of Johnny Smith guitars models changed them along the way. I understand that on some Gibson models the neck itself is under the body above the 20 th fret?

I was referring to Loyd Loar coming up with the original design then D’Angelico using that,and Gibson and Guild copying D’A and so forth.

[wintermoon]

I believe each new manufacturer of Johnny Smith guitars models changed them along the way. I understand that on some Gibson models the neck itself is under the body above the 20 th fret?

I was referring to Loyd Loar coming up with the original design then D’Angelico using that,and Gibson and Guild copying D’A and so forth.

Loar was an acoustic engineer for Gibson and designed the Style 5 line of instruments including the L-5, F-5, etc
D'Angelico copied the L-5 and everyone else followed suit.

[Stringswinger]

Loar was an acoustic engineer for Gibson and designed the Style 5 line of instruments including the L-5, F-5, etc
D'Angelico copied the L-5 and everyone else followed suit.

As they should have

[stevo58]

Hmm … I gig semi-regularly with a 1950 Epi, a 1910 Gibson mandolin, a 1921 Gibson mandola, and a 1925 Weymann plectrum. And a ‘58 ES-125. I don’t worry about it. Of course, all of them together aren’t worth half of a dot-neck L5. And I put them all in shape when I bought them. They all have ‘modern’ playability. They all have decent modern cases.

I can’t afford ‘investments.’ If I buy an instrument, I’m going to play it, and it’s going to get dinged up. That’s life.

Chris Thile, an amazing mandolinist, plays a Loar-signed F5. It was like new when he bought it. It’s been through the wringer now. For those not in the know, that’s a $150k instrument.

Imho, if you are worried about it, it’s the wrong instrument for you. Sell it and buy something else.

[JimBobWay]

Yeah I have a few - but several I would not have bought, they were gifts, and 2 are among my favorites but were bought at garage sales. I think it's like any property - older often sounds better, but for the more elderly instruments it's wise to have an elderly proven fixer too.

[58flame]

Note the blonde top and sunburst back and sides following the repair of the 55 D'A (new top).

[ThatRhythmMan]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[jads57]

I was fortunate enough to see Johnny Smith perform here at Orchestra Hall Minneapolis in the late 1970’s. Wow!!!!!!
Amd extremely funny sense of humor as well!

[beatcomber]

Compared to a modern custom-made archtop, vintage instruments can still be a relative bargain

In December 2024, for a mere $999 I bought a 1949 Epiphone Blackstone from a Guitar Center in Florida through their website. As received, it was obviously long-neglected; the tuners were stiff, the neck relief was bowed, it was dirty, and the strings were so old they had teeth on them. I disassembled, cleaned and lubricated the tuning machines, straightened out the neck (the truss rod was stiff but I got it to move), and generally gave it a proper set-up. Fortunately the nut and frets were in good shape, there are no cracks, and the binding is intact. I put a set of Martin Retro monels on it, and it sounds absolutely stunning.

I invested another $150 on a nice repro pickguard, just for cosmetics, and just last week I found a 1950 DeArmond Guitar Mike monkey-on-a-stick set locally for a reasonable $300, so all told I have invested $1450 into it, which is remarkably low for a Golden Era NY Epiphone guitar with a carved spruce top.

This is but one of several vintage instruments I own, and I can confirm what others have said - a properly sorted out vintage guitar requires no more maintenance than a newer instrument does, and caretaking and playing a guitar that is 60+ years old is absolutely a delight.