The Official Vintage Guitar Instrument Price Guide

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Summary: Greeenwood's Guide: The Encyclopaedia of Guitars
Review: Alan Greenwood's book on Vintage Guitars will blow you away with his vast compendium of guitars (including a bunch you never knew even existed).

His precision is unmatched. There are guitars in there that most folks have never even heard of, much less know of, including guitar affecionados such as myself. Many, many pictures of vintage instruments are offered, but a lot of them are black and white. But they are still there. In fact I found out that one of my instruments was mis-dated by a year, simply because the particular finish was not offered in the year I was given as the origination date. Now THAT is esoteric if there ever were such a term. His history of excellent research is unlikely to be found elsewhere.

There is a short section on amplifiers, but it is brief, and leaves out any coverage on the fine Sunn amp brand, one of the few amplifiers based on the widely acknowledged king of guitar amp tubes, the 6550A (the Sunn amp was the one James Marshall Hendrix started out on, before his switch to J.C. Marshall amps), but, as advertised this is a book on guitars, not amps.

One item (which was probably unavoidable) which I was disappointed in, was that even though this was a 1996 book, the data was pertinent up to 1994, leaving some of the more recent data unavailable, or unaccessable, and therefore somewhat dated. This may change, and as detailed below, major changes are taking place in 1998. I am looking very much forward to the 1998 version, with even more enthusiasm.

THE hot issue for 1998 is that massive changes have taken place in the industry in the two years since this 1996 book was published. Huge El-Nino related fires have limited (or destroyed) access to large quantities of many time-proven 'classic' fine woods that make "Vintage" guitars 'vintage'. These rare woods are now environmentally endangered, so it is no longer wise or preferable to pursue them in massive quantities, and vendors have figured that out.

Fine Eastern Indian rosewoods, beautiful and highly ! resonant Mahogany, and fine Maple are becoming more expensive and less plentiful, less available and environmentally questionable to pursue. So several manufacturers have switched to 'smartwoods' or 'green' guitars, meaning instruments made with non-classic woods, graphite, plastic, or aluminum. The key question is whether these non-standard woods will be resonant, hold the "classic" resonant tone of previous instruments, and (particularly germane to the purpose of this book) and substantially affect PRICING (read valuation) of newer guitars, perhaps enhancing the older instruments using time-proven materials. Graphite necks may not have the resonance of mahogany necks, and certainly non-mahogany solid bodies' resonance may be drastically changed by the switch-over to other unproven woods.

The odd thing is that some of these green guitars are more expensive than the classic versions. That one has me puzzled, but probably relates to the change-up/gearing up of plants to mass produce these new instruments, with their different constituent materials. So, strike a big plus for the environment on the one hand; what is yet to be determined is if these new environmentally friendly, but less resonant, instruments will hold their tune, AND hold their value, and their 'vintage' legacy. THAT is what Mr. Greenwood's challenge is in the 1998 update. Some specialists seriously doubt these new instruments will hold their value, much less their tune, and have said so publicly, so Alan has a lot to cover this year.

Several 1990's guitar lines have been discontinued, making some previous lines collectors items; the combination of all of these above-mentioned factors make the 1998 edition even more essential, and have me awaiting the 1998 Greenwood book on Vintage Guitars with even more than usual interest.

This book is a must for every collector of fine musical instruments, and keeps you on the cutting edge of knowledge of esoteric instruments, the wide variety of instruments made, and the value of your o! wn (and other) rare musical instruments. All in all, a meticulously researched, painstakingly gathered review of practically every known guitar made. It is vital to any guitarist's collection, particularly this year. Overall, this is one outstanding piece of work, unmatched, and incomparable elsewhere.