Martin

Let’s face it; one of the peculiarities of most musicians is the vehement adherence to unjustifiable preferences, often to almost extreme levels of obsessiveness, usually responded to with the rather inadequate defence of ‘personal taste’. In fact, I agree with this assertion but then again, I have pretentions of being a musician.

Whether it’s guitar brand, colour, age, style, etc., it doesn’t matter. Whether it is maple or rosewood, Fender or Gibson, pristine or relic, clean or distorted, analogue or digital, valve or transistor, single coil or humbucker, etc., it doesn’t matter. It all comes down to ‘personal taste’. Where are you along the continuum between slavish conservatism to the unwaveringly traditional at one end and rampant experimentalism exploring the wildly deviant at the other? No one view is right or wrong, especially to the exclusion of every other perspective that our ever-present dogmas might suggest. Are we able to accept that, as long as we are passionate about our craft, that’s the most important thing – how we go about expressing it is another?

Can we acknowledge that embracing and tolerating diversity is what drives creative progress and that there is a valid place for everyone’s particular bias? One sure thing musicians can agree on is that we will disagree with each other, constructively and destructively and this is what drives musical originality and innovation.

This got me thinking about how we develop our ‘personal taste’ and music is a prime example of what makes us, well, us. Why do we like the music we like? How did we develop our likes and dislikes in such a clear cut way as we grow up (and old)? When I was young, rock was for the young and I thought that, as I got older, I my tastes would ‘mature’ to appreciate other forms, such as jazz or classical music. Didn’t happen!

The nature versus nurture argument probably has some legitimacy. There is something innately primitive about music in the way that it gets under our skin emotionally and spiritually, for instance in the way it gives you goose bumps or makes the hairs on the back of your neck tingle. For some, it can cause eyeballs to leak and become inexplicably soggy – go figure. However, no two individuals are alike and, as individuals, we will all be affected by the same stimulus in different ways. The superficial nature of that stimulus and our physiological, psychological and behavioural response to it may be the similar but the musical genre that caused it may be poles apart.

As with most things in our universe, there is science behind the theory of music and academics can spend entire lives researching the subject. However, science cannot easily explain the impact that the simplest of melodies can evoke in the spirit. In the same way that I’m not acquainted with the complex nature of the human psyche, I am not attuned to the disciplined mechanics that make those few little notes work together the way they do, in almost infinite permutations. Einstein understood but couldn’t necessarily explain it. While the laws of music transcend theology, those with faith use it to rouse the religious fervour of their ecclesiastical leanings… gospel and soul anyone? Mining the depth and breadth of psychology, science and religion, are all aspects of the human condition that set us apart and yet ‘personal taste’ still prevails and our ability to understand it appears to be finitely constrained. Other life forms, it has been proven, are affected by music but there is no evidence to suggest that they depend on it in the same way that human beings do. We need music as an intrinsic part of the pattern of our daily lives.

Why does person A like country and person B like death metal, while person C likes indie music and person D likes blues? Classical versus contemporary, jazz versus rock; the differences are as stark as the motivations that perpetuate them. It isn’t just hereditary, as generational differences appear to be as diverse as interpersonal ones. It isn’t just environmental, as close genetic relations may have completely divergent interests. I am not a psychologist but I am fascinated by the differences in ‘personal taste’, especially in the way that music (and the instruments that produce it) induce an almost primordial response. Something has driven musical development in parallel with (and as a reflection of) social and economic development over several millennia, although it is not clear why. This is zeitgeist. It is the same with our beloved 6-string (and 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12, etc. strings) that have evolved with us.

Just in case you hadn’t twigged (!), I adore ‘Cool & Rare American Vintage Electric Guitars’. New mass-produced ones just leave me cold, as do acoustics – apologies. Give me a vintage Martin D28 and my response will be “meh”, while an equivalent Gibson ES-150 would pique my interest. Why? What happened to cause that inconsistent reaction? I really don’t have a clue! In other articles, I’ve explored why one guitar might be ‘better’ than another but that depends on the irrational criteria one uses to judge ‘betterness’. When it comes down to ‘personal taste’, there really is no right or wrong, just preferences and individual opinion.

So, guitar desirability at its most fundamental is subjective, wildly unreliable and almost impossible to measure empirically. I don’t believe in the vintage guitar business that ‘perceived wisdom’ is worth anything other than £/$/Є/¥ to avaricious collectors who are more interested in the sound of their return-on-investment than they are to the sound of the valuable instruments they horde. This prevailing dogma needs to be challenged.

As diehard conservatives, guitarists frequently bow to tradition and act like lemmings to what is, let’s face it, to all intents and purposes, an expensive bit of old dead wood. I test my prejudices on this matter regularly and still haven’t found any evidence to back up my individual frames of reference. The ‘magic’ ignites when the combination of person, instrument and listener ‘click’ for whatever reason, and thank heaven for that. Perhaps it is the indefinable that fascinates us and makes us intensely curious. Quite why music resonates with us in the way that it does is a mystery and one that deserves conscious exploration. Just don’t expect concrete answers any time soon.

If anyone has any insights to this conundrum, I would be happy to debate the substance. However, and this is a warning to philistines who may try to resolve my ridiculous confusion, I am not interested in a cure for my apparent addiction or the production of a ‘truth’ behind what constitutes ‘personal taste’. Enjoy the ride and, whatever you do, stick to your principles. It is time to stop fruitless analysis and get back to craving for and playing Cool & Rare American Vintage Electric Guitars. Until next time…

P.S. I was thinking about this. Attraction to guitars is similar to the emotional response to a woman – you instantly know whether it’s a wow! or a meh! Just a thought.

CRAVE Guitars ‘Music Quote of the Month’: “Music may be a very human concept, although the science of sound might suggest that we simply tapped into something far more fundamental to the universe.”

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If you’ve followed my recent posts, you’ll know that I have been looking around for cool and rare American vintage electric guitars (and basses) again recently. Nothing new in the way of CRAVE Guitars stock to report this month, so it is an opportunity to reflect and pontificate, as well as to share my biased opinion on our shared hobby again.

As part of my on-going research, I regularly check a well-known auction site beginning with ‘e’. One thing that I have noticed is that many prices are now escalating at least back to where they were pre-recession and often higher. The rate of increase also seems to be accelerating but inconsistently so, which makes the market uncertain. While the general upward trend might be good news for investors at the genuinely rare instrument end of the market, it is also putting some great, and even some ordinary, vintage guitars beyond the means of your average amateur collector or re‑seller. It seems predictable that fickle speculators will soon jump on the bandwagon (again) and what would otherwise have been considered run-of-the-mill instruments will hit stratospheric levels (again). The dreaded ‘boom and bust’ cycle looms ugly (again), which isn’t good for anyone. The upper extremes are more to do with damnable greed and detestable avarice – commonly called rampant capitalism – the economic law of supply and demand in a free market. At more modest levels the pressures are seemingly more complex.

Another thing that I’ve noticed is that, while the ‘common’ models are still relatively numerous, some of the more esoteric, niche guitars are often nowhere to be seen these days. This may suggest that people are hanging onto their valued old guitars, rather than putting them out to the unpredictable market, especially risky in an online auction environment. The result of this anomaly is that prices are increasing due to an artificial rarity factor – the supply dries up while the demand increases, making some less popular instruments disproportionately and unsustainably pricey. To test out this hypothesis, I have been looking for some slightly more unusual instruments and they can be really hard to find, resulting in some diverse and frankly crazy price differentials, especially compared to new guitar prices. However, you can still get a nice late vintage guitar (which will go up in price in the medium to long-term) for less than a new one (which is likely to depreciate for the next 20 or so years). That, at least is still good news for many of us preferring used instruments.

So… my next step was to look further afield. When comparing the UK with the US and Canada, there is, understandably, more choice in that much larger continent (and birthplace of our beloved classics). At first glance they can seem to be offered at an attractive price. However, when taking exchange rates (currently not good for importing from the US into the UK), international delivery, import duties, national taxes, handling fees and insurance (if you can afford it!), importing isn’t the bargain it first seems, especially as HMRC has tightened up the process significantly compared to a few years ago. Other markets, like mainland Europe, Australia, Japan, etc. are relatively inconsequential to the US/UK trade. Asian and Russian trade is certain to increase. In summary, importing is still worth a look though, as long as you do your research first. The Epiphone Olympic below was my last costly import from Canada.

Coming back to that well known auction site for a moment, the word ‘auction’ seems to be largely a misnomer these days. Actual auctions where you can bag yourself a bargain vintage guitar are now a frustrating rarity. ‘Buy It Now’ (BiN) seems to be the default option for most high value sellers. This means that many a cheap purchase can turn out to be risky and ‘Best Offers’ are rarely a source of great joy. Also, that heart thumping, sweat inducing, adrenalin pumping rush of the last few minutes…and seconds of a bidding frenzy for a desirable vintage guitar that you really, really, really want seems to be becoming a thing of the past. That’s a shame if you ask me, as a lot of the fun has gone by the wayside. BiN prices often seem to be set high initially and guitars sit there until the ‘real’ market value catches up, so there are quite a few that hang around until people see them as affordable. My inference is that, while it may be fine and convenient for one-off purchases, it is no longer a great source for a fledgling business enterprise on a tight budget, as precious net profits can rapidly be eroded. This applies to both buying and selling. This is probably similar to other ‘collector sectors’ such as classic cars, so I guess we adapt and move on.

Fender and Gibson still dominate with Gretsch and Rickenbacker hot on their tails, as well as early PRSs. Don’t forget other classic brands like Danelectro, National, Vox, Guild or Burns. Japanese originals from Yamaha and Ibanez are increasingly collectable too. There are plenty of whacky vintage guitars from minor brands, often long since demised, Supro, Silvertone, Teisco, Harmony, Kay, etc. that can prove real bargains if you’re careful. If you are into acoustics, Martin is still probably the most reliable bet.

So, where does this leave us in the post-recession world? Not as much choice when buying and what there is, is of variable value. The desirable instruments that we might aspire to are becoming increasingly exclusive again, except for the affluent in the vintage guitar community. Looking to the future, prices look set to rise inevitably and keep rising inexorably thereafter, until the next bubble bursts. The high end (i.e. occupied by the super-rich) will carry on regardless of global economics but that’s hardly the rarefied atmosphere us ordinary mortals will ever find ourselves in. There are bargains out there but, as ever, you have to seek them out and auction sites are as good as any other source. If you’re after a return on investment on a newer guitar, you may have to wait a while, so why not enjoy playing them in the meantime? In conclusion, if you want to get your hands on a lovely vintage guitar at a reasonable price and if you can find a good one, go for it while you can. Good luck. Thanks for reading this article.

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April 2016 – A Matter Of Personal Taste

August 2015 – Vintage Guitar Supply and Demand