Vintage Guitar magazine Lists 10 Most Valuable Guitars

BISMARCK, N.D., Dec. 8, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Vintage Guitar magazine has released a list of the 10 most valuable production-model electric and acoustic guitars. Using data accumulated in the research for The Official Vintage Guitar Price Guide 2011, the list includes only guitars that were originally offered in manufacturer product lines. It does not include custom-made and/or celebrity-owned instruments.

"Guitars are an American pop-culture icon," said Alan Greenwood, publisher of both the magazine and the Price Guide. "And through the years, certain guitars have, thanks in part to players, songs, and the laws of supply and demand, become exceedingly valuable to collectors.

"There are few collectibles as cool as guitars," Greenwood added. "They're functional, tactile art that inspires players and music fans alike."

The 10 most valuable guitars are:

1) The 1936-'39 Martin D-45 ($320,000 to $400,000) - Vintage Martin dreadnoughts are considered the pinnacle of steel-string acoustics, and those given the Style 45 details are the top of the line.

2) The 1958-'60 Gibson Les Paul Standard ($300,000 to $375,000) - The status of Gibson's Les Paul changed dramatically with the 1966 release of John Mayall's Blues Breakers featuring Eric Clapton. Then Michael Bloomfield started playing one, which influenced other top-tier guitarists of the late '60s.

3) The 1958-'59 Gibson Explorer ($250,000 to $310,000) - Part of an attempt to market "modernistic" guitars in the "space age," it got little attention from buyers, so production numbers stayed very low.

4) The 1958-'59 Gibson Flying V ($200,000 to $250,000) - Another of Gibson's "modernistic" guitars, it was offered for only two years (1959 and '60).

5) The 1931-'36 Martin D-28 ($140,000 to $170,000) - Though not as fancy as the D-45, its $100 price tag was still high in the midst of the Great Depression.

6) The 1938-'42 Gibson Super Jumbo/SJ-200 ($90,000 to $120,000) - Gibson's answer to Martin's D, it was larger, showier, and wound up in the hands of many a big-screen singing cowboy.

7) The '57 Gibson Les Paul model ($86,000 to $106,000) - Gibson's original Les Paul, the "goldtop" was refined until it peaked in '57, when it was used to launch the company's new "humbucking" pickups.

8) D'Aquisto archtops ($75,000 to $100,000) - Luthier James D'Aquisto mostly built to order, and his rarest models bring a premium.  

9) 1950 Fender Broadcaster ($68,000 to $86,000) - Leo Fender's original single-cutaway design has a simple, workingman's appeal. Known today as the Telecaster, it's one of the "big three" collectible electrics.

10) 1957-'60 Gibson Les Paul Custom ($66,000 to $81,000) - With a black finish and gold-colored hardware, it was the fanciest version of the original Les Paul guitar.

For more information, contact Ward Meeker, Editor, Vintage Guitar, at [email protected], or 800-844-1197. To view and/or download high-resolution images of guitars from this list, go to https://www.vintageguitar.com/priceguide/top-ten-2011.

This press release was issued through eReleases(R).  For more information, visit eReleases Press Release Distribution at http://www.ereleases.com.

SOURCE Vintage Guitar magazine

WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM?

440k+
Newsrooms &
Influencers

9k+
Digital Media
Outlets

270k+
Journalists
Opted In

GET STARTED