The guitar is an instrument that is woven into American history itself, and guitar players such as Eric Clapton, Pete Townshend, Jimi Hendrix, George Harrison, and Eddie Van Halen have risen to the point of being cultural icons. Just as iconic as the musicians, albums, and songs themselves, are the classic guitars they used - and this is where the joy of collecting classic guitars comes from.
Building your own guitar collection is one of the best ways to appreciate the instrument and its long, rich history. A guitar collection can also provide a unique window into various cultures throughout history, acting as a meaningful link to the past. Most important of all, though, collecting guitars is a lot of fun! Whether it's searching for the rare instrument your collection is missing, deciding how you want to display your guitars, or showing them off to friends and family, the entire process of building your own collection makes for a highly enjoyable hobby.
To help you get started on this adventure, I will cover everything you need to know about building a guitar collection - including where to find vintage guitars, what makes a collection unique and interesting, and the best ways to store the guitars you collect.
Researching the Value of Guitars
Building a guitar collection starts with researching the guitars that you would like your collection to include. Of course, there's no shortage of forms that a guitar collection can take, whether you collect historic instruments, flamenco guitars, basses, or anything in-between. One good place to start your research, though, is by looking into the most collectible guitars offered by various guitar brands. With that in mind, here is an overview of some of the top guitar brands on the market and a few of the sought-after guitars that each of these brands offers:
Fender: Fender was founded in 1946 by Clarence Leonidas "Leo" Fender and is headquartered in Los Angeles, CA. Fender produces high-quality acoustic and electric guitars as well as bass amplifiers and public address equipment. However, the company is best known for its electric and bass guitars. A few especially popular Fender guitar models include the Fender Stratocaster, Telecaster, Jaguar, Jazzmaster, and Precision Bass
Gibson: Gibson was founded by Orville Gibson in 1902, making the company one of the oldest guitar manufacturers still in operation today. A few popular Gibson models include the Gibson Les Paul Studio EB, SG Standard HC, Les Paul Custom EB GH, and ES-335 Dot GM.
Taylor: Taylor is based in El Cajon, CA and was founded in 1974 by Bob Taylor and Kurt Listug. Since being founded, Taylor has brought a number of game-changing innovations to the guitar market, including the company's patented, bolt-on neck. The American Dream AD17, Academy 10, Academy 12, and Baby Taylor BT1 are a few popular Taylor guitar models.
Martin: C.F. Martin and Company (commonly known as "Martin") was established in 1833 and is the oldest US guitar manufacturer still in business today. This long, rich history means that Martin guitars are some of the most collectible guitars on the market. A few popular Martin models include the D16e Rosewood, D-X2E, D18, and D13e.
What Makes a Valuable Model?
There are several factors that can make a guitar valuable to collectors. Individual guitars that were owned and played by famous musicians are obviously highly sought-after collection pieces and can sometimes cost millions of dollars. Beyond individual guitars that were actually held and played by famous musicians, though, there are also plenty of highly collectible guitar models. Rare guitar models such as limited edition models and older models that are no longer in production tend to be valuable and highly collectible.
What makes a guitar model valuable to you, though, ultimately depends on your own preferences and the nature of your collection. If you have fond memories or stories of a specific guitar model from your youth, for example, then that model might be the most prized piece in your collection even if others don't value it as highly.
Setting Your Budget
Once you have researched the guitars that you would like to include in your collection, the next step is to come up with a budget of how much you are willing to spend. There's no denying that collecting guitars can be an expensive hobby, especially if your collection focuses on rare or sought-after instruments. However, it is worth mentioning again that price tags are not the end-all-be-all of a guitar collection. It is certainly possible to put together an admirable collection without breaking the bank!
Building Your Collection
How to go about sourcing instruments for your guitar collection ultimately depends on the type of guitars that you are wanting to collect. If you are looking for models that are still in production, filling out your collection will be as easy as purchasing guitars directly from the manufacturer or from a local guitar shop.
Vintage guitars and models that are no longer in production are naturally a little more difficult to come by. However, there are vintage guitar stores that sell these models, and purchasing them online is a good option as well so long as you are buying from a reputable store/seller. Guitar auctions are some of the most reliable ways to build remarkable guitar collections. Especially rare guitars, including guitars played by famous musicians, are usually purchased at auction.
Along with finding where to purchase the guitars for your collection, it's also important to consider how the guitars you purchase will complement one another. The best collections tend to have an overarching theme to them, though this isn't a hard and fast rule for guitar collecting.
Caring for Your Collection
As with most collectible items, the condition is a big part of what impacts a guitar's value. If you want the guitars that you purchase for your collection to be in just as good a shape decades from now, then it is essential to care for them properly.
Proper storage is a key part of keeping your guitars in great shape. For one, using the right equipment to store your guitars will help prevent them from being knocked over, stepped on, or otherwise incurring damage. Along with securely storing your guitars to prevent damage, it's also important to store your collection at a humidity level between 40%-60% in order to prevent damage to the guitar's wooden components.
The guitars in your collection should be cleaned on a regular basis as well to prevent damage due to dust and grime buildup. Be sure to wipe your guitars down with a polishing cloth on a regular basis and each time you handle them, paying special attention to the guitar's potentiometers and fretboard. Cleaning your guitars regularly will not only help preserve their condition but will also help keep them shiny and attractive.
Of course, there's no way to completely prevent the possibility of damage to your guitar collection. Fire, theft, floods, and other disasters can sometimes destroy an entire collection no matter how hard you try to protect it. For this reason, it's a good idea to make sure that your collection will be fully covered by your homeowner's insurance policy and purchase additional insurance if it is not.
Displaying Your Collection
One of the best parts of owning a guitar collection is displaying it in a way that makes for an eye-catching and attractive addition to your home. When it comes to displaying a guitar collection, guitar stands, and wall mounts are the two primary options that you will have available to choose from, and many guitar collectors choose to utilize a combination of both.
With that said, though, wall mounts offer a few noteworthy advantages compared to floor stands. For one, wall mounts allow you to make the most of the space that you have available, as most rooms will have a lot more wall space than they do floor space. Wall mounts also help keep your guitars away from foot traffic, reducing the likelihood that they are knocked over and damaged. Last but certainly not least, wall mounts make for a highly attractive way to display guitars, putting them directly in the viewer's line of sight.
Using Safe Materials
Before throwing your guitar collection up on the wall, you’ll want to make sure you are only using high-quality materials and safe configurations. Made of delicate materials like solid wood and intricate finishes like nitrocellulose, expensive guitars must be protected.
Mounting your collection with racks that use foams, rubbers, or unreliable configurations will cause irreversible damage and lost value — know the materials and configurations that are best for the most valuable guitars.
