question: Why are old guitars more heavily prized than new guitars? Wouldn't the new ones have been improved upon from the old ones?
comment: I am assuming you're talking about electric guitars. A couple of reasons: \- The wood used is a type that is not used today. This can result in a different sound and/or guitar feel to the player. \- the electric components used (pickups for example) were often handmade or non-robotic machine made that resulted in different each guitar having its own distinct sound - even within the same brand of guitar. \- There is a stereotype that older guitars are better guitars. This is not always true. & #x200B; Some more expensive modern guitars have improved on some of the "flaws" of older guitars (like the reproduction models of older guitar styles) made by Gibson and Fender. These still use the woods of their originals. But I think what most people refer to when they talk about "modern guitars" are the standard ones you could buy in any music store. Many of these, especially the more affordable ones, use less expensive woods and alot of plastic. The sound can be lacking, and some feel that they feel "cheap" in comparison. That said, there are plenty of new guitars that are still handmade using excellent materials and components. Paul Reed Smith (PRS) guitars is a good example .
passages: As early as the 1970s, musicians and collectors began to recognize the value of older instruments. The rising mass production of both acoustic and electric guitars in that era served to highlight the quality workmanship and materials of the older instruments. Historians, such as George Gruhn, helped to codify both the monetary value and sound quality of these guitars for both collectors and musicians. 
   Vintage guitars also became increasingly desired objects among musicians and collectors during the nineties and afterwards. Some music stores specialize in selling used musical instruments, used copies of printed music, and related paraphernalia.
  
  Used Mobile Phones – A Large and Growing Business 
  
  Section::::See also.
  
  BULLET::::- "Atomic Ed and the Black Hole", a documentary film about a unique secondhand shop
  
  BULLET::::- Auto auction
  
  BULLET::::- Car boot sale
  
  BULLET::::- Flea market
  
  BULLET::::- Freeganism
  
  BULLET::::- Regifting
  
  BULLET::::- Regiving
  
  BULLET::::- Reseller
  
  BULLET::::- Secondary market
   As early as the 1970s, musicians began to recognize the value of older instruments from the 1940s and 1950s. Among guitar aficionados, the mass production of both acoustic and electric guitars served to highlight the quality hand workmanship, crafting, finishing and materials of older instruments. Historians such as George Gruhn helped to codify both the monetary value and sound quality of these instruments.
   For over a century Gibson went to the ends of the Earth and into the deepest forests to obtain the finest wood on the planet to hand make their instruments. Generations of luthiers carried on the skills of their trade. As the guitar industry underwent the change to mass production more guitars were produced cheaper. The demand for old growth trees for premium specialty wood increased rapidly. Restoring a fine classic instrument to new, or better than new condition is by far a better environmental choice than buying a new guitar. Collectors want to keep their guitars as close to original as possible, however there are some popular modifications Victory owners have made without damaging the instrument. Change out those nylon inserts, they dampen sustain, Victories were engineered to ring like a bell. Look in to a Stetsbar tremolo system if your Victory does not have the original Kahler tremolo system. The Stetsbar tremolo system bolts right on to the original posts without any routing or drilling. Consider locking machine heads with automatic string trim, they are easy to do yourself and they keep your guitar in tune even better. If the frets on your Victory are worn out, have a luthier re-fret your fret board with stainless steel fret wire, the frets will last forever and you will never find better ebony. Re-fretting also allows you to choose new custom binding. Technology is now available with the use of a "PLEK" machine to analyze and repair even microscopic imperfections in your frets and fret board. Gibson Victory frets are comfortable, easy to slide your fingers up and down fret board, and properly set up have very low action, but like tires on a car, guitar frets are consumable and wear out. Eventually your Victory will need fret work. The idea that a professional re-fret makes a guitar less valuable is uneducated. Victory MV's came standard with .08 wide by .04 tall Nickel Silver fret wire. Comparable to Jescar 37080 fret wire, Dunlop 6230 fret wire, or StewMac Medium/Medium. By today's standards many professional guitar players feel Nickel Silver is too soft, however some luthiers do not like working with Stainless Steel because it ruins their tools. Finding an experienced luthier is a must. Re-fretting your Victory gives you lots of choices, you can use the exact same fret wire it came with originally, or go harder. The Vickers hardness test was developed in 1921 by Robert L. Smith and George E. Sandland to measure the hardness of materials. For example, If Vickers hardness is notated: 100 HV/5, it means a HV of 100 was obtained using a 5 kg force.
   The guitar has been played for thousands of years, since evolving from the Lute and the Vihuela. The earliest guitars were made almost entirely out of wood, with some using animal intestines for strings and frets. Materials have become easier to obtain over the past 200 years. As a result, guitars are currently made out of materials that better suit their intended use. Frets and strings, for example, are now almost exclusively made out of metal, which is much longer lasting and more ideal than organic material.
  
  Section::::History.:Tools and Process.
   Examples of well-known vintage electric guitars are 1950s and 1960s era Fender Stratocaster and Telecaster and Gibson Les Paul. Older electric guitars in general have become desirable, including "budget brands" such as Harmony, Danelectro, and Kay.
  
  Examples of well-known vintage acoustic guitars are Martin and Gibson models previous to the 1970s, and 1930s-era Recording Kings, among others.
  
  Values of vintage guitars have risen considerably in the past thirty years, and are considered by some as a stable long-term investment.
  
  Section::::See also.
  
  BULLET::::- Vintage (design)
  
  BULLET::::- Vintage musical equipment
  
  BULLET::::- "Vintage Guitar" (magazine)
  
  Section::::External links.
   Other parts of the modern guitar such as tuners, frets, the bridge, and the pickups are made out of metals and plastics. These materials offer increased performance and strength over wood or other organic material and are easy to obtain and machine.
  
  With modern machining methods luthiers and companies are no longer confined to working with woods. In addition, as tonal woods that offer the best sound quality become increasingly hard to come by, manufacturers are exploring different materials for the neck and body of guitars.
   Aside from possible engineering advantages, some feel that in relation to the rising cost of rare tonewoods, man-made materials may be economically preferable and more ecologically sensitive. However, wood remains popular in production instruments, though sometimes in conjunction with new materials. Vigier guitars, for example, use a wooden neck reinforced by embedding a light, carbon fiber rod in place of the usual heavier steel bar or adjustable steel truss rod. After-market necks made entirely from carbon fiber fit existing bolt-on instruments. Few, if any, extensive formal investigations have been widely published that confirm or refute claims over the effects of different woods or materials on electric guitar sound.
   In 1971 the sales shop was replaced by a larger shop at Concepción Jerónima 5, directly in front of the original establishment.
  
  Up until the early 1970s, the company's classical guitars were built with back and sides made of Brazilian rosewood back and sides. As high-quality Brazilian rosewood become scarcer and expensive, most of their classical guitars have since used Indian rosewood.
   Older gear is often known for its unique tonal or sound-shaping qualities. The cost of vintage gear may be higher than the reissued model or its 2010s-era equivalent, depending on the rarity of the item, how high the demand is for it, and the condition. 
  
  Section::::Guitars.
   Many bluegrass players prefer wooden bodies, blues players either metal or wood. The early metal-bodied instruments were generally of better quality than the earliest wooden-bodied ones, but this may not be the case with more recent instruments. Metal bodies may be brass, aluminum or steel. Fiberglass has also been used as a body material, and a marble bodied resonator guitar is commercially available. Both metal and wooden bodies are often painted, or wooden bodies may be stained or lacquered, metal bodies may be plated or plain.
   Examples of well-known vintage electric guitars include 1950s and 1960s era models like the Fender Stratocaster and Telecaster, and the Gibson Les Paul. Although less well-known and not as financially valuable, older electric guitars under the names of Harmony, Danelectro or Kay are becoming increasingly collectible.
  
  Examples of well-known vintage acoustic guitars include Martin and Gibson models typically built prior to the 1970s, 1920s to 1930s Nationals and Dobros, and 1930s era Recording Kings, among others.
  
  Section::::Keyboards.
   Many other luthiers attempt to recreate the guitars of the "Golden Era" of C.F. Martin & Co. This was started by Roy Noble, who built the guitar played by Clarence White from 1968 to 1972, and was followed by Bill Collings, Marty Lanham, Dana Bourgeois, Randy Lucas, Lynn Dudenbostel and Wayne Henderson, a few of the luthiers building guitars today inspired by vintage Martins, the pre–World War II models in particular. As prices for vintage Martins continue to rise exponentially, upscale guitar enthusiasts have demanded faithful recreations and luthiers are working to fill that demand.
  
  Section::::See also.
  
  BULLET::::- Guitar
   The top wood is another matter entirely. Many had laminated tops. Models designated "Second Generation" or in the "Marquis" series models had solid spruce tops and the cost reflected this upgrade as well, around $100 in USD more.
  
  Actually this is not correct (read below)
  
  Copied from the Sigma Generation III brochure: (see below)
  
  High quality is readily apparent in the SDR-28 and SDR-28H rosewood Dreadnought with its rich appearance and wide range of features: solid spruce top, scalloped top bracing, rosewood back, sides, fingerboard and bridge and carved mahogany neck.
   Thus, while some consider that in this respect (and considerations of sound aesthetic), that guitar making today is still lagging behind professional violin-making, the scientific evidence is ambiguous, at best.
  
  In violin culture many good old master-violins have been analyzed for their sound qualities (e.g. Stradivari, or Guarneri are favoured by many people; though some consider these instruments as too "outwardly" loud, yet lacking the "inner" tonal qualities of say Amati).
  
  In guitar making, it is in many cases more difficult to find similarly idealized instruments for a number of reasons:
   In 2008-2009, Kay Guitar Company in California reissued 12 models of vintage Kay guitars and basses manufactured by Fritz Brothers Guitars. As of 2013, production and sales of these guitars have continued.
  
  Section::::Kay guitars.
   BULLET::::- As can be seen from violin making, there was a decrease in luthiers' tonal quality in the 19th century, when compared to the "Golden Age" (some people attribute this to luthiers' greater focus on the visible aspects, as opposed to the sound itself). Also, in this time, the guitar went through many different outer shapes, and luthiers also had to cater for guitar demands from many amateurs at the time; so ultimately, for any given instrument from about 1800 to 1900, it could be one of high tonal quality, but might just as well be a mediocre instrument; or one with a design and tonal characteristic, that was later abandoned by the maker (though there are 19th-century guitar-makers such as Lacôte and Scherzer, who are "generally" considered as having built guitars with high tonal quality).
   Gibson stopped using ebony and transitioned to synthetic Richlite in 2012/2013. Worldwide demand for high quality ebony fretboards has made restoring and refretting vintage guitars very popular.
  
  Section::::Environmental sustainability and restoration.
   While handcrafting guitars is still a popular method of guitar manufacturing for luthiers and large manufacturer custom shops, the major players in the guitar industry are shifting to computer controlled mass production of guitars. This approach maintains the quality of their instruments while increasing efficiency and productivity.
   Section::::Inventory of guitars.
  
  This is an incomplete list of guitars made by Antonio de Torres.
  
  BULLET::::- Serial number unknown (1856) - The Romeros have 5 Torres guitars, currently probably the largest private collection in the world. Pepe Romero owns 3 Torres (including an 1856 Torres); Celin Romero and Angel Romero each own one.
  
  BULLET::::- FE 04 "La Leona" (1856) - owned by Erhard Hannen, now is being played by Wulfin Lieske. video
  
  BULLET::::- FE 09 (1859) - owned by Miguel Llobet, now in the collection of the Museu de la Música de Barcelona, Spain
   BULLET::::- There are not many guitars still in existence, from the period that some people consider the "Golden Age of Acoustics or instrument making" (17th and 18th centuries); e.g. there are only five guitars from Stradivari still known to exist and luthiers and players are unlikely to have even heard them to judge their tonal quality.
   BULLET::::- Most guitars today are still built using Spanish Torres or post-Torres fan-bracing. This has become the de facto classical guitar instrument today, but while being suitable for most modern Spanish repertoire, it is rather unsuitable for much of the earlier repertoire from the baroque, classical and romantic era. Neither guitarists, nor luthiers have a lot of knowledge on earlier design idioms, or sound aesthetics; though this is improving with an increasing interest in historically informed performance; and luthiers who do not only limit themselves and their interests to guitars (but also consider violin-making culture, lute-making culture (ladder-bracing!) and draw parallels).
   The company was established in 2001 with the intent of manufacturing replicas of rare vintage electric guitars. The company's production philosophy is to create guitars which not only evoke classic looks and vintage sounds, but that are to be sold at a price point where they are meant to be played and not simply collected. Much of the company's focus is on building reproductions of famous discontinued electric guitar models such as the Valco Airline, and the Supro Coronado.
   Section::::Endorsers.
  
  Section::::Endorsers.:Johnny Smith.
  
  In 1989, jazz guitarist Johnny Smith withdrew his endorsement from Gibson and awarded it to Heritage, which began production of the Heritage Johnny Smith. The Gibson model continued in production as the Gibson LeGrand.
  
  Smith had since moved his endorsement from Heritage to the Guild Guitar Company.
  
  Section::::Endorsers.:Henry Johnson.
   Body size, shape and style has changed over time. 19th century guitars, now known as salon guitars, were smaller than modern instruments. Differing patterns of internal bracing have been used over time by luthiers. Torres, Hauser, Ramirez, Fleta, and C. F. Martin were among the most influential designers of their time. Bracing not only strengthens the top against potential collapse due to the stress exerted by the tensioned strings, but also affects the resonance characteristics of the top. The back and sides are made out of a variety of timbers such as mahogany, Indian rosewood and highly regarded Brazilian rosewood ("Dalbergia nigra"). Each one is primarily chosen for their aesthetic effect and can be decorated with inlays and purfling.
  
presuppositions: New guitars have improved to be much better than the old guitars.
corrections: While some new guitars can be considered better than older guitars, many new guitars use less expensive woods and plastic which can cause the sound to be lacking or sound cheap in comparison to old guitars. 
raw_presuppositions: New guitars have improved to be much better than the old guitars. New guitars have all been improved from old guitars.
raw_corrections: While some new guitars can be considered better than older guitars, many new guitars use less expensive woods and plastic which can cause the sound to be lacking or sound cheap in comparison to old guitars.  Not all new guitars have been improved from old guitars, particularly affordable ones.