Eric Johnson dismisses the idea that vintage guitars are always better than modern ones: “It’s not the perfect guitar just because it’s old and worth money”
Does a guitar’s age automatically make it superior? It’s a debate that continues to rage in the guitar community, particularly among lovers of vintage instruments.
On one side, players like Lenny Kravitz swear by the mojo of classic instruments, claiming modern gear just can’t capture the tonal magic of vintage guitars. On the other, an equally fervent camp of guitarists argues that modern instruments can match – or even surpass – the classics in playability and tone.
Consider Jeff “Skunk” Baxter of Steely Dan, who once chose a $140 Squier Telecaster over a 1958 vintage model because it “sounded better”. Blues-rock guitarist Chris Buck has echoed this view, saying he doesn’t “subscribe to the idea that all vintage instruments are great” and that “older” doesn’t automatically mean “better.”
READ MORE: “You don’t want to have no recollection of when, where or how you acquired it”: Why Joe Bonamassa is hitting the brakes on his vintage gear collection
Chiming in on the debate, Eric Johnson, too, cautions against assuming an old guitar is automatically “perfect” because of its age. Speaking on the new issue of Guitarist, the Grammy-winning virtuoso reflects on decades of collecting and trading vintage instruments and the lessons he’s learned along the way.
Asked about his most incredible guitar find, Johnson recalls an original 1954 Fender Stratocaster he purchased decades ago: “Probably my original ‘Virginia’ Strat. I think I paid $175 for it,” he says. “But that was many years ago, when they really were going for a few hundred bucks back in the late 70s.”
“I mean, in today’s money, it was still a good deal, but, yeah, you could just get them pretty cheap. Back in those days, I remember you could go into a music store and there’d be several old 50s Strats. You just took your pick, you know? They’d be under $500.”
Johnson also reveals there are “a number of” guitars he regrets selling, including that same ’54 Strat, which he parted with after the electronics got damaged and he had it rewired.
“It never quite sounded the same. It was a wonderful guitar,” he says. “I wish I had just kind of gone, ‘Okay, just put it in the closet and someday you’ll run into an old pickguard,’ you know what I mean? ‘Just don’t freak out.’ But I was like, ‘Ah, it’s no good any more. I’ve got to find another one.’”
Since then, he’s found himself in a cycle of buying and selling vintage Strats, chasing after that elusive perfect tone.
“I’d buy a ‘54 Strat and then I’d sell it, buy one, sell it… Just keep trading them off. And I’ve been disappointed in some of those,” he admits. “I don’t think that every single old guitar necessarily means you’re going to get the perfect guitar just because it’s old and cool and original and worth money.”
“I have bought vintage guitars before and you think they’re okay, but once you start playing songs and playing with a band and doing what you do, you realise they’re not really going with you like you need them to.”
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