Birth year guitars, has anyone done this?

[Progrockabuse]

I’m turning 40 next year, although physically I feel about 80 and mentally I should of been put out to pasture

I’ve got it in my head that the next guitar I purchase should be from 1985 to mark this occasion.

Has anyone been down this route? Good/bad experience?

I know the 80’s weren’t the glory days for fender and Gibson, though fender japan were killing it back then.

Let me know.

[plopswagon]

My late 80’s Fender Japan PBass is my favorite bass.

All the best bits of my 64 Mustang (my birth year) make up the Sonic Kitten.

[Nick]

I have a Japanese Strat that I thought was birth year (same as yours, 1985) but it turned out to be a 97. I've also owned 84 and 87 Squier Bullets, the 84 was MIJ and quite nice. Oh yeah and the 88 Ibanez RG670 I restored, which is really nice quality but probably not most people's bag here. So, I think I would go Fender Japan for sure, or maybe something like a Japanese import Fernandes/Burny/Greco/Ibanez if I wanted something a little different.

But personally, I feel like the fascination with birth year possessions is magical thinking. I probably own several synths and consumer keyboards, video games, audio equipment that was made in 1985, but I don't feel any stronger connection to them for it. I did have an 86 Toyota Supra that was built a couple months after I was born in 85, and that was pretty cool - but more in the sense that the styling was so specific to what I thought cool cars were supposed to look like at the age I first got into cars.

And I too feel 80 physically, arthritis is a bitch.

[benecol]

I tried to buy something from 1974 when I was turning 40 (a decade ago), but Fender and Gibson production then is divided neatly along shite/expensive lines. I ended up buying a 1978 Vibrochamp (which whisper it, wasn't as good as the Vibrochamp I had before).

It's worth an idle look, but I wouldn't let the year force your hand so much as celebrating your 40th. To echo a few of the points above, I got a CIJ tele for my 50th (sort of), and it's brilliant.

(but I feel that a lot of CIJ '62 teles are madly overpriced at the moment).

BUY YOURSELF SOMETHING NICE ROB. Pretend it's from 1985.

[NickS]

My birth year guitar? There's a Telecaster on Reverb for £34,300. I don't think so....

[NickD]

Mid 70s…not the best era for guitars.

[Thom]

Never did it, didn’t fancy a boat anchor from ‘78. Just buy yourself something nice to mark the occasion.

[Progrockabuse]

Mid 70s…not the best era for guitars.

Though I’ve got a soft spot for a 70’s hardtail strat

[sunshiner]

I think the birth year thing is dumb AF regardless of the fact that I'm mostly broke and can't afford buying overpriced stuff from back when.

You can build a partscaster to your preferred specs, although their reselling value is usually horrible if you ever decide to flip it, or buy a newer guitar or a piece of equipment that you want/need

[Ankhanu]

I had some thoughts towards attempting birth year guitars... I was born in 1979, and the 25th anniversary Fenders were an option. I've never really had vintage gear money, especially since I only really had an eye towards that market after vintage prices skyrocketed.

[Bacchus]

I've thought about it. I'm '87. It would be something Japanese and Squier, probably, which would be horrifically expensive now. Or, I love Matsomoku and other Japanese gutiars, but that's sort of after the glory years of Mats. I do have an Ibanez Roadstar II that I think is an '87. That's kinda cool, but not exactly my thing.

[benecol]

(but I feel that a lot of CIJ '62 teles are madly overpriced at the moment).

In thinking about this, and somewhat prompted by Paul's point above: I've been watching how MIJ Tokai prices are sticking, while MIJ Fender stuff is appreciating. While an 85 Love Rock is still going to be a lot of money, you could snap up an 85 Gold Star (the Tokai strat, by then) or Breezy Sound (the tele). That gold Tokai I had was RIDICULOUS.

[Progrockabuse]

All I keep coming across for 1985 in fenders is strats with those god awful locking trem systems fitted to the. I’ve seen a couple of Japanese squires and fenders. There seems to be a glut of 78/79 strats around the £1300+ mark but nothing that’s rosewood boards.

Might end up looking at tokai or even that Mexican Mike mccready strat.

Or a Gordon smith

[sunshiner]

15 years ago the best used Japanese brand in terms of quality and affordability was Burny/Fernandes. It had the same as or very close craftsmanship and quality to Tokais and Grecos but cost much less. Sometimes a good Les Paul, SG, ES, Junior or a strat was 1.5 - 2 times cheaper than a respective copy from Tokai or Greco because the latter had been hyped for many years prior. Orvilles used to be dirt cheap(well, modern Epiphone prices) as recently as 10 years ago.

[benecol]

Prices for Japanese stuff in the UK has really shuffled around in the last couple of years. Once again, as your MIJ correspondant, I recommend Tokais as your best bang-for-buck, especially the age you're looking at.

[plopswagon]

Here’s a picture of me with my birth year guitar.

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[sunshiner]

Right, that's when Napoleon fought Gengiskhan to establish the Danish law in Chile. Rough times, best music though

[euan]

My wife has bought me a birth year MIJ Telecaster for my 40th next month. It has lived at her mums for the last 9 months. Its a very nice guitar thankfully, neck has a June date.

[NickS]

Here’s a picture of me with my birth year guitar.

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Playing "Citterne on the Dock of the Bay"?

[NickD]

Here’s a picture of me with my birth year guitar.

► Show Spoiler

► Show Spoiler

Playing "Citterne on the Dock of the Bay"?