The legendary "Burst Brothers". Musicians Hotline is so excited to Profile a couple of the industries most knowledgeable guitar gurus. These guys have literally traveled the world in search of the ultimate burst. Dave Belzer and Drew Berlin share their thoughts on the market, guitar shows, and the future of collectible instruments.

MH: Your clients include many international buyers. Who has seemed to be the most aggressive buyers over the past five years?

DAVE: I'd say the Japanese have become the more aggressive international buyers and are buying from low end, used guitars to very specific, upper-end, no excuse, original guitars. It's not the fever of the 80's, but it has picked up in the last few years. They are very educated buyers.

DREW: Well, yes we do deal with a lot of European and Japanese buyers. However, in my opinion, the most aggressive buyers are the investors from the stock market that are buying guitars or just investors in general that are looking at it as a commodity and they're trying to get collections together. Although we have a very large business with the Japanese and Europeans, I would say the American businessman is the most aggressive buyer that we deal with now.

MH: Baby Boomers are now really starting to invest in true vintage pieces. What do you feel about this new wave of buyers who are actually cashing in other types of investments to buy Vintage Guitars?

DAVE: God Bless 'em. I think guitars are as viable as any other collectable business that is based on supply and demand whether it is art, cars, watches or even duck decoys. If the demand is high and the supply is low, the price will continue to move upward. I think people that had a bad experience in the stock market and are now taking notice of the rising value of these instruments, they like having something tangible that they can hold in their hands, and if purchased right, will increase in value. I think it's smart on their part. With a vintage guitar you can look at it, you can play it; you can hear it and you can feel it. Try to do that with a share of Enron.

DREW: A lot of the Baby Boomers are becoming successful now and have reached their forties and fifties, and are able to afford their dream guitar that they may have seen Jimmy Paige, Jeff Beck or Eric Clapton use when they were kids. However, I have seen a lot of younger people mid to late twenties and early thirties buying vintage guitars and putting collections together and using the guitars live. There are a lot of younger groups that use nothing but vintage guitars and amps and younger buyers that are putting their collections together and that excites me.

MH: Tell us what is currently the solid investment pieces and what do you feel shows great potential as future vintage pieces?

DREW: Well, seeing right now that the Gibson Les Paul this year has become very strong, it's gone up already since January, but I would say any original guitar as it left the factory that hasn't been modified or altered is going to be a piece that will be valuable in the future. I would go as far as saying that even early 70's Fender guitars and some Gibsons are doing the same thing.

DAVE: Solid investment pieces have always been and will always continue to be clean original examples of collectable models made by Gibson, Fender, Martin and Gretsch. Time has proven that Les Pauls, Stratocasters and Telecasters along with Martin D28s and D18s, Gretsch 6120s have continued to increase in value.

MH: Do you feel that the Vintage Market is fueled by inflated Re-Issue Prices?

DREW: No, not at all. I like some of the re-issue pieces, but I think it's completely separate from the vintage market and I do own two re-issue Gibson Les Paul Flametops and they're great guitars.

DAVE: If anything, the inflated re-issue prices are fueled by the vintage market. As long as I can remember whenever the Burst market jumped, so did the retail and production of re-issues.

MH: As a long time supporter of the Dallas Guitar Show, what do you feel is unique about the show, and the buyers it attracts?

DAVE: It's the longest running show; it's been around forever. I think what's unique about the show is that they do a lot of promotions and they have other events going on that are not specifically vintage. It attracts a lot more dealers and the public.

DREW: My first vintage guitar show was the Dallas Guitar Show and the promoters of the guitar show seem to know what the buyers and the general public wants. They do a lot of good advertising, they make it easy for the dealers to set up and deal with each other and they bring the public in and they provide a lot of entertainment, very good entertainment, and I think the combination of all these elements make this guitar show very special and it's also a very large social event for guitar dealers and the general public as well. Everybody shows up to the Dallas show and there's a chance of their finding more high end, top end vintage guitars and to be able to meet with all the other dealers and friends and to see good entertainment. I think one of the reasons this is true is because the state of Texas has more guitar players than any other state, and it's a guitar-oriented state. It's centrally located, and everything seems to point to the Dallas Guitar Show for being the most successful show.

MH: How have you seen the Internet having an affect on the vintage market?

DAVE: I think from a buying and a selling standpoint, it's brought people closer together with the amount of information available and the speed by which you can obtain it. The digital age has made it possible to trade information so quickly. The Internet opens the vintage market up to a lot more people, but unfortunately, it also opens it up to people who, for whatever reason, may not completely disclose or represent something as it really is, so be careful. Buyer Beware.

DREW: The Internet has a huge affect on the vintage market. For one thing, we've noticed that there's common pricing now world wide, before you would see the price vary more in certain regions like Los Angeles and New York. Now there's one common price because of the Internet. Also, the Internet allows you to find and search for the guitars that you're looking for. We have a website www.vintageguitars.net that does very well and we've found that the Internet is an asset for our business.

MH: In closing guys, what advice would you pass along to investors who are contemplating a vintage purchase, and how do you see the future of the Vintage Market?

DAVE: My advice would be what's worked for me...buy clean, original pieces that you get excited about. Do your research and buy from reputable people, who will back what they're selling. I see the future of the vintage market to be strong, and I plan to be a part of it.

DREW: Well, I tell everybody that's not an expert that's buying a vintage guitar, to make sure that you get a money back guarantee and get an approval time. Once you receive the guitar, make sure that you bring it to a luthier or dealer that knows guitars and have them look at it. Stick with guitars that you really like, guitars that you're going to want to play and guitars that hold their value. Anything that is clean, straight, and original will hold its value. The most important thing is that we just take care of these vintage guitars and keep them in great shape so that we can pass them down to the next generation.

Information:
Hollywood Vintage Shop
7425 Sunset Blvd.
Hollywood, CA 90046
323-874-2302

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