Carter Vintage Guitars
I was in Nashville a few weeks back and I had to make the pilgrimage to Carter Vintage Guitars. Compelled really. No choice but to go and look at what old guitars are selling for these days.
The shop is located in a somewhat run-down part of the city. I walked there from the downtown core and I was glad to be doing the walk during the day. At night? I would take a car.
The store is pretty down to earth. A small lobby opens into a larger area with a lot of used guitars and amps.
Many of the electrics were priced in the upper middle tier: say $3,000 to $5,000 USD. And lots of Gibsons and Fenders. I guess the guitarists in Nashville like to stick with the two mainstream brands.
Towards the back of the shop they had a small display of truly vintage instruments.
The price tage for the 1950 Broadcaster on the left had been marked down from $70,000 USD to $59,000 USD and the 1953 Telecaster on the right was asking $55,000 USD.
Clearly targetted towards a specific market that would likely never take the guitar out on a gig.
I wonder how many vintage guitars are just stored in closets as investments? Guitars that are never played and rarely seen.
Seems sad.