Vintage Guitars - Les Paul and others are the bomb

By author Randy Domingo

Editor: Personally I am a big fan of the new and shiny modern guitars like Ibanez but I have had a classic Fender in my time too - they all have their own unique qualities!

There is something about guitar music that has captivated the imagination. I'm not talking about folk music, and I'm certainly not talking about flamenco or classical guitar.

I'm talking about good, old-fashioned, all American rock 'n roll. The great thing about rock 'n roll is you can play it on any electric guitar. You just crank it up, plug it in, and go wild. You don't even really have to be any good to do it. You just have to be loud and soulful.

Nonetheless, rock 'n roll never sounds better than it does on vintage guitars. For me, Les Paul guitars are the ultimate in vintage. I guess it all comes down to the Fender Stratocaster versus Les Paul debate. Either you like the Strats or you don't. Me, I don't. I think a vintage Les Paul guitar is the ultimate rock 'n roll machine. I know I'm being a cheese ball, but it is true. I get passionate about good vintage guitars. I've been playing a 50's Les Paul for the past couple years, and it is my pride and joy. I can't even tell you all the hours I spent on it.

I guess playing vintage guitars has showed me how important it is to have the right instruments. It's not like I was playing on a hunk of junk before I had my vintage guitar, but it wasn't the same. It was a new Epiphone guitar. It sounded alright. The pickups were pretty good, and the equipment was pretty good. It even had a decent feel. I knew, however, that it wasn't what I wanted. I just couldn't get past a certain point with it. I knew that I needed to go shopping for vintage guitars, or else my playing would Plateau. I was right.

What kind of guitars do you prefer - or does it matter???

There are some people who can play on anything, but for many of us, if we don't enjoy the instrument we are working with, there is no point at all.

Until I started playing vintage guitars, my playing was lackluster. It sounded just like everyone else. I couldn't develop my own personal style because I didn't have a machine that I liked. Vintage guitars changed all that. Now, I am better than ever before. I would not say my band is world famous, but we do regularly get gigs. All in all, it is working out very well. The right guitar always does the trick!