The stack knob years, the bound-dot window, and the 1970s bridge pickup move. Every dating change on the vintage Fender Jazz Bass from the 1960 launch to 1975, and why the headstock logo will not tell you whether yours is pre-CBS.
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The Hummingbird was Gibson's first square shoulder dreadnought and the prettiest guitar in the 1960 catalog. Here is the full story: what the first ones were, every spec change that matters through the 1970s, how to date yours from the label and the hardware, and what a vintage one is honestly worth in 2026. Shown on five real Hummingbirds that came through the shop, from a 1961 to a 1979.
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The 000-45 is the rarest thing Martin puts a catalog number on. Just 341 were built across the whole span from 1906 to 2005, post-1970 reissues included, and in the 1970s the factory made them one and two at a time. Here is the full spec sheet for a 1976 example, the history of how Style 45 came back after the war, how to tell an original from an upgraded 000-28, and what one is honestly worth today.
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The ES-355 was the top of Gibson's thinline family, a cherry-red, gold-plated flagship that sat above the ES-335 and ES-345. This guide covers where it came from, how the mono ES-355TD and the stereo Vari-tone ES-355TD-SV differ, how we date and authenticate a 1959, and what one is really worth today, including the surprise that a fancy 355 usually sells for less than a plain 335 dot-neck. Every photo is a real 1959 ES-355 from our shop.
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The Gibson ES-345 added stereo wiring and the six-position Varitone to the ES line in 1959, sitting between the ES-335 and the ES-355. This guide covers the history, the specs, the year-by-year authentication tells, and what a vintage ES-345 is really worth, shown on a 1963 sunburst and a 1966 cherry from the shop.
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The Gibson ES-5 was the first production Spanish electric with three pickups, a plush cousin of the L-5 that Gibson sold as the instrument of a thousand voices. This guide covers where it came from, how the original three-P-90 ES-5 became the four-way ES-5 Switchmaster, how the Switchmaster moved to three PAF humbuckers, and how we date, authenticate, and value each one. Every photo is a real ES-5 from our shop, including a 1953 original and a 1958 PAF Switchmaster.
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The Gibson PAF humbucker is the most valuable two ounces of wire and metal in the guitar world, and the patent number pickup that followed it is the best bargain. This guide covers the whole story: how Seth Lover invented the humbucker, how the pickup changed from 1957 through the 1970s, every authentication point we check on the bench, and what these pickups are really worth. It also explains, in plain terms, why you should never take one apart to find out.
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The Epiphone Sheraton is the fancy Kalamazoo cousin of the Gibson ES-335, built in the same factory by the same hands and dressed in far more pearl. This guide covers where the Sheraton came from, how it changed from the 1958 New York pickup guitars to the mini-humbucker years, how we authenticate the pickups, tailpiece, tuners, and serial number, and what a vintage Sheraton is really worth today. Every photo is a real 1961 Sheraton from our shop.
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The Fender Mustang went from a 1964 student guitar to a collector and indie-rock icon, and the gap between an all-original example and a modified project comes down to details most sellers miss. This guide covers the whole short-scale family, the year-by-year changes from 1964 to 1982, the Competition finishes, how we authenticate the pickups, switching, Dynamic Vibrato, and serial numbers, and what a vintage Mustang is really worth today. Every photo is a real guitar from our shop.
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