Is any gear from today going to be a classic?

[Vrad]

Diezel, ENGL, Bogner, THD, etc...
We are very lucky to live in a time when you can buy something that is awesome right outta the box!

Sorry dude.. but none of those are gonna be classics.
Classics are classics not because they're good gear. They're classics because there's a genre or major musical movement associated with them. 60's/70's = Plexi etc... 80's Charvel/Hotrodded Marshall... What do you have now? Nothing. A rehash of modded Marshalls and a reissue Charvels.

Well I ain't much of a dude, but I've played since the land before time and have built amps almost as long. From what I've seen of Bogner, besides maybe the tone stack it has very little in common with a rehashed Marshall. The build quality of the amps I mentioned far surpasses any Marshall too. THD still makes the best PCB I've seen!
If someone still plays metal in 20 years or so, Bogners and Diezels will still have a fan base and likely will be very classic.
Besides, Marshall is just a rehashed Fender, which is just a rehashed RCA/Westinghouse circuit etc...
Plus, anything old could be classic, IMO.

You missed my point.
Quality has little to do with this IMO. Bogner, Diezel and THD are better made than old Marshalls. If quality did factor in, why in the hell would someone pay $6000 for an unmolested Plexi?

 

[boof]

I saw a couple people mention PRS. I think some of them are already going up in value. I realize that might be the criteria for becoming a classic though. earlier PRS from the 80s are starting to go up in value and the limited editions command a higher price than others. in particular the "made for employee" ones and the Bonnie pinks from the 80s are already hitting the lower end of pre-cbs strat prices.

but again I might be getting away from the original topic of classic vs collectible.

 

[MOAAH]

You missed my point.
Quality has little to do with this IMO. Bogner, Diezel and THD are better made than old Marshalls. If quality did factor in, why in the hell would someone pay $6000 for an unmolested Plexi?

Maybe, but you missed mine as well.
Just as your criteria maybe one thing, mine is another and just like you, I doubt I'll change my view how any American amp that is old and filled with American Iron is classic.
My Dad still drives a '65 Rambler American. It's a four door but in great shape and people compliment him all the time on what a classic he's got. I doubt any real collector would have that high on their list of must find and keepers, yet some folks will still see it as classic.
These Macs are most classic amps I own. May not look like much to someone that don't know what they are, but believe me they are worth a small fortune:

The oldest speaker I own is, AFAIK, the first Celestion(they were Rola before a name change) evar designed and put into production. No good at all by today's standards, but indeed as classic as it gets:

 

[IntrepidCellist]

+1 to everyone who mentioned the 2ch Dual Recto. That will be a classic. People are already starting to look for them.

 

[AmpliFIRE]

Fab Fox










(wait's for Pete to show a pic of his)

 

[Greazygeo]

No....

 

[lolzgreg]

5150 for sure... it's probably up there with one of the most popular amps in the history of guitar with the Fender Blackfaces/Twins, Marshall Plexis/800s, Mesa Rectos/Marks.

 

[ke2]

These Macs are most classic amps I own. May not look like much to someone that don't know what they are, but believe me they are worth a small fortune:

DAMN!

Are those two enormous bricks transformers?

 

[AmpliFIRE]

5150 for sure... it's probably up there with one of the most popular amps in the history of guitar with the Fender Blackfaces/Twins, Marshall Plexis/800s, Mesa Rectos/Marks.

I don't get it...they were made by Peavey and there are THOUSANDS of them out there. Prices haven't gone up much over the past few years...why should they go up now?

 

[MOAAH]

Are those two enormous bricks transformers?

Yes, they call them potted.
The windings are dipped in a tar solution and then housed in what you see.

 

['63-Strat]

Gonna have to agree with Vlad, probably nothing honestly

 

[Meathead]

Gonna have to agree with Vlad, probably nothing honestly

Times they are a changing...there will never be a rock guitar revolution like the 60s - 70's
Sax and trumpet used to be the big mainstream soloing instruments, now they are not mainstream so much...what's next after guitar? ...armpit fart solos?

 

[Death by Uberschall]

As stated earlier, what gear has changed the sound and style of music? That will be the gear to have. Also specialty, limited run gear by the big names usually goes up slightly. Start up gear made by companies before they made it big will go up.

 

[MOAAH]

Fab Fox
(wait's for Pete to show a pic of his)

For the 100 he paid it sounded pretty dang good, or did you even bother to listen to his clip? I'd like to see anyone build something for that price that sounds anywhere near as sweet as my early amps. It just ain't gonna evar happen! It must have been so disheartening for some folks when I did something that they'll never touch or come close to. You know of course they did evolve into something else, something even cork sniffers may have a hard time calling down:
My last amp build evar. A Dumble inspired amp, I called the Rumble:

BTW, those are ONetics trafos,

and Budd don't sell to any joker. Remember of course that only the very top of the line early Soldanos used them, the cheaper ones all had MMs.

 

[AmpliFIRE]

are those EL84's?

 

[MOAAH]

are those EL84's?

They sure are. That amp had EI preamp tubes and JJ OPTs, a very nice mix IMO

Oh, I should have said that was the last amp I built to be sold, still waiting for the time to use Hammond's first run of direct replacement trafos. I got copies of every new model for free cause I was the one who suggested they make direct replacements for some of the more popular classic amps, and improve their mounting brackets. These are the JCM800 plug ins:

Should be a real fabamp when it's done, LOL.

 

[Vrad]

Gonna have to agree with Vlad, probably nothing honestly

Times they are a changing...there will never be a rock guitar revolution like the 60s - 70's
Sax and trumpet used to be the big mainstream soloing instruments, now they are not mainstream so much...what's next after guitar? ...armpit fart solos?

We're gonna go the way of the dinosaur man... LOL!

So what do you think the best pickup for my armpit would be? I need a tight low-end with plenty of gain? Thinking maybe a Suhr Aldrich.

 

[MOAAH]

Times they are a changing...there will never be a rock guitar revolution like the 60s - 70's

Well having grew up in the 60s I used to think the same way.
Then along came Nirvana, and my hopes were reborn.
Maybe it's just me, but IMO they were the best thing since the Beatles.
What we need is a new Nirvana, one that will not end and leave us all hanging while we wait for more.
YMMV, and that's great too. I'd never want everyone to agree with me. Who the heck would I argue with then

 

[MOAAH]

DAMN!

If we were on a British BB I could have posted these instead, Leak, from 1953:

Back when most American amps looked like this inside:

the Brits were doing things a wee bit different:

I still think truly great amps like Wizard, are already classic in their own right:

 

[edgarallanpoe]

Not sure about any amp makers, but some of the boutique guitar makers will be.

I truly believe that we are living in the second Golden Age of guitar. (the first obviously being the 50s) The level of lutherie that we are seeing today is unprecedented. In the past we have had Fender, Gibson, and to a much lesser extent Gretsch. Then came Hamer (yes they were *way* before PRS. Hamer pioneered the boutique guitar market) and after that PRS.

Now, there are a multitude of builders who are making absolutely impeccable instruments. I credit the internet for most of this. Luthiers like this have always existed but were limited in how many people they could attract. The refinement of CNC has also had a *huge* impact on the boutique market.