RAISING THE TONE Opinion
Most readers will be familiar with the term ‘player’s grade vintage’, but for those who aren’t, it describes vintage guitars that have been modded or messed about with over the years, losing some of their originality in the process and usually commanding lower price tags as a result. Vintage collectors generally don’t want such ‘corrupted’ instruments, but for everyday guitarists who appreciate the vibe of a nice old electric and don’t mind the odd non-original part, they can prove a bargain.
A guitar I bought a few years ago was a pretty typical example of a ‘player’s grade’ vintage guitar. During a visit to World Guitars in Stonehouse, Gloucestershire, I noticed a natural-finish early 70s Tele Custom that stuck out among the gleaming new PRS, Tom Anderson and Nik Huber guitars on sale. The neck and hardware looked original; the body seemed a bit newer. The ever-helpful Julian explained that this guitar had been a bit of a personal project of the store’s late, much-missed owner Jeff Pumfrett. He’d built it from original Tele Custom parts, including
