First off, why bother buying a vintage guitar at all? The truth is that the guitars built today may well sound as good (or better) as your Grandpa's 58 Les Paul and they haven't been played with for 50 years to boot.
But what the heck! You only live once and what is possibly as cool as a vintage Les Paul or Stratocaster guitar
There is now a craze to buy old guitars, fueled by the belief that any guitar from the 50's is rarity. It's true that a famous name guitar from a bygone era has some kudos to it if it also sounds good. But remember that quality control then was poor.
Speaking for myself, I would prefer a guitar with a rock'n'roll pedigree than a new build. I own six guitars at the moment (all Gibson) and every one of them I bought on eBay. Every one of them by the way has increased in value over the past couple of years and so like buying a beautiful painting, it increases both your wealth and your well-being.
Here are my top tips when bidding on eBay-
If it looks too good to be true then it probably is!
Look for the items with a few bids and where the seller has been asked a few questions and published his answers for all to see.
All sellers on eBay are given a rating for value, honesty and communication. The higher the rating and the better the feedback then the more relaxed you can feel. Low or zero ratings require more thought and probably a few questions firing off.
If you see a 'buy it now or make an offer" on a guitar you like then make an offer in line with what similar guitars have gone for before. You find this out by going to the left hand side of a search results page in Google and ticking the box in the search section marked 'completed listings'.
If you bid on an item that does not reach the reserve price then why not send a polite email asking if the seller will accept a lower offer? I have bought two guitars this way.
Anyway, I wish you well with whatever you go for. Just remember to buy the best you can afford and do some research first. You won't go far wrong.
Lyndon is a collector of vintage guitars. His website is Vintage Gibson Guitar where you will find articles, information and useful links about vintage guitars.