To me, they aren't vintage. They are survivors. Like old cars, motorcycles and people. To survive for so long, what a gift to us all.

My father in law has a 50 Broadcaster. His father originally bought it brand new, then when he became a teenager he handed it down to him, played it throughout his teens then pretty much put it in the case and has sat in the closet for countless years. It has a sound and feel that I cannot describe. It amazes me every time I get to pick it up and play it. We end up having to do tons of research to pinpoint the year. I told him it belongs in a museum somewhere.

Big shout out to GuitarPoint for being relaxed about letting people actually play vintage instruments and not gatekeeping them. I visited last year and they were really welcoming and relaxed, which definitely isn’t easy when you’ve got bursts, blackguards etc. on display. Really great guys 👌🏼

It always strikes me as amazing that Fender got it so right from the get go. The Precision bass went through some evelutionary changes but the Telecaster and Stratocaster are essentially the same today as those early Fifties models.

Love the 59 LP, that's how a road worn guitar looks, not like it's been dragged behind the tour bus the whole tour. A few dings, belt, and button, wear on the back, arm wear on the upper lower, a little wear around the edges. But that's it. For those who want to relic their guitar, have a good look at this one.

I recently got a chance to play a '51 Nocaster at a GREAT little guitar shop in the Seattle area. I knew they had it based on their online inventory and I wasn't even planning on playing it. It just wanted to see it in person. The guy was awesome, all I said was that I wanted to see it and he pulls it off the wall, hands it to me and says, "do you want to play it". I was blown away. I said, "You know I can't buy it right?" he says, "Well if people don't play them and enjoy them then they just hang on the wall and go out of tune". That was bucket list guitar for me. I'm not an amazing player by any stretch but it was so much fun and I had a massive smile on my face the whole. It was all original and so much fun. Amazing shop, really cool staff. What blew me away about playing it though was that it really didn't feel any different than my telecasters at home. People talk about the thick necks on the old Tele's and based on my experience, I don't understand where that comes from at all. It felt completely natural and seriously, it felt just like playing my guitars at home. I'll never forget that experience. So much fun.

Fender proves time and time and time again how simplicity and minimalism are always the best design.

While you're an excellent player and educator with a charismatic personality, Paul; another key to your KZfaq success is whoever is holding the camera and editing the footage. The cinematography and production of these videos truly are professional level quality.

Without this guitar, we wouldn't have what we so take for granted today.

When I purchased my first custom shop guitar, I knew it had to be something historically significant. I wound uo with the 70th Anniversary CS Broadcaster in a very tasteful Journeyman relic. I have probably played that guitar every day since it arrived and it is by far my favorite i ever have put my hands on. I can only dream of an original.

My friend has 59 burst and i have an R9 with a Brazilian rosewood fretboard. I played them side by side and although the 59 had that little bit extra Paul was mentioning my R9 did play better in the hand. I have been fortunate in my life to have had my hands on about 30 bursts. They are truly something special.

I have a couple of rules that I employ whenever I try out ANY guitar that isn’t mine: 1) I won’t use a pick unless it’s a used guitar; and 2) I will under no circumstances allow a belt buckle or any kind of metal buttons or snaps touch a guitar. (I don’t even like having vinyl or plastic snaps/buttons touch the guitar either.) Whenever I let people try my guitars, I require them to take off their jackets , or in the case of shirt buttons, I’ll probably let the vinyl/plastic ones go, but if metal, they have to put a piece of fabric between them and the guitar. I learned this the hard way from buying a very used Mosrite that clearly was from the late60s/1970s (part of the “big belt-buckle” era) - granted, I got the guitar cheaper, thanks to the damage that wore all the way through to the wood! And one time, my then-7-year-old son asked if he could “play” my Les Paul. I don’t own “investment” guitars, and I wanted to encourage him to play anyway, so I said that was fine. He kept the guitar flat on the table and dragged the pick across the strings - and the body - so in 20 seconds, he managed to scratch the heck out of the non-pickguard side of my 1990s LP! (Thankfully not a vintage year, anyway…) But in the end, I just have too much respect for other people’s axes to do something so stupid and easily avoidable as to put a nick or scratch into a beautiful instrument! I was so surprised to see the owner allow Paul to wear his jean jacket with the metal buttons!

We need more Vintage guitar Videos❤

That '59 burst did sound incredible. More warm and creamy than the modern version.

Had the honour to play an original Broadcaster last year at a local vintage guitar shop. There is just something to the feel, that will stick in your head for weeks. It was nice having a peace of popculture history in your hand, that was made before pop music was even invented!

A good friend of mine is a luthier, and trained under his boss. His boss has a '52 Telecaster bought new. It has seen some things, and has been played all over the Pacific Northwest. It's an amazing instrument, and being able to hold and play a piece of history was an honor. Thank you for sharing your adventures, Paul. Both the Tele and the Les Paul sounded great under your hands. As always, great video production. 🙏🏻🤍

I have a 1967 Fender Telecaster original everything except for the 3 brass saddles and bridge. Everything else is there even the wiring is original. It’s by far the best sounding guitar I own, and I also have a ‘67 Gibson ES 330TDC and a 1957 Gibson J50, both in beautiful playing condition. I love them both but nothing feels and sounds and plays better than my ‘67 Telecaster. A perfect work of art!

Just something about the look, feel, and sound of a Fender Tele or Strat that makes it the ultimate in guitar for me.

Paul, you’re the best guitar content creator on this platform!!🔥🔥🎸🎸

My favorite guitar is my mint-condition, all original 1951 Ibanez Jem 777.

As many have pointed out, there were many electric guitars before the Broadcaster, but most were hollow or semi-hollow and expensive. Gibson and Gretsch and Epiphone all had electric guitars that pre-date the Broadcaster, but they were not really rock guitars and were expensive. The Broadcaster was the first main stream solid body electric guitar, that was cost effective for it to be the first one to become mainstream. And it was there when rock took off in the early 50’s.

Great video Paul! That '59 Les Paul sounds incredible, incredible tone - even on video it sounds so open compared to the CC

The natural relic on it is just beautiful.

I love the fact that not much has changed in 70 years on the “Tele/Broadie”. I have an American Standard Tele, a Les Paul Classic, and a Les Paul Custom. Aside from a few cosmetic differences, they are very much as they were from the early days. Thank you for your videos!

Mark Knopfler’s 120 guitar collection is getting auctioned at Christies in London on January 24th. Could you ask them really nicely if you might go and make a video about those?

Yes the 59 Les Paul sounds so much fuller - every string is clear. No comparison to the best you can get now.

Some of the magic with those vintage guitars from the 50s is something that cannot be replicated. They're very random instruments. Handwound pickups with a lot of variance combined with 70 years of wood working, components drifting, magnets degrading. It all leads to a unique instrument. The history these instruments carry makes each of them one of a kind. That Broadcaster is amazing though. It's more than 70 years old, been through so many different players, yet it still looks and sounds amazing. It's obviously a guitar that has been played a bunch, but also one that was loved and taken good care of by its owners. You could hang it on the wall next to Fender's current options and it'll blend right in. Leo got it right on the first try.

Love the Tele's appearance. Indeed, the scratches and worn out look give it an honest and genuine sense of authenticity. Definitely plays in such a classic 50s tone too. Vintage guitars must be preserved so much!

The thing I was most impressed with was the guitar store. What a beautiful place to try out guitars! Thanks

Good morning from America Paul Today our country celebrates Thanksgiving And this is the first video that pops up on my feed Such a gift By the way my friend's son goes to college and studies social and cultural Anthropology, primarily using music art and media as source materials He's a white kid and a huge hip hop fan However he likes all kinds of music and he's been recently fascinated with old fifties American made electric guitars for some reason I just sent him the link to your video and he already watched it and his father told me he couldn't stop walking around and showing everybody saying, can you believe we made this? Can you believe we made something like this in our country back in the day? Thank you for inspiring us Americans to appreciate the good that we have accomplished in this country, because every day we are reminded of all the bad

There is nothing more satisfying than trying out and playing awesome guitars. That '59 Les Paul sounded so good, I could melt on the very first chord. And the Broadcaster was as good a guitar now like it is timeless. And the new Gibson. Fantastic. I am so glad for the guitars on my tool chest. Les Paul Superme, '61 SG re-issue, a splash of Gretsch solid, and hollow body guitars as well as acoustics. I don't have a genuine Strat, but I do have a great telecaster I love very much. I feel privilaged with what I have, including my fender acoustic, Maton EBG808 and Gretsch resonator. I also hace a Gretsch Dixi Six Guitjo thing. It is a bit dissapointing, though I did slot some rubber gromets between the strings from the tail piece to the bridge which did help, even so, it is a lot of fun regardless as one can poke fun at popular songs and turn any song folk or hill billy at a gathering. Having a collection of many guitar types is essential for one to have as limitless sonic opportunities as one can in their musical pursuits. Thank you for this video. It only cements the fact that my collection of instruments has almost reached its pinnacle. Jusy need a Djano Reinhardt Selmer, a Greg Smallman and Sons classical, and a Gibson SG Special with wrap around bridge and two P90s to complete my ultimate hoard of got to instruments.

5:50 It's such a breath of fresh air to hear piano in a video like this. A lot of guitar player/creators could learn from that trick!

I can hear the hands of a thousand unsung guitarists from back in the day, right up until today, playing this with you. What a glorious sound!!!

It would be really interesting to hear one of these 50s guitars played through a 50s amp. In my opinion it will give an even better idea of the sound that Leo Fender had in his mind when designing this.

I'm not an "old guitar mojo" kind of guy but, man, this is the guitar equivalent of the Marc Cohn lyric from Walking in Memphis, "Tell me are you a Christian child, and I said, 'Ma'am, I am tonight'."

Wow that guitar sounds so soulful...very acoustic side to it’s vibes! Lovely!

So! You played a guitar as old as me. I started with my birthday Uke at age 4. I'm not alone in a unique love of this episode. First it's your production, never last than the artistically curated content. But more Paul, I do not have to play well, like your skill. At night or in early day before work my moments with the guitar are open, willing, begging passion and then I can sleep or work. And there is one Gibson, built 60 years ago, gifted to me new my 9th birthday. I reserve it for emotions past those others may see. It knows me and plays easier and better, resonant, pliant in my old hands much better than new. I felt every note you played on each guitar. Thanks!

MANY of the earliest ones had weak wimpy neck pickups. I have a refin Nocaster and the neck pickup ain't nuthin' but MAN the bridge pickup reminds me of a great super hot P90 on the best Les Paul Junior. But you roll of the highs and it's a clean jazzer. I agree with the Esquire fans -- you only need the bridge pickup if you know what you are doing. Pople have told me to re wind the neck pickup hotter -- but I'm leaving it vintage original.

That Broadcaster literally brought me to tears listening to you play it. The MOTHER of all guitars. Thank you for that presentation.

sooooooooo loving this video. The tele, you just have to pay homage to "got it right first time design" that's so rare these days. The early Les Paul wow I would really like to hear that through a cranked amp. The difference to the new / expensive Les Paul was really surprising. I've been lucky to play a few old vintage/expensive guitars and felt they were difficult to play and not really inspiring. BUT... one 60's Strat I played which had one owner from new and has been played regularly, was easily the best sounding and (to me more importantly) felt like a dream to play. I feel so lucky that I still feel passionate about electric guitars after 50 years of playing. Thanks for posting this video Paul :0)

That painting of Slash in the background is dope af too.

What a beautiful shop, and you are one very lucky man 😊!

Mike Campbell from Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers have one. Fender even made a custom shop limited edition based on his original Broadcaster called "CS Heartbreaker" which is the cheapest way to have this model today.

Love when you upload. Your voice is so soothing. Great video!

I guess part of the difference between the 59' Les Paul and the new one is that the old pickups are not potted

All of your videos are amazing Paul! Do you have any tips for growing a guitar channel?

That is like time travel......the sounds coming out of that Tele are the same as for the player who first assembled it 53 years ago (Leo or one of his team) and went..."hey, listen to what this thing I built can do". Gave me goosebumps.

Great video. Thanks

That 59 is killer. By far and the best sounding guitar you played. The loudness and tone comes through clearly, even on KZfaq. WOW!!!

The Broadcaster. When I was sixteen. My uncle was called to an old lady neighborhood family friend. We went over and she gave him this paintbrushes black electric. We took it to the garage and got some fine sandpaper and sanded the headstock. And lo and behold Fender Broadcaster. The local music store offered him any guitar on the wall. And any half stack. And all the gear and equipment to get started. He declined the offer and still has it today. At sixteen I told him he was nuts. He was the smart one. I've played it many times and it's total classic. Now almost fifty . We still jam it. Amazing how things come to us . Thanks for this informative video. Oh ya the pick cover over the strings was removed as usual .

Hoi Paul, this is as close as finding a real timemachine… to feel and go back in time to what music really was al about. Guitars are here to be played and inspire those who plays them. Groetjes Brian Keep doing what you do!

The Telecaster (or Broadcaster) is still around 70 years later not because guitars haven't advanced in that time, but because guitarists don't want them to advance. It is very interesting that despite being very creative people generally, musical artists tend to be very conservative when it comes to their instruments. There are many changes that are objective advancements and upgrades that could be applied to these designs, auch as sculpted heel joints and more durable fret wire, but so many guitarists didn't want them - they want the "real thing"

The old one just sounds like a record already !! It is fat but not muddy, has presence but is not harsh and clarity while having a warm character. I’m pretty sure you can achieve this tone with the new ones, but you’ll have to put work in it.. eq,compression etc. Nothing will ever justify to pay 350K for a guitar but god it really is the sound of heaven haha

Beautiful. I guess what has changed is not the instruments themselves (very much) but the amplifiers and ways to change the sound and the way musicians play them.

That original 59. Wow!! I'm a tele guy but that sounded unreal

How crazy is it that the 1950 Telecaster came out of Leo's head and was perfect, and it still remains perfect to this day, virtually unchanged. Talk about getting it right the first time. Leo was a genius and his goal of creating a work horse was perfection. There are better looking guitars with cool features and aesthetics but the Tele is all we have ever needed.

“Open” is the perfect description. The old LP’s notes were just a bit clearer and separated. What a beautiful instrument 😍

For me, this owervelming sound of that old gibson is the gold vintage sound. You know that wats in my mind when someone says wintage sound, and i absolutly love it.🤤 the sabe with the Brodcaster. But to be fair the modern one got real close.😳 (sorry for my english)

GREAT burst! Thank you for make falling in love with vintage bursts for the fifty time this week.

Tears came to my eyes. That telecaster is breathtaking. Thank you.

Never found a tele I liked. I know it’s a Broadcaster but same difference. I don’t know why, I’ve had lots and still have one. Can’t explain it. Really wish I did because I love the look. In 1979 I had a chance to get an early 50s tele for $1000 dollars cdn and turned it down for a new Strat. It was super light but too beat up in my books back then. It was one I actually liked playing. I still kick myself weekly over it. 😢Great vids as always Paul. But listen to the difference between the LP and the Broadcaster.

A small batch of Broadcasters without truss rods was released in November 1949 and then recalled in January 1950 and had truss rods retro fitted, the earliest truss rod models have maple skunk stripe and not walnut

Guitars are like dragons. If you don't play with them occasionally they fade away and die. When Paul picked up those guitars and caressed them he gave them a breath of life once more.

I have always had strats. Then I decided I needed a tele just to have one. Found one at a good price and was instantly hooked. There is just something about the flat plank of wood with a giant neck bolted on that works. The neck pickup is sweet and smooth. Then the bridge is twangy clean and just overdriven perfection as you crank it up.

Also, those old pickups in the 59 will always sound better than the new Burstbuckers and are wired 50s style. I believe Gibson CS models are still wired modern which causes the neck pickup to be darker. I removed my BBs and put a set of Tom Holmes which sound close IMHO to the originals and re-wired 50s style. It has a lot more clarity then when I got it stock.

They the most important and the BEST ever made. Their is just no debate on this topic.

Still can't believe with all that the evolution of the Gibson les paul standard has if anything gone backwards. I heard that magical almost tele twang on the bridge pickup on the original 59. And that neck pickup, just pure magic. Great video.

Fender guitars were such a radical departure... minimalist, simple, affordable, mass produced...you wonder if Leo could have possibly had any inkling to the legacy he was creating...?

I like to believe that the secret to a vintage guitars tone is the whole assembly has been subject to decades of the same harmonic resonance; everything has evolved in harmony and resonates with it's muscle memory.

A neighbor had a '51 Nocaster (if I recall it was around serial number 1017). Sadly a past owner had it refinished in black (was originally blonde that could be seen in the neck joint when neck was removed) that utterly destroyed its collector value, but he enjoyed playing it up to his final days. I will never forget its twangy tone, or the looks on the guitar tech's faces when he took it to the local GC for appraisal.

Still the cleanest player on the entire Internet. Made those old instruments sing. Well done Paul.

To just think about where it all started is just beautiful.

Excellent playing, and obvious that in the moment Paul wants to play EVERYTHING! Love it! ❤️👏

6:59 I think I woulda cried.. hands down the best there for me 👌

In terms of innovation, as you mentioned, we're stuck at 1950... And they still sound astonishingy GREAT! Compared to a modern one, ...There's no comparison. They are different instruments.

The first solid body mass produced electric guitar was Fender Esqiure. It had a different head stock, one pickup and no truss road. It was quickly upgraded to the Broadcaster. The first solid body electric guitar was made by Paul Bigsby. It was hand made and he only made a couple of guitars.

wonderfull, to hear the neck pickup of the broadcaster and the difference (Les Paul) between modern and first series ! Thank you.

A friend of 65 years (we started primary school together in 1960) has a 54 blonde Tele made the year he was born. He has a guitar shop in our home town.

Man! The unplugged volume blew me away! I thought it was a cut scene to an acoustic at first!

very nice video ! You have touched music history....

hardly heard the difference (just a little bit) between the 59 burst and the reissue, but oh my, I FELT it. Even through youtube.

A very special and emotional moment for you Paul…thanks for sharing, glad you enjoyed being a little scared playing these special tools of music that allowed your talents to shine 👌

Great video as always Paul. Gorgeous guitars!

Had a 54 as a "house guest" for several weeks courtesy of a very generous friend. The light weight (swamp ash) is shocking at first. The two words I would use to describe these guitars are "balanced" and "articulate". Stunning instruments.

The Broadcaster was an important milestone, but it would not have happened without the invention of the electromagnetic pickup by Rickenbacker Corp. in 1931.

The Les Paul guitar is revered by people like Jimmy Page from Led Zeppelin as the mother of Heavy Metal. But, Les Paul himself was a massive star in the United States in his day. He is known as one of the fastest guitar players of all time. Les was a master at the guitar. Les invented the solid body guitar. He also created sound-on-sound recording, overdubbing, reverb effects and the use of echo chambers, and he even designed his own multi-track tape recorders. Check out Les Paul playing guitar on youtube.

Great video, the production quality does justice to those great guitars. Paul's playing is haunting and ethereal, like the video and the guitars. A great tribute.

I watch quite a few videos of guitar content. Every time one of yours comes up I think, well done. But I only see very few. I realized after this video to click the bell reminder. You make really good videos. Sorry it took so long to get with it. Reminded me to shake up my old man habits a bit.

A friend years ago in Montana found a Brodcaster and played it through a vintage Orange. It sounded stellar. No, I do not know if he has it anymore, that was 50 years ago. ;) I myself own a 06 Custom Shop Nocaster and love it to death. P.S. Do some Jimmy Bryant on that thing!

Paul, can you please play the Stairway to heaven in a guitar shop on a `59 Les Paul into a Dumble Overdrive Special through a Klon Centaur?

_Technically_ the esquire came first by a few months, but less than 50 were made and most were replaced due to warped necks

I very much appreciate the history on display here, that guitar has an almost mythical aura and playing it seemed like an inspiring experience for Paul, who sounds awesome as always. All that said...the actual sound of the guitar didn't do much for me. It sounded fine but I think Fender has learned a lot since 1950!

Saturax in France made the same kind of video about 1959 famous one! Full original with her original suitcase is around 450.000 Euros!! 😮😮😮😮

My brother has a 1949 Kay, that's electric. When G-Pa, passed that's what he got.

First fender was the Esquire a one pickup guitar before the two pickup Broadcaster. That shop has some amazing instruments if I should be so lucky to get to Europe I will visit. Big thanks to Paul Davids a great player and educator. I had a September 52 blackguard for 10 years a great guitar and when cranked it was awesome. Ten years ago they were less than half the price now asking.

This guy goes to see/play priceless guitars and wearing a BUTTON down shirt geeze.

Good Lord, if all guitar shops were as cool and relaxed like Guitar Point. Thumbs up, and thx for everyone doing this. Love this video!

Thanks for sharing Paul!

That 59 LP just makes me want to cry.

What beautiful and historic instruments. Paul makes them sing. So amazing to think about how relatively young the electric guitar really is in human history. Thanks for sharing.