Vintage Celebrates 25 Years

The original concept behind JHS' Vintage brand was to create a more affordable vintage style guitar that still possessed great finishes, quality parts, and features that are typically found on much more costly products.

When Trev Wilkinson and I got together, way back in 2003, to collaborate on what became the Vintage ReIssued Project, part of our motivation was to use our decades of commercial and product knowledge and skills to prove that we could create high volume series production guitars which would sell for a price that a first and second-time buyer would be able to afford, but also create a product a seasoned pro would be equally happy to use in any studio, gig, or on the world’s biggest stages. I’ve heard Trev say a million times, ‘If you can’t make a great guitar for $5,000 - give up! The challenge is to make a truly great guitar for $500 or less.’

An interesting thing happened in the manufacturing process. Using the best and most appropriate ‘classic timbers,’ incorporating premium constructional features, using unique and true to spec electronics and pickups, fitting hardware which sonically and mechanically outperformed the usual suspects, we never once have gone to the factory gate price and had to say, ‘Something’s got to go or we won’t hit the price point.’ And that is the way it’ll always be - Vintage will never be built down to a price, only ever built to a design and spec.

First and foremost, we pride ourselves on doing things the right way, simply because that’s the right way to do it. Besides, being authentic, being ‘out there’ in delivering a product with true merit and desirability, putting guitars into a crowded market that result in consumers, dealers, players, and even competitors giving credence to what Vintage offers.

Another key to our success is consistently bringing high-quality products to the market which sets high benchmarks, innovates, excites, performs, and delivers. Building credibility through a network of artists worldwide, from local heroes to major international names, who all get what we do and are happy to be associated with their brand, is vital. Finally, working with like-minded commercial partners at distribution and the reseller levels who enjoy the benefits the brand brings to them, and of course listening to anyone who wants to tell us anything about our brand, good or bad, and using what we learn for whatever comes next.

Understand from the outset what you want to achieve. Is your goal to ‘rule the world’ or just delight your audience? It is possible to do both, but that’s a pretty fancy balancing act. The guitar is such a mature category, with an immensely knowledgeable yet inherently conservative constituency, that whatever you build must hit the benchmarks, cover the nuances, be credible, and be ‘real’. There is no room for getting it wrong. So, get your chops together, use your knowledge honestly, be consistent, and above all, care about the player. You are not manufacturing finished goods – you are setting someone off on the path to achieving their dreams.

JHS is lucky enough to have a wonderful partner in the U.S., RBi Music, located in Ft. Worth, Texas, and our relationship goes back to the IMC/Jackson Charvel days. Brad and his team, including Product Manager Rick Taylor will be participating in NAMM’s Believe in Music Week, featuring Vintage and Fret-King guitars along with their other brands. We can’t wait to showcase what we have going on at Believe in Music Week.