Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

June 14, 2024. Today was a rough day, a roller coaster of emotions. I had to venture back to the bathroom at the shop a couple of times to get myself together. A friend of mine at the shop asked me if I was ok? I told them I was okay, just having some big…

A few weeks ago, we listed a 1960 Gibson Les Paul Standard. It was an incredible burst. Long story short… that guitar sold a matter of hours after we listed it! Out of the blue, the day after that first ’60 burst sold, another 1960 Gibson Les Paul Standard showed up at the shop. I…

Last week, one of the most stunning sunburst Les Pauls I’ve ever had the good fortune to see walked into the Carter Vintage showroom. “Stunner really doesn’t even begin to describe this guitar. It’s literally the Whole. Nine. Yards. Ok, let’s cut to the chase and do a sunburst Les Paul “Holy Grail” checklist, shall…

There’s an incredible 1954 Strat at the store right now. I thought I’d use the occasion to talk about Fender’s Flagship guitar, it’s early development and some of the players that have used the guitar to achieve massive fame and fortune. The Fender Stratocaster is one of the most iconic musical instruments ever made. Maybe…

One of the fun things about working at Carter Vintage is the fact that you never know what’s going to come through the front door. Case in point, a 1954 Gibson Les Paul Standard showed up the other day. The guitar’s in stunning original condition. What’s the big deal though? This guitar has a factory…

For a vintage guitar geek, I definitely have one of the coolest jobs ever. A couple of days ago my job was to travel to a city in central Florida to buy, and bring back to Carter Vintage, a 1953 Fender Telecaster from the original owner. The guitar came with a Fender Deluxe amp that…

The concept of a vintage guitar plays a large role in today’s guitar market – not just in replica-level reissues, not just in regular-production models with vintage features, but in the overall marketing message of the companies whose guitars provide the foundation of the vintage world – Fender, Gibson and Martin. It’s been over 50…

Most of the iconic collectible instruments have a story that hangs on key players. The sunburst Les Paul with Clapton (or Bloomfield or Page). The Stratocaster with Buddy Holly or Hendrix. The J-200 with Ray Whitley. The F-5 mandolin with Bill Monroe. The Granada banjo with Earl Scruggs. The Martin D-28 is a different story.…