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Musikmesse 2012: The best vintage guitars, amps and more in pictures

By The MusicRadar team
published 26 March 2012

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The Musikmesse Vintage Show
Vintage beauties from Gibson, Fender, Gretsch and much more!

The Musikmesse Vintage Show

Frankfurt Musikmesse 2012 wasn't just about new products. Up on floor 4.1, the Musikmesse Vintage Show saw several retailers put together a staggering collection of vintage guitars, amplifiers and more.

Kicking off with this beautiful 1952 Gibson Les Paul, here are some of the highlights. Click onwards and prepare to drool...

Page 1 of 21
Page 1 of 21
Half a million euros' worth of Gibson Les Pauls
A trio of genuine 1958-9 Bursts, including a '58 belonging to the late Ronnie Montrose (far left)

Half a million euros' worth of Gibson Les Pauls

Page 2 of 21
Page 2 of 21
1958 Gibson EMS-1235
Approximately as rare as hens' teeth

1958 Gibson EMS-1235

Page 3 of 21
Page 3 of 21
1963 Gibson Everly Brothers acoustic
Signed by Don and Phil, we really wanted to take this home

1963 Gibson Everly Brothers acoustic

Page 4 of 21
Page 4 of 21
1961 Gibson SG/Les Paul Custom
Sister Rosetta Tharpe style...

1961 Gibson SG/Les Paul Custom

Page 5 of 21
Page 5 of 21
Late 1950s Gibson Mariner Amp
Very cool and very underrated

Late 1950s Gibson Mariner Amp

Page 6 of 21
Page 6 of 21
1953-4 Gibson Les Pauls
More utterly gorgeous Goldtops. The wrapover '54s are particularly sexy

1953-4 Gibson Les Pauls

Page 7 of 21
Page 7 of 21
1968-70 Gibson Les Paul Customs
Some of Gibson's best guitars of the period were Black Beauties

1968-70 Gibson Les Paul Customs

Page 8 of 21
Page 8 of 21
1960s Gibson SGs
Whether you like humbuckers or P-90s, hardtails or vibratos, there was plenty of choice

1960s Gibson SGs

Page 9 of 21
Page 9 of 21
1962 Blonde Fender Showman Amp
There aren't many cooler-looking backlines than this...

1962 Blonde Fender Showman Amp

Page 10 of 21
Page 10 of 21
1960s sunburst Fender Stratocasters
Now that's some real road wear, right there

1960s sunburst Fender Stratocasters

Page 11 of 21
Page 11 of 21
1952 Fender Precision Bass
Did we mention road wear? Impressive use of the dusty end by whoever owned this instrument...

1952 Fender Precision Bass

Page 12 of 21
Page 12 of 21
Fender Telecaster Thinlines
1968-72 represented. That sunburst '72 is a real looker!

Fender Telecaster Thinlines

Page 13 of 21
Page 13 of 21
1968 Gretsch 6105 Rally
Racing stripe scratchplate and an onboard treble boost? Smokin' hot...

1968 Gretsch 6105 Rally

Page 14 of 21
Page 14 of 21
1962 Gretsch 6125 Anniversary hollowbodies
Super cool in green with single HiLo'Tron pickups

1962 Gretsch 6125 Anniversary hollowbodies

Page 15 of 21
Page 15 of 21
1959 Gretsch 6131 Jet Firebird
With original Filtertron PAFs, this was pretty high on our most-wanted list

1959 Gretsch 6131 Jet Firebird

Page 16 of 21
Page 16 of 21
1955 Gretsch 6129 Silver Jet
As was this, although you have to question the decision to retrofit a Les Paul-style scratchplate

1955 Gretsch 6129 Silver Jet

Page 17 of 21
Page 17 of 21
1970s Orange OR120 amp head
With all this vintage Americana it was good to see the Brits get a look in

1970s Orange OR120 amp head

Page 18 of 21
Page 18 of 21
1960s Harmony Stratotone
For all the more valuable instruments on display, this was a real head-turner

1960s Harmony Stratotone

Page 19 of 21
Page 19 of 21
1970s Ibanez electric guitars
A large display charted the Japanese company's journey from the 'Lawsuit' era to the JEM and beyond

1970s Ibanez electric guitars

Page 20 of 21
Page 20 of 21
1970s Framus semis
No, it hasn't melted, it was meant to look like that.

1970s Framus semis

Page 21 of 21
Page 21 of 21
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