About Us - True Vintage Guitar

Our Mission Statement: At True Vintage Guitar, we help families honor the legacy of a loved one’s cherished guitar by placing it into the hands of a musician who has always dreamed of owning one. With deep expertise, fair offers, and safe global shipping, we handle every detail with the same care the instrument has always received.

Our Service: We provide a high-trust, full-service selling experience for owners and families of vintage guitar owners—offering expert authentication, fair market value, and global access to passionate musicians who are ready to play, not just collect.

Our founder: Guitar collector John Shults peered down the vintage guitar rabbit hole as a sophomore in college in 2009. True Vintage Guitar was established in 2014, and since then, we've been privileged to buy and sell so many of the most valuable Fender and Gibson guitars ever made. John has traveled far and wide to buy vintage guitars throughout the US, Canada, UK, Norway, and South Africa. John will jump at the chance to meet a seller's need by traveling to them to buy their guitar.

Check out John's interview about vintage guitar collecting with Guitar Magazine: The Thrill of the Chase. 

Or check out John's interview with Tony Bacon for Reverb: The Guitar Safari Champion.

Podcast listeners can check out the podcast I recorded with Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal here: Fretboard Journal Podcast with John

True Vintage Guitar Reviews and feedback

(click here to read my reviews on Google)

I'm lucky to have customers who take the time to leave feedback on their experience either selling to True Vintage Guitar or buying from TVG. Here are a few examples of feedback that I'm very honored to have received. This is the type of service I'd like to provide to you when I buy or sell vintage guitars:

From Ray after I bought his grandfather's 1935 Gibson Roy Smeck Stage Deluxe guitar: "I found John on Instagram. I was thinking of selling a vintage guitar that I had from my father. Once I sent him a message he was extremely polite and very responsive. I can say that not only did he make me comfortable and he was trustworthy, he was super knowledgeable. He answered all my questions and was honest and open about everything. I can tell right away that he’s very passionate about his work and love for vintage guitars. He took care of all the shipping info and packaging. It couldn’t have been easier. I would give him a 10 star rating if I could. I’m also happy to say I met a new friend. Thank John." Thank you Ray! I'm very proud to have this one!

From Mike after he purchased a 1970 Gibson Crest guitar: "I had a great time talking and learning more about Gibson guitars. Very easy to understand it was obviously a passion with him dealing in vintage guitars. I would recommend to anyone researching his instruments and put them at ease buying one. He shipped my guitar quickly and fully protected in shipping box. I feel like I have a new friend, although we’ve never met."  Great to meet you too Mike! Enjoy that Gibson!

From Andy after I purchased his grandfather's 1954 Gibson Les Paul Model goldtop guitar: "I had the pleasure of meeting John at True Vintage Guitar (on the phone and then in person) when he appraised a guitar of mine. His shop came really well recommended online and it didn't take long to see why : ) He was not only professional, but obviously passionate about guitars and it showed in his awesome customer service. He was a really fun, pleasant guy to chat with and I can't recommend working with him enough. I don't normally leave online reviews, but he definitely earned this exception : )"  I had the trip of a lifetime flying out to meet you and buy your vintage Gibson Les Paul. Thank you Andy!

I've tailored my online listings to show every bit of information I think you'll need to make an informed decision about your purchase. Curiosities and questions are welcome. Every purchase comes with a 48 hour approval period with no restocking fee. 

After more than 10 years of buying vintage guitars, I am confident that the best deals are ones where both parties in the transaction operate from the same information. I want you to be fully informed about what it is that you're selling before we attempt to come to a price that works for both of us. Instruments often carry important legacies, and I want to do my best to honor those stories. 

Click here to learn more about selling a guitar to True Vintage Guitars.