About Us - True Vintage Guitar

True Vintage Guitar is a high end vintage guitar shop where you can sell a vintage guitar, buy vintage guitars, or get an expert appraisal on Fender and Gibson guitars. Located in a hip downtown loft in Birmingham, Alabama, John buys vintage guitars all over the world - he's personally travelled all across the world to buy guitars including most of the US, both coasts of Canada, many times to the UK and Europe, and even made it to South Africa. John's prolific buying of the vintage guitars worldwide lead Reverb.com to crown John as the Guitar Safari Champion and Birmingham Lifestyle magazine to designate John as the Indiana Jones of Vintage Guitars.

We wouldn't be the top buyer of vintage guitars without the help of our Head of Sales: Walter Vetrano. Walter has played in many bands and is maybe a little too much into classic rock and Stratocaster guitars. Our guitars would never play or sound as good as they do without the meticulous efforts of Jason Burns at Burns Repair. John has trusted Jason with nearly every one of the 1000s of high end vintage guitars that have come through the shop over the past decade and a half.

Our Showroom in Birmingham, Alabama

Our showroom is located in a 1200 square foot loft in the heart of downtown Birmingham, Alabama. In a building at least twice as vintage as the guitars within, John curates of a world class collection of guitars, amplifiers, and effects to inspire musicians to make more music. Book an appointment to bring your guitar for an appraisal or to discuss selling: walter@truevintageguitar.com.

John Shults - 16 year veteran Appraiser, Buyer, and Player

John Shults of True Vintage Guitar has spent the last 16 years appraising, buying, and selling the finest vintage guitars all over the world (really). In 2009 and as a college student studying Business Administration at the University of Alabama, he supplemented his text books with every book on Fender and Gibson guitar history he could find. The more the knowledge grew, the more his passion for guitars and music flourished. He found that his passion for all things vintage guitar enabled him to help private sellers get fair value for their cherished heirloom instrument and bring a forgotten guitar out of the closet and into the hands of a guitarist who has always dreamed of it. Major publications such as Guitar.com, Reverb.com, Fretboardjournal.com, Birmingham Lifestyle magazine, the Tone Mob, and Guitar Gavel all started to take notice that John's passion for vintage guitars is what separated True Vintage Guitar from every other guitar shop.

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.

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.