All the classic US makes, especially Fender, Gibson, and Martin, have increased in value year after year without fail. The acoustic bass guitar is similar to an acoustic guitar with a large, hollow body that is clearly audible without amplification. You could say that the vintage-guitar market in the England is similar to that in the States, only smaller. In the time I’ve been selling guitars, values of vintage American makes have risen at a very steady rate. 2nd Cheap Guitar Hand. This allowed bassists to move further up front in the band mix, both visually and audibly. This work has been continued and many companies and individual luthiers have joined the quest to take Leo Fender's original dream and idea to new levels. The first mass produced electric bass was developed by Leo Fender, a well-known guitar manufacturer, as experiments with upright basses with pickups did not work very well at the time. J.W. Black was a leading guitar repairman in New York City at the time. He recalled: “In the early ’80s, Fender was pretty much off the radar as far as my clients and players were concerned, at least in New York. 2nd Cheap Guitar Hand.