A Conversation with Tom Bukovac

Tom Bukovac is one of the most recorded guitarists of the modern era; a studio legend whose tone, timing, and taste have made him a trusted presence on thousands of records. But beyond the session work, Bukovac is also a deeply serious student, user, and fanatic of vintage guitars.

Bukovac came by the shop for a conversation about the guitars that shaped him, what it really means to preserve vintage gear, and why authentication is more than just peace of mind — it's a way to preserve the truth and legacy of instruments.

Early Encounters with Vintage Guitars

Tom got his first vintage guitar when he was about 18. It was an early '60s SG Special that had been “pretty chopped up,” as Buk puts it, but it lit the fuse. He was working at a music store in Cleveland, teaching guitar lessons, when a man named Greg Sarley — “we all called him Bubba” — took him under his wing.

“He was like the dad I never had,” Tom said. “He saw me playing these cheap guitars and was like, ‘Man, you’ve got a lot of talent. Why are you playing this junk with pointy headstocks?’”

Bubba, who Tom still calls the most knowledgeable vintage guitar guy he knows, started teaching him the ropes and introducing him to the somewhat burgeoning world of vintage guitar. “I was like a sponge. I was calling him five times a day — ‘What’s the difference between a Filter’Tron and a PAF?’ He was the first guy I ever saw who could, like you guys, look at a guitar and say, ‘Yeah, it’s cool — except this saddle’s been changed.’ That made a huge impression on me.”

That kind of mentorship laid the groundwork for a deep and lasting relationship with vintage instruments. “Without him, I doubt my addiction would’ve ever gotten to this level,” Tom said.

Philosophy on Collecting

When asked about his philosophy on collecting vintage guitars, however, Bukovac doesn’t see himself as a collector in the typical sense. “I try to keep less than 50 instruments in total,” Tom says. “I like to have fewer guitars that are all perfectly tweaked to get the most out of them. I would rather have ten guitars that are all perfectly setup than 100 guitars that all need a little something. I want every guitar to be at 100% capacity.”

To Bukovac, quality always outweighs quantity. “I’ve always been of the mindset that I’d trade ten good guitars for one great guitar.”

Playability and Preservation

On playability preferences, Bukovac doesn’t hesitate when asked about re-fretting vintage instruments. “I have to. Unless a guitar is time-capsule perfect, I’ll put new frets in a guitar without issue.” Bukovac says he currently owns only one instrument he won’t refret — a 1963 Blond Telecaster. “It looks like it just walked out of the store yesterday. It’s so freakishly clean, that although it could use some frets, I still can't do it.”

Beyond playability and functionality, Tom emphasizes that he doesn’t modify instruments just to suit his sonic preferences. “If I don’t like the pickups in a guitar, I just sell it. I’ve tried swapping pickups and things like that, but it only works one out of ten times or so. I see myself as a temporary rental of these instruments; I want to push them further down the road in a tasteful way.”

On Authenticity and Buying Smart

Bukovac says he’s always placed a premium on authenticity. “Authentication has always been important to me. I’ve always tried to be wise about buying things in general, and understand that buying things with no excuses is the way to go. I’ve always lived by this old saying that you make money when you buy, not when you sell. So, I like choppers and guitars that have been modified, but I want to get them at a reduced rate for sure.”

To Bukovac, getting a true authentication on an instrument was a formidable challenge before Vintage Verified. “It’s difficult, before you guys came around, to find legitimate, no BS authentication. You have to know a guy that knows a guy, and even then it's still just someone’s opinion. That’s one of the reasons I’m so excited about you guys; I love that you’re taking opinion and speculation out of the game.”

From Skepticism to Belief

Buk wasn’t always enthused with the idea of a third-party authentication service, and when first approached about Vintage Verified, he had some reservations. When asked about his initial skepticism, he says:

“Like anything in life, I always judge people’s intent. With you guys, I wanted to know why you started doing this, what your goals were, whatever. It really just took me getting to know you guys, seeing how you worked, seeing the levels that you are going to on this stuff. Once I saw it was legitimate science and backed by people who absolutely knew what they were doing, who had their hearts in the right place, I was more than on board. Why wouldn’t I be? The science and the data is incredible. What you guys have built is amazing.”

Lessons from Running 2nd Gear

Part of Tom’s philosophy on buying and selling comes from his time owning and operating 2nd Gear, a used instrument store in Nashville, Tennessee. “I ran that store from about 2014–2016. I did that because I was really burned out on doing sessions and I wanted to just try something different.”

Buk doesn’t mince words when talking about what he learned during his time running 2nd Gear. “I never realized how broke most musicians actually are. Like super talented guys would fall in love with an $80 pedal and not be able to buy it.” Tom says this realization was disheartening. “I realized I didn’t want to have a business where my clientele was the brokest people on Earth. It felt weird.”

Regardless, Buk says it was an overwhelmingly positive experience. “Your guys’ place reminds me a lot of that spot. We had a really cool vibe, we would hang and listen to tunes, have a beer, whatever. It was more than just a music store, and I definitely miss the fraternity of it.”

Ultimately, it was this three-year break running 2nd Gear that helped Tom come back to sessions with a clearer mind. “I got my head right. I figured out what I loved about doing sessions, the people I worked with, and after that three-year hiatus I jumped back into it.”

Looking Ahead at the Market

Tom has a clear vision of the future for vintage guitars. “I think this talk about vintage guitars going to hell when the boomers die off is total BS. And I think that once you guys become a household name, which you are going to, it will make the game more approachable and accessible to people. You shouldn’t have to be an expert to buy a vintage guitar. Once the common man can buy a vintage guitar without worrying about getting absolutely hosed, the market will undoubtedly prosper.”