What does a $55,000 guitar look like?

[FenderBlog.com]

Unbelievable!! Check your attics to see if you have one of these laying around. A 1957 Strat sold for $55,100 on ebay.




Here is the description on the listing....

MUST SELL! A really good deal for this originaL 1957 Fender stratocastor. My dad was the original owner. The neck and body dates are matched at 5/57. The serial number is 14559. the Sunburst finish, with the exception of some back wear, is very clean for an instrument of this age. The frets are the original ones and show little wear. Guard remains perfect and untouched including all solder joints. There is some wear on the face of the fret. All the latches on the case work. If you have any further questions please email. I have 100% feedback. If your not happy and not fully satisfied with the quitar due to any reason you may return the guitar with a refund except for shipping. It must be returned in the same condition I shipped it in seven days of receipt; allowing plenty of time for you to look it over.

[FenderBlog.com]

A second after I hit submit, I realized this should probably go in the guitar section....sorry, I'm a bassist and I just come to the bass section automatically..still pretty cool huh?

[Cygnus X1]

Not all that unusual...unfortunately.
But they don't make them anymore so the saying goes.

I saw a 350,000 dollar LP recently at a small guitar show.
Just hanging out there with the 30K+ strats.
It will sell for close to that.

Takes them out of the hands of players, and puts them into Wall Candy territory.

[Doc W]

I saw this one advertised and figured no one would complain about the price. I agree with Cygnus. Way too many collectors and not enough players and 350K for a slab of hardwood with magnets is about as funny as it gets.

Older instruments are wonderful, but keep in mind that you can buy a brand new guitar that will sound and play just as good as a vintage LP but for a LOT less money. And with the dough you save, you can play it on vacation in Hawaii every year for the rest of your life.

[Notyethendrix]

Antiques aren't tools

[Cygnus X1]

Tell that to my trusty 1949 Craftsman table saw.
A great piece of iron...and serves as a great flatplate for precision work!

[FenderBlog.com]

I was thinking of picking up a 70's era one. Even those are out of my price rangs.

[Direstraits]

Not all of those vintage instruments end up on walls. Some get picked up by successful guitarists, and while being in a "collection" still get used.
Mark Knopfler takes a couple of 50's Les Pauls and a 50's Strat on the road with him. I think that's brave, but that's what they are for, after all.

[Doc W]

I would like to buy this one and have it relic'ed

[elicross]

[ziess]

Heh heh.

[phantomman]

Antiques aren't tools

GEE, REALLY......?

Tell it to the legions of hunters who routinely put meat on the table every year with their pre-64 Winchester Model 70s.

An' the WWII-era Remington-Rand M-1911A1 .45ACP pistol I inherited from my Dad from his Army Air Force days shoots as tight a group as my 1993-vintage Beretta 92FS.

Gimme the "antiques" any day!

[Cygnus X1]

Good point, PM...and to Dire...all the better if players actually play them!

Just...I have a thing against museum pricing.
Sure, I'd love to believe things bring such inflated cash if I am a seller, but the Sotheby's/Barret Jackson mentality gets on my nerves.
I got rid of all my super inflated wall hangers years ago!

[sbklein]

Given the prices these last several years -- too bad you didn't wait

[redcoats1976]

my 57 RI is probably one of the higher priced things id ever buy,exept for of course the rebuilt tranny for my 93 honda.

[wingnut1]

More important than how it looks, how does it sound?

[Doc W]

Wingnut, it probably sounds fabulous, maybe even better than a recent Strat, or a Custom Shop RI for 3K, but I wonder if it sounds 52K better.

[sbklein]

Do you really believe that is the case? That value is determined largely on aural quality? And how could one quantify such a difference?

Do you think a ming vase is a million times (fill in you adjective -- more attractive, sturdier, of better proportion...) than one from Kmart? Again, how would you convincingly know?

Is a 1959 burst 350K better than a 2007 reissue?

It is pretty obvious that price is not set by subjective sound quality alone. Collector considerations play a very large role (demand vs availability, etc). So, the question you pose is not really reflective of the actual basis for judgment of price differences.

BTW, a 1950s strat will typically sound much better (maybe not 52K -- but what, really, could than possibly mean?) that a custom shop reissue. But that, after all, is just opinion.

[Bluestar]

The law of supply and demand with respect to collectibles operates without requesting or caring if it receives permission or approval from anyone other than what the willing seller and willing buyer have agreed is the sale price for that item at the moment they exchange. But this look at the outrageous price subject comes up pretty often around here, and people have fun with it and post some great comments. Besides, if something sells for a high price, theoretically won't that generate some equally high sales tax that will benefit some or all of us in some way?

[Doc W]

"BTW, a 1950s strat will typically sound much better (maybe not 52K -- but what, really, could than possibly mean?) that a custom shop reissue."

I think you are abolutely spot-on to say that the value of a vintage Strat has little to do with sound and playability and everything to do with collectibility, a term steeped in rarity, desirability, nostalgia, emotion, and sheer mojo.

The Fender company knows, perhaps more than another company, musical or otherwise, that the marketing of this mojo is what sells the most guitars. For the most part, although not entirely, Fender sells heritage. It has taken the prestige of its name and successfully created a line of products that is about historical and cultural cachet as much, if not more, than it is about playability and sound.

Now don't take this the wrong way, but in my world, 52K means a LOT. It is ridiculous to think that a 50 yr old instrument is worth that much to the average professional player whose budget belongs to the real world. That kind of expense could not possibly be justified as it might in other businesses where superior equipment allows all sorts of advantages. From that perspective, a $50,000 guitar is nothing more than a $50,000 guitar - you don't get much for your money other than mojo, which is awfully hard to sell (unless you are selling collectibles, ironically). As much as we all love seeing pristine vintage instruments, I say let's leave them to the collectors and get on with playing real guitars.

Here is another thought. There is no inherent value to any collectible. It is "worth" what someone will pay for it. I think that the classic collectible electric guitars - LP, Strat, Tele, and a few others - are the objects of desire for a particular demographic group, mainly middle-aged players who are nostalgic and have enough money to explore their nostalgia in terms of high end collectibles. When these guys start to disappear, will the market value for these instruments remain high, or will it suffer from a lack of prospective buyers?

Discuss!

[NeoFauve]

I happened upon Antiques Roadshow the other day. A woman had 59 Strat and a Tweed Princeton. Really clean pair.
IIRC, she said someone had offered around $15K.
The appraiser said $24K.

[NMCA_Ron]

I see the same thing happening with cool vintage guitars as I saw with the cool muscle cars. Twenty two years ago, I bought my 1969 Plymouth Road Runner from a guy for $250. Heck, I can't even buy the air cleaner assembly for that price now! These cars were bought up by speculators, not enthusiasts. They bought them to turn a profit the same way these guys are buying and selling 1957 Strats....

It kinda sucks for those of us who would like to have the guitar or musclecar for the purpose they were originally intended.


Ron

[Kap'n]

For that kind of dough, I think I'd buy a D'Angelico New Yorker cutaway.

And have enough dough left over for recent model

Les Paul Standard
Tele
Esquire
Strat
6120
Ricky

and maybe a half dozen boutique amps.

[phantomman]

I see the same thing happening with cool vintage guitars as I saw with the cool muscle cars. Twenty two years ago, I bought my 1969 Plymouth Road Runner from a guy for $250. Heck, I can't even buy the air cleaner assembly for that price now! These cars were bought up by speculators, not enthusiasts. They bought them to turn a profit the same way these guys are buying and selling 1957 Strats....

It kinda sucks for those of us who would like to have the guitar or musclecar for the purpose they were originally intended.


Ron

+1

In '74 I traded my '72 Dodge Demon 340 for a '70 Challenger R/T 440-6V. I think I paid $2600 for the Demon.

That car (assuming a reasonable condition) is prolly worth $30k today.

An' those Challenger R/Ts now command seven figures.

Who knew?

Bottom line, as it relates to vintage guitars: If you seek the ethereal vibe of "mojo" (however you define that nebulous term) you will pay whatever the seller asks to satisfy your quest. Or you will steal it from him. It's as simple as that.

For mere mortals (such as myseff), it's the Gibson VOS line or Fender reissue-ville.

[NMCA_Ron]

Alas, I too sold my Demon (1971) in 2004. Although it was originally a slant 6 car, I converted it to a much more fun 440/727 combo and had a budget bomber that ran low 11's for less than $4000 total investment. I am still kicking myself. But, I still have my Road Runner!

Big Blocks, 4-speeds and bench seats forever, baby!


I also still have my first Fender. I will probably hang on to it until my grandson is old enough to appreciate it.


Ron

[redcoats1976]

i had my 66 pontiac tempest for 23 years.it was mechanically a GTO,but being a tempest i didnt feel bad when i installed a bigger motor,cam,headers,etc. sold it a couple of years ago when i realized i really didnt NEED to go that fast...i think that was my first geezer moment.

[NeoFauve]

For that kind of dough, I think I'd buy a D'Angelico New Yorker cutaway.

And have enough dough left over for recent model

Les Paul Standard
Tele
Esquire
Strat
6120
Ricky

and maybe a half dozen boutique amps.

As someone who started out mesmerized by the sound of the guitar, and wanting to make sounds with a guitar, I think I'd have to undergo some severe mental and emotional alteration to consider spending $55K on any one guitar.
Especially a pretty basic bolt-on guitar that you can essentially get from FMIC today for a couple grand or so.

[phantomman]

Alas, I too sold my Demon (1971) in 2004. Although it was originally a slant 6 car, I converted it to a much more fun 440/727 combo and had a budget bomber that ran low 11's for less than $4000 total investment. I am still kicking myself. But, I still have my Road Runner!

Big Blocks, 4-speeds and bench seats forever, baby!


I also still have my first Fender. I will probably hang on to it until my grandson is old enough to appreciate it.


Ron

If you loved the RB/4sp combo so much why did you put a Torqueflite in that Demon......lack of suitably-beefy diff?

[rudutch]

i had my 66 pontiac tempest for 23 years.it was mechanically a GTO,but being a tempest i didnt feel bad when i installed a bigger motor,cam,headers,etc. sold it a couple of years ago when i realized i really didnt NEED to go that fast...i think that was my first geezer moment.

I am almost there, if it got better mpg I would keep my LT1 firebird..
got it cheap, it is silly fast but 20 - 23 on the higway is getting a bit expensive. 2 - 3 months and it goes into strorage (not real practical in snow with 9" wide tires)

not ready for a geezer moment yet

[ziess]

http://route66classicguitars.com/1957Stratocaster.html

Can you put a price on getting to wear the paint away yourself? Apparently it's $20,000 difference between one with a bit of wear and one with a bit more.

[Cygnus X1]

I resisted the temptation to compare it to the Barrett-Jackson insanity.
I had a '73 Mach 1, bought for 800, sold for 1200...twenty years ago, then kicked myself and got a grabber yellow 4bbl 351C '71 Mach1 for 2K, then passed it on for 2500!.
It was minty original...but hey, everyone "hated" the big Mustangs, and "it would never get much money".
Dang things are "grabbing" easily into that 50K territory now, just ten years later. Arg!

[phantomman]

Hey Kev, we should form an ex-musclecar owner's club!

[Gris]

I was at an old piano playing man's house several years ago here in town and saw this OLD Ampeg guitar amp. I asked him what it was for and he pulls this OLD Fender case out from under the bed in spare bedroom. It was a 1958 sunburst maple Strat. He was original owner. Even with rusty strings it sounded fantastic. He had no idea of the value.

BTW, a friend of mine just sold two Gibbies for about $100k each. Bought his first house with the money (he's 50).

[SuperDuperG]

Hey..................I recently sold a '63 Strat for $30k.

Here are the things to consider on guitars at this age:
1. When these were made there were no computers, automatic lathes, pickup winding machines etc. Everything was done by hand.

2. The production capabilities back then were along the lines a tenth of what they are today. Most of the work was done by hand which included all of the cutting, painting and sanding. In a years time if Fender produced 200 or 300 a month they were doing great. Now they can produce 3 times that much just due to the automatic machines and computers.

3. The materials that the guitars were made out then are better than what is being used today. They only used the prime pieces of the tree back then. Now they use every part of the lumber that they can.

4. To find a Strat in grade A shape that is a 9 or 10 quality grade that is as old as these (both the one mentioned and the '63 that I sold) is very rare becuase there are very few of them left and the quality they are in is even more rare.

If a '56 Les Paul can bring in high six figures a Strat in the quality that this one is in can bring far more that what it was sold for.

That the way I see things anyway.......for what it's worth.

Happy Trails

[Cogs]

I agree except for the '56 LP part. I've never heard of one selling in the high six figures. Some Flametops ('58-'60) may go in the low-mid sixes, but they're not selling like hotcakes.

[gibsonjunkie]

I played a $45,000 Gibson Custom Vine J-200 once. A beautiful guitar , but it didn't play or sound as good as my plain old vanilla J-200.

[frank thomson]

$55k ain't that bad

[curt1lp]

Supply and demand. The guitar could be replicated 99.9% for far less money than 50k but its the rarity and feeling of connection to the past that people pay the money. Perhaps bragging rights too

[NMCA_Ron]

If you loved the RB/4sp combo so much why did you put a Torqueflite in that Demon......lack of suitably-beefy diff?

The Demon was a bench seat car with a column shift 904 from the factory. I kept the column shift and the bench seat. I would loved to have dropped in a pro-shifted A-833, but I didn't have the parts (i.e. A-body pedal assy, A-body tail shaft housing, etc) to complete the swap. What I did have was a spare 727 from my New Yorker that I was tripping over in the garage. Thus, in it went, along with a torquey 440 with a set of elephant ears and a pair of 5205 Hookers along with an 8-3/4" rear from a 66 Belvedere. This was done on a budget and netted me an 11.33@122 timeslip pulling the front wheels. Dang, I miss that car.

Maybe in my next life, when I am rich and famous (instead of just famous) I will be able to afford to build a 4-speed A-body and play a real 1957 Strat.....


One can always dream, no?


Ron

[phantomman]

Maybe in my next life, when I am rich and famous (instead of just famous) I will be able to afford to build a 4-speed A-body and play a real 1957 Strat.....


One can always dream, no?


Ron

LOFL!

I had a buddy who did a similar 440 magnum conversion with a '71 Duster. He bought a totaled '69 Dart 383 GTS an' used the tranny (already a short tail-shaft 727A) and posi diff. I think the driveshaft had to be shortened a coupla inches due to the wheelbases bein' different. The Duster had started life as a 225 with column shift an' that's the way the gear shift stayed. With 3.91s the car ran easily ran low 12s in street trim. Man those were the days......