How much is a Strat worth ?

[Twang46]

Been reading a recent thread about Strat values & Oasis seem to have a few in for £4,000.

Very nice guitars I'm sure & seem as though they will hold the resale value well.

Now......Is a MIM Strat better than a Squire Vintage Vibe Strat, is a USA Strat better than these, Is a custom shop Strat better than these, Is a custom shop named builder Strat better than these ?

I personally haven't been able to go past a USA Strat which is a very nice guitar to play & have.

Which is the best value for money/player/holds a resale value ?

And lastly is a named builder, custom shop Strat really that good & worth the money as opposed to being mainly just good to own ?

I'm quite happy with my MIM Strat, but am I really missing out ?

Dick.

[dave robinson]

I've had a £4000 Masterbuilt Strat, the 1954 Anniversary model - 50th I think. I payed £1400 for it from a guy in Connecticut who was hard up back in 2007 and it was a fantastic guitar, the playability, look, sound were all there in spades. I sold it for £2000 in 2011 because I was hard up, but I would never pay £4000 for one. In our store in Sheffield there are many Custom shop jobs and they are good to play at around £2300 (that's equates to the £160 they cost when we were kids) - do they hold their money ? I don't know.

The USA standard Strats are pretty good, as are the Mexican and Japs, all have slightly different appointments in quality of hardware/pickups, but even the humble Squier Classic Vibe is a great guitar. I bought one for £170 and made a living with it for three months without any mods to prove a point. I recently bought a load of parts and made one which I can make a living with when I get better.

That said, it's the player that makes the difference in the big scheme of things. My old favourite saying - PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE - then do it again.

I'm buying a Martin 0M-28e retro this week, something I always wanted but could never afford. I had a clear out of stuff that I don't use and had a ball on ebay. I can now afford it, but unlike a Strat, the cost is in the work and materials of the guitar. The point is, this will hold it's money better than a Strat.
You pays your money and makes your choice.

[ecca]

There is a huge amount of nonsense spoken of guitars in general and Strats in particular.
Nothing is simpler to put together than a Strat, all you need is a screwdriver and soldering iron.
Masterbuilt my Aunt Fanny.

[abstamaria]

I don’t think that the masterbuilts or customshops would sound better than a good off-the-shelf equivalent, Dick, or be good investments. Ultimately, they’ll just be used guitars. The reason for buying one is the pleasure of owning a nicely built instrument and, of course, playing it. Some of us enjoy that, some don’t. It’s the same with cars; a basic Honda for most purposes will do as good a job as a new Ferrari. The reason for buying is often not based on practical grounds.

Andy

[Twang46]

Good point Dave.

It's easy to see where the money has been spent on time/effort & materials in a good acoustic............... & as Ecca points out the main driving force of the original Strat was to offer a "de luxe" version of the Tele but using the same techniques of off the shelf parts & easy manufacturing as far as possible.
Good basic design has seen the Strats/Teles through the years but the method of construction has not changed over time.

I personally think the Squire "Classic vibe" is probably the best for me & as such I will get one after the current clear out of gear is finished.

Funnily enough I have a Honda car Andy, it's not a basic one (CRV) but a bit of a treat as my last car (oop's there went all the spare pension money ) & I enjoy just having it as well as driving it....which is I suppose the main attraction with the custom shop models.

My wife says....."Boys with there toys".............. I do like the window sticker I saw a while back (in a Honda) "He who dies with the most toys wins"

Dick.

[David Martin]

I have a Masterbuilt Strat - the same as Robbo had. It is, without any doubt, the best Strat I have ever owned - it is ALIVE with resonance and has tones to die for. Frankly with this one, I don't care whether it holds its value or not - it's just an outstanding guitar and it's the last guitar I would sell. Given that Fender has now released the same guitar as the 60th Anni Masterbuilt but with heavier "relic-ing" I guess the value of mine won't appreciate.

If you can afford it, I would ALWAYS go for Masterbuilt, 'cos it means that the single person whose name is on it has had a hand in all areas of production from timber blank to final setup. How much better? Let's say at least 20% better than a Teambuilt Custom Shop Strat.

I also have a recent Teambuilt faded Fiesta Red Strat with a rosewood board - I particularly wanted this. Advantages? It has the best quality parts, timber and finishes, put together by a team of people who really know something about guitars, and produce something which is consistently very high quality and which - once you discount the VAT you've paid - holds its value pretty well. I estimate it to be 30% better than standard Mex production - I can't comment on American Standard or Vintage series, 'cos I've never had one.

I also have a Mexican Deluxe Series Players Strat. I've really gone to town on it, fitted the PUs from the Jeff Beck Sig guitars, and the mid boost circuit from the Clapton Sig, It's the only Strat I know of which has a 12inch radius fingerboard and it's brilliant. Why all the mods? I wanted to make a "Strat for All Seasons" which would do everything for playing covers from Shads to Gary Moore without changing guitars. The ash body is very heavy (think original Les Paul) and in combination with the maple board made the original sound very toppy... but I wanted that 12 inch radius board. and it works brilliantly but it's taken time and money. Given that you can still find these for around £750 (but I paid around £500 several years back). Value? To me, irreplaceable? But unlikely to fetch much more than £250 to someone else. In summary, I think Mex guitars are great value for money compromises of parts quality made on a production line who are not necessarily guitar lovers or players, but who work in a plant where morale and quality control are good...

And so to Squier. I recently bought a Squier Bass VI for £273... stunning value for money. Couldn't buy the wood and parts for that, and it looks the business. But the setup was none existent, and the dealer certainly made no attempt to fix it. The bridge couldn't intonate the strings fitted, and the bass E was virtually unplayable... so I bought some La Bella flats and eventually a replacement Staytrem bridge and fitted them and the net result is very good. At some point, I may shim the neck, but I am happy with what I got for what I paid - given that I could do the work myself. Value? Doesn't matter - I'm keeping it! Quality? I've had a '61 VI and a recent Custom Shop VI. The Squier as delivered wasn't on the same planet... but was a fraction of their price.

So Squiers are absolute rubbish? Absolutely not! The Chinese and Indonesian factories are turning out some wonderful guitars at the moment - and judging by fairly recent experience, Fender do a much better job of quality control than Epiphone.

So after all that, what's the conclusion? If you want the best, pay up and look happy and if you can buy at the price Robbo sold his, just do it!

But if that's not an option then the best advice is go and see your heart's desire in the flesh and play and hear it - even if it's a Custom Shop jobbie. There is ALWAYS a chance it might not float your boat, and it you can, and it's a cheaper model, try several - just ONE will speak to you. So it'll cost you to travel? A few quid extra spent in this way will pay dividends - and much cheaper that new pups or a trace in 6 months later...

[dave robinson]

If I was a guy who just needed a guitar for the hell of owning one, the Squier Classic Vibe is more than enough. It does a stirling job and if you wanted to bring it up to a higher spec, the trem block would be the starting point, but I used mine with PTFE tape for three months without experiencing any slack. In fact my friend Arthur still has the guitar without problems - I sold it to him in Sept 2012. The pickups are great, I posted some stuff here at the time and everyone agreed they sounded good.

That said, if money was no object the the Masterbuilt Strat would be on my list, as David said they are made from selected materials by one luthier from start to finish and it reflects in the feel and sound of the guitar.

[abstamaria]

Dick, we have something in common. We have a CRV also. Now 7 years old, it is still quite a treat and rides beautifully. I wonder which Strat model it conesponds to. I am thinking a US made Strat.. (Quite funny as the quality of Honda is generally better than US cars, IMO.)

Andy

[Twang46]

Hi David & Dave

I hear & understand what you both say & thank you for your very clear & well thought out reply David, but sadly with arthritis getting to be ever more of a problem & I do not play out apart from the odd "open mic" night, a custom built Strat will be an extravagant luxury that I just can't justify in any way (unless I get lucky with the lottery).
I understand & agree with the hierarchy of Strats & am happy with my MIM Strat although I have changed the bridge to steel block push in trem & the pups to (allegedly) 57-62 model which although they are USA do not have the Abigail signature, don't know if thats relevant or not though.

If I played in a regular band or consistently at music nights/shads clubs I would almost certainly aspire to a custom shop team built or USA Strat. The law of diminishing returns certainly applies to guitars (as with most things) from £250 for a Squire vintage to 20 times that for a custom built strat especially when the starting point that is the Squire is quite high.

A cure for arthritis, or even a lessening of it would encourage me to aim higher guitar wise I'm sure

Andy, I like the analogy between CRV & USA Strat............although I do wonder if a guitar built by Mexicans in the USA is really that much better than a guitar built by Mexicans in Mexico the factories are not that far apart & since the 1994 fire the Mexican plant will have the advantage of new machinery I presume.

Fascinating stuff

Dick.

[abstamaria]

I think the differences might be in the components and the standards set by Fender for the factories. I asked a Japanese friend, a keen Ventures fan and a guitar collector, why the Japanese would buy a US Strat, considering the very high standards the Japanese set for themselves in terms of workmanship and consistency. They could easily produce the highest quality Strat model. He replied that Fender purposely sets and implements lower standards, for the pickups and electric components, for instance, for the Japanese guitars, so that the premium status of US guitars can be maintained. That makes sense to me.

Best regards,

Andy