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Post by runninwiththerevil (Matthew) on Feb 1, 2020 6:20:14 GMT -7
So a 1977 Strat was up on CL the other day. I didn't look too close at it, but this morning I saw it again and he's only asking $800. There are decent shots of the guitar and from what I can tell the neck and body look to be consistent with a '77 Strat (serial # looks good too), the wear you might expect from a guitar that old. I sent an email asking him about the condition of the neck (is it straight, how are the frets). I would love to have this guitar at this price, I'm just wondering what else I need to look for if I end up going to see it. There are tons of 70's Strats up on Reverb and none this cheap, and the ones closer to $1k don't look to be all original like this one does. I can see in one of the photos that the guy has a Matchless Amp, so I expect he knows his gear. I don't think this is a case of grandma pulling a guitar out of the closet that someone left at here house 30 years ago.
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Post by runninwiththerevil (Matthew) on Feb 1, 2020 6:26:50 GMT -7
I got this response: "Hey, the neck is rock solid. No extra holes, original frets could be replaced, beautiful flame figure the entire neck, Callaham bridge with bar broken off in block, original body hacked out for one humbucker , fender black plastic parts, custom made pickups $175.00 set, original neck plate and screws"
So some work done in the body, non original hardware in the body. Obviously I would need to play it, but feedback from Z brothers on this one???
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Post by lowbudget on Feb 1, 2020 6:56:30 GMT -7
Only very rarely is there a gear related bargain; stuff usually seeks out it’s own level in the marketplace. You said yourself the guy likely knows what he has so it’s probably priced accordingly.
I guess the ‘70s stuff is considered vintage these days by many younger players but most folks that actually lived through those years don’t exactly consider the ‘70s to have been golden years for American guitar manufacturers. I’d ask about the weight too.
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Post by j4gitr (John) on Feb 1, 2020 6:57:58 GMT -7
Don’t chase a pipe dream. Go into it thinking it’s just a guitar. When and if you play it, then look at it as if it’s just another guitar. If it plays nice and speaks to you,then you have a decision to make. Don’t sell yourself on it before you get there.
Reread your post on Rick Rubin.
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Post by runninwiththerevil (Matthew) on Feb 1, 2020 7:55:32 GMT -7
Don’t chase a pipe dream. Go into it thinking it’s just a guitar. When and if you play it, then look at it as if it’s just another guitar. If it plays nice and speaks to you,then you have a decision to make. Don’t sell yourself on it before you get there. Reread your post on Rick Rubin. How dare you use my other posts against me! LOL Great advice. That's the biggest thing about connecting gear via CL, I won't really make up my mind on something like a guitar before playing it, but I also don't want to waste anyone's time either. I learned my lesson on on 80's The Paul that way. I lost some cash on a very mediocre guitar.
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Post by sharkboy on Feb 2, 2020 4:58:45 GMT -7
Also- not to rag on Fender- but please remember that Quality Control wasn’t all that good in the late 70s- for almost everyone. I had a friend who had a cherry 25th anniversary edition (silver) that I coveted. I went to a shop that had ~25 strats (with money in my pocket!) and didn’t find one that was even close. It would be another 20 years before I owned one, and 30 before I owned one that compelled me to play it.
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Post by premiumplus (Dave) on Feb 2, 2020 5:02:31 GMT -7
All great advice. Especially about checking the weight, some of those 70's strats were really heavy.
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Post by T-R☼CK ♫ on Feb 2, 2020 6:48:58 GMT -7
Japanese strats of that era were by far (IMO) superior to the CBS stuff. Most were crafted in the Matsumoku factory. Stellar, rock solid construction. I have one(4 bolt), and to this day, it has the best feeling rosewood neck of any strat I own.
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Post by heynewguy (Ol’ Bill) on Feb 2, 2020 7:27:31 GMT -7
From what I understand, refrets are a big deal on old Fender’s especially maple neck ones. The frets have to slide out to the side of the neck. They can not be lifted straight out like you would think. So extra time and care is needed to allow for this. You don’t want to tear up that over 40 year old maple! Good luck on your quest.
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Post by LT on Feb 2, 2020 7:43:45 GMT -7
I guess the ‘70s stuff is considered vintage these days by many younger players but most folks that actually lived through those years don’t exactly consider the ‘70s to have been golden years for American guitar manufacturers. I’d ask about the weight too. Good advise here. I lived through the 70's and bought a couple of mid-late 70's guitars. I don't have any of them anymore for a reason. That's not to say that ALL of them were bad, but the vast majority were of sub-standard quality.
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Post by runninwiththerevil (Matthew) on Feb 2, 2020 11:10:12 GMT -7
My dad worked at Fender for a while, so part of me wants one because of that. I’m going to pass on this one. I have some other thoughts about selling my Suhr with buckers for something that has a single and humbucker.
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Post by zpilot on Feb 3, 2020 10:09:00 GMT -7
The main reason I got into building partscasters was because it was very difficult to find a stock Fender during that time I liked. Mostly because of the neck-to-body fit. Very sloppy. I played an Ibanez tele for many years also because of that.
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