Well, this is the problem...
I am planning to sell a Fender Stratocaster I bought around five years ago (this is no propaganda or advertisment, I will sell the guitar to one of my mates down in Mexico). The problem is...I really don't know what price to put on it. It's an American Fender Stratocaster, includes the Fender hard-case, excellent conditions, made in USA (obviously) and five-years old. I checked it up on the Fender web site, and I found today's price to be US$1,356.99...as far as I can remember, the guitar cost me around US$1,200.00 in 2001. It's a fine guitar and it will be hard to let go of...that is why I want to go with a decent price. What do you reckon? How much can such a guitar devalue in five years??
you may have paid too much originally.
many new American Fenders sell for only 950$.
check out this site. he has quite a few vintage Fenders and several newish. it'll give you a ball park figure.
Have a look on eBay. I've seen guitars that old selling for around $700.
I think $700 is too high. I have bought several American Fender Strats, on Ebay, for $500 or less. There are bargains to be had there. A fair price is around $600, depending on condition.
It all depends on the condition, production year, and finish quality of the guitar. If it is a "standard" American Strat with two-point tremolo you can buy those new for about $800-900. All will come with a case, etc... In fact, here is a standard strat from Musician's Friend...
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fender-American-Stratocaster-Electric-Guitar?sku=510590
That one is $950. The Deluxe model with abalone dots, locking tuners, and S-1 switching, and noiseless pickups is $1200 with free shipping.
If the guitar is special model... ie, Deluxe, Texas Special, Signature Series... you will find that the market is much better for sellers ($1000+). Truth be told, Standard American Strats just don't hold their value next to other high-end instruments. The market is just plain out SATURATED with Strats, hence the price drop.
Highway One Strats are NEW $730, but you can get them for $400-425 all day used (in near mint).
Standard Strats built between 1992 - 2003 can be had easily for $500-600 with case in near mint condition.
I bought my Texas Special strat with Texas Special pups and a SD Pearly Gates with case in near mint condition for $525.
If you bought your Strat for $1200 a few years ago it was probably not just a "standard Strat" so I would target $700-800 for it (if in excellent condition).
-=- Steve
"If the moon were made of ribs, would you eat it?"
