50's Strat for $400

If its that friggin old I'd only offer $250 for it. You can get a brand new Squier for under $400 for pete's sake.

 

Well, I'm glad that they chopped the logo part of the headstock off! Don't want to risk that getting damaged!

 

I was going to buy it until I saw where it said: "Comes as is."

Sorry, I need a warranty....

 

You know it's legit because there's only one photo. Classic c-list.

 

Naw it's so old the logo has just faded away.

 

That would be like winning the lottery.

A guy I know, who ran a vintage guitar shop, was telling me the story of a childhood friend of mine who was a collector and player. He was in a pawn shop in Pike Co., Kentucky (for those of you in other countries, the Appalachian mountains - scene of the Hatfield/McCoy feud, etc.). He asked the guy about guitars and the owner, who apparently knew nothing about them, showed him a Fender he just got in and told him he'd have to have "at least $500 for it." So my friend bought his original 1957 Stratocaster for $500. Didn't even try to bargain him down any.

Farther off topic: Heard a similar story, also in a pawn shop in eastern Kentucky, where the owner showed me pictures and told me about a Gibson Mandolin he gave a guy $500 in pawn for back in the 80's. He sent it to Mandolin Bros. for appraisal and they bought it from him for $1,500. Turns out it was made by Orville Gibson in his home workshop, before Gibson was a big company - listed at $41,000 by Mandolin Bros.

 

Maybe a '59 body, but that's about it. Neck looks altered, who knows about the pups, etc., by now, those first repro tweed cases could look that used.

There's people on Pittsburgh C'list trying to sell cobbled together and fake stuff all the time, I'm more surprised they're not trying to get market value for it.

 

wow, that just seems super-shady. but, if one could prove the actual age of the guitar (and that it's a real Fender), i'd still buy it and have the headstock restored.

something seems really off about it though (and i mean besides the headstock.) '59 reissue maybe? it looks a little too clean and i can't fathom why anyone would do that to the headstock unless they were trying to hide something in the most awkward way possible.

 

Yep. The guy told me they first offered him $1,000 - I think he had told them he only paid $500 for it. He talked them up to $1,500, then he said a while later he got their catalog and his mandolin was the cover photo.

 

The headstock looks weird... I wonder what happened. The case looks pretty authentic. It's hard to tell but the body might be one piece.

There's a small chance this is a heavily modded '59 (or reissue) that the seller thinks is worth $400. but I doubt it. But it's a weird item, mainly because of that case.

 

The bridge and the knobs look nearly new. Not as aged a 55 year old parts could be.

Of course it could be a shady guitar in a 50s tweed case...

Now, how much is an original 50s tweed case worth?

 

It might be worth going to take a look at. Neck is obviously wrong, but there could be some value there.

 

I Wouldn't hesitate for a second. Body sure looks like refinished 60 year old ash. $1200. Tuners look right. $600. Case looks right. $1500. Looks like an early 60's tort guard. $1500. That would be enough profit for me.

 

It looks a lot like a Bigsby headstock.

 

It could be a well-butchered 59 mercilessly torn apart and stripped before people placed any value in them. Replaced neck and who knows... perhaps a rewire and new pups, possibly modern hardware... and what 70s routing disasters might lay beneath that (non-original) tort?

So very little of it might be a 59, and that which is could be seriously degraded in value. If it was that kind of item, it's not going to be worth that much but there might be some odd valuable parts like a neck plate left. And the case!

 

Hah! Now we'll never find out!

 

The guys on P'burgh C'list questioning the sale just got flagged, so who knows how this will turn out. Although when I first saw the ad I didn't think it would end well.