If you were looking for a collectible Fender guitar, would you be looking at the first year of production or the last; or perhaps this isn't a valid indicator of value or collectability?

I'm thinking that a first run or year, in good condition, would be more difficult to find than the last run. Also the first run may have problems that were ironed out in subsequent production. Then again, I'm thinking that the last run would have any product improvements that were added along the way.

First runs will be the collectible. In large part because they usually have smaller production runs, and are more rare. Also the added time, means more will likely be damaged or destroyed, leaving an even smaller amount of the product.

last runs can be good collectors too, if the run is prematurely stopped, leaving a shortage of that year. or if the model is vastly changed, and unique.

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I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

I doubt if anything but the custom shop guitars will be collectible. There's just too many in the production run.

I have to agree. Not like the days of old when Fender was just getting started.

I will agree with you Guys!!!! Shear numbers and the way people care for them in the hope of future values because of the collector craze. Too many watch the Antiques Roadshow.

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The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson

The Roadshow people should buy two. One to play the snot out of and one to toss under the bed. Unless you get one that's a limited run of maybe 100 tops, you'll just be wasting your time and a nice guitar too.

Doesn't Fender have the "Closet Classic" series or Time Machine or whatever?

CV, you know one man that believes a certain model is destined to be a collectors piece even though there are several thousand already produced and seemingly more on the way. "They are simply brilliant no nonsense guitars"

guitar collectors sure have made things a hell of alot harder and more expensive for those of us who actually use the guitars on a daily basis to make a living.

a vintage 57 strat should belong to someone who's gonna play it, not someone who's going to store it and try to make money off it down the road. I talk to other working musicians about this topic sometimes and we just don't understand it. To us it's like being a carpenter and there's a group of crazy collectors who collect Hammers to hang on their walls. But because of this now older hammers are more expensive and harder to find.

We don't understand collectors. Guitars should be played, that's what they're built for.

Luckily I know I'll never be able to afford a $60,000. '57 Strat so I don't worry about it much anyway.

But we sure don't understand collectors. I know a guy who's got around 10 really, really nice old guitars. Never plays them. Honestly he can't play them, he's a pretty awful guitar player. What makes it sadder is he won't let people that can play them touch them.

It's like I can hear the guitars crying, begging to be played and released from their entombed prison. They hate their wardens and long for the day someone actually makes the wood start resonating again.

It is going to be because of collectors that any of these vintage guitars are going to be preserved. Without them, they would all get played til they fall apart.

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I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

The newer ones sound and play better than the old ones anyway. They really do. I played a 62 Strat that was a total tone turd. I played a 64 that sounded great but played horribly. I played a 59 that was wonderful, a 69 OLY White that's a boat anchor, but sounds great. It's all a crap shoot in every era.

All this crap came about when Leo sold Fender to CBS. People said ALL CBS guitars suck. See what happened now? All the early 70's Strats have climbed in value because all the 50's and 60's guitars are so out of reach of regular players. My all original 72 Strat went way up in value.

Before I paid big money like that for a bolt together guitar, I go to a really great Luthier and have one custom designed and built for ME.

It will all come to a head after the 70's Strats are exhausted. It's stupid but you have the right to do whatever you want with a guitar or amp after you buy it.

a warrior (guitar) deserves to die a glorious death doing what it was meant to do though, not dying slowly hanging on a wall in a glass case. They're meant to be played. I don't really buy that they'd fall apart either. Strats and Teles seem to honestly be the most durable guitar I've ever seen. There's (almost) nothing that can happen to them that can't be fixed or tweaked.

I'll wager Fender made more than a few hundred Daphnie Blue Highway 1 Strats!

Well on reading up on the subject of guitar collecting and vintage gear I have learned a lot. #1 every MIA I own I have made a profit on .When Fender hiked the prices 30% my Beck,Clapton, and Ultra all doubled in price from what I paid for them 8 years ago which was a grand brand new except the Ultra which I bought in a vintage store MINT but it is older but they all doubled in price and though there are a lot of these models made except the Ultra they are well taken care of so I can never lose money on them. I just used those 3 as an example as not to run down every ax I own. As far as the pre CBS models read an interview with any of the greats who own these axes .They dont even gig them no more for fear of having one swiped or damaged so they might use them to record and use custom shop reproductions to tour with. I believe there are guitars out there that are going to be worth good money years from now. We will never see a vintage market with prices off the chart but some guitars will bring a 5k and better return and you can write that in stone. It is just knowing which ones as the teenage player and the guy in his twenties love the quality axes they are playing now though they might not even be Fenders or Gibsons but the time will come when these guys are doctors and lawyers or working on wall street with money to burn and remember that certain ax and will deffinetly pay 10 grand for it.

You have high hopes. It's supply and demand. Just because Fender raises prices it doesn't double the price of anyone's guitar. It depends on how rare the axe is. Unless it's coming out of the custom shop and it's rare, it's just a used guitar. I see 72's like mine on Ebay for anywhere from $3000 to $6000. No bids though. You can put any price you want on them it don't mean you'll get it.