If you wanted to change the pups that came on an Am. Standard Strat from the Alnico`s it came with to Texas Specials, would that affect the resale value if you decide to sell it at a later date ? Would the change be considered an upgrade or is it taking away from its originality ?

I think it could go either way depending on the potential buyer. If you like Strats, and like them all original, it would be something that lowered the value to you. On the other hand, if you like Strats but don't like the original pickups it could be a plus to you.

Hi JPD: from keeping a regular eye on the sales of certain models of Strats (and others) on Ebay I'm pretty clear that any mod always hurts the resale value of a guitar.

I've seen guys who've put much more expensive pickups in and maybe other things too, such as locking tuners, straplocks and such. Almost inevitably they will be bewildered to find their guitars selling for significantly less than "stock" versions in good condition.

Something about a guitar with someone else's mods on it - it's psychologically a bit like buying used clothes...

But you gotta make your guitar work for you, and if that involves pickup changes then so be it. Being able to do that is half the point of Fenders, after all.

If you think you'll need to sell sometime you can always keep the original pickups in a drawer and reinstall them at time of sale. Which also would mean after the sale you keep the upgrade pickups, which presumably you like better in any case.

Cheers - C

To me ... not at all. Just keep all the parts you take out (pickups, pots, etc) with the original guitar. If you have the original parts, it is a whole different story ...

_________________
Laughing out loud with fear and hope, I have a desperate plan ...

I have to agree with what Ceri said.

I am amazed at some guys buying a $500 guitar, doing $500 worth of mods and then jacking up the price in an attempt to get his money back out of the guitar when he sells it.

_________________
Chet Feathers

Authorized TonePros Dealer
Authorized WD Music Products Dealer
F/A Official Southpaw Compliance Certification Tester http://faamps.com/

http://www.facebook.com/cafeathers


I didn't Lose my mind, I traded it for this guitar.

+1, and i will add if you think you are going to sell the guitar at some point, keep the origonals, and put thejm back in the guitar, or include them in the sale, and add some to the price tag.....

_________________
Check us out at http://www.brianburkeband.com

I agree 100% with BigJay and Ceri!! For several reasons as already mentioned!!

Yes, this is a very good point.

Every word the seller of the guitar on this thread has to say might in fact be true:

http://www.fender.com/community/forums/ ... hp?t=32420

But are we prepared to believe him enough to risk cash on that guitar? Soon as he said he'd changed the pickguard my faith broke. And he's done something odd with the pots - what else might he have done that he ain't telling us?

A "valuable" limited edition Strat? Not anymore...

"Stock" is what we all want to buy.

Cheers - C

Thank you all for good sound advice...I`m going to leave the pick ups that came with it.

Its sort of like real estate...

The improvements may be a good selling point with some buyers if they were thinking of performing a similar mod, so they may be willing to pay a bit more than if it was just a stock guitar.

But then there may be other buyers who may not want those pickups. Those buyers may not see this as a selling point, because they'd have to change the PUs, and may not be willing to pay more for the improvements you made if they are already thinking of the money they will have to spend to change the improvements to what they really want.

Not to mention that cost, worth, and value are slightly different concepts, though many see them as eaxctly the same. However, just because something costs a certain amount, that does not automatically mean that the worth and value is exactly the same as the cost. So while new PUs may cost a hundred, this does not mean that you have increased the worth or value of the guitar by exactly $100, although to you it may be more valuable or worth more due to the mods and should therefore cost more, those that do not see the mods as valuable or worth as much as you do will not think it should cost more...

_________________
RAMA LAMA FA FA FA

I wasn`t concerned about increasing the value, just wondering what a pup change would do to the value of the guitar itself. I wouldn`t want to decrease its value over a pup change. But after reading the responses I`m leaving it alone and I appreciate all the input from everyone.

Having been in this business too many years now, I've witnessed that an, "upgrade" per most current owners is a, "downgrade" to most potential ones. Further, most, "modifications" are equated with, "I'm done screwing around with this guitar and now I want to unload it on you".

There is also a mindset (around here, any way) which decrees, "Damned if you do, damned if you don't." Meaning, say hypothetically, most people don't like Vintage Noiseless pickups. (I said, "HYPOTHETICALLY", so to those who love them, please reread this sentence before you get your guts in an uproar.) Now, if you are selling a Strat with VNs OEM in it, potential buyers will whine to you that because the guitar has VNs in it, it is going to cost them $200 (+ / -) to "upgrade" (note the terminology) with pickups so that the guitar will at least sound, 'decent'. And then there's the knuckleheads which will piss and moan that because you have it set up for 13s where they use 8s, the guitar will need a 'major' overhaul to make it playable for them. This foolishness goes on and on but I've seen it work time and time again much to the seller's chagrin. Add the aforementioned with all else which has/shall be said here, couple it with a state of affairs where most people are broke or pretty close to it, and you essentially wind up with a SOLID buyer's market. YMMV.

_________________
You dig?

I agree with this a 100% I recently went to sell a MIM Floyd Rose Strat on Ebay it was loaded with Lace Sensor pups..
I had a very reasonable reserve on it but no offers ..
I put the stock pups back in the guitar sold for $78 dollars more than what my reserve was with the Lace Sensors installed..
Which is great because now im selling the Lace pups for extra $120

+1 on that - good advice

_________________