Hi,

I have a 1981 Black Strat with a maple neck in very good condition. All orginal parts.

Can anyone point me in the right direction to have it valued?

Thanks.

Hi Mark1138, welcome to the Forum.

Not a very original suggestion I'm afraid, but on the basis that something is worth what someone is prepared to pay for it you could keep an eye on a big market place, such as Ebay or Craigslist, and see what Strats such as yours generally seem to be going for.

You could set up a "saved search" on Ebay for "1981 Fender Stratocaster" and then you'd get notified whenever a guitar like yours comes up. Save having to trawl dozens of pages endlessly!

Once you've seen a goodly handful go through you'll have a bit of a feel for the pricing...

Good luck - C

Oh yeah, I've done that already thanks.

I was just wondering whether there were any afficianados out there who'd have an inkling of its value. I don't want to approach a dealer in case I get the old, "It's not worth much, I'll give you £500 for it to take it off your hands."...syndrome.

I'm sure its worth at least £3000 based on what I've found so far. I'd like to know for sure though before I consider selling it.

Thanks.

take it to a professional whose job it is to value item's. He will give you a fair estimate, or take it to a vintage expert.

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fly little wing

Try this site and see if it's helpful to you!
http://www.provide.net/~cfh/fender.html

As a general rule nothing CBS or post-CBS is considered truly collectible. If it has special features that might make a bit of difference

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£3k is way too steep for a 81. They tend to go from anywhere between £400-£1200 from that era depending on condition and model. If its worth more than that to you dont sell it. The dan smith strats average about £800. The leftover from the 70's models go for much the same because of their 80's date stamps. Fender were knocking out an inordinate number of guitars in those days and the quality did suffer. If a dealers offered you £500 for it, its a reasonable price for a quick sale to a dealer. You will get more selling it privately but will have to wait for a buyer. That could take awhile at the moment, its a buyers market.

Posting a picture of the guitar to help identify the exact model and ascertain the condition would be a good help too.

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No no and no

1981 would be a Smith Stratocaster the return of th 4 bolt neck plate not a bad guitar value wise. Just because it was made by CBS does not mean it is not worth anything because remember CBS bought Fender in 1965 and those 60's CBS's sell for 10G's or more in good shape even the 70's three bolt versions can run you a couple thousand. I have seen nice Smith Strats sell for a thousand.

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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

Mark,
You might try "The Vintage Guitar Price Guide" or "The Blue Book of Electric Guitars" The 2009 editions are out and can get them both on Amazon.com for less than $50.00 US. I get them every year. The Blue Book will give values based on the condition of the guitar. The Vintage Guide gives a high-low price based on excellent condition. The Vintage Guide also includes Basses, Mandolins, Banjos, effect pedals, and amplifier prices. Very handy info...

However these are not the prices that a dealer would offer you. These are end user or collector prices based on data compiled by the authors from a variety of sources including dealers resale value. Generally the Strat does not begin to really appreciate in price until it hits the 30 year old mark. Another factor in the price is the number of those guitars in that year on the market for sale. The CBS produced Strats will never achieve the same value as the early 50s strats simply because there were so many CBS Strats made. If I were you I would hold on to it for a few more years and then you might see a decent return if you sold it.

And another caveat: Prices in the European market are higher than the US because of higher demand and fewer Guitars... ECON 101

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I'm not slow... and I'm not fast... just sort of halffast...

Great. Thanks for your advice everyone. I take on board what you've all said. Much appreciated.

Anytime Buddy

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fly little wing

But as I'm here....it gets stranger.

The serial number on the neck id S983042, which I "think" denotes 1980.

It has a 3 bolt plate on the base of the neck, which I "think" is maybe 1979.

I guess I'm going to have to remove the neck to see the date stamp, but I am intrigued. I knew it was unusual when I bought it, as I'd seen very few black strats with a maple neck.

S9 could be 79 or 80. So it probably is 79.

A 79 made that wasnt released for sale till 1980. It does happen. The guitar dater only pins it down to between 78 and 81.

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No no and no

I would say thats and 80's Fender The guitar dater project says 79-81 but I have a book I use for serialization and it says S8800000-S9800000 are 1980 and with a 3 bolt neck that may be.

_________________
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