You've got it BigJay! That's why everybody and his brother owns one today. It was not always the case!

Jay, you bring light where before there was darkness. Thank you!

Well that should put and end to all these "Fenders cost too much" threads.

...But it won't!

- C

i paid 500 new from a shop for my highway 1 in 2003. No way in hell would i pay the price theyre asking now, niether would i pay for the other american series

however, i'm frugal, and wait till i find a deal on a used one. let someone else take the value depreciation walk of shame out of the dealership then buy it off of them!

and my les paul has beautiful tone, i think all your science is freaking gibberish, you dont even understand your "23rd tone pickup like PRS proved is true"

I can get ALOT of tone options out of my LP. LP's are expensive, but again, buy it used!

i love them both, both have pros and cons


prices of everytthing is nuts. i need a better amp but im going to have to stick with my junk Crate 2x12until i find a deal out there somewhere

Prices aren't nuts. there are awesome guitars and amps across all price ranges. The cheapest Fender Strats are as good as any of the past. There are killer affordable amps. The people complaining are the people who always complain. Not everyone can always afford the absolute top of the line.

More people can afford top quality gear than ever before.

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

And excuse the strong opinion on this end...

...but an American Deluxe which you can pay green cash $1475 for today is way, way, way a better "2% of your income" guitar than a 1972 MIA Stratocaster.

In most instances, in this opinion, "vintage" is stupid-afs-far over-rated. The guitars coming out of Corona and Mexico right now and for the last 10+ years are for the $$$, THE BEST Fender has ever built.

Another strong point. The percentage of disposable income is lower, but you get a higher quality product. Even higher value for your buck.

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

You can't get a new American Vintage for $1400. You can't get a new Eric Johnson for $1400. You can't get a new Relic for $1400 either. They are more expensive than that. A new Eric Johnson costs around $2300. There is no reason to think that it sounds $900 better than a $1400 American Standard.

Overpriced. And it's only gonna get worse. When Fender starts charging $3000 for your American Standards and $2200 for your Highway One's are you still gonna tell me there not overpriced?

Stratocasters are quite a bit more reasonably priced than the average (or comparable) Les Paul; also, the "lower-end" models of Strats are very good quality, especially compared to the lower-end Les Paul derivatives.

Gibbo is pricing themselves out of the market--a good (not even MIA) Strat or Tele is a dang good value, IMHO. Gibsons are really close to untouchable on my budget, although some of the mid- to upper-range Epiphones are decent values (their lower-end stuff is poor quality).

I have only bought new twice--once for my MIA 1962 RI Stratocaster, and once I bought a technically new (demo model marked down 75%) Danelectro DC3 Pro...both times I got the axe for considerably less than the list price. If you buy used, you really get bargains!

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Good Vibes To Y'all!



Screamin' Armadillos
Texas Roadhouse Music
Guitar/Slide Guitar/Harp/Vocals

yes I do think that they are indeed!!!!!!!

The title of the thread was "Do you think your American Strat is overpriced?" That includes all models not just the American Standard.

But if you compare the strat signiture series like an EJ to say a Jimmy Page , I think you will find the strat is still relatively reasonable .The EJ goes for 2300, the Jimmy Page goes for 5500 to 6k i believe.Not even in the same ballpark.Is the JP worth more than double the price of an EJ?I dont think so.