can someone please tell me what this is worth,it is in very good condition.
I have a chance to buy it but i dont know what to offer her.
thanks for the help

It all really depends on the instrument and both how it plays and looks and how much you are willing to pay for a guitar. Whether or not you are buying a MIM, MIA, MIJ Strat, you have to play it and decide if it is the one for you. The MIJ Strats are great and I am a believer in them, but just like with the MIA and MIM there are some bad ones in the bunch. At the end of the day it it doesn't matter MI- whatever it may be, regardless of where it is made you have to decide if it is the one for you based on the sound, looks and how much you want to pay. They are great instruments for the most part and I personally think better than an MIM and and many cases on par or better than some MIA's.

Post some pics and that will be helpful, but I'd say i would pay up to $700-$800 tops for one if it was just what I was looking for. MAYBE up to $1000 if it was rare or a special run type deal. I think you can find one for $500-700 if you look hard enough.

I gotta agree with BlackCat...it kind of depends on what you're looking for. Saying that it's an " 86 MIJ" doesn't really say much...there were a couple of Japan made Strats from those years. If it's an "e series" for example and it's Fender (not Squier) and has the vintage style bridge instead of the System 1 trem, those typically go for around $500 or so on Ebay. If it's a Squier E series on the other hand, $300 to $400 is about the norm. The "Contemporary" Strats of that era with the System 1 trems tend to go for a bit more depending on condition...often $600 - $800.

As BlackCat said, some (good clear) pictures would certainly be helpful as would some additional information...a good deal of any guitar's worth comes down to it's condition. Let's say the instrument is in desperate need of a fret job (or some other major repair)...the cost of the work should probably be deducted from the offering price of the instrument. In other words, if the instrument were to normally sell for $800 in pristine condition and that re-fret is going to cost upwards of $150, then around $600 would be a more suitable offer on price. Has something on the instrument been changed at some point? Maybe someone installed new pickups? What kind of aftermarket pickups were installed...EMGs or Duncans for for example would fetch more money than some cheap generic pickups. Does the person still have the original pickups? Even if they're not installed, having the original parts can up the price of the instrument. What about previous repairs...has something on the instrument been broken and repaired at one time in the past (say a broken headstock or something)? Are there any extra holes in the body from a different pickguard or any extra holes in the headstock from different tuners? What about the routing for the pickups in the body...anybody ever take a router to it and hack it open for a bridge humbucker? EVen strings and setup should be taken in to account...strings can cost anywhere from $5 to $10 or more and if you have a shop do your setup, you can figure an extra $40 or more for that. -ALL- of these things will effect what the instrument may be worth and all of it should be taken in to consideration.

Then of course is the question of how you feel about the instrument...is it something you're willing to throw a few extra bucks in to the offer to get? Personally I'm willing to toss a little extra money in on something that I -really- like compared with something that may just be a passing fancy. Yea...I've bought a couple of guitars in my time simply because they were "inexpensive". You can never have too many Strats right? LOL!!! On the other hand, if I were looking for "the perfect guitar" and I found one that was exactly what I wanted...the perfect color, the perfect pickups, just the right bridge, etc., then I might be inclined to offer a few extra dollars to the person to make sure they didn't sell it to someone else. In other words, how much is it worth to you personally? Personal preference and personal choice are a difficult thing to put a dollar value on .

Personally I too am I big fan of the mid 80's MIJ Strats...some very good quality came out in those years and even though the value on some of these instruments is really starting to go up, they can still often be a great bargain. I recently picked up an '85 MIJ Squier with the '62 reissue neck...all original and in very good shape (a solid 9 out of 10). The -only- thing that was out of sorts on this instrument was that for some reason the jack plate had been flipped over (whoopy...2 screws). For the $329 I payed, she was a great deal and a totally fab Strat to say the least! To me, this Strat just plays and sounds like a "vintage" Strat should. As BlackCat said though, as with virtually all eras of guitars and all origins, I'm sure there's some lemons out there too.

My advice is to first and foremost get some more info on the instrument...'86 MIJ is a good start but I would get some pics and the serial number then compare with similar models on Ebay and/or Craigslist to see what a given model/year is worth, then base your offer on that. -If possible-, you may even wish to pull the neck and check for the factory stamps and even pull the pickguard real quick to see "what's under the hood". Once you have a better idea of what you're looking at, you'll be better equipped to make a fair and reasonable offer.

With that said, one quick note on Ebay; do make sure you look at the price the instrument(s) actually sold for and not the "asking price" as there are a couple of people on Ebay at the moment who are trying to jack up the prices on some of these instrument. I've seen a couple of E series Squiers for example with asking prices as much as $499 and I know they're not worth that much.

Good luck and I hope this helps!
Jim