I am 59 yrs old and just had my 4th guitar lesson. I played my instructor's Strat the other day. I MUST have one. I have the chance to buy a 91 American Strat - I am only considering American - any advice? Are some years better than others? Should I forget used and just go and buy a new one?

Get a new MIM standard, they run 500ish (Sometimes less) and since your the original owner, you get the lifetime warranty.

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Marriage is like playing cards...

At first all you want are Hearts and Diamonds.

But in the end, all you really want is a Club and a Spade.

It's your call but I say bite the bullet and get a new one. Used Strats can
certainly have a lot of mojo but there is something extra special about an
instrument that is yours and only yours and serves you well year after year.

You would be disallowing some great guitars by limiting yourself to only American made Strats as there some truly superb guitars made in Mexico and Japan etc. Some Mexican made Squires are far far better than a lot of more expensive guitars and the Mexican made Jimmie Vaughn is simply without comparison in it's price range.Sometimes you can get a great used guitar for pretty cheap but by the same token you can buy a brand new Mexican or Japanese made one and have a warranty for less than half the price of an American made one.Steer clear of ebay and Craig's list as there are very many unscrupulous dealers selling cheap knock-offs of more expensive models.If you do see something on a website that interests you post all the info and pix on the Forum and people here could advise you as to whether a guitar is legit and worth buying.BTW welcome to the Forum.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

Welcome to the forum !!!

It's a buyer's market on the retail as far as quality instruments. New or used is a question you only can decide
Personally I enjoy finding the right strat for me, used is often in great condition and at affordable prices.

There is nothing like the feeling of bringing home your first strat be that new or used.
For the argument of MIA versus MIM, that is pure BS. Fenders are well made regardless of Mexican or American origin. I have one of each.
A 2001 MIM Deluxe and a Custom Shop 2001 56 NOS. They are both very different as far as sound, one vintage, the other more modern with samarium cobalt pups, but they each play as a well set up instrument should.

My advice is shop around, look/play new strats with the amp you have, a small 600 champ is perfect for example since it's light and portable. You can't compare strats if you are test playing them thru a different combo each time.
Have patience you'll find the right strat for you for now. Take a friend with you who knows strats to check out serious possibillities. If that is not possible insist on a 24 hr test run with a used strat from the seller. Be aware though that any damage to the instrument and it is yours regardless so in this case get it down on paper as a contract between you and the seller and take photo's so no argument can be disputed in case of....

Good Luck Happy Hunting

Get a New Am Strat or a used Am Vintage 62 RI. The smile will never leave your face.

Here is what I do when buying guitars. Play all the ones in my price range, my ears and hands find my guitars for me. It should not matter if it is a Squier, Epiphone, Fender, Gibson, ect...the "one" will be apparent.

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RK

2007 Fender Highway 1
2012 American Deluxe
2015 MIM Dave Murray HHH
2010 Fender Blacktop
1987 Fender Avalon Acoustic
2012 Marshall DSL 15 watt head

I only buy new guitars. Two reasons 1) The warranty 2) I love a new guitar that only I have and will play. I don't want someone else's guitar. Just me
ABS

So what happens if you come across a great vintage 60's strat for a great price ? Do you pass because it isn't new?

In 74 I bought my 59 LP Custom, I only regret not having it today!!!!

That would be as common now as finding a 57 Chevy bel-air in "a little old ladies garage" for a decent price. Most vintage stuff has been sold at it's decent price long ago.

Go with you ears and your gut. If you think it is a good guitar and price buy it.

That's how a lot of top guys got their "special ones"

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the vacuum store is a lot like the guitar store. but they do not attract the same clientele as the guitar store, cause if they did, the vacuum store would be loaded with a bunch of broke guys who just wanted to run the new vacuums.

Unlikely or rare but not impossible. I was at a friend's today who deals in his own fleamarket business and we were chatting about the one's that got away, a few weeks ago he told me about a vintage silver gretch Jet? the ones that look like Les Paul's, was I interested in purchasing from his client for a few hundreds.
This week he got a call from a friend in California who just bought a mid 60's Strat at a yard sale for $180.00 and resold it on the market for a tidy profit.

Gems can be found but one has to be in the right place at the right time.

Welcome to the forum! A warning to you - falling in love with Strats is addictive! I am 55, and bought my first Strat last year, a 2007 new-unused-old-stock in black with rosewood, American made. I love playing her! And then I bought six more, a new sunburst with maple neck and five older ones. They all have different personalities, feel and sound different. None is a 'runt of the litter'. All are American, but I have played some Mexicans in my local shop and they are excellent as well. I would have no qualms about buying one that 'speaks' to me. One of my old girls is a 1991 and has the perfect tone for my blues/jazz style. The best advice? Play the '91 and if it does it for you, take her home. My new ones are a joy because they are all mine, but the used ones were treated well and sounds sweet. If YOU like a guitar, age or country of build does not matter!

Yes, as I said, I like new stuff. I appreciate the old vintage stuff but for me I want my guitars new and broken in by me and me alone..
ABS

If you sentimental and it sounds like you might be and have the money.
Buy an American model. But do try out the various US models available.

Buying a secondhand guitar has many pitfalls, the main one is the largest guitar market is on Ebay (where you don't always get what you paid for).

To get an idea first of what you want (take your time here deciding as its easy to get buyers remorse) I would go into the biggest local store that stocks Fenders and try out the weight and feel of the guitars.
Once you like a model ask them to play it through a decent amp.

One other thing to consider is the necks fretboard.
Maple fretboards tend to be bright sounding.
Cleaning them is normally done with a damp rag.
They are lacquered so when they wear the finish it will rub and chip off.
Maple stains when exposed to finger oils/dirt.

Maple necks with Rosewood fretboards tend to be a little bit darker sounding.
Since Rosewood is unfinished cleaning an be done with the slightest amount of guitar lemon oil and a rag.
A nice Rosewood fretboard has that wet look and will get darker the older and more played it gets.

Pickups can be easily changed out on most guitars and should never be considered something your stuck with.
So essentially when you buy a guitar get the neck, color, weight, comfort you like as its hard to change those features.

If you buy from an internet store such as Musicians Friend if there is any issues you can return it easily. If you have plenty of money also don't waste time getting anything but a tube amp. A 15W tube amp with a 12" speaker has the best of everything for beginners. Dynamic range on the speaker, weight to power, volume (and lack of volume when you need it) and size.

Indeed.

Shuck the xenophobia and give the MIM and MIJ Strats a look-see. They are great instruments as well.

HTH

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY