Hey guys.. newbie here, first post. I don't know much about fenders.. but i found one locally. Its an original 78 where has apparently not left its case since 1979. its a sunburst, hardtail, and all original. it looks almost just like this http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-1978-Fender ... 288wt_1139

but without the kahler. what is this guitar worth? i'm afraid to send an offer as i really have no clue.

Thanks in advance!!

I've seen them go here in the colonies for $1800 - $3000, depending upon condition, finish color, fretboard type, OHSC, and other factors.

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

thanks very much! Are there certain things that make one more desirable over another? or does it usually come down to personal preference with the buyer and willingness to pay extra for features they like?

I paid $500 for my '78 Strat.

The couple of things you should know is that it's probably VERY heavy, mine must weigh over 10 lbs and the neck is probably VERY big. The neck on my '78 makes the neck on my SRV feel small.

Offer $1500 and see what happens, like Arjay said they go from $1800 to $3000 depending on the source. I'd jump on it if you can get it for $1500.

Do some research and make sure it's legit, he's some info...

http://www.strat-central.com/70sstrats/index.htm

Make sure you play it and take a look at the pickup cavity and neck pocket/heel for proper markings.

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Tune Low, Play Hard & Floor it!

nice link, thank you. on this guitar.. it doesn't appear to have a serial number underneath the fender logo. in fact i think he said there's no serial number at all, but he thinks there's numbers on the neck heel. is it possible that it would have the number in the neck pocket, but not on the headstock?





there's some crappy pics of it. he's supposed to be sending more

It´s on the neck plate. Fender did so up to 1975 I think. From 1976 they have the serial on the headstock.

Robin

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http://www.youtube.com/robinstrower
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bingo. here's some more pics.

This one seems particularly tasty -- never been tampered with, OHSC, and truly exceptional condition.

Depending upon how it sounded and felt in my hands, I might be tempted to offer $2000-2200.

Best of luck, 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

I should have a serial number......it´s from 1978

Neck is from Feb 02, 1978.
Body is from Feb 17, 1978.

Very clean and nice guitar.

Cheers,
Robin

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http://www.youtube.com/robinstrower
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wow. Can anyone confirm that number? I'm trying to make arrangements to go buy it on Saturday. I'm not sure whether or not I will keep it, but he's giving me a price that I'm going to buy it either way, if all of your estimates are correct.

And how come this one doesn't have the serial under the logo? All the others I saw had it. At first I thought it was fake.. but the neck heel and pocket as well as you guys seem to be confirming it's all good.

This guitar has to have a serial under the logo.
No serial, no deal (maybe scraped off ?).
The neck and body stamps are matching.
If it´s a fake it´s very well done. It looks sooo clean. I saw one white 72 some years ago, it looked even cleaner though (never(!) put out of the case. The 72 had some color changes (dust etc.)

Robin

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http://www.youtube.com/robinstrower
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No serial number under the logo is a red flag to me. The serial number would have been applied under the finish IIRC so it's not like it could have been scratched off. Maybe the neck was refinished? If certainly wouldn't have left the factory like that.

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Tune Low, Play Hard & Floor it!

you can barely see it.. but i just noticed these two pictures he sent me:





it looks like they were scratched off or something. how does this affect the value if it is still verifiable by the body and neck, and the rest is perfect?

This guitar did have a serial and it looks like it is ( is that you covering it up or is it the seller ). Anyway late 70's, not all Trats had the serial number there, so that is not a reliable indication, the rest of the codes on the neck match up as to where they should be.
The pic of the neck plate is not a serial number, that is a patent number, which does not change from guitar to guitar.

A lot of Strats slipped thru final inspect at the factory with different specs then what is unfortunately thought to be written in stone.
It is unlikely this is a fake simply because of a lot of little details that look correct.
I would have bid for this but never at a high bid, just because I think there are so many nice strats out there that it is a buyers market and if one goes, there are others.

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"C'est parti mon Kiki "

Beautiful Strat! As others mentioned, it could be a heavy guitar... my 79 hardtail weighs 7.5 lbs, I got lucky I guess.

Maybe he's hiding the S/N in the pics... here's what mine looks like



There should also be a sticker with a matching S/N on the pickguard