I have a 96 Fender Lonestar USA Strat. Has been very enjoyable over the years but my tastes have changed some. Thinking of installing a single coil in the bridge position in place of the Seymour Pearly Gates. Would require a pickguard change as well. Since they have reissued these guitars in the MIM version do you think that would devalue the guitar too much to justify changing? The guitar is a 50th anniversary as well. Don't want to ruin it. Could always keep the original pickup and guard to change back I guess. Or just look for a sss Strat to replace this one. Opinions?

If the finances and "the one that must be obeyed" allow, you should keep it stock and just get SSS. There is a wonderful variety out there.

Stay true and original.

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He who dies with the most Strats wins.

Keep it the way it is and buy another Strat in it's place. An original guitar as such will increasingly go up in value so even if you don't play it anymore, you'll receive a good profit for it. NEVER CHANGE OLD GUITARS !

Modify it you want...it is not likely that a 96 Lonestar is going to be worth a ton of money down the road ala, a 1957 Strat. However, do keep all the original parts in case you do decide to sell down the road as that will help get you more dollars.

Having said that, if $$ are not an issue...then get another strat so you can keep the 96 stock...you can never have too many Strats I am at four and counting

FWIW

T2

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What time is it? It's Fender Time.

I disagree,not all guitars go up in value,especially ones no older than '96.
If you want to mod a guitar go for it....enjoy doing what you want to do,we're not here long enough to hope for some type of small profit in the future.
Production guitars are an instrument...made to be played and enjoyed and used as a tool.
If the guitar was a '56 Strat,then no.

If you're really concerned about originality, keeping the original loaded pickguard intact and replacing it with an SSS setup you build yourself sounds like a reasonable option. That way, you'd always have the option of easily putting the guitar back to its original state.

Any USA made instrument will hold value well. There will be a certain amount of "collectability" with a Lone Star since it is no longer made in America, and any mods to any USA guitar will often times devalue it just a little. However, if the guitar has seen years of heavy use and gigging, and is your main axe, it probably has enough bumps and bruises to where modding the guitar won't really matter. If, however, the axe is pristine, I would leave it alone. You COULD just replace a pot with a push-pull type and coil-split the humbucker!!!! That way it won't look altered, but still accomplishes the same task

I can just say what I would do. I'd keep it intact & buy another Strat

You can buy a fully loaded new pickguard. Just a little soldering and you have the original one intact.

Cheers

David

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"Humans think they are smarter than dolphins because we build cars and buildings and start wars etc...and all that dolphins do is swim in the water, eat fish and play around. Dolphins believe that they are smarter for exactly the same reasons."

I would probably keep it stock and buy another strat. If you're looking for a similar one, check out the MIM Roadhouse - SSS, but maple neck.

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[08 MIM Standard Arctic White] > [Danelectro Fish n Chips EQ > Radial Texas Bones OD > Tonerider British Distortion > Electroharmonix Russian Big Muff Pi > Vox V847 Wah] > FM65R

If you have the $$, buy another. If you only have $ then buy a pre-loaded pg and swap out, but keep, the original.

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-T

"You can't spend what you ain't got, you can't lose what you ain't never had" ~ McKinley Morganfield

50th Lonestar ? That guitar was born to be as it is. Please keep it like that. If your mind urges desires for modding, buy a Highway One or an American Standard, and change everything on it.

I'm going to give you opposing answers, but back up what I say.

Answer #1: Mod it the way you want it. justification: It's your guitar. Production numbers for pretty much any Strat from the 70's on are so high that they are not rare. If you think your guitar will go up in value, look for something similar on craigslist and I think you'll find that you can probably buy your guitar for not much more than a new Mexi strat. This isn't a 62 Strat that was mistakenly left under someone's bed in 63.

Answer #2: Don't mod it. Buy a used Mexican one. justification: the money you'll spend on a fully loaded pickguard is going to end up being as much as a used Mex version of exactly what you're looking for. Namely, $300. Or with a discount coupon, spend $400 for a brand new one.

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2002 mim Telecaster
Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster
Mexican HSS Stratocaster
6 non-fender guitars
2 kids (not for sale)
1 wife (uh....no comment)

If I thought for one minute a current or recent production guitar from the '90s would increase in value as much as the old Strats I played and bought and sold in the '60s...I would take a loan out and buy as many as I could find...but I am not thinking it will happen.