I've found guitar center's online vintage section, but none have pricing. Any other good places to look? I'd certainly love to find someplace in New England, but will take any recommendations.

thanks, jack

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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)

I can't think of any dealers in New England off the top of my head; of course there is always Rudys Music or Matt Umanov in NYC. There is also Lark Street Music in Teaneck NJ; they have a pretty extensive website.

Outside of the Northeast there is George Gruhn in Nashville, not sure what he has in stock post-flood as I haven't checked his site in a while (his store wasn't flooded but I'm sure he has helped re-equip those who did lose gear). Chicago Music Exchange also has a large stock of vintage guitars; you could try them out as well. Both of them have decent websites.

I'm sure there are other good dealers, but these are the ones that come to mind. Guitar Emporium here in Louisville occasionally gets in vintage Fenders; it seems like they still have a '65 hanging around. However, I don't think they are focusing on the vintage market like they did years ago.

If I was going to buy a pre '65 Strat for probably $15,000+ I would defintely go with a dealer like Gruhn who would stand behind their evaluation of the originality of an instrument,they will tell if it's been refinished and parts changed,etc.

If you have to know the price before talking with a dealer, you probably can't afford it.

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Bill

Last night I saw a 64 or 65 pre-CBS strat on the Atlanta Craigslist for $16,500. Don't know anything else about it, just thought I would let you know.

Rudy's and Lark St. are the ones closest to New England that come to mind for me too.One place that has a huge inventory of Strats only is in Japan but they ship to the states and specialize in first rate gear and that's H.I. Guitars Inc. http://www.hi-guitars.com or closer to home:The Guitar Broker Weston Fla. they have a huge inventory http://www.guitarbroker.com /or Mandolin Bros. here: http://www.mandoweb.com/ or:Elderly Instruments http://www.elderly.com they are in Lansing MI. Another reputable place is Gary's Classic guitars they always have a lot of preCBS Fenders on hand : http://www.garysguitars.com/ I hope these will be of some help because as far as I know they all ship everywhere in the U.S. and Canada.Of course there's Norman's Rare Guitars in Ca. where you are just about garenteed to get a great guitar. http://normansrareguitars.com/

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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.

You are joking No...

Really Now.... You want advice for vintage 65 era strats and where to obtain one ?
Is purchase price the issue or are you hoping someone will give you a clue on the internet for a as of yet undiscovered gem under someone's granparents bed...

You are going after a segment of the market that is well researched by dealers and private collectors.
My advice on searching out a vintage era strat is to do your own research...privately and do not post advice or ask questions on the net.
This is not a private Forum and any quantifiable advice posted here will find you beaten to the finish line.

Good Luck and be resourceful.

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"C'est parti mon Kiki "

try these guys
http://www.frettedamericana.com

Thanks for the pointers.

So, to answer some questions, I'm somewhat looking specifically for a 1957. In doing internet researching, I have not found anyone besides Guitar Center who easily list what they have.....and their stock is pretty extensive but it does seem that anything over $6k says "call store".

Oh sure....I'd love to find a gem, but am certainly not counting on it. I'm funny about guitars as I have to play it and bond with it before I'll buy it. So to me, knowing that there are 6 that are 3000 miles from me is of no help.

Can I afford one? Well, I'm pretty old (1957 is my birth year), so yes, I can. I have plenty of guitars, but my playing style has never worked with strats before (I turn the volume down when I'm strumming) so I've never considered buying one before. I picked up a squier version to see if I'd be able to play it and have indeed been successful in changing how I play at close to zero cost. There's no way I'd make this kind of purchase without knowing I can play it. I don't hang guitars on my wall....I play them. If I'm not playing them, they're getting sold.

I'll check some of these sources. I also have a friend on vacation in southern CA and have contacted him asking that he check out what I'm looking for at the Hollywood GC. If he gives me good news about their selection, I'll probably take a trip out to check out what they have over the summer.

cheers, jack

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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)

What does age have to do with being able to afford a vintage Strat? I was born in 1954. Can I afford a 1954 Strat? I wish.

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Bill

Fair Enough....

You mentioned New England...Hmmm.... So where are you located in New England
You don't have to be exactly specific, but just which segment

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"C'est parti mon Kiki "

here's one in california
http://www.frettedamericana.com/fender_ ... 10-33.html

1976

http://www.pik.ba/artikal/247249/fender ... 1976-god-/

You joined this forum in 2008 and this is your first post?

Let me guess: You're the seller of this Strat?

The OP is looking for a pre-65 Strat, preferably a 57 in the New England area of which this guitar is neither. I smell troll.

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Bill

Let me tell you something,the chances of you finding and "bonding" with a '57 Strat are slim and since you don't play them well without bumping the volume down...it sounds like you have more money than I have to toss out,and I'm older than you are...good luck.