Hi, I hope I'm posting to the right place and I hope someone can help an overwhelmed mom buy a guitar for her son. I have been on eBay and am so terrified of buying a fake that I can't make a move. There are so many varying bits of information depending on where and when the guitar was made. I found one and it says "circa 90's" in the description and the photo is blurry but the serial number looks like it was a 2001 (based on what I've learned here in the forum) so I question the sellers knowledge of guitars or honesty. At the same time, I figure anyone selling fakes is knowledgeable enough not to know about serial numbers etc.. Anyhow, I was hoping for everyone's expertise and guidance to help me get a my son's birthday wish for him~I feel like the only way to know I'm getting something authentic is to go to the overpriced retail stores and put the money toward some corporation's bottom line but I can't afford that....HELP!!! Thanks in advance! Here's the link... http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270785839379

Perhaps some more info: How old is your son? Does he play guitar already or is this an absolute beginner buy? Are you factoring the purchase of an amp to go with an electric guitar?

If he is just starting, you can get quite playable guitars new for what the eBay seller is asking. If his hands are small, a full size guitar might be too much, and there are smaller scale instruments available. Go to a local shop and look at instruments. Better to see them and be able to ask questions than to trust someone you will not meet on eBay with what may be a questionable purchase. I bought a nine-year-old girl a Stratocaster last Xmas that cost me less than you are looking at online, and it was brand new, with a warranty, and it plays great. Her hands don't quite reach chords well yet, but we are working on smaller reaches, and her hands will grow.

If you get a guitar and there is a problem with it, who will be there to make things right, the local shop or the mysterious eBay seller? Think of it this way, if your boy is going to be a musician, you are taking the first step in a relationship with your nearby shop. They are the people he will be seeing on a regular basis as he grows in music and needs the inevitable purchases along the way. I seem to be in my music shop every second day for something, and I'm glad they are my friends!

Give us a bit more info and we can direct you specifically into something worthwhile!

john

If he's new, start him out with something like that, but get it from a source that you trust more. I had one like that, but it didn't have the humbucker in the bridge (thankfully) You don't want to go overboard in price because kids treat their stuff like $@!&. That was about the original price (not what I payed for it though) for my first guitar and I played it until every pickup just about sounded like crap and there was a thick groove worn into a few places on the neck. Get it for him. If he doesn't play it, I always have open arms and another case.

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1984 Squier Contemporary Stratocaster
1986 Peavey Envoy 110
1967 Kingston Acoustic

That guitar looks OK to me and yes it seems to be a 2000 to 2001. The shipping seems high though.

$275 for a Mexican Standard + $50 shipping really isn't that great of a price, especially considering it was made in the 1990s or early 2000s (Quality has improved since then to my understanding). As far as authenticity goes, chances are it's authentic, not many people fake a Made in Mexico Fender (Why fake a Mexican when you can fake an American and make twice as much money?).

The retail stores really aren't that bad, particularly if your buying used. That price right there is as much if not more than what you'd pay at GC for a used MIM. Also, I know it might not be as much as a surprise and all that, but perhaps you should take your son to the store and try a few guitars out and see what he likes. Surprises are good the first day, but I've seen it several times where three months later that guitar's back in the store >_>

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I traded my car in for a microphone.

Thank you everyone for replying. Here' a bit more info that was asked. My son is going to be 12, he's been playing guitar for a while. This will be his 2nd guitar and I have specifically been shopping for a Fender Stratocaster in this color because it's exactly what he's been asking for. He wants the humbucker but will take one without it if he has to. (Thankfully, I can't imagine not having something to narrow it down to--it was hard enough sorting through the options for this one). He has a Marshall amp we got on Craigslist. We do have a relationship with a local store, albeit a short one. We are military and just moved to Montgomery, AL 3 months ago and will be leaving again next June. Our relationships with anyone/anything has to be superficial because we get up and moved so often

Our options are limited...Craigslist, locally and nearby, has Fenders, but it's 2 banjos (not lying, consider where we are) and 8 Squiers and a handful of amps. The local GC has it but for $499 and did I mention sales tax in Montgomery is a whopping 10%!! After talking to the guys in the GC here in town, I have little confidence they would know a fake one if it came up to them and smacked them on the butt. Most of the used ones sold in local music shops are junk, even a shop owner told us. So I have to rely on eBay and I say that loosely because you can't rely on everything being authentic.

I can keep shopping for a better deal on eBay but I would have to come to this forum each time to get expert advice on the real or fake issue~I think I would start ticking people off here.

What's a mom to do?!?! Thanks!

BTW, the shipping is higher than others because the seller ships it insured which I thought about doing anyhow. Also it's sent priority (Iowa to Alabama) which I don't need but the insurance sounded nice...thoughts?

Yeah, that's the way guitars should be shipped, just in case.

I searched on Guitar Center's used listing. Guitar Center Montgomery has listed a black MIM standard listed for $250. It has a rosewood board and lacks a humbucker, but to be honest the humbucker can always be added later. I suppose I should ask if your son is dead-set on a maple fretboard or he'd be alright with rosewood?

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I traded my car in for a microphone.

He didn't specifically mention a preference for a neck, I don't think it matters so much to him...

Wow, I spent forever searching the GC used gear site but didn't know you could search individual stores so I never came across this online...THANKS! I will go check it out...even with the 10% sales tax here, it will be a better deal than the one I was looking at on eBay.

Problem is, I wouldn't know authentic/good quality if it came up and bit me in the butt...I can't tell if parts are original or replaced, etc...all I would be looking at is the condition of all the parts. I would have to rely on the guy in the store being honest...but then again, it's not very different from shopping on eBay now that I think of it

GC Montgomery's phone number is 334-396-6245 in case you wanted to call to make sure they still have it (I'd hate to send you to look for something that is already sold >_>). It is listed with 4 stars as a condition (good), so not 5 but it's better than 3. Here's a pic, I must say GC's camera sucks >_> It seems legit, like I said there aren't too many fakes of Mexican Fenders out there, dot spacing etc... looks good even with poor resolution.

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I traded my car in for a microphone.

Thanks so much Capo... good thing is, I live less than 5 minutes from the local GC so it's no problem to go check it out~my husband or myself drop in from time to time to look for deals, knowing my son's birthday and Christmas are around the corner and all he wants is guitar stuff...I just don't have much confidence in my guitar buying abilities-or lack thereof.

So provided the GC still has this guitar, which would you choose~the cost savings is only $25 to buy the one at GC but that will be offset by most likely adding a humbucker at some point. I don't know why but my son seems to, lol. He likes to play "hair band" music the most and from what I gather, the humbucker lends to the "hair band" stuff. Thankfully our broad music taste rubbed off on him because he also loves classic rock, southern rock, and today's rock (he would kill me for saying this but he learned a Justin Bieber song on an acoustic for his little sister but he refuses to admit it in public (awkward preteen age) and won't play it unless his sister begs him with puppy dog eyes, LOL!)

Thanks so much, Capo, for going out of your way to help a lost mom! You're gonna help me earn soooo many cool mom points this year!

Have you checked your installation's weekly newspaper? Here at Ft. Huachuca (AZ) there is a constant influx of new personnel who always seem to be buying/selling/trading instruments and the post newspaper usually has a guitar or two listed for sale every week (same with our local C/L pages).

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

[quote="Retroverbial"]Have you checked your installation's weekly newspaper? Here at Ft. Huachuca (AZ) there is a constant influx of new personnel who always seem to be buying/selling/trading instruments and the post newspaper usually has a guitar or two listed for sale every week (same with our local C/L pages).

No, I hadn't checked into that...I'll have my husband grab the base paper on the way home and see what's available...thanks for the insight!!

Hi again Capo,
I looked into this guitar. It's a 1999 and in excellent condition. As far as the manager/"guitar expert" could tell, the only thing not original is one of the volume buttons. It's a Fender but not the original one so the color of the lettering is different. Whaddaya think? Should I jump on it or can I do better?

Thanks!

Looks like a pretty good guitar, and you have the advantage of having seen it in person! As said, a humbucker can be added later. That is the beauty of these guitars, they can be altered back and forth to make whatever you want out of it.

By the way, you sound like one awesome mom to go to all this effort. Good luck with your guitar hunting!