Hi all,
Looking for some help. I've come across a '58 Strat that I'm interested in - I've owned a lot of vintage Gibsons but no vintage Fender guitars. From what I've been told, it's been refin'd, has had the switch swapped for a 5 way, one swapped volume pot in the 70s...
Given this... what would be a sensible price to pay? here are a link to some photos....

I don´t think the neck is a real 58. Body is refinished some parts are original.
I won´t pay more than 4k max. (I am not crazy for pre CBS anyway).

Cheers,
Robin

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http://www.youtube.com/robinstrower
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+1

Looks like a parts-o-caster to me.

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

No way is that neck really from '58. If the body had to be refinished, then the neck would have been too if it were played much. That would be the cleanest vintage neck ever if it were real LOL. Offer him $1500 and see what happens Make sure the neck is a genuine USA Fender part first

Curious that no photo of the neck heel was provided......



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

+1 no serial plate, no neck heel, How much the seller ask for it ?

The neck looks identical to the one i had on my old mexican classic '50, could it be a mexican neck and then they removed the serial and the made in mexico from the back of the headstock? Even the tint on the back of the headstock looks a bit different than the rest of the neck..or maybe just the pic but..oh, and real vintage necks they don't have the walnut stripe as far as i know

Not a MIM Classic '50s neck.

All of those (like their MIA counterparts) have the string tree positioned too far from the nut -- it should be installed just about even with the A-string tuner post. The MIJ/CIJ re-issue '50s guitars' string tree locations are correct -- as is that of the headstock shown in the OP's pics.

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

The saddles don't look right either, can see the Fender, but other side should say Pat Pend...and the tuners should be Klusons, those look like the reissue type.

T2

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What time is it? It's Fender Time.

String spacing looks tighter than vintage,{Remembering my old '58] the fret size and the look of the board radius is suspicious.

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"Another day in paradise!"

Not sure where you got your info but skunk stripes were very much a part of 1954-56 and 58 Strats...
From 59 to 65 the glued-on rosewood fingerboards appeared hence the name slab board.
1967 maple fingerboard option was again offered with no contrasting skunk stripe.
1970 the one piece maple neck was reintroduced.

It does become confusing as to when and why but one has to keep in mind that labor cost have always been a variable as to how a guitar is made.....
Although the CBS years were quite indignant....

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"C'est parti mon Kiki "

Here's an ad for what is supposed to be a 1958 fender bridge and it says fender and pent pending also. Not saying it's real, just the same as the other one.
http://www.eddievegas.com/store/details ... BRIDGE.php

Jason...I'd probably give Ed Roman the benefit of the doubt here. Perhaps the grapevine tells you more down in the Four Corners, but I'm intially of the opinion that he's got a reputation he'd like to maintain. If not, I'd sure like to be brought up to speed.

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"Another day in paradise!"

Interesting guitar!

No one has mentioned the 9-screw single ply pickguard. I bet the 1958 dating came from the pots, but (if it is real) that "transition" pickguard would make it a 1959 body. Is there a neck date?

It's hard to be sure what is vintage just looking at pictures. The tuners don't have the right patina (and I can't read any words on them). The bridge saddles look real, but the inconsistency in patina makes we wonder. The shielding under the pickguard looks funny.

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Member #26797
My other guitar is a Strat.