This afternoon I saw a Strat in the "Used" section at a local Guitar Center Store that intrigued me- It had a tag on in that read only "Classic 50's Strat". It was crowded at the time and the kid working the reception counter wasn't able to give me any helpful information on it. It was what appeared to me to be Lake Placid Blue in color, with a maple fretboard that looked aged; the white pickguard had a small amount of yellowing, as did the plastic cover plate on the back....It appeared to have standard size (vintage?) frets....There was a serial number on the neck plate but NONE on the rear of the headstock....The serial number began with the letter "V".....I liked the way it played with the only exception being the back of the neck felt slower- it seemed like it had less laquer or a different type of varnish on it....Had a single string tree...It sounded VERY nice through an inexpensive Line 6 amp....Price tag was $1100.00; Can anyone shed some light on what model this might be? (I know I need to attempt to track down a knowledgeable sales associate there but I couldn't resist asking here!)....I was surprised at the price since it appears that NEW 50's classic models sell for less...The prices on the other Strats in the store seemed all standard discounted prices at stores like Guitar Center, Best Buy, etc. (For example: New Mexican Strats $499; American Standard $899; etc.) Again, this Strat is Used, but body's in great condition....Thanks for any info! Chris

Assuming it's a Fender and not some type of copy from someone then it is probably an older USA '57 Reissue - based on the store tagging it as a "Classic 50s" but pricing it at $1,100. Plus it has a serial number on the neck plate that starts with a V. Fender did make USA '57 Reissues (the series was originally called the "US Vintage Reissue" series back then) in Lake Placid Blue for a number of years - both CBS era (1982-end 1984, maybe January 1985) and FMIC era (October or so 1985 until sometime in the 1990s).

I'm not sure when Lake Placid Blue went away on USA reissues but I'm 95% sure that the revised reissue models (the American Vintage series) were never made in that color; the American Vintage series started in 1998.

It is an American Vintage Reissue '57 Strat. And if it is in really good shape the $1100 is a good price. I have one that was made in 1982 and is amoung my favorite guitars. These had very good pickups very similar to the originals. It also has a Nitro Cellulous Lacquer finish and are great guitars. The Lake Placid Blue color was only available for the first few years if I remember correctly, and it is not available on the newly made US Vintage Reissues.

The 50's Classic Strats are not bad either, but are made in Mexico, hence the price difference.

HTH

T2

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is this it?

http://www.guitarcenter.com/In-Store-Used-USED-FENDER-50-S-REISSUE-STRAT---782-073111-106774961-i2052503.gc

Brandonbq: That's it- Thx!