Hi,

My local GC has an American Standard that they are passing of as a 1999. However, after a little research I am fairly certain that it is a 1990. Its SN is N990399. N9 + five digit were used in both 1990 and 1999. It had the SN stamped on the front. I called Fender to have them run the SN for me. They were very helpful. They said that their system goes back as far as 1994 and that the SN I gave them was not in their system. He said this pretty much guarantees that it is a 1990.

The guitar is a three tone burst. It is in a very aged shape. Numerous dings and dents. Pickups very yellowed. One tone knob is cracked. The spring plate from the back is missing. The switch knob is missing. Frets seem ok. Maple neck appears straight. There is a hairline crack in the body at the corner where the neck joins the body, it appears to be just a finish crack though and the neck seems rock solid. The guitar also comes with a fender hard case that is very beat up. The bridge pickup has been replaced with a seymour duncan blade type humbucker.

Personally I love how beat up it is. The guitar has a lot of character and there is no doubt in my mind that it has probably seen a lot of gigs. Its the kind of abuse to the case and the body that you don't get with home hobby playing. Cosmetically I would rate it a 4 out of 10. I like the way it sounds so far and it seems to play well. Needs some adjustment as the higher frets don't let me get full tone bend before bottoming out with the high E and B

GC wants $699.00 for it. They will not budge on the price. It just came in a few days ago and the manager says he is certain that it will sell for that price. (although they stand to lose any future business from me for not even considering a $10 or $15 husk.)

All that being said, is there anything about the 1990 Americans that I should know? Is the $699 price that they are asking reasonable for start of that age?

Thanks for any insight.

John

If it was in good shape the price is ok not great but ok. In ruff shape I would think 550 but thats me.

Welcome.

On the one hand, $700 for a 'genuine' relic is comparatively speaking, a steal. On the other hand, a NEVER to be a pedigree, worn down, beat up Strat (granted, it's American) for that price is way too high in my book. You'd do better to keep searching for a newer Strat with infinitely less mileage on it which can be had for similar money. Not only will it need a lot less maintenance and repair than the one you are contemplating but you can then personally abuse it to taste.

No, I am not being sarcastic. Rather, I am being brutally frank.

As always, this is merely IMO where YMMV.

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You dig?

That price is a bit too high for a beat up US strat. Should be going for more like 550-600. Nothing special about a 1990 strat. Though it could be a strat plus. But, would likely have Lace Sensors and a brushed finish on the hardware. If it were a strat plus, the price is still a little high being beat up.

I say wait. I bought an Gibson ES335 Figured from GC used in the beginning of February that came in at the beginning of January. I initially tried to buy it when it came in, but they wouldn't budge on the 1859.00 tag. Waited until Feb, guitar was still there and got it for 1700.00.

Wait for Guitar Center to have one of their better sales and get a brand new one for probably $50 more than that one.

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

I discovered recently while testing out a MIM Standard Strat, that the MIM's sound every bit as awesome as my '97 MIA California Series and it may even "feel" a little better as far as playabillity. Trust me... I was absolutely SHOCKED and amazed. I danged near bought it on the spot, but I couldn't afford the divorce.
Save your $699 and get a new one. The "Road tested" ones are really cool it's true, but if it's been abused... you're better off without the headache.

I bought my well-worn '89 American Standard for $500, after quite a bit of negotiating (they were also asking way more than I wanted to spend, even though I knew I had to have the guitar the second I saw it. I just checked ebay and there are several near-mint USA Strats to be had for around $700. The idea of GC asking that kind of price for one that's been around the block a few times is preposterous.

One thing I would look out for, since you mentioned bends on the B and E strings choke out, I would ask to check the truss rod nut to make sure it isn't maxed out. If it has nowhere to tighten, forget it. Mine played fine when I got it, then as soon as the weather changed it became impossible to setup right, and that's when I found out the truss rod was maxed out. Just got the neck heat-treated, so hopefully that solves the problem, but it's definitely something I wouldn't want to go through again. My luthier, who knows his stuff, said he had seen a lot of that with the skinny American Standard necks.

Hello swindog01

I wouldn't personally because I have had great experiences with Craigslist sellers,
Craigslist always,always has Fender Strats,MIA and MIM for sale in Your local areas by individuals for great prices and most are very negotiable!If that individual put that Strat Your talking about on CG I guarantee You could have got it for $500 or less!
It is very rewarding going to meet an individual and them telling the story of the axe to me!
I recently bought my Strat from an individual,great guy and we are actually friends now on CG and he told me the whole story about it!It was great,win win,support the little guy!

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Everything belongs to JESUS!

1998 Fender Deluxe Super Strat
2008 PRS SE Singlecut

Marshall MgHD100FX single
Line6 Spider ll
Crate Kx 15


Digitech GNX1
Boss DS-1 pedal

I just wanted to say thanks to all the people who responded. The guitar has a great vibe but it truly isn't worth what they want for it. You all validated that for me.

I'll be curious to see if they change the description from 1999 to 1990.

John

Based on the SN it sounds like a '99. What I would do is remove the neck. There will be the actual dates the parts were made (not necessarily the date the guitar was actually put together and sent out the door).

Also If I'm not mistaken the sunburst will follow the contour of the body on the back. This different than the traditional look. Sunburst Amercan Std. had a vineer on top because Fender had trouble getting wood.

The big give away will be the fact that a '99 Strat will have silver Speghati logo (Thin and vintage looking), with the SN on the back of the headstock. While a '90 will have a thicker silver logo on the head stock, with the SN on the front.


I don't think you paid too much. About $700 is fair price.

Can you post a couple of pics? This might be very useful to examine your axe further.

I did find on the Fender website that there were Strats in 1990 with a the N9 SN. The number would still be on the front of the guitar's headstock if it was made in '90.

The OP states that the serial number is on the front of the headstock so it should be one of those 1990 guitars that wound up with an "N9XXXXX" serial number.

I think the OP has passed on the guitar unless the GC comes down on it because it really is overpriced for the contition described.

new poster here but I have studied the guitars for a while. IMO its all about what you are looking for.
If you want a collector guitar, than the price is too high. a collector guitar would be all original and should have age appropriate wear. abused guitars are only worth collecting if they belonged to someone famous.
If you want a player guitar than price is subjective. I have played $150 guitars that feel and sound just as good as the high dollar ones. BUT, unless you are a pro or semi pro than play it safe and look at it from a collector point of view. that way you can fall back on the guitars value if you need to trade down.
My advise, Don't Drink the Kool-aid. GC gets it WAY wrong from time to time.

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TOO MANY GUITARS, TOO LITTLE TIME!

Current Stable:
Fender Stratocaster MIM 07
Squire II Stratocaster MIK 89?
ESP LTD MH-100QM
Jackson KE3 Kelly MIJ

i had a similar problem with an old american strat. Thr truss rod maxed out, how will neck heating solve this issue?