'73 strat, a good year?

[FenderBoy]

Re: '73 strat, a good year?

I've got to agree with Lew on this one. There is Vintage and there is Used. Appartently 70's strats are just used. Anyhow people will still bid up these older guitars and the price will increase. You won't see me buying one though. BTW I see that Marshall JCM 900s head are now going for over $500 on eBay. Seems to me that a lot of buyers think that those are "Vintage" too.

 

[Boston Joe]

Re: '73 strat, a good year?

See if this adds some perspective: I have a '74 and '79 Strat-- purchased used back in the late 80's; I switched the necks for a better pocket fit (still had to shim the '74 pocket, but the switch was a vast improvement), refretted the necks, the '79 had the thick poly stripped off by the original owner (very acoustical and resonant), added new pickups and other electronics, added a Callaham steelblock, Schecter steel plate, and Fender steel saddles to the '74 body, and brass saddles to the '79 mazac tremolo, replaced the nuts with bone, scalloped the '74 neck, placed the old 70's pickups in an '85 Squier that now houses a Callaham block as well... short story, they play like any contemporary signature or custom Strat-- Purchased for little money, and customized to my styles for an additional modest investment. You may think twice about upgrading a bland, used instrument if you already investment a good amount of money-- that is, if vintage is now an issue.

 

[Hot _Grits]

Re: '73 strat, a good year?

See if this adds some perspective: I have a '74 and '79 Strat-- purchased used back in the late 80's; I switched the necks for a better pocket fit (still had to shim the '74 pocket, but the switch was a vast improvement), refretted the necks, the '79 had the thick poly stripped off by the original owner (very acoustical and resonant), added new pickups and other electronics, added a Callaham steelblock, Schecter steel plate, and Fender steel saddles to the '74 body, and brass saddles to the '79 mazac tremolo, replaced the nuts with bone, scalloped the '74 neck, placed the old 70's pickups in an '85 Squier that now houses a Callaham block as well... short story, they play like any contemporary signature or custom Strat-- Purchased for little money, and customized to my styles for an additional modest investment. You may think twice about upgrading a bland, used instrument if you already investment a good amount of money-- that is, if vintage is now an issue.

Yeah, you bought at the right time. Apparently during the late 90s, Guitar Centre started buying up anything 70s at inflated prices, as an attempt to create a new 'vintage' market as 50s and 60s guitars became scarce and prohibitively expensive. The only way I could afford my '76 is due to the fact that the electronics weren't stock and it was very beat up.

I find this absorbtion of 70s gibson and fender guitars into the vintage market laughable. In many cases, we are talking about some of the worst american made guitars ever. $3000.00 for a 76 tele deluxe? -that's absurd.