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7K views 40 replies 21 participants last post by  humpy 
#1 ·
Okay, posted this in the For Sale section by accident, but I'm really looking for a ballpark estimate. Now, just hear me out before you jump to conclusions here. I want to sell my Fender Strat, I'll list details below. It is a Mexican stratocaster, but an amazing Mexican Stratocaster (I'll explain below). Anyway, here's some specs and included stuff:

Fender Standard 2001 Mexican Stratocaster, Arctic White, Maple neck, tortoise-shell pickguard, standard pickups but if you're willing to pay extra I'll throw in a set of Fender Hot Noiseless pickups. Also included is the whammy bar (Fender 6-screw 2-point synchronized tremolo) and a TKL gig bag. I might be able to throw in quite a few sets of DR strings as well.

This IS a Fender and not a Squier. Now, as I explained in the post in the For Sale section (by accident), this guitar is a Mexican Stratocaster, but it plays beautifully; it plays better than my friend's American Stratocaster (and I've tried out more than one, so he didn't just get a bad Strat). The tone is amazing, especially with the Hot Noiseless pickups in. The neck is pretty thin (soft-C I think, not as thin as Prestige or Wizard necks, but still really thin, especially for a Strat), and the thing can crank out anything below metal (well, it can do metal at the right distortions, but not much above that). The thing is a monster and a workhorse, if I weren't on a budget and I could have more than one guitar, then I'd easily keep this thing, but sadly have to part with it if I want to build a custom guitar.

My guess is a ballpark figure of around $550-600 for the total package, what do you think? Don't give me crap either, don't be biased just because it's a Mexican Strat. If you're seriously interested PM me with an offer.

Think of the pricing this way:
Guitar- $400 new
Pickups- $200 new
Gig Bag- $30 new
Pickguard- $40 new

plus setup and installation if you don't know how to do that, I'm giving you a pretty good deal here.

The headstock, on the side, does have a few dings and nicks from being bumped around, and the body has some minor scratches and one very minor ding, nothing affects the playability though. There is one small finish crack, nothing major, didn't go through to the wood (not to my knowledge at least, just had it checked out by my favorite tech at Guitar Center, I've known him for almost ten years).

If you want I could also throw in some other stuff I got lying around here
 
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#5 ·
Unfortunately, Mexican Strats just don't pull the money. My Mexican strat has a US bridge pro installed ($50 for the bridge, and other $50 for the install because the holes don't match up), new Carvin AP-11 pickups (way better than the fenders @ 110 bucks with guard) and a Charvel neck( $140 with bolts and plate), and I STILL know it wouldn't pull 300 bucks in its tweed hard case (another $60 bucks) ;) It totally slays, but that doesn't mean it isn't also nearly worthless on the open market. Sad but true.

If there's anti-Mexican bias on these Strats, it is global, not local to here. Check the 'bay and see.
 
#6 ·
Good luck getting anywhere near $550-$600 for it. That's why I usually speak against (and get yelled at for) spending too much to upgrade a lower end guitar. You'r pickups cost half as much as the guitar and didnt add anywhere near that to the value.

I never noticed an anti-Mexican strat bias anywhere, most people I've ever talked to love them. When I sold guitars I always thought the Mexi-Strats were the best electric out there for under $600-$700.
 
#7 ·
Mexi strats are great guitars for the money. Unfortunetly for the seller they're really easy to come by, thus making them dirt cheap on the marketplace. Also bear in mind that a decent strat is a hell of a workhorse for any musician and you may want to hold onto it. I've got a great old jap-strat that i'd never trade. Well.... Maybe for an even better strat... Just my opinion.
 
#11 ·
Word, but there isnt much value in a guitar thats $400 new. They could be the best playing, sounding guitar ever but if a new one is $400 and easily available, I think $300 for a used one would be a little on the high side. I'd pay it, but I wouldnt be saving much buying used over new.
 
#30 ·
Not really - the sad reality is what you're being told is actually a pretty fair assessment of market value, and deciding to take the "middle ground" between what your guitar is actually worth and what you want for it that's out of line with what it's worth, then accordingly your "middle ground" value is not going to be reasonable, as it's above what it's actually worth.

If you want to get $4-500 for a Mexi strat with Fender Hot Noiseless pickups in it, your best bet is to sell it locally - if I ran into a Mexi strat in a guitar shop, used, with upgraded pickups (though, FWIW, I've never been a fan of Fender Noiseless pickups), and I picked it up, and it had "that" mojo, sure, I might go a bit above the $300 the guitar was probably worth. But i would never pay a premium like that over the net in all but the rarest of cases (basically, from a member I've known a long time who has similar taste in gear and tone as I do, who also thinks it's one of "those" guitars - off the top of my head, Gresh springs to mind as we've had virtually identical rigs for a few years now, completely by accident, and I bought a PWH off him that absolutely growls, as he said it did).

Barring that, $300 is about as much as is fair to ask for a $400 guitar, used, even with upgraded pickups.
 
#10 ·
If you were offered $400 you'd be pretty lucky. MF sells new ones for $400, and they could probably be picked up cheaper at retailers. They also include the gig bag new. Also a set of hot noiseless pickups can be had for $150 from MF, I got my new single HN neck for $35 off the bay, so I'm guessing a whole set could be picked up for even less than $150
 
#13 ·
Upgrading a guitar is somewhat of a zero sum proposition. If you upgrade pickups and hardware, the lessening of the "market value" of the guitar can take a hit relatively proportional to (or with an expensive, vintage, etc. guitar greater than) what you spent replacing parts.

EDIT: I type too slow, people already making good points.
 
#15 ·
Upgrading a guitar is somewhat of a zero sum proposition. If you upgrade pickups and hardware, the lessening of the "market value" of the guitar can take a hit relatively proportional to (or with an expensive, vintage, etc. guitar greater than) what you spent replacing parts.

EDIT: I type too slow, people already making good points.
+1 upgrading anything is usually a zero sum proposition. Like cars and motorcycles.
 
#14 ·
agreed, although when selling guitars with changed pickups, I usually think of the pickups as something that would help the guitar sell over one that had stock pickups, not necessarily something that would add to the price. Unless we are talking about WCRs, Fralins, and so on.
 
#16 ·
mex strats are great for the money, although there pretty expensive over here for new unfortunately. My Mex Strat was $1200 but I talked the store down to giving the guitar to me for $1000. My music store now sell them new for around $750-$1000.

They go for around $550-650 on the bay here.

I could never part with my mex strat. The neck on it is great, its a great playing guitar. Although I hate the pickups (they sound tinny), so they're going to be changed at some point.
 
#25 ·
I bought my Mex-Strat 2 months ago at GC for $199.00. It was used but in mint condition. The plastic wrap was still on the back plate. All the guitar needed was truss-rod adjustment. Install Lace pups set (red, gold, & blue) I got off the bay for $120.00 new. I love it... If someone offers me $600-700 for it (Deal or No Deal), it will be No Deal...
 
#27 · (Edited)
My Mexi Strats, aka Jimmy Vaughn signature, that I bought in 1997 felt exactly like an American Strat. So MIM Strats in my opinion are value for money in quality. What I'm surprise was that Fender has jack up the price of the MIM Strat by few hundreds over the years.

I just checked out those Indonesian Squire last week and my god the workmanship and the quality of the Strat and Telecasters are exactly like the Japan or MIM model or better. Don't buy those Squire that made in China, even though it's a license Squire from fender, the quality is very bad.
 
#40 ·
Lol no, I ended up keeping it. You'd be surprised, it actually plays really nicely especially after I set it up to how I like it, although I must admit when I first posted this I wasn't that knowledgeable about selling guitars, and realized my idiocy by about the fifth post in this thread (read the first page LOL).

Though, I will probably soon be getting another strat, and it will be American. IF I ever sell this thing, it'd be on the bay, but it's got too much sentimental value to me as it's my first guitar, and I wouldn't be able to get enough for it to justify me selling it.
 
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