Electric Guitar Resale Value

[indebted]

Hi guys!

Anybody out there got any expert knowledge on the value of electric guitars?

Looking to sell my electric guitar, bought early-1990's. It is a Squirer Stratocaster by Fender (Japanese one) and has a serial number on it. Also in excellent condition.

Would appreciate any opinions before I go round the music shops!

Cheers!

[lets get it right]

Hi guys!

Anybody out there got any expert knowledge on the value of electric guitars?

Looking to sell my electric guitar, bought early-1990's. It is a Squirer Stratocaster by Fender (Japanese one) and has a serial number on it. Also in excellent condition.

Would appreciate any opinions before I go round the music shops!

Cheers!

Wouldn't have thought that would have much value myself. 'Squire' always used to be the cheap versions.

A genuine Telecaster or Stratocaster from the 60's - made in the USA - would have some value I would have thought.

I've got an Ovation - made in Taiwan! Great sounding guitar though and very well made. Never be worth anything though.

[shindigger]

Japanese Squiers are quite desirable. Id say £250-£350.

Ive got a Hank Marvin Signature Japanese Squier and its ace. I paid £275 for that 3 years ago, It's worth about £450now i think.

It quacks honks and twangs very nicely.

Try Gumtree. No fees.

[Guest Skinty]

Squiers are desirable? I haven't kept up with the market but I was surprised last time I looked how Japanese Fenders cost just as much now second hand as they did when they were sold new. Although that's understandable to some degree because of inflation, they don't make Japanese Fenders anymore and they were really good.

Between us my partner and I have three Japanese Fender 62 reissue strats and a Jap Fender HM strat. My 62 reissue was bought second hand with an unknown vintage valve amp for £400 from a music shop in Cambridge in 2001. It's a really lovely guitar and next time I went in there the shop owner said that the original owner wanted it back. He may have just been wanting me to spend more money by trying to get me to swap it for one of the new cheaper versions of a PRS but I stopped going in there after that just in case.

Besides which, I don't play the guitar anymore. I don't have the room or the reason to although would love both.

[Guest theboltonfury]

Hi guys!

Anybody out there got any expert knowledge on the value of electric guitars?

Looking to sell my electric guitar, bought early-1990's. It is a Squirer Stratocaster by Fender (Japanese one) and has a serial number on it. Also in excellent condition.

Would appreciate any opinions before I go round the music shops!

Cheers!

I doubt you'll get much for it. Squier is the entry level (although very decent Fender model) usually or often part of their starter pack. I sold a black one not long ago in good condition for £100. I was pretty pleased with that to be honest. I don;t keep up to date with guitar prices and they will vary. Given though that you can get a great Mexican strat new for £350 or so, I can't see the squier being worth that much.

Music shops will rob you by the way. Sell it on ebay or loot. Loads of people want a decent starter guitar.

[Guest theboltonfury]

Japanese Squiers are quite desirable. Id say £250-£350.

Ive got a Hank Marvin Signature Japanese Squier and its ace. I paid £275 for that 3 years ago, It's worth about £450now i think.

It quacks honks and twangs very nicely.

Try Gumtree. No fees.

I reckon the price of a guitar nearly doubles if it's got a signature on the headstock.

[panholio]

Jap Squires are desirable. I'd agree with shindigger, £250 at least I reckon.

[Guest theboltonfury]

Jap Squires are desirable. I'd agree with shindigger, £250 at least I reckon.

For that sort of cash you could get a really nice new one. Mexican strats which are great, Epiphones, Ibanez. It's the ultra-competitive price range of 250-500 pounds.

I'm surprised if you're right., although I don;t buy and sell very often at all. I certainly wouldn't pay that much.

Edit - there's a nice looking one on ebay. Buy it now at £295. Maybe it's the OP's. Seller will walk away with around £250 if it sells. Looks like you maybe right.

In which case, if that's the MP, a music shop would give you 50% of that.

I still wouldn't buy it though!

Sell it privately

[indebted]

Thanks for the replies!

I've not advertised it yet but will have a look at ebay and gumtree. I pretty much figured some music shops would be a bit of a rip-off, just wanted to gauge their reaction.

Will do some more research!

Thanks guys.

[panholio]

It's the fact that it is Japanese. If it was Korean or wherever they make the majority of Squiers it would be worth £80 or so.

[Guest tbatst2000]

It's the fact that it is Japanese. If it was Korean or wherever they make the majority of Squiers it would be worth £80 or so.

That's right from what I've seen too. The quality and materials on the Japanese ones always seemed to be pretty much the same as the US ones hence the strong resale. The Mexican ones I've seen are a bit rough by comparison.

[Guest KingCharles1st]

depends very much on the instrument-

I'm sitting here looking at a very high quality Squire Tele Terry Donahue.

It IS worth 700 quid.

[Bearfaced-Chic]

Not all Japanese Squier Strats are the same. If you'd had one with a serial number beginning 'JVxxxxx' it would have been built around 83-84 and contain the vintage American pickups. The story goes that one of the US Fender guys sent out to check the build quality was so impressed with the construction that he burst into tears! I'm fortunate to have picked one up in a second hand shop for a modest price a few years ago, and they are great guitars. There's one going on the web at the moment with an asking price of 700 quid.

There used to be a website dedicated to Japanese Squier strats but I can't find it any more.....

[Guest Skinty]

There used to be a website dedicated to Japanese Squier strats but I can't find it any more.....

I remember that site. Greyish white with a rising sun symbol. Was very useful. Allowed you to date your guitar as well with the serial number. It wasn't just for Squiers though. There were Japanese Fender Strats which weren't Squiers. Those are the ones that people really rave about.

EDIT: Found it

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/john.blackman4/index.htm

[CrashedOutAndBurned]

I think it's the 80s Jap Squiers that are really sought after.

[shindigger]

Not all Japanese Squier Strats are the same. If you'd had one with a serial number beginning 'JVxxxxx' it would have been built around 83-84 and contain the vintage American pickups. The story goes that one of the US Fender guys sent out to check the build quality was so impressed with the construction that he burst into tears! I'm fortunate to have picked one up in a second hand shop for a modest price a few years ago, and they are great guitars. There's one going on the web at the moment with an asking price of 700 quid.

There used to be a website dedicated to Japanese Squier strats but I can't find it any more.....

Thats all correct, except it refers to Japanese Fenders.

Ive had several Jap Fenders and still own a 57 reissue Strat with the most sublime V profile neck you will ever play.This is the reissue that, allegedly, caused the blubbing.

I stuck some Seymour Duncans on that, and it will now rival any US strat. To further bear out the Japan Fender kudos, i sold all the electrics,pickups,knobs,pots, scratch plate, etc on ebay and got more than i paid for a set of 3 Seymour Duncan pickups with all wiring intact.

I also have owned 3 62 reissue Teles with the edge binding. All great.

Japanese Squiers are still very nice bits of kit, and night and day to Korean or Chinese stuff.

[deadman]

Thank God someone knew about the JV series.

As others have said, they are the holy grail of Squiers. A good unmolested one can top £700.

Even then, the Japanese ones are still held in very high regard and fetch £300ish.

So. Does it have a JV number on the neck plate???

[deadman]

Thats all correct, except it refers to Japanese Fenders.

Ive had several Jap Fenders and still own a 57 reissue Strat with the most sublime V profile neck you will ever play.This is the reissue that, allegedly, caused the blubbing.

I stuck some Seymour Duncans on that, and it will now rival any US strat. To further bear out the Japan Fender kudos, i sold all the electrics,pickups,knobs,pots, scratch plate, etc on ebay and got more than i paid for a set of 3 Seymour Duncan pickups with all wiring intact.

I also have owned 3 62 reissue Teles with the edge binding. All great.

Japanese Squiers are still very nice bits of kit, and night and day to Korean or Chinese stuff.

Incorrect I'm afraid. He's talking about the 'JV' Squier series. Not Fender.

Edit: Every JV series I've seen had 'Squier' on the headstock. Perhaps someone can clear this up?

[deadman]

Ah. I take it you mean that as they were referred to as 'Japanese Fenders', you're saying they "weren't Squiers"?

They had Squier on the headstock (in large) with a small 'by Fender' logo underneath. So. Strictly speaking:

1. Made in Japan.

2. Large Squier logo on the headstock.

3. Small 'by Fender' logo underneath.

4. Although referred to as 'Japanese Fenders'.

Confused? I am!

[Guest Skinty]

Incorrect I'm afraid. He's talking about the 'JV' Squier series. Not Fender.

Edit: Every JV series I've seen had 'Squier' on the headstock. Perhaps someone can clear this up?

http://www.peerlesstone.com/node/57

Looks like you're right.

[deadman]

All becomes apparent here.

I didn't know about the '1st series', never even seen one before. Only the '2nd series'.

However. The 2nd series are the ones I see that fetch up to 700 big ones. As long as the SN starts JV then you're onto a winner.

JV Squier

[deadman]

Here's one:

For sale

(Last post..I promise!)

[shindigger]

The bit about JV series was right as they were Squiers.

I'm specifically referring to Japanese FENDERS not Squiers.

Japanese Fenders were the guitars that caused the mythical blubbing.

As i have already stated in answer to the OP Japanese Squiers are fine guitars in their own right.. JV included.

Have a look here.

The word "Squier" isnt mentioned once.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/john.blackman4/history.htm

End of the 4th paragraph.

The Fender Stratocaster is arguably the most popular electric guitar design ever. Almost certainly it is the most copied. The copies had always been considerably cheaper than the 'real thing', but by the early 1980's they were also often of a high standard. Bad news for Fender who, under CBS ownership, had let standards slip. Fender's reputation and market share were waning.

In 1981, a new management team largely recruited from Yamaha's American operation, decided on a two pronged attack. They would address quality control via a programme of reinvestment and staff training in the US, and at the same time hit the copyists in their home market by producing Fender guitars in Japan.

Following negotiations with two Japanese distribution companies, Kanda Shokai and Yamano Music, Fender Japan was established in March 1982. Fender held 38 percent of the stock, occupied three of the six board seats and, of course, owned the all important product licenses. Fuji Gen-Gakki, best known for building Ibanez brand guitars, were chosen to build Fender Japan instruments.

Back in the USA, in an effort to rediscover what had made Fender's reputation, the company went to vintage dealers and took measurements from pre-CBS production instruments. They even spent $5600 on buying a '57 Precision bass, '60 Jazz bass and a '61 Strat. Both the US factory at Fullerton and Fender Japan set about producing vintage reissues- in fact the Japanese were the first to succeed and the superb quality of their instruments resulted in the famous quote by Dan Smith, Director of Marketing, Electric Guitars at the time :"Everybody came up to inspect them and the guys almost cried, because the Japanese product was so good - it was what we had been having a hell of a time trying to do."

[shindigger]

All becomes apparent here.

I didn't know about the '1st series', never even seen one before. Only the '2nd series'.

However. The 2nd series are the ones I see that fetch up to 700 big ones. As long as the SN starts JV then you're onto a winner.

JV Squier

5th paragraph of your link. Its right there.

My original statement re blubbing execs relates to Japanese guitars branded Fender.

Not JV Squiers.

That was all i was saying.

Now, back to the real world. Gordon Brown was a **** wasnt he?? etc etc

[Darkman]

I think you're all mistaken. The OP actually refers to a "Squirer". This is quite distinct from the more common Squire.

In view of this I'd estimate a value of $1million.

Or should we value it in Yen?