Coming to Grips with the Collectible Fender Stratocaster Market

New to the maze that's the collectible Fender Stratocaster market? Join me as I reacquaint myself with the current state of the market after a several-year Stratocaster hiatus. In light of the world's current state, economic, political and health included, it will be interesting to see what impact things have had on the vintage and non-vintage collectible Stratocaster. But first, for those new to this world, let's first go over a few basic ideas. An old Stratocaster may or may not be collectible, despite the word vintage. Its collectibility depends on a number of factors such as year of manufacture and current condition (refinished, refretted, replaced electronics, etc.). Likewise, a rare and significant Custom Shop Stratocaster might not be a vintage instrument, but still very collectible. What's of concern in this article are collectible Stratocasters, both vintage and non-vintage...

The Current Fender VG Stratocaster Fades Out

"The Stratocaster of the future is here," said Fender in January of 2007 when it introduced the VG Stratocaster at that year's Winter NAMM Show. Even more impressive was the fanfare given the VG on Fender's website as the company pulled out the stops by producing retro-looking videos to tell the VG story and sell the instrument's concept: the marriage of traditional Stratocaster features with avant garde computer modeling technology via the Roland GK bridge pickup. The VG's future, however, lasted only a little over two years as Fender has quietly announced in a side note on its VG product webpage that the model will be "* Discontinued as of April 2009. Please check with your local authorized Fender Dealer for availability." Here's a compilation of the Fender VG retro-style videos from the VG Strat promo section of the Fender site, which includes demos by Fender clinician Greg Koch and an explanation of the VG's features...

Bill Carson's 1959 Stratocaster to be Auctioned

On October 13, 2006, the New York office of Christie's auction house will offer the 1959 Fiesta Red, custom-built Stratocaster that Fender made for Bill Carson, a Western Swing guitarist and Fender employee whose career with Fender spanned more than 40 years. Carson began his association with Fender as a part-time assembly person and product development field tester and had a significant influence on the evolution of the Stratocaster...

Carlos Santana Talks to Modern Guitars

Press release Source: Modern Guitars Magazine On June 1, 2006, a day before his appearance at the Rock 'n' Rio festival in Lisbon, Portugal, guitarist Carlos Santana spoke with Tom Watson, news editor for Modern Guitars Magazine, in an interview that covers a wide variety of topics, including the Paul...

Robin Trower Interview

by Brian D. Holland
With an extensive repertoire of classic hits and album-oriented rock to his credit, Robin Trower is one of very few authentic '60s and '70s blues-rock guitar heroes still keeping it alive today. He tours the world extensively, entertaining fans with memorable songs, such as ‘Bridge Of Sighs’, ‘Daydream’, ‘I Can’t Wait Much Longer’, ‘Day Of The Eagle’, ‘Too Rolling Stoned’, and with new material that eventually becomes as enduring as the others. The sight of him standing onstage with his signature Fender Stratocaster in front of his Marshall stacks is as characteristic to his fans as his classic songs...

Monster Mike Welch Interview

by Brian D. Holland
Now 26 years old, Mike Welch started playing guitar when he was eight. This led to his presence at local Boston blues jams by age 11. He played at the opening of Boston's House of Blues when he was 13. Shortly thereafter, he became known as the house prodigy of Dan Aykroyd and the House of Blues management. In fact, it was Aykroyd who tagged him "Monster Mike Welch", primarily because he was so good and so powerful at such a young age. Eventually Mike started gigging on his own, forming the...

George Gruhn on the State of the Vintage Stratocaster, 2006

by George Gruhn
I still have vivid memories of the time during the early 1990s when Guitar Player magazine published an issue with Stratocasters on the cover and a large title "Stratmania". No sooner did that article appear than prices on Stratocasters plunged approximately 40% and took several years to recover...

Yngwie Malmsteen Interview

by Hugh Ochoa
Born Lars Johann Yngwie Lannerback, in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1963, Yngwie Malmsteen came from a family of talented musicians with an interest in classical music. In 1970 he developed an interest in the guitar after watching a news item the day that Jimi Hendrix died - September 18, 1970. The footage showed the psychedelic icon burning a guitar on stage and Yngwie was hooked. Even at seven-years-old, he knew he wanted to be a...

Eric Johnson Interview

by Rick Landers
A stampede of both music legends and one hit wonders have played hometown gigs within Austin’s city limits including Janis Joplin, the 13th Floor Elevators, Stevie Ray Vaughan, John Fred and His Playboy Band, as well as Texas blues brothers Edgar and Johnny Winter. Born in Austin in 1954, bright-eyed Eric Johnson emerged on the music scene in the late 1960s with a group called Mariani. The band released a psychedelic record with a limited run of 100 copies. Today, a single copy can fetch up to $3,000 from devoted...

Rory Gallagher Interview

by Ray Minhinnett
In a cab on my way down to the Chelsea Embankment to meet with Rory Gallagher, my mind drifted back to the first time I had seen Rory Gallagher play live. I had just started to play guitar myself, an old battered single pickup Broadway electric bought for eight Pounds for me by my Gran. The gig was at the weekly Sunday night Jazz n’ Blues Club at the Argus Butterfly Pub in Peterlee County, Durham...