Non-Vintage Collectible Fender Stratocasters

by Tom Watson

While vintage Strats have been the focus of most guitar collectors, there's a growing interest in non-vintage collectible Stratocasters from some seasoned collectors and from many people new to guitar collecting. There are three good reasons for this.

1. Risk

Collecting Strats from the 50's and 60's has become a risky business, dependent upon expert examination and authentication due to the proliferation of both fraudulent and misrepresented instruments. Many experienced vintage Strat collectors have developed their knowledge and expertise to the point where they feel they can usually detect a bad apple, but most new collectors lack that ability and many are unwilling to spend the time and make the effort required to develop the needed expertise.

On the other hand, it is very unlikely that anyone is going to produce a fake 1993, Harley-Davidson Custom Shop Anniversary Strat, and it doesn't require any expertise to accurately identify one. In most cases, non-vintage collectibles have relatively clear provedance; they really are one owner guitars, as opposed to the one owner 1962 Strat that belonged to a neighbor's cousin's friend's father.

2. Price

Vintage Stratocasters are simply too expensive for many Strat enthusiasts who would like to pursue collecting. Time has yet to work its magic on non-vintage collectibles, which some would argue makes them highly speculative from an investment standpoint, but it also makes them much more affordable. Who's to say that a '57 Strat will hold the interest of upcoming generations of Strat fans that didn't grow up watching (or living) Happy Days? Viewing a collection as an investment is speculative in any case.

3. Aesthetic Appeal

Since the birth of the Custom Shop in 1987, Fender has produced some incredibly beautiful contemporary instruments. Yes, I know vintage collectors who believe that any Strat that isn't sunburst or a custom color from the 50's or 60's is an abomination, but that opinion isn't so widely shared by new collectors.

Vintage and non-vintage collectors can (and do) spend all day arguing the relative merits of the two categories, but the fact remains that there is a growing community of collectors, and those interested in becoming collectors, seriously interested in certain non-vintage Stratocasters. In future posts, I'll spend time discussing what non-vintage Strats I feel have collectible status and why.

I became interested in non-vintage collectibles for precisely the reasons outlined above. I could and can pursue non-vintage Strats that interest me without the need of expert authentication or appraisal. They may lack the trivia and minutiae associated with vintage Strats, but there's enough Fender history from the 80's to keep a history buff occupied. And as a bonus, most of the folks who made that history are still around to verify the facts.

Yes, from an investment point of view it's speculative, but frankly, that's also part of the fun of it -- placing your bets on how the future Strat market will regard the instruments. For example, over the past few years I have been arguing that pristine 1987 American Standards will eventually hit the collector's radar screen. Why? Because they are the introductory year of the American Standard, a model that re-established Fender's place in the electric guitar world and a model that I believe future generations will come to regard as historically significant. Post-CBS Fender (FMIC) is what it is today thanks to the American Standard. Historically, FMIC placed its bet on the American Standard Strat -- and won. I think this model will stand the test of time.

I think sound arguments can also be made for the "Dan Smith Strats" and other CBS-FMIC transition models, but something tells me I'd better hold my thoughts about the collectibility of the Heavy Metal Stratocasters before my vintage Strat friends break down my door.

More to come.