As of New Year's day 2004, the state of the vintage Stratocaster market appears to be very strong. When I first started collecting guitars in 1963, brand-new Stratocasters were what we would today regard as vintage instruments, but at that time they were not in nearly as great a demand as Jazzmasters or Jaguars. The so-called surfing sound was in, and the traditional sound of Telecasters, Stratocasters and Gibson Les Paul models was out. There was a strong demand for Mosrites as well as Jazzmasters and Jaguars due to the popularity of groups such as The Ventures and The Beach Boys.

I didn't see much demand for Stratocasters until Eric Clapton started using them. While numerous people claim that Jimi Hendrix created much of the demand for this model, I was actively wheeling and dealing guitars at that time and saw no demand for Strats until very shortly after Eric Clapton was in Nashville to film a segment on the Johnny Cash TV show. When he was in town, he bought several Stratocasters from me, as well as some necks, bodies and electronics from Sho-Bud around the corner. Within a very few months after that, I started getting dozens of requests for old Stratocasters. Interestingly enough, it took several years longer before there was any demand for Strats from country-music players (the Telecaster was considered the epitome of the perfect country electric sound), but today Stratocasters are virtually universally accepted for almost any application in which a solid-body guitar may be utilized.

Over the years I have seen the popularity of Telecasters, Stratocasters and Les Pauls go up and down with respect to each other, but for the past ten years Stratocasters have been firmly entrenched in the top slot and appear likely to remain there for quite some time. Prices of vintage Strats, particularly custom-color examples, continue to escalate such that these instruments have proven to be excellent investments.

George Gruhn
January 1, 2004

[Image: George Gruhn and friend. Copyright, George Gruhn.]

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About George Gruhn

George Gruhn is the co-author (with Walter Carter) of Gruhn's Guide to Vintage Guitars, which is the comprehensive field guide to vintage fretted instruments, and the companion volumes Acoustic Guitars and Other Fretted Instruments and Electric Guitars and Basses. These books chronicle the history of American stringed instruments, and are beautifully illustrated and exhaustively researched. His articles are published in numerous magazines.

George moved to Nashville in 1969 after getting his bachelor's degree from the University of Chicago, and doing graduate work at Duke University and the University of Tennessee. In 1970, he established Gruhn Guitars, which is one of the largest dealers of vintage and used instruments in the world, located right behind Nashville's Ryman Auditorium. The "guitar guru" has been a featured columnist for Pickin', Frets, Bluegrass Unlimited, Guitar Player and Vintage Guitar. He is the former vice-president of research and development for Guild Guitars, and his designs are currently featured on a line of Tacoma guitars.

Notable customers have included, among many others, Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Johnny Cash, Lyle Lovett, Vince Gill, George Harrison and Paul McCartney.

Website: Gruhn Guitars
Email: gruhn@gruhn.com
Telephone: (615) 256-2033

David Belzer and Drew Berlin, Guitar Center's Hollywood Vintage Room

The demand for good clean examples of 50’s and 60’s Strats is strong, and, unfortunately, the supply of good clean original pieces is dwindling, causing prices to continue to rise. Because of the lack of original pieces available and their rising prices, we are noticing an increase in the sale of pieces that are not 100 percent correct. Guitars with issues ranging from refinishing to replaced parts are becoming a common feature in today’s vintage market. We are finding that 50’s maple necks (1959-62 slab boards) are especially hot today. Also particularly hot are 1972-4 three-bolt, staggered-pole-piece Strats, especially in custom colors. Custom colors in general are very much in demand.

Dave Belzer and Drew Berlin
February 10, 2004

[Image: from left to right, Drew Berlin, Rick Derringer, and Dave Belzer. Copyright 2004, Guitar Center, Inc.]

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About The Burst Brothers

The Burst Brothers, individually known as David Belzer and Andrew Berlin, bring years of experience to the table, not just in buying and selling but in playing as well. Dave has a degree in Music Performance, has owned his own music store in New York, and has played with bands from coast to coast. Drew was the guitarist for Little Richard for a number of years, has numerous credits as a player and songwriter with many bands, and has spent a good deal of time on the road. Over the years, they have traveled the country, bought and sold thousands of guitars, and have become two well-known names in the vintage industry.

Dave and Drew met at a guitar show in Santa Monica, California, in 1995. Drew was there as a private dealer, and Dave was there buying for Guitar Center. The Hollywood Vintage Room had just been built, and Drew had been selling to them. Eventually, Guitar Center offered Drew a job in the vintage department, realizing that his experience and contacts would be an asset to the growing vintage business. The first week Drew was working there, Dave and Drew did a deal for a sunburst 1959 Les Paul Standard and realized that they shared the same love for “Bursts”. They teamed up from then on, and within a year had become known as “The Burst Brothers”. They also discovered they had musical tastes in common and starting performing together in a small club in Beverly Hills as the house band.

Website: Guitar Center's Hollywood Vintage Room
Email: guitar@guitarcenter.com
Telephone: (323) 874-2302

Richard Friedman, The Vintage Shoppe of Sam Ash Music

The market is stronger than I have seen it in the 34 years that I have specialized in vintage guitars on 48th street in New York City. Custom-color maple necks are bringing unheard-of prices. Back in the early fifties you would pay an additional 5 percent for a custom color, and now you will pay anywhere from two to three times the price of a sunburst-finish two-tone maple neck. The price now for a clean 1957 maple neck is around $20,000 to $25,000; for a custom-color 1957 you will have to pay around $35,000; for a custom-color 1954 or 1955 you will pay $35,000 to $60,000; 1960 Stratocasters with a slab board and a two-tone finish are selling for around $13,000 to $15,000; 1961 slab boards are around $13,000; 1964 sunburst Strats are bringing $8,000; 1965 Strats are bringing $7,500; custom colors are $13,000. The exceptions to the rule are some very rare colors, such as Daphne Blue, Shoreline Gold, Burgundy Mist, Sonic Blue and others, which are $25,000 to $30,000.

Even 1966 Stratocasters with the large headstock are $5,000 to $6,000. The CBS 1967-70s with the four-bolt necks are anywhere from $5,000 for a sunburst to $8,000 with a custom color. The maple-cap 1967s and 1968s are $10,000 to $13,000 in white or black. Even early 1970s Stratocasters are selling for between $1500 $1995 for an ash body see-through finish and for early 1972 through 1974 with a custom color add a thousand or more.

Add on a premium for gold factory parts or anodized pickguards. Hardtail Strats, or as I call them "hard sell" Strats, bring considerably less. They sustain and sometimes stay in tune better than the tremolo models but the market is for tremolos. Stratocasters from 1954 have brought $25,000 up to $45,000, as I have personally witnessed at the Philly guitar show.

In the seventies we saw the first taste of STRAT MANIA and it is back with a vengeance.

Jimi Hendrix guitars are selling for $200,000 and up to $1 million for special Jimi-owned guitars. The Eric Clapton auction saw $450,000 for the "Layla" Stratocaster, and $250,000 for a 1954 owned by Eric a few years ago.

But let us not forget that the partial reason for the upped ante for a Stratocaster is the Gibson Sunburst Les Paul Standards and the Goldtops with PAF pickups. What's $20,000 for a Strat when a sunburst Les Paul with an extremely good top from the late fifties, early sixties, can yield anywhere from $200,000 to $300,000?

Richard Friedman
January 26, 2004

[Image: Richard Friedman with a Stratocaster once owned by Jimi Hendrix, and clothing worn by Hendrix. Copyright, Richard Friedman, photo by Ron Akiyama.]

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About Richard Friedman

Richard Friedman contributes to The Official Vintage Guitar Magazine Price Guide and the Orion Blue Book, has contributed to The Gretsch Book, The Beauty of the 'Burst and The Guild Guitar Book, and has served as a consultant to Christie's, Sotheby's and Leyland's auction houses with respect to vintage guitars. He and his family have sold guitars to the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Carlos Santana, The Who, Pink Floyd, U2, The Rolling Stones, John Lennon, Rod Stewart, The Allman Brothers, Bruce Springsteen and many others.

Richard Friedman is currently the vintage guitar buyer for Sam Ash Music and Manny's along with David Davidson.

Website: Webuyguitars.net
Email: webuyguitars@aol.com
Telephone: (516) 221-0563