Legend LST-X Strat copy info

kyle.tricarico

Hey guys,

I'm 16 and I'm restoring guitars as a hobby and a client said I should jump on this Legend LST-X standard black strat copy for a project. The guitar is $120 AUD and isn't in very good shape hardware wise but the guy suggesting the buy said it looked like a mid 90's legend when they were actually decent and not like the new legend rubbish on the market now. He said that it has a solid ash body and retailed at $450 back in the day.

I'm an investor so I bought it in the hope I can bring it back to life and sell it for more than I paid for it but this guy said that these guitars are almost desired due to their amazing quality and sound.

So I did my research and looked at some reviews but couldn't find much. All I know is that these guitars were built in the mid 90's and can sound amazing but are mostly beginners guitars or used as a base for modded strats.

Can anyone provide any info on these kind of guitars? I have the serial number but I can find anywhere to decode it or figure out when it was made or where etc. just wanna know if it was worth the buy and if it is worth hanging onto due to its desirability.

P.S. (Haven't actually recieved it yet but it'll be here shortly hopefully, I'll post pictures when I get it)

Cheers,
Kyle.

Funkfingers

If I recall correctly, when Legend guitars first appeared in the UK, it was under the umbrella of Aria. I cannot recall whether the Aria factory manufactured them or whether it was just Aria UK acting as distributor.

It was almost as if Aria was treating the Legend brand in the same manner as Fender did with Squier and Gibson with Epiphone. Put their own name and reputation on original products. Put the secondary brand name on budget replicas of well-known old designs.

A quick trawl of the Internet today yields references to the LST-X in languages that I cannot read. One page, however, did list basic specifications in English. The important detail was that the body was alder - probably a spread of five or seven pieces under the opaque paint finish. 

For the benefit of UK forumites, AU$120 approximates to £60.

For your money, you have a fun project. Whether it will be possible to turn a profit on it is another matter. I dare say that professional quality tuners, pickups and electronic parts would improve the instrument. The smart approach is not to be the person paying for such items. You would never recoup your expenses.

kyle.tricarico

Funkfingers said:

If I recall correctly, when Legend guitars first appeared in the UK, it was under the umbrella of Aria. I cannot recall whether the Aria factory manufactured them or whether it was just Aria UK acting as distributor.

It was almost as if Aria was treating the Legend brand in the same manner as Fender did with Squier and Gibson with Epiphone. Put their own name and reputation on original products. Put the secondary brand name on budget replicas of well-known old designs.

A quick trawl of the Internet today yields references to the LST-X in languages that I cannot read. One page, however, did list basic specifications in English. The important detail was that the body was alder - probably a spread of five or seven pieces under the opaque paint finish. 

For the benefit of UK forumites, AU$120 approximates to £60.

For your money, you have a fun project. Whether it will be possible to turn a profit on it is another matter. I dare say that professional quality tuners, pickups and electronic parts would improve the instrument. The smart approach is not to be the person paying for such items. You would never recoup your expenses.

Yeah it will be a good project hopefully!

Sesh

What @Funkfingers says above is correct as far as I know. I have an aria legend Les Paul bought for about £200 in the late nineties. Apart from fret wear it's still going strong.