1986 Stratocaster

BRISTOL86

I’ve always fancied having one great guitar from the year I was born. 

Was 1986 a good, bad or indifferent year for Strats? 

Where does one even begin trying to source such a thing, just keep looking in the normal places and hope one comes up? Any specialist dealers that will aid the search? 

Not on the immediate horizon but any info welcomed! 

SteveRobinson

There were no USA Strats made in 1986 as the factory was closed.

The Japanese ones are decent guitars though.

springhead

I've got a 1986 Made In Japan '57 re-issue Strat.  I think US production had started up again by then but they were scarce at the time (I bought it new in early '87). The Japan made Strats were excellent at that time, and the inspiration to get the US production quality sorted.  Well made guitar, alder body, lovely maple neck with a bit of birds-eye in it.  I've changed the pickups and put a steel trem block on it but apart from that all good.

ICBM

SteveRobinson said:

There were no USA Strats made in 1986 as the factory was closed.

That's not correct, it was closed for most of 1985, but restarted with the first vintage reissues in late 1985 and then the USA Standard in 1986 (from The Fender Book, Bacon & Day, anyway!). The vintage reissues are more desirable, although by more recent standards not that vintage-accurate, but I'd still expect to pay more for an '86 Standard than a later one, if you can find one - just because it's the first year.

Be careful with dating by serial number - an '86 Std should have an E6 serial number, but there's a fair bit of overlap from year to year and you need to check the neck and body stamp dates in the neck pocket to be sure. I had an "84" - which shouldn't exist, it would be the earlier 2-knob Freeflyte version - with an E4 serial but 1987 date stamps. It was a very good one too, although it had an unusually big neck which I didn't like.

Going by that it's possible there aren't any with E6 numbers, if they were still using up old ones. I don't think I've ever seen one.

SteveRobinson

I stand corrected!

munckee

I also had an 86 mij 57 reissue. They are lovely guitars and easier to find 

springhead

ICBM said:

Be careful with dating by serial number - an '86 Std should have an E6 serial number, but there's a fair bit of overlap from year to year and you need to check the neck and body stamp dates in the neck pocket to be sure. I had an "84" - which shouldn't exist, it would be the earlier 2-knob Freeflyte version - with an E4 serial but 1987 date stamps. It was a very good one too, although it had an unusually big neck which I didn't like.

Going by that it's possible there aren't any with E6 numbers, if they were still using up old ones. I don't think I've ever seen one.

So were Fender US using E series numbers as well? - my 1986 MIJ '57 is an E6.

ICBM

springhead said:

So were Fender US using E series numbers as well? - my 1986 MIJ '57 is an E6.

Yes, although I doubt they were using the same production run of transfers, so just because they commonly exist on MIJ guitars that doesn't necessarily mean they do on US ones. But I've only seem a very small sample, so they may well do - it depends on whether they used up the left-over decals sequentially or not.

BRISTOL86

Great info guys, thanks! Looks like MIJ is the way to go then! Were there many different MIJ models made during that time? 

munckee

57 and 54 and I think 70s at least. Someone posted an mij catalogue from the mid 80s at one point, but I can’t remember who. 

BRISTOL86

What does ST72 mean in this context? Does that mean a ‘72 reissue?

Also anyone have any idea what I should be looking to pay for a good condition example? 

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F283634978796

artiebear

The first standards were shown at summer NAMM in '86, however nothing shipped until October, they are out there, but rarer than other later years. Hope your search pays off.

BRISTOL86

artiebear said:

The first standards were shown at summer NAMM in '86, however nothing shipped until October, they are out there, but rarer than other later years. Hope your search pays off.

Thanks! Though I’m not averse to MIJ by any means.

springhead

munckee said:

57 and 54 and I think 70s at least. Someone posted an mij catalogue from the mid 80s at one point, but I can’t remember who. 

I thought is was ‘57 and ‘62? I remember a Guitarist mag review from early ‘87 which prompted me to go out and try/buy.  Mine was from Boogies in Denmark St, £340 inc hard case! I think they go for double that now. 

Don’t remember seeing US strats in the shops when I was looking back then. 

EricTheWeary

IIRC my MIJ strat has an E9 serial number, fairly sure I bought it in 1990. 
Wasn't any kind of reissue, just whatever was the bog standard MIJ strat was at the time. It's survived remarkably well although bit of a Trigger's Broom by now. 

Funkfingers

ICBM said:

SteveRobinson said:

the factory

... was closed for most of 1985 but restarted with the first vintage reissues in late 1985 and then the USA Standard in 1986 (from The Fender Book, Bacon & Day, anyway!). 

A. R. Duchossoir book says development in Mid 1986. First units shipped November 1986.

ICBM said:
they were still using up old [decals]

Late Eighties Standard, Plus and Plus Deluxe Fender instruments all suffer from this. 

A. R. Duchossoir book says that existing stocks of E4 numbers continued until 1988. 

springhead said:

were Fender US using E series numbers as well? - my 1986 MIJ '57 is an E6.

E5, E6 and E7 numbers were never applied to U.S. made instruments.

E9 runs into 1990 when the N prefix was adopted. This decision must have been taken in 1989. Some clown mistakenly ordered a run of decals that read N9 (i.e. 1999). Duchossoir claims that a few of these decals appeared on 1990 instruments.

springhead

Funkfingers said:

springhead said:

were Fender US using E series numbers as well? - my 1986 MIJ '57 is an E6.

E5, E6 and E7 numbers were never applied to U.S. made instruments.

That was my understanding of the serial numbers.  And interesting that the US standards were that late - i.e. not shipped until November '86.  That would explain why I didn't see them when I was looking in the Denmark St/Charing Cross Rd shops back then.

ICBM

Funkfingers said:

A. R. Duchossoir book says that existing stocks of E4 numbers continued until 1988.

That explains my '87 'E4' as completely normal then.

It's actually the best-sounding US Standard I've played, but I really didn't get on with the neck - although I'm sure it would be considered desirable now, with the fashion having swung round to 'fat' necks.

Of course I removed the Total BolloX tone control as well, which probably helped .

guitars4you

ICBM said:

Funkfingers said:

A. R. Duchossoir book says that existing stocks of E4 numbers continued until 1988.

That explains my '87 'E4' as completely normal then.

It's actually the best-sounding US Standard I've played, but I really didn't get on with the neck - although I'm sure it would be considered desirable now, with the fashion having swung round to 'fat' necks.

Of course I removed the Total BolloX tone control as well, which probably helped .

Over the years I've seen plenty of 88 Strats, far less 87's and can't recall ever seeing an 86 - All USA

And yes seen E4 serial numbers on 87 and 88 USA models

Pretty sure E7 numbers don't exist