My guitar journey to a Fender Stratocaster

Treewig1

Seeing someone’s NGD featuring a Westbury Standard made me think of my guitar purchase journey to my first Fender Stratocaster (my dream guitar at the time) in the 1970s, which I couldn’t  afford for quite some time, and had to work/ trade up to.

My first guitar was a Satellite strat copy. My dad worked in a factory and I had it ‘custom’ spray painted brilliant white.  The guitar cost me £60.

I traded it in for a Westbury Standard (I think a sort of deep cherry red one, but could’ve been black).  It was more expensive at £135 than the Satellite so I thought it must be better.  

I traded the Westbury for an Ibanez Musician MC300.  Natural finish, through neck, lovely guitar.  I can’t recall what I paid for it, probably about £200.

I traded that Ibanez for the Fender Stratocaster.  Bought brand new from Assembly Music in Bath in 1981.  A natural finish, black scratchplate, pickups, I now know, are two 1979s and a 1980.  Fender moulded case.  I still have that Stratocaster complete with all the paperwork.  Cost me £499 (and I didn’t quibble the price).  Gigged it regularly, recorded with it, still play it. My only regret is I didn’t even think about buying a second hand Fender.  I wanted brand spanking new.  If only I’d bought a 10 or 12 year old guitar back then!

I have had quite a few guitars since then, too....

JanekLubanski

I love reading posts like this. I've never had a Strat style guitar (queue sharp intake of breath from forum members). I expect that the day that I do will eventually come.

Neil

Treewig1 said:

Seeing someone’s NGD featuring a Westbury Standard made me think of my guitar purchase journey to my first Fender Stratocaster (my dream guitar at the time) in the 1970s, which I couldn’t  afford for quite some time, and had to work/ trade up to.

My first guitar was a Satellite strat copy. My dad worked in a factory and I had it ‘custom’ spray painted brilliant white.  The guitar cost me £60.

I traded it in for a Westbury Standard (I think a sort of deep cherry red one, but could’ve been black).  It was more expensive at £135 than the Satellite so I thought it must be better.  

I traded the Westbury for an Ibanez Musician MC300.  Natural finish, through neck, lovely guitar.  I can’t recall what I paid for it, probably about £200.

I traded that Ibanez for the Fender Stratocaster.  Bought brand new from Assembly Music in Bath in 1981.  A natural finish, black scratchplate, pickups, I now know, are two 1979s and a 1980.  Fender moulded case.  I still have that Stratocaster complete with all the paperwork.  Cost me £499 and I didn’t quibble the price).  Gigged it regularly, recorded with it, still play it. My only regret is I didn’t even think about buying a second hand Fender.  I wanted brand spanking new.  If only I’d bought a 10 or 12 year old guitar back then!

I have had quite a few guitars since then, too....

Are you sure on that price?

I bought my US Strat outfit brand new in 1989 for £399 which was around the going price back then. 

Treewig1

Hi @neil.  Pretty certain I paid £499.  Maybe they saw me coming!  I wasn’t one to haggle back then.  I got a free plectrum...

Johnnyseven

Neil said:

Treewig1 said:

Seeing someone’s NGD featuring a Westbury Standard made me think of my guitar purchase journey to my first Fender Stratocaster (my dream guitar at the time) in the 1970s, which I couldn’t  afford for quite some time, and had to work/ trade up to.

My first guitar was a Satellite strat copy. My dad worked in a factory and I had it ‘custom’ spray painted brilliant white.  The guitar cost me £60.

I traded it in for a Westbury Standard (I think a sort of deep cherry red one, but could’ve been black).  It was more expensive at £135 than the Satellite so I thought it must be better.  

I traded the Westbury for an Ibanez Musician MC300.  Natural finish, through neck, lovely guitar.  I can’t recall what I paid for it, probably about £200.

I traded that Ibanez for the Fender Stratocaster.  Bought brand new from Assembly Music in Bath in 1981.  A natural finish, black scratchplate, pickups, I now know, are two 1979s and a 1980.  Fender moulded case.  I still have that Stratocaster complete with all the paperwork.  Cost me £499 and I didn’t quibble the price).  Gigged it regularly, recorded with it, still play it. My only regret is I didn’t even think about buying a second hand Fender.  I wanted brand spanking new.  If only I’d bought a 10 or 12 year old guitar back then!

I have had quite a few guitars since then, too....

Are you sure on that price?

I bought my US Strat outfit brand new in 1989 for £399 which was around the going price back then. 

I bought my US Standard brand new in 1998 for £400.

Neil

Treewig1 said:

Hi @neil.  Pretty certain I paid £499.  Maybe they saw me coming!  I wasn’t one to haggle back then.  I got a free plectrum...

Oh fair enough, that explains it. 

Teflon

Funnily enough, I bought my my first guitar back around '77. and it was also a Satellite  . In my case though, a black Les Paul look a like.  Spent the next year or so saving up so I could afford my dream guitar, which I eventually bought from ABC music in Addlestone in late '78: an olympic white strat with rosewood neck. Despite the reputation of '70's Fenders, it was a really nice instrument, and I still have it to this day. Sadly, the receipt has long since disappeared, which is a shame, as I always thought I'd paid around £225, but from reading on these boards, I think my memory must be playing tricks, as that would be way too cheap. Would love to know how much I really paid.

Cliff

guitars4you

Treewig1 said:

Hi @neil.  Pretty certain I paid £499.  Maybe they saw me coming!  I wasn’t one to haggle back then.  I got a free plectrum...

Just checking my old stock book from around the early 80's - I started full time in 1978 and recall a Strat was a touch under £400 then, with an appropriate case - remember many 'discount' stores listed guitars in Melody Maker and International Musician without the case, in order to look cheaper 

But I assumed that all the 3 bolt neck models to be around £400 ish, - That is up until 82 when the 2 control (Dan Smith era) Strat Std came out - However checking my stock book which only shows my original cost price - So add a dealer margin and vat and we are looking at something around £450/460 - So your price of £499 doesn't sound to far away 

@neil - I can't recall the price of a USA Strat Std back in the late 80's - But £399 appears on the low side - My stock book is no longer applicable to that era - But I have some old Guitarist mags so will have a gander later today to refresh 

guitars4you

Treewig1 said:

I traded that Ibanez for the Fender Stratocaster.  Bought brand new from Assembly Music in Bath in 1981.  A natural finish, black scratchplate, pickups, I now know, are two 1979s and a 1980.  Fender moulded case.  I still have that Stratocaster complete with all the paperwork.  Cost me £499 and I didn’t quibble the price).  Gigged it regularly, recorded with it, still play it. My only regret is I didn’t even think about buying a second hand Fender.  I wanted brand spanking new.  If only I’d bought a 10 or 12 year old guitar back then!

Interesting thought - I brought a 62 Strat in 1978 - refin body but everything else was Kosher - under £400 and about the same price as a new 78 USA Strat - Yet this 62 Strat was only 16 years old then - And a 59 LP would only be 19 years old - So when did they become vintage guitars ? - Many say today that you need to be looking at 25 or 30 years old before they are vintage - Obviously a rhetorical question on my part - But it shows many vintage guitars were within our grasp back then 

Today and a 16 year old guitar is nothing - I opened Guitars4You almost 16 years ago to the day - And if I look at my opening stock of new guitars, inc many PRS models, that these are still new/modern instruments 

guitars4you

Teflon said:

Funnily enough, I bought my my first guitar back around '77. and it was also a Satellite  . In my case though, a black Les Paul look a like.  Spent the next year or so saving up so I could afford my dream guitar, which I eventually bought from ABC music in Addlestone in late '78: an olympic white strat with rosewood neck. Despite the reputation of '70's Fenders, it was a really nice instrument, and I still have it to this day. Sadly, the receipt has long since disappeared, which is a shame, as I always thought I'd paid around £225, but from reading on these boards, I think my memory must be playing tricks, as that would be way too cheap. Would love to know how much I really paid.

Cliff

£225 sounds cheap for even a used model - As I mentioned above, many dealers would list guitars for sale without the case, in order to look cheaper in the appropriate adverts, then other stores - We sold them for around £365 inc case and recall select London dealers would list them at £299 with no case - So maybe £325 would be about par 

axisus

Treewig1 said:

Hi @neil.  Pretty certain I paid £499.  Maybe they saw me coming!  I wasn’t one to haggle back then.  I got a free plectrum...

I think you'll find it was a £100 plectrum

axisus

I've come to realise that the strat is my number 1 guitar. Took me quite a while arriving there, especially convincing myself that I preferred SCs to HBs. I've had 6 over the years starting with a decent Fenix in the late 80s I think, and culminating with my hand built number one guitar that I made a couple of years ago.

Treewig1

The strat is definitely my no.1 choice.  Not sure why I bought the Westbury then the Ibanez, but suspect, in those pre-internet days and the small town I grew up in, it was a matter of what was available where I lived. 

guitars4you

guitars4you said:

Teflon said:

Funnily enough, I bought my my first guitar back around '77. and it was also a Satellite  . In my case though, a black Les Paul look a like.  Spent the next year or so saving up so I could afford my dream guitar, which I eventually bought from ABC music in Addlestone in late '78: an olympic white strat with rosewood neck. Despite the reputation of '70's Fenders, it was a really nice instrument, and I still have it to this day. Sadly, the receipt has long since disappeared, which is a shame, as I always thought I'd paid around £225, but from reading on these boards, I think my memory must be playing tricks, as that would be way too cheap. Would love to know how much I really paid.

Cliff

£225 sounds cheap for even a used model - As I mentioned above, many dealers would list guitars for sale without the case, in order to look cheaper in the appropriate adverts, then other stores - We sold them for around £365 inc case and recall select London dealers would list them at £299 with no case - So maybe £325 would be about par 

Just had a quick look in International Musician - Aug 1978 - Rockbottom £275 with trem + case - And that would have been a cheap deal back then 

munckee

I used to hate strats from when I was a rebellious teen in the late 80s early 90s watching middle aged men with rolled up jacket sleeves playing strats. 

Had my first Strat about 7 years ago and now I’m continually lurching from Strat to tele and back again, currently I’m on a tele! 

SPECTRUM001

I love reading these threads, though have to admit with a certain degree of jealousy, as having started in a very similar fashion (awful Satellite Les Paul copy) I didn't get myself something nice for quite a while - and that was my secondhand P-Bass, which I still own.

My guitar was a mediocre secondhand Fender Bullet, and got rid of a few years ago (kinda regret doing that, as whilst it wasn't particularly good, I did get it in 1986 - so quite a bit of nostalgic history).

I have been through quite a few over the last three years as I hone in on keepers, similarly flitting between Strats and Teles. Am pleased to say that my Tele is perfect in every way and should be with me as long as I still play. Currently focused on Mustangs as my throw around (perhaps that Bullet is still in me !!)

NervousJohn

When I started playing guitar in 1989, I went amp hunting and got down to a new Peavey Classic or an old Vox. 

The Vox sounded better to me, so I bought it. For £250. It’s a copper panel 1963 with blue speakers. I think I did okay. Still got it to this day. 

What it really comes down to is accidentally buying something old and unfashionable. 

guitars4you

NervousJohn said:

When I started playing guitar in 1989, I went amp hunting and got down to a new Peavey Classic or an old Vox. 

The Vox sounded better to me, so I bought it. For £250. It’s a copper panel 1963 with blue speakers. I think I did okay. Still got it to this day. 

What it really comes down to is accidentally buying something old and unfashionable. 

so you don't loose any money, I'd happily pay you £250 for it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sounds like a nice story - well done

Johnnyseven

guitars4you said:

guitars4you said:

Teflon said:

Funnily enough, I bought my my first guitar back around '77. and it was also a Satellite  . In my case though, a black Les Paul look a like.  Spent the next year or so saving up so I could afford my dream guitar, which I eventually bought from ABC music in Addlestone in late '78: an olympic white strat with rosewood neck. Despite the reputation of '70's Fenders, it was a really nice instrument, and I still have it to this day. Sadly, the receipt has long since disappeared, which is a shame, as I always thought I'd paid around £225, but from reading on these boards, I think my memory must be playing tricks, as that would be way too cheap. Would love to know how much I really paid.

Cliff

£225 sounds cheap for even a used model - As I mentioned above, many dealers would list guitars for sale without the case, in order to look cheaper in the appropriate adverts, then other stores - We sold them for around £365 inc case and recall select London dealers would list them at £299 with no case - So maybe £325 would be about par 

Just had a quick look in International Musician - Aug 1978 - Rockbottom £275 with trem + case - And that would have been a cheap deal back then 

Is that Rockbottom in Croydon? They're still going!

NervousJohn

guitars4you said:

NervousJohn said:

When I started playing guitar in 1989, I went amp hunting and got down to a new Peavey Classic or an old Vox. 

The Vox sounded better to me, so I bought it. For £250. It’s a copper panel 1963 with blue speakers. I think I did okay. Still got it to this day. 

What it really comes down to is accidentally buying something old and unfashionable. 

so you don't loose any money, I'd happily pay you £250 for it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sounds like a nice story - well done

Thanks. Should I ever loose my marbles I’ll be in touch...

guitars4you

Johnnyseven said:

guitars4you said:

guitars4you said:

Teflon said:

Funnily enough, I bought my my first guitar back around '77. and it was also a Satellite  . In my case though, a black Les Paul look a like.  Spent the next year or so saving up so I could afford my dream guitar, which I eventually bought from ABC music in Addlestone in late '78: an olympic white strat with rosewood neck. Despite the reputation of '70's Fenders, it was a really nice instrument, and I still have it to this day. Sadly, the receipt has long since disappeared, which is a shame, as I always thought I'd paid around £225, but from reading on these boards, I think my memory must be playing tricks, as that would be way too cheap. Would love to know how much I really paid.

Cliff

£225 sounds cheap for even a used model - As I mentioned above, many dealers would list guitars for sale without the case, in order to look cheaper in the appropriate adverts, then other stores - We sold them for around £365 inc case and recall select London dealers would list them at £299 with no case - So maybe £325 would be about par 

Just had a quick look in International Musician - Aug 1978 - Rockbottom £275 with trem + case - And that would have been a cheap deal back then 

Is that Rockbottom in Croydon? They're still going!

Yes Croydon - Did not know they were still going - Carl the old owner is older than me