Any ideas on the best course of action on this Players grade 1973 Fender Stratocaster .
I am looking to sell it on but needs some work but not too sure what do leave and what to change .
The finish which looks ok in the photos is quite poor close up , with drips and orange pealing on the whole body , it was done a while ago so has wear and marks which is in keeping with its age . Also not too sure if they did a 73 Rosewood neck Stratocaster with a white pickguard especially as the black knobs are the 3 spine 70s ones .
The Bad
Stripped finish and poor Refin( looks better in the photos ) with drips and orange peal ( was originally sunburst I think as the cavities are orange ) .
- The tuners have been changed to Gotohs
- The bridge pickup not original
- The pots have been swapped out
The Good .
- Quite light weight compared to other 70s strats I have owned
- Bridge is original
- Frets are good as is the neck which feels great
- no routing or additional holes to the body .
- Neck and middle are the original staggered type ( thanks ICBM) .
I have got quite a bit of old parts including some 70s Fender Schaller tuners - Backplate ( black) .
Was going to replace the bridge pickup , knobs ( which look original ) and cutback the finish the best I can and get a shop to buff it .
Comments
Knobs are from later 70's - early 70' still white - But a r/wood board for 73 is fine - Neck should have some date/code on it
I'd probably pass no comment on the finish within your sale info, other than to say stripped, as that in itself indicates not perfect anyway
Probably best to leave tuners as they are now as even if you find some original examples you are going to leave tell tale signs
To refurbish with a new wiring loom, re-fin will cost you a pretty penny and if you are planning on selling it you won't gain anything either way
Nothing wrong with a good players grade guitar and in some ways you can often make them a far better guitar than they ever were - But will need to be priced accordingly - A potential buyer might buy/keep as it is, whilst others might restore
I love 70's Strats and have always wanted to buy one as a do-er up-er like this one, alas I can't afford it at the moment otherwise you would have a PM about it!!
Make a great player for some lucky individual
Genuinely, if I wasn't up to my eyes with other projects I'd be PM-ing you about it. Thats a real player grade guitar - and one that needs playing. A. Lot.
Love it. Leave it alone.
As guitars4you said, the knobs are later 70s - Fender didn’t use black plastic parts until 1975.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
*An Official Foo-Approved guitarist since Sept 2023.
At the moment I'm looking for:
* Hamer Watson, SS2, Vintage S, T62.
* Music Man Luke 1, Luke II
Please drop me a message.
May keep it for a while and hold out for the right buyer as it is just about the best playing 70s Strat I have owned and won't pay the 3.5k for an stock one.
It's probably worth more parted out as I have seen these early 70s necks sell for around grand but would like to sell it as is...
Thanks again, will get a few pictures done be once sorted.
Now it is no longer original then no need to worry about any need to restore as 'original' - Any changes now, within reason, that retains integrity, will not detract any further from its value - So I don't mean add a F Rose - But not an issue to fit 3 new p/ups, good switch and a good loom as required - Knobs are an easy change - If it plays well, then it will just enhance the guitars 'players grade' appeal with some old school mojo
USA Standard pickups should have a slightly higher DC resistance than traditional construction ones because the plastic bobbin increases the size of the coil slightly, so the length of wire is greater even for the same number of turns.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
I think there's a reasonable chance those two pickups are original, although of course it can't be proved. They're certainly the right type.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
The neck serial number dates it to 74 but the 8 digit neck stamp dates it to 73 - 09013993, is this common?
The knobs I found were import size so will get a set of aged Fender ones ordered.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
09 = strat, 01 = rosewood, 39 = week, 9 = 79, 3 = Wednesday