Semi-urgent: American Strat FS near me...questions!

[poodlesrule]

Local estate sale has an American strat for sale, and I already left my best offer (under 3 bills), which I could pull back...

It plays OK from what I got out of the spare acoustic guitar amp I brought with me
According to fender dot com, it is either a 1990 or 99 depending how you read their charts.

Natural wood body, maple neck.
Odd (to me) tone pot that seem to click off past "zero". Is it a special (factory) wiring, perhaps?

Cosmetics are good, except for the back of the neck, where the skunk stripe is. There is is a minor crack (EDIT: in varnish) almost the whole length of the upper edge of the skunk stripe. It looks like the two wood pieces had expanded at a different rate. Isn't the skunk stripe just there to fill the channel after the truss rod is installed anyway, i.e. not structural?

What do you strat guys say..?

[Spudman]

That could be a Zero load pot that is clicking "off". Did it have the 2 point bridge or 6 screw?
I wouldn't worry about the neck finish. You can either sand it down and end up with an oiled finish if you desire or lightly sand it and re-varnish it. It's definitely worth 3 bills.

[poodlesrule]

2-point bridge.
Saddles have that frosted metal look, and there are roller string posts at headstock
The Fender case seems pretty well made.

[Katastrophe]

If the neck is straight, and the frets look good, and there are no other issues, then buy it. Like Spud said, the neck should be an easy fix. If the neck is like mine, Fender's coating they put over the wood is just about bulletproof.

[markb]

There's a finish crack along the skunk stripe on my strat. It hasn't moved in the 12 years I've had the guitar and doesn't bother me at all. The tone control sounds odd. A no load pot should click as you turn past 10 going "up". The older TBX tone control often fitted in the lower position had a detent in the middle of the travel.

[deeaa]

Absolutely worth 300...mind you 90s was a bad time for fender at least what I saw, lots of lemons got out round then...but if it works good, its a good one...even if it wasn't the greatest specimen, 300 is still low.

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[poodlesrule]

Thanks for the good advice, folks.
Upon checking with another registry, it is a '99 Strat, I think, just like this one (http://www.guitar-museum.com/guitar-49727-Guitar-Fender-Strat-American-NATURAL-ASH-).

I did lowball a bit (225 with case), but owner could have been kept it better.
Well, the sale ends some time this afternoon. I will get the call... or not. I am somewhat friends with the estate sale folks, and that may work for me, as it did in the past.
Mildly excited, here, as I want a good Strat for my likely last decade on Earth (subject for another post, maybe, not sure), and next step logical is get a CV...

[Duffy]

Sounds like a super incredible bargain at that price. What happened?

[poodlesrule]

I did not hear anything back from the estate sale person, meaning someone offered more than I did (or seller decided to keep?).
This was an estate sale. You usually buy or offer on the spot (furniture, rakes, what-have-you), or leave an offer with a phone number. I have built a sizable collection of made-in USA power tools that way!

If no crack on the back of the neck, I would have made a higher offer. It looked good in natural wood and sounded good on a small Epiphone acoustic guitar amp that I had brought along.

Like Deeaa, I have mixed feelings about the way the strat is built, but you gotta love the sound of some of them.
I will keep an eye for an other second-hand American standard, I think.

[NWBasser]

...as I want a good Strat for my likely last decade on Earth (subject for another post, maybe, not sure)...

Huh, what's this all about?

[poodlesrule]

Huh, what's this all about?

Waiting for comet Xanda to finally arrive, so that I can ship out!

Not really. Male-specific disease is slowly returning, eight years after rather successful primary therapy.
I am back under (mild) therapy and can string (strum?) this along for a few years, but then would need to escalate to stronger stuff. The newer versions of the "stronger stuff" are getting better and better, although strictly palliative rather than curative. I was fairly well aware of that path from day one, so I had time to refine my approach to the whole program...!

[Eric]

Not really. Male-specific disease is slowly returning, eight years after rather successful primary therapy.
I am back under (mild) therapy and can string (strum?) this along for a few years, but then would need to escalate to stronger stuff. The newer versions of the "stronger stuff" are getting better and better, although strictly palliative rather than curative. I was fairly well aware of that path from day one, so I had time to refine my approach to the whole program...!
Wow. I'm not really sure what to say. Perhaps...I'm really sorry to hear that? <-- that just feels completely inadequate given the situation

[deeaa]

What Eric said. I sure hope everything works better than expected.

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[hubberjub]

If it has a roller nut and locking tuners, it's probably a Strat Plus. Also, the tone control is called a TBX control (http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&cp=4&gs_id=f&xhr=t&q=tbx+tone+control&gs_upl=&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&biw=1920&bih=1105&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=7796205760913541527&sa=X&ei=Y3M8T7CSIKLh0QHy7dHQCw&sqi=2&ved=0CD8Q8wIwAg). It has a center detent. My 1991 American Standard Strat has a TBX so I'm guessing this is from that same era. Sorry if someone already posted that info.

[hubberjub]

Also, as I read through the other posts, I hope everything is alright with you.

[poodlesrule]

Well, my description was a little off -not really roller nut, and detent was not at center but at one end of pot range. So, not a Plus.
Shame, this thing was sitting there missing a string. One side of my brains was in rescue-that-puppy mode, while the other wasn't!

Thanks for the health well-wishes. You noticed I said "..my last decade', not "...my last six months", big difference!
Who knows how many more Fender models will be released in that span of time..!!

Medicine field is getting quite good at controlling diseases, in effect making them chronic conditions, rather than run-away situations. I think I will be fine for roughly 4/5 of the way, while new protocols spring up, old ones get refinements. The last fifth will be an other story. One thing at a time.

Back to topic, why do I think I need a good strat anyway? Neck, Body fit, Alnico pups? Arrgh.

[Eric]

Back to topic, why do I think I need a good strat anyway? Neck, Body fit, Alnico pups? Arrgh.
Are you asking why you would need a strat? The answer is obviously that you wouldn't. :poke

[NWBasser]

Medicine field is getting quite good at controlling diseases, in effect making them chronic conditions, rather than run-away situations. I think I will be fine for roughly 4/5 of the way, while new protocols spring up, old ones get refinements. The last fifth will be an other story. One thing at a time.


I'm sorry that you have ended up these health issues. I'm not particularly religious, and so I'll place my faith in modern medicine to help you through this.