Beware of buying vintage stuff online

jimistone

long standing member
There is a big craze to buy vintage guitar parts online with the prices being crazy high for original vintage instruments. I have seen alot of bogus stuff. Here is one example.
A 100% original 1966 pickguard for over $7000.00.
I have a vintage 1966 stratocaster so I always take a look at things relating to that year stratocaster.
Looks like the real McCoy to someone not knowledgeable to this particular guitar, but there is a glaring obvious flaw here...
A '66 strat has gray bottom pickups not black bottom. Fender started putting grey bottom pickups in strat in 1964. So, I could buy a 64 strat having black bottoms. Maybe they had some leftover black bottoms that they thew in a few guitars...it would be extremely rare but feasible. A 65 strat having them....EXTREAMLY hard for me to believe.
A '66 strat having them...no way in hell. The pickups are not original if this is a '66 guard assembly.
I'm not even going to get into the markings that are missing from the metal shielding pickguard plate.
 
Here are the picks
 

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Also, to believe this pickguard assembly is "100% original" one would have to believe that a kindergardener was brought in to do the soldering the day this guitar was produced.
 
People have gone nuts with the "vintage" craze. I see the same thing. When used prices for even recent items are as high or higher than new, then there's something seriously wrong. Just because someone bought and owned something doesn't mean it has risen in value.

Heck, I'd offer the guy $200 tops. I'll have to replace the 50 yr old out of spec tone caps, after all. :thumbs up:
 
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