March 12, 2004
Three Experts Discuss the Non-Vintage Collectible Fender Stratocaster - Part Two, Frank Glionna
by FRANK GLIONNA and TOM WATSON
Part Two of a three-part series in which experts Allan Clarke (Outside Sales Manager and Custom Product Specialist, Guitar Center's Certified Reserve Collection), Frank Glionna (owner, The Music Gallery, Inc.) and Steve Pisani (Custom Shop Guitar Specialist, Sam Ash Music) share their opinions about the current state and future potential of non-vintage collectible guitars. Part One featured the opinions of Allan Clarke.
In addition to his general opinion about the non-vintage collectible Stratocaster market, each participant was asked how he would invest $50,000 in such instruments.
The Non-Vintage Collectible Stratocaster
by Frank Glionna, The Music Gallery
First
off, a little background information. I have been in this
business for 30 years. I started The Music Gallery in 1974
with one purpose in mind: To serve the guitar player. If
it involves the guitar, we do it. Sales, service, lessons,
repairs, advice, whatever.
I will begin with why I started a small collection of
non-vintage guitars.
I am a drummer, not a guitar player. Although I do play
now, I wasn't playing then. I just loved guitars. I
enjoyed how they looked, the different shapes, the exotic
woods and finishes, not to mention what the electric
guitar represented to youth and rock 'n' roll - the whole
romance of it all. So I've always been a candidate for any
special series that Fender or any other company had to
offer.
What
I have found out is that I'm not alone. There are many
players out there that aren't virtuosos but have the same
passion for the guitar as I do. They play the guitar for
relaxation, self-expression, whatever. The bottom line is
they love their guitars and they love "creative guitars"
like a
MOTO Strat (popup image of green MOTO Strat, Tele and
Jaguar set) or the
Surf Strat (link to article).
Then again, there is also the player who says, "No
frou-frou for me. Just give me pure tone and a great neck.
I'm gonna play the guitar not look at it." I totally
understand and respect this frame of mind as well.
Though I do have a small collection of vintage guitars
that I keep around the store, we have never been known as
a "vintage dealer". Some are in glass cases, some are
mixed in with the guitars on the wall. These guitars
always stop people in their tracks and provoke questions.
Since my store is somewhat physically small, I rotate the
vintage collectibles on display all the time. Players love
these instruments. Even people that don't play guitar are
interested in these pieces; either the instrument's story,
or how old it is, or perhaps that it looks like the exact
guitar they saw - insert the name of any worshiped rock
player - use in Fort Worth in 1974. Whatever it is, these
pieces consistently generate interest.
These days, Fender Custom Shop Art Guitars (at least in
some circles) are being thought of as investment-grade
art, in addition to being musical instruments. The guitar
market is growing so fast that I don't think our music
manufacturing association, NAMM, has any idea. While all
the big manufacturers have been making pieces that are
incredibly elaborate and pricey, they realize that people
also want collectibles that are affordable as well. Take,
for instance, the Paisley and Flower Telecasters:
Japanese-made guitars that originally sold for less than
$700 but that still draw a significant amount of
attention. While a lot of these guitars will end up being
not much of an "investment", they are still unique and
therefore will hold value in the hearts (and pockets) of
those who play and love them.
That is one of the reasons I was attracted to this area
of the business in the first place. You could get a unique
guitar for a very modest price. Remember the aluminum-body
Strats and Teles that were made in the early nineties?
They were about the price of an American Standard
equivalent, and they had a tie-dyed-like finish.
Incredibly unique, both in looks and tone.
Now, are these or any of the Art-sy guitars going to be
worth big dollars? We don't know. I don't collect them for
that reason. I hope they may be extra-valuable, but if not
I still enjoy them. I find that a lot of collectors share
a similar opinion. They are hoping their guitar may be
valuable someday, but hey, if it's not they got pleasure
from playing it regardless. It is safe to say that their
value is pretty solid, in that what it takes to build
these guitars (meaning $$$), just in labor and material
costs, will be higher tomorrow than today. Basically, over
a period of time, any existing guitar is worth more
because the new version will cost more.
There haven't been any real trends in this (Art-sy) market
that I have noticed. There are no "Holy Grail" guitars
that I have requests for all the time. Month to month,
even week to week, we get tons of letters and calls for
all sorts of guitars. There are exceptions though. When
Brazilian rosewood reached the end of its rope
[importation of Brazilian rosewood to the United States
has been banned], everybody wanted it. What's the
lesson? Tell people they can't have something and they'll
search it out.
If
I had $50,000 to buy any Fender guitars that were not
vintage, I would buy the collection of "Diamond Dealer"
guitars. Fender had a small group of dealers in the early
nineties (there were 50 at first), and only these limited
dealers were sold the six Diamond Dealer guitars. They
were the Harley-Davidson Strat [pictured on the left], the
Playboy Marilyn Monroe Strat, the Freddy Tavares Aloha
Strat, the 40th Anniversary Strat (40th Anniversary of the
Stratocaster), the 50th Anniversary Strat (50th
Anniversary of the Fender company), and the Jimi Hendrix
Monterey Festival Strat. Today, these special dealers are
called Master Dealers.
If you found the complete set, the price might be higher
than $50,000. But with a little searching I would think
you could piece the set together within that budget. The
rarest of the group was the Harley. A total of 109 were
made, including prototypes. The Harley-Davidson, I was
told, got $20,000 or $25,000. But over the past 15 years
that would have to be one of Fender's best.
I would also buy anything that is made in the MOTO finish.
The Custom Shop made a bunch of these that were mainly
white
MOTO (popup image of white MOTO Strat). However, there
were some experiments. I also saw a few that looked like
bowling balls. They had blue, grey and white all swirled
around. There was also a set of Fender Blues Deluxe amp in
white MOTO and matching flight case. These were not so
difficult to locate.
I had the Custom Shop make me five MOTO sets in other
colors: Cherry Red, two-color Sunburst, Cherry Sunburst,
Purple, and Blue Sunburst.
I
always get asked about limited-run guitars. There have
been many limited runs of different Fender guitars. Some
were done by builders or sales guys at the Custom Shop,
and many were rather cool. Others were commissioned by
different stores. Chances are, you won't know the history
of the run. I once ordered a small series of Custom
guitars from Fender, and even though the guitars were
numbered pieces that made up a small group, they weren't
really more valuable than any other one-off run, unless
you count something like the Diamond Dealer edition, or
some other specific Fender project.
Some of the other guitars that the Custom Shop has put out
over the years, and that I still see around and at fair
prices, are the "Pinup Strats" (pictured on the left).
Usually these are hybrids of Strats, Jaguars and
Jazzmasters - like a Jaguar body with Strat pickups and a
Bigsby tremolo.
There are many wacky Fenders that weren't built in the
Custom Shop that I think are fairly priced, and that I
like because they are unique and aren't available
everywhere. Examples of these types of guitars include the
Strat 12, The Walnut Strat, and the lefty-strung-righty
Hendrix Strat.
Every year there are two NAMM shows. The Custom Shop seems
to outdo itself every outing. They have so many unique
guitars at that show, that if you ever want to add
something special to your collection you have two chances
a year.
Frank Glionna
March, 2004
[Images, from top to bottom: (1) Frank Glionna; (2) green MOTO Strat; (3) green MOTO Strat, Tele and Jaguar set (popup); (4) 1993 90th Anniversary Harley-Davidson Stratocaster; (5) white MOTO Strat (popup); and (6) red "Pinup" Strat. Images (1), (2), (3), (5), and (6), copyright 2004, Music Gallery, Inc.]
________
About The Music Gallery
The Music Gallery is not only a Fender Master Dealer but also a Gibson Super Dealer and a Martin Super Dealer. They normally have at least 40-50 Custom Shop Fenders in stock at all times. The Music Gallery is one of the largest (if not the largest) independent retailer of Fender Custom Shop instruments. They also carry Paul Reed Smith, Santa Cruz, Rainsong, Guild, Gretsch, CA, Rickenbacker, and Seagull. They steer clear of most of the modeling and digital world - they like tube amps and don't sell anything but. You won't find a digital stomp box in the store. The amplifier department stocks Victoria, Mesa Boogie, Matchless, Vox, O'Brien, and many Fender amps.
Contact Information
Website:
The Music Gallery
Email:
MusicGlry@aol.com
Telephone: (001) (847) 432-6350
Address: Highland Park, Illinois 60035, USA
Related Articles
Three Experts Discuss the Non-Vintage Collectible Fender Stratocaster - Part One, Allan Clarke
Non-Vintage Collectible Fender Stratocasters
Fender Custom Shop Limited Editions
Fender Custom Shop One-offs and Art Guitars
Fender Production Models - Setting the Stage for the 80s
State of the Vintage Strat 2004, Four Experts Share Their Opinions
Published March 12, 2004 11:21 PM.
