Fender Stratocaster Price Trends
Author: guitartrends // Category: price trendsI was reading The Fender Stratocaster Book (A. R. Duchossoir) the other day and it contains a table of historical prices for Stratocasters.
I thought it would be interesting to see what a 1989 Fender Stratocaster electric guitar should cost in today’s dollars.
In July, 1989 a Fender American Standard Stratocaster electric guitar cost $689.99. Adjusted for inflation, the same guitar should cost $1,183.43. If you don’t need a sunburst finish, you can buy one today at MusiciansFriend.com for $1,199.00 (some finishes cost extra)
Signature models, like the Eric Clapton Stratocaster and the Malmsteen Stratocaster were $1,299.99 in July 1989. Adjusted for inflation, they should cost $2,229.67 today. Today’s street price at MusiciansFriend.com is $2,019.99 for either model.
So, Fender has done a good job of keeping their prices competitive for the Stratocaster. In fact the numbers suggest the more expensive models are a better bargain today than the standard models.
June 24th, 2009 at 13:42
In Feb. O9, Fender increased prices from 18 to 30%.
Conversely, since the US economy tanked, I’ve seen minty Custom Shop Strats with No Reserve going for under $2K. There are tons of ‘em listed too.