Homepage › Forums › Guitar Discussion › Guitar › 1979 Fender strat antigua hardtail (maple neck)
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June 3, 2005 at 6:03 pm #21934sparkykinkParticipant
Could anyone tell me the value of my original 1979 fender strat hardtail (antigua finish) .
I’m told they are now collectable and that Fender are making re-issue models ?
It is in excellent condition and unplayed since 1985. -
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December 28, 2010 at 9:09 am #68175TimParticipant
RIP A1, I used to go there just to ogle as a kid 🙁
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December 13, 2010 at 6:58 pm #68162sparkykinkParticipant
Hi fellas,
Hope you’re all OK
Just an update on the old A1 store in Manchester.
It’s now a small music venue called Sound Control, you know the usual decor (everything sprayed black), overpriced and watered down beer.Ps. I’ve still got the antigua strat.
Cheers,
Dave -
September 17, 2005 at 7:52 am #681831bassleftParticipant
🙂 , I think it might have been Anne. I didn’t mind her trying it on; she was a vast improvement on the lanky-haired burks employed at Preston’s A1. I could write a whole, almost-humorous thread on those types paid to widdle all day and sell nothing (found in every store worldwide).
Sparky, you must mention the opening bars to “Stairway” – or am I showing my age? I shoot those types on site (EDIT: or even “on sight” – pun not intended). Still, I reckon the store assistant is worse. The type that snatches a guitar off you and “shows you what it can do” 👿
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September 16, 2005 at 10:56 pm #68179sparkykinkParticipant
The great Antigua debate rumbles on eh ? (careful Lee, you may have a phobia developing there mate ) !
RE:- A1 Manchester.
Happy memories only really.
True enough, Anne & Graham were quite pennywise but I always found them really helpful if you had stuff in for repair & needed to borrow anything for gigging etc.
The staff were always ok , considering being forced to endure listening to the intro’s of all those songs of the day over & over again (brown sugar, allright now, smoke on the water etc ) played almost in tune !Of the more up-market stores ( for grown-ups), I always found Harker & Howarth of Bolton pretty good . Don’t know any shops in Preston though.
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September 13, 2005 at 4:11 pm #68178glwParticipant
[quote=”lee_UK”]No accounting for taste, in my eyes sparkykink still has one of the naffest looking guitars ever to grace to the Fender logo, but i suppose some like it otherwise they wouldnt have brought out the reissue.[/quote]
I really like it.
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September 13, 2005 at 6:15 am #68159lee_UKParticipant
No accounting for taste, in my eyes sparkykink still has one of the naffest looking guitars ever to grace to the Fender logo, but i suppose some like it otherwise they wouldnt have brought out the reissue.
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September 13, 2005 at 5:59 am #681771bassleftParticipant
Ah, thanks for the info. FWIW, the original “bronchial asthma” is the finish I like least, but that’s just my op. And I’ve bought some right butt-uglies myself, anyway, so I’m hardly an art critic.
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September 12, 2005 at 4:43 pm #68176glwParticipant
The varying colours of the Antigua finish over the years is not, in the main, a fading thing.
The originals were a short of cream to brown “sunburst”. The 1979 reissues were more grey than brown – I always though it looked “mushroom-like” – and 2004’s Antiguas were more cream to olive green.
I’ve no idea why Fender change the Antigua colour with each re-issue, but that’s the way it is.
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September 10, 2005 at 7:18 am #681611bassleftParticipant
Red mist, sounds good enough to drink to me 🙂 . Interesting about the exposure to pubsmoke etc. Fender’s Olympic White certainly looks a bit “have you brushed your teeth?” after a while, but I quite like that patina.
I know A1; although I know the smaller sister in nearby Preston better. Shortly before it changed to “Academy of Sound”, a woman from the M/C A1 was assigned to the Preston branch. Don’t know her name, but she was a right tough cookie; major battles to get any discounts (again, I prefer it when it’s a proper haggle). I wonder if M/C A1 was usually like that? And is it still A1 or something else now?
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September 10, 2005 at 4:27 am #68140sparkykinkParticipant
Hi there Bassy,
Apology accepted, although like yourselves I probably should lighten up a bit & ease off on the red mist (is that a drink)?
Regarding the colour, I don’t know whether it is a fading thing, as mine had a lot of exposure to smoke / beer etc for 6 years or so gigging in pubs and clubs & really you would think the laquer would protect the finish.
incidentally the Antigua wasn’t my ideal choice, I wanted a natural wood finish but A1 Music in Manchester where I bought it from had a choice of the antigua, sunburst or black .
The Antigua played like a dream, looked a bit different and that’s how I got it.
It was only when looking on e-bay that I realised there had been enough demand for a re-issue, I’m not looking to sell, just curious.
I’ve sold guitars before for peanuts (like the Burns I mentioned), and there’s really no future in it unless you really need to.Bye for now.
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August 30, 2005 at 9:39 am #681701bassleftParticipant
Sparky,
Firstoff – apols for sounding a bit grouchy. Like most peeps, it varies with how the day has been. That shop in Leeds; might it have been Music Ground? They do have a tendency to pitch it high and see if someone bites; it’s just their way. Not that I’m an expert, but I’ve seen variations in the Antigua finish myself. I wonder if the greyish is the original/intended, but it takes on a green/brown with exposure to pubsmoke and/or lights? Just curious.
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August 6, 2005 at 11:56 pm #68147sparkykinkParticipant
Yeah Michael, All is good with me, after all it’s nice to be nice y’know.
The strange thing with these guitars appears to be that some of the finishes turn a shade of pale green, whereas mine appears to have kept it’s grey colourings.
I did see one the same as mine recently on e-bay from a shop in leeds which had a “buy it now” price of £800.
It looked a bit knackered and didn’t sell. whether that was down to the price or the condition I’m not really sure.Incidently I used to own a “Burns Flyte” which was another whacky metallic green colour.
These appear to now be collectable also, but in reality was really neck-heavy and awkward to play as you had to be supporting the weight of the neck at the same time as playing.Anyone else heard of or has owned one of these guitars?
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August 1, 2005 at 5:35 pm #68173glwParticipant
Sparkykink, I love these guitars and was looking for one myself. A year or so ago I was watching a 1979 hardtail Antigua Strat on eBay, which eventually went for just over £500. I wish I’d bought it now, but at the time I didn’t have the money.
I later bought one of the 2004 japanese re-issues (with a trem – unfortunately). It’s not actually quite the same colour as the original Antiguas, but it’s a great guitar all the same
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August 1, 2005 at 8:01 am #68160MichaelParticipant
All is good yeah fellas 🙂
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July 31, 2005 at 6:29 pm #68139sparkykinkParticipant
Hello again Bassy,
You forgot to include replies/comments between posts 1 & 2 in your happy to help guide.
I think the heading for this would be :
Totally uncalled for “in-house” sarcasm.
Sorry if my comments have upset you & your friends, but if you can’t take it . you really ought not to dish it out.PS : I do appreciate the original valuation
Regards,
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July 24, 2005 at 6:28 am #68181lee_UKParticipant
[quote=”sparkykink”]Oh dear, I seem to have struck a nerve with 1bassleft , who I assume must be a 24 hr guardian saddo for his buddy.
Speaking of assumptions or rather mis-assumptions, I merely said that this particular guitar has been unplayed since 1985, unlike my others.Anyhow, back to the real world,
Cheery bye.[/quote]Unplayed since ’85?? wonder why. Best stick that one back under the bed with your copies of ‘Thai Lady Boy Monthly’ . 😆
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July 24, 2005 at 5:40 am #681571bassleftParticipant
no, I’m a perfectly happy saddo (if that isn’t an oxymoron). Just as a general intro to forum netiquette, there’s a less-than-perfect way to start:
post 1 – Give me a free valuation.
post 2 – Got free valuation, you guys ought to get a life
post 3 – If I seem brusque, that is because you are saddoesMust be a hit with the ladies, Sparky. If you were NE England, I’d credit you as the originator of the “you divn’t sweat much for a fat lass” chat-up line 😛 .
Anyhoo, I noticed an original Antigua Precision on the Fleeb tonight:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7338744318&indexURL=1#ebayphotohosting
but I’ve got a feeling this won’t get the BIN, maybe not even the starting bid. Of course, basses don’t fetch Strat money so it’s only a guide. Still, may be worth following.BTW, the mention of the Sunn Mustang made me think of a new topic. “Optimistic eBayers”. I have a corker. Must put it up.
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July 23, 2005 at 11:23 pm #68144sparkykinkParticipant
Oh dear, I seem to have struck a nerve with 1bassleft , who I assume must be a 24 hr guardian saddo for his buddy.
Speaking of assumptions or rather mis-assumptions, I merely said that this particular guitar has been unplayed since 1985, unlike my others.Anyhow, back to the real world,
Cheery bye. -
July 20, 2005 at 9:07 am #681661bassleftParticipant
Lee, you refer to that £46 Sunn Mustang? I can’t be bothered with re-posting the phot, but I’ll tell you I’m perfectly happy for its purpose. My 7y.o. strums it and hasn’t yet wrecked it. Took it along to chez guitarist tonight. He’s not very “fender” and his Tokai’s better for sure. Nothing disgraceful about the starter-plank, though.
Got Miss Lee Jr that Stradivarius yet? 😛
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July 20, 2005 at 1:54 am #68168pedalboardguyParticipant
i play better on a black strat…don’t ask.
stevie
ok…here’s some spam 4 ya http://www.epedalboards.com
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July 19, 2005 at 4:47 pm #68137glwParticipant
I LOVE the Antigua finish. I have one of last year’s re-issue Antigua Strats, although the finish this time is much more greeny than the original Antigua.
I don’t know why some people dislike it so. Personally I can’t stand Sunburst finishes (boring) or black Strats with white scratchplates (yawn) so it’s all down to personal taste!
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July 19, 2005 at 2:20 pm #68148lee_UKParticipant
Sorry if i caused offence, but we all take a bit of stick on here for our rogue buys….. dont we Bass? cough cough.. 😆 go on, please post up a picture of it again… pleeeeeeeze??
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July 19, 2005 at 6:33 am #681381bassleftParticipant
Hello Sparky, nice of you to pop back in. Sorry if some people don’t like the finish but, hey, you’ve just had a free valuation done for you before you stick it on Fleeb. Lee is a little busy buying and trying some new instruments he’s bought (string-covered things, like you used to play until 1985) to “get a life”.
Do check in for a survey when you’re house-selling. Apols in advance if noticing the loose roof causes offence 🙄
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July 19, 2005 at 1:36 am #68158sparkykinkParticipant
Thanks for the help fellas, although I really do think you should get out a little more often!
To get a life, simply switch off the computer, take a deep breath and go out into the big wide world.
Who knows, you may even like it?
Perhaps not. -
June 7, 2005 at 10:37 am #68156SBParticipant
Yeah, I know what you mean Lee. The wood lover in me thinks there is some pretty awful lumber under that creamy burst finish. Reminds me of the “antique” furniture finish I saw as a youth. The notion of reissueing this finish strikes me as demented; let’s let the charm of the past stay in the past. SB
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June 7, 2005 at 6:11 am #68008lee_UKParticipant
It’s just personal taste SB, just to give everyone a reminder of what we are talking about:
http://www.pittsburghguitars.com/collantigua.htmlthey just look like those toy guitars i used to see as a kid, maybe we should start a thread for the worst colours/finishes on a guitar?
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June 6, 2005 at 12:28 pm #67982SBParticipant
“Take out the belt sander”! Lee please. Let me guess, you’ve probably also ripped up your olive green shag carpet, thrown out your orange velour chairs and replaced your harvest gold appliances. Surely you know a time capsule when you see one. BTW, I’ll take a burst over an antigua any day, but they do represent an era don’t they? SB
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June 4, 2005 at 7:05 am #67955lee_UKParticipant
US is cheaper when buying guitars, thats a fact, if it wasnt for the import duty and vat and shipping and handling charges then all the guitar shops would go out of buisness overnight, you can generaly (very broadly) convert $$’s to ££’s 1 for 1.
So if SB sticks a $1,500 price tag on that instrument then over here it would be £1,500. of course there are lots of variations, but from my browsing over the years for used instruments thats the general comparison ive come up with, i think with the antigua finish you are looking at a small market, im not putting your instrument down but i personaly think its the worst finish of the lot, but there must be a demand otherwise there would’nt be a reissue, and i think the reissue is Japanese too, so it would be a great player, but the first thing i would do is get the old electric belt sander out. -
June 4, 2005 at 4:45 am #67980SBParticipant
Hi sparkykink,
I can tell you what the 2005 VG Price Guide says your guitar is worth. They say $1,300-$1,500 US. Of course, this price is based on retail sales in the US so I don’t know how well this price generalizes to the UK market but it should give you some idea as to value. SB
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