Squier E-Series value

Seziertisch · October 2023

So a friend of mine has a Squier by Fender Strat (minus pickguard, electronics and pickups) from the 80s with a serial number starting with E6 that he is looking to move on.

The body has been professionally routed a bit (it previously had a Sustainer installed) but otherwise it is in decent, player-grade nick.

What would you say ballpark it is worth? Looking on Reverb there are people looking upwards to a grand for these in a more complete, unmodified state, though they don’t seem to be selling for that.

steer · October 2023

I might not be looking at the right thing, but there is an E6 Squier from 1987 on Reverb for £450. And there is an E6 in the USA for less than £400.

Maybe I am looking at the wrong thing?

If your friends one is missing all sort of parts and has been modded, it will be worth a lot less I guess.

Some people think anything MIJ is worth a fortune - but as you say, are they actually selling?

Funkfingers · October 2023

Pics of your friend's guitar would help.

The exact model of Sustainer will determine how much additional wood has been removed and where.

Typically, the PCB is rear mounted in an area between the upper tone pot and the jack socket plate. Two or three mode switches poke through the top of the body.

The Fernandes Sustainer Kit comes in two versions - FSK-101 with a humbucker-sized neck position unit and -401 with a Stratocaster-sized unit. On most Stratocaster bodies, the -101 would require pickup cavity enlargement and a replacement pickguard.

A modified body would also require a cover plate for the PCB and a PP3 box to power it.

Seziertisch said:

The body has been professionally routed a bit … otherwise, it is in decent, player-grade nick.

steer said:
If your friend's one is missing all sort of parts and has been modded, it will be worth a lot less I guess.

IMHO, a modified and incomplete E6 Squier is a kit form project. The demographic for a Sustainer guitar will be pretty small. The more work that there remains to be done, the lower the monetary worth of the guitar. Nobody else would pay good money for a guitar full of holes.

The sort of Fretboarders who might take a punt on buying your friend's guitar are experimenters and cheapskates such as myself and HarrySeven.

gusman2x · October 2023

I’d say the body’s not worth anything really. The necks are really nice, so prob worth about £250 to the right person on the right day. Is it a maple or rosewood?

Funkfingers · October 2023

gusman2x said:
The necks are really nice

This is true.

I have an E7 neck from a System 1 Stratocaster. Its heel is rubber-stamped ST62, indicating an early Sixties style rear profile but with a flatter 'board radius to suit the double locking vibrato.

The System series guitars transitioned from a Fender decal to Squier but the necks were identical.

FWIIW, the System 1 Stratocaster body was a lump of poplar. My entire loaded Squier body and string clamp sold cheaply on eBay. Good riddance.

Seziertisch · October 2023

Funkfingers said:

Pics of your friend's guitar would help.

The exact model of Sustainer will determine how much additional wood has been removed and where.

Typically, the PCB is rear mounted in an area between the upper tone pot and the jack socket plate. Two or three mode switches poke through the top of the body.

The Fernandes Sustainer Kit comes in two versions - FSK-101 with a humbucker-sized neck position unit and -401 with a Stratocaster-sized unit. On most Stratocaster bodies, the -101 would require pickup cavity enlargement and a replacement pickguard.

A modified body would also require a cover plate for the PCB and a PP3 box to power it.

Seziertisch said:

The body has been professionally routed a bit … otherwise, it is in decent, player-grade nick.

steer said:
If your friend's one is missing all sort of parts and has been modded, it will be worth a lot less I guess.

IMHO, a modified and incomplete E6 Squier is a kit form project. The demographic for a Sustainer guitar will be pretty small. The more work that there remains to be done, the lower the monetary worth of the guitar. Nobody else would pay good money for a guitar full of holes.

The sort of Fretboarders who might take a punt on buying your friend's guitar are experimenters and cheapskates such as myself and HarrySeven.

The routing is neat, but fairly extensive (space routed for Sustainer unit under the pickguard on the lower bout, bridge humbucker and it has a battery box on the back). Cavities are shielded.

The neck is really nice, as good a Strat neck as I have come across, nice dark rosewood and worn in feel.

The project is incomplete insofar as it needs pickups and a wiring harness.

Funkfingers · October 2023

… and a Fernandes Sustainer Kit.

ICBM · October 2023

Basically, it’s a neck.

If it’s in good condition with no serious fret wear, it should be worth about a third of the value of the complete guitar, possibly slightly more.

Funkfingers · October 2023

At this point, pics would REALLY help.

Seziertisch · October 2023

Funkfingers said:

At this point, pics would REALLY help.

I don’t have pics to hand, sorry.

Seziertisch · October 2023

ICBM said:

Basically, it’s a neck.

If it’s in good condition with no serious fret wear, it should be worth about a third of the value of the complete guitar, possibly slightly more.

Frets are in reasonable condition. Not super worn but not without wear either.

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Squier E-Series value

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