Value of a used EJ Strat with bad paint?

[JWDubois]

My local GC has a used EJ Strat. I don't know what year. They want $1200 for it, which seems to be the going rate for used EJ's on eBay.

But this one has bad paint. Not bad like relic'ed, which might be ok, but bad like bubbling up and discolored, all over the body. It looks like it has been sprayed with paint remover. It's a candy red, but where your forearm would touch the body it's actually turning green. I don't know anything about lacquer finishes, but I've never seen anything like this.

Other than the body paint, it seems fine. I would get the body refinished for sure if I bought it. I thought I might offer GC $800-$900 for it. What do you think?

 

[Luke]

Subtract double what the refinish will cost you (including freight) from the price. Yours will always be refinished and the others not, and you will less valuable on exit.

This a case of why subject yourself to this?

 

[janosfia]

Here's the picture of it from GC's website. It's funny how much can be hidden in a picture.

 

[Tuberoast]

You can get a used without issues for the same price. I've several on craigslist in this region for 1200 up to 1400 recently.

 

[JWDubois]

Subtract double what the refinish will cost you (including freight) from the price. Yours will always be refinished and the others not, and you will less valuable on exit.

This a case of why subject yourself to this?

It's a nice player, other than the paint. The low E string is clear as a bell, which is always something I look for.

I figured about $300 to get the body refinished, which would make the overall price the same price as a better one off eBay.

I don't really care about the resale. I agree with you all that it's probably not worth the effort.

 

[Steve Gambrell]

Don't be fooled by the name, OR the price. Get 9 Franklins, lay 'em out on the counter, and tell 'em to case it up. We all know who Les Paul was. The father of overdubbing, solid-body guitars, pickups---But who's gonna know Eric Johnson, 20 years from now? "Who?" "The guy who used to put his fuzzbox on a piece of wood." "Oh, that guy?" "yep."