Al Jardine's Guitar For Sale?

[acedecade75]

 I just got the new issue of Endless Summer Quarterly, and there's a private add in there offering Al Jardine's red strat for sale at $1250.  This seems a little cheap to me for one of Al's personal guitars.  Any thoughts?

[guitarfool2002]

Is that seriously all that the ad lists? What year Strat is it? Is it Al's personal guitar or a clone?

In the vintage guitar market, an early to mid 60's Strat like Al was seen playing throughout the 60's would be easily worth 10 times the asking price, and depending on the details even that would be a low appraisal. Add on the direct connection to Jardine, with documentation and photos/videos showing him performing with it, and the price skyrockets depending on who is bidding, if it were up for auction.

That asking price is somewhere in the median price range around where a factory-fresh, American made Strat would retail for in 2011, and depending on the model and features add a few hundred either way.

The ad needs more clarification and details, because with that little information nothing else can be added. Just this: If that were Al's personal Strat, and all the details were listed, the price would be ridiculously low and unrealistic.

Post more info if you can in fairness to the seller...my guess is it is a Strat *like* Al's, but who knows. I have a red Strat *like* Al's but it's also like Mark Knopfler's, with no connection at all to either man.

[Mikie]

Whatever happened to the limited edition Al Jardine Signature Strat that Fender was going to make a few years ago? Remember that?

I didn't think to ask him about it on Record Store Day when I saw him.

[guitarfool2002]

Good question! That was Al's '62 Olympic White Strat which he gave to Fender who was going to clone it...honestly I never heard a follow-up or anything about the guitar actually being offered for sale. I'm guessing it was a custom-shop build anyway, I'll have to see if Fender has any more info on it.

He also had the red Strat which was in the Smile booklet, I think that was a '64 though. Both guitars by nature of who played them and the videos and photos available, are icons of rock memorabilia, more valuable to Beach Boys fans but still important guitars for history. Another rarity is Carl's Rickenbacker tribute/signature model. You don't see many of those around!

Fender could do a Brian Wilson P-bass, but he's not as directly associated with that as Carl or Al as guitarists. It would still be cool, though, have Fender remake the entire Beach Boys 1963-64 stage setup.

[Joshilyn Hoisington]

Good question! That was Al's '62 Olympic White Strat which he gave to Fender who was going to clone it...honestly I never heard a follow-up or anything about the guitar actually being offered for sale. I'm guessing it was a custom-shop build anyway, I'll have to see if Fender has any more info on it.

He also had the red Strat which was in the Smile booklet, I think that was a '64 though. Both guitars by nature of who played them and the videos and photos available, are icons of rock memorabilia, more valuable to Beach Boys fans but still important guitars for history. Another rarity is Carl's Rickenbacker tribute/signature model. You don't see many of those around!

Fender could do a Brian Wilson P-bass, but he's not as directly associated with that as Carl or Al as guitarists. It would still be cool, though, have Fender remake the entire Beach Boys 1963-64 stage setup.

I've always wanted a Ray Pohlman signature P-Bass.  Or a Chuck Britz signature RCA 77...

[Mikie]

Well..........I've always wanted a Larry Knechtel signature Hammond B3 organ complete with the Leslie tone cabinet and rotating speakers.

Actually, Guitarfool, it was March, 2006. Al loaned Fender his '62 Strat for their custom shop to reproduce. I think it was the one with the light green pick guard. Al then received a '71 Hemi Cuda named "Rhonda" in return. And didn't he have one stolen? Can't remember when. Maybe the red one replaced it. I'm too lazy to research now.

[acedecade75]

Is that seriously all that the ad lists? What year Strat is it? Is it Al's personal guitar or a clone?

In the vintage guitar market, an early to mid 60's Strat like Al was seen playing throughout the 60's would be easily worth 10 times the asking price, and depending on the details even that would be a low appraisal. Add on the direct connection to Jardine, with documentation and photos/videos showing him performing with it, and the price skyrockets depending on who is bidding, if it were up for auction.

That asking price is somewhere in the median price range around where a factory-fresh, American made Strat would retail for in 2011, and depending on the model and features add a few hundred either way.

The ad needs more clarification and details, because with that little information nothing else can be added. Just this: If that were Al's personal Strat, and all the details were listed, the price would be ridiculously low and unrealistic.

Post more info if you can in fairness to the seller...my guess is it is a Strat *like* Al's, but who knows. I have a red Strat *like* Al's but it's also like Mark Knopfler's, with no connection at all to either man.

That is all the add has for info on the guitar.  The guy also has some other items for sale such a pair of Dennis Wilson drum sticks ($1900).   The guy's name is Doug and he lists his phone nuber in the add.  I just can't believe that anyone would be selling one of Al's guitars for that low.

[guitarfool2002]

Well..........I've always wanted a Larry Knechtel signature Hammond B3 organ complete with the Leslie tone cabinet and rotating speakers.

Actually, Guitarfool, it was March, 2006. Al loaned Fender his '62 Strat for their custom shop to reproduce. I think it was the one with the light green pick guard. Al then received a '71 Hemi Cuda named "Rhonda" in return. And didn't he have one stolen? Can't remember when. Maybe the red one replaced it. I'm too lazy to research now.

I was at an estate auction last month where 2 Hammond/Leslie setups were sold off...one a C3 and the other a B3, the Leslies were a 147 and a 122RV...I played the B3, and *nothing* compares to playing one of those in person, no one IMO has ever matched nor sampled that 100%. I don't think it was a Knechtel signature model for sale, though...

Did Al have one stolen in the 60's? Or is this a modern thing? I never heard about that. I'd say as far as the visual icons of the band, Al's white Strat would be #1 and the red one from the mid 60's #2.

Any word on whether the custom shop guitar was ever offered for sale?

[guitarfool2002]

Is that seriously all that the ad lists? What year Strat is it? Is it Al's personal guitar or a clone?

In the vintage guitar market, an early to mid 60's Strat like Al was seen playing throughout the 60's would be easily worth 10 times the asking price, and depending on the details even that would be a low appraisal. Add on the direct connection to Jardine, with documentation and photos/videos showing him performing with it, and the price skyrockets depending on who is bidding, if it were up for auction.

That asking price is somewhere in the median price range around where a factory-fresh, American made Strat would retail for in 2011, and depending on the model and features add a few hundred either way.

The ad needs more clarification and details, because with that little information nothing else can be added. Just this: If that were Al's personal Strat, and all the details were listed, the price would be ridiculously low and unrealistic.

Post more info if you can in fairness to the seller...my guess is it is a Strat *like* Al's, but who knows. I have a red Strat *like* Al's but it's also like Mark Knopfler's, with no connection at all to either man.

That is all the add has for info on the guitar.  The guy also has some other items for sale such a pair of Dennis Wilson drum sticks ($1900).   The guy's name is Doug and he lists his phone nuber in the add.  I just can't believe that anyone would be selling one of Al's guitars for that low.

The only way the numbers would make sense would be if it were one of Al's modern guitars. The amount lines up for the street value of a Strat made in the past 20 years, adding on the Jardine name to it for a higher value. If it's a modern Strat, used, the price is just a bit too high. If there are photos or videos of Al playing it, or an autograph and/or letter from Al, it's a good deal for a fan of Al's music.

I'm just guessing based on market value, and the only way to really clear this up would be for the seller to provide more detailed information on the instrument.

[Mikie]

Per Stebbins - he might have revised info now - this was '06. Al's first white strat was stolen, the one we see in those early Beach Boys photos. He later bought a red '62 strat to replace it, sometime around 1970...he had that one painted white, or it had already been painted white. It's the replacement guitar that Al still owns and that Fender was/is suppose to be for the Jardine signature model...that's why its a '62. Al didn't play a Fender strat in '62...Dave did. Al got his first one in early '64 after he'd replaced Dave on guitar.

Here's a new Al interview where he suspects that Manson or a Family member ripped off his original guitar around 1968. More good stuff here too!

http://werwradio.wordpress.com/2011/11/14/interview-with-al-jardine-of-the-beach-boys/

[Mikie]

Any word on whether the custom shop guitar was ever offered for sale?

Not a word since 2006. Some guy on a message board answered the question back then and said it was to be ready in '07. It was probably cancelled, or we would have heard by now.

[Mark H.]

I'm holding out for a Keith Partridge signature strat or better yet - a Danny Partridge signature P-bass.

[guitarfool2002]

I'm holding out for a Keith Partridge signature strat or better yet - a Danny Partridge signature P-bass.

If you're really going for authenticity, a Keith Partridge Ovation Breadwinner or roundback acoustic model would be worth holding out for. They only played Fenders for the first season if I remember, then Ovation got the sponsorship/endorsement deal.

I've always wondered just how many of those "Breadwinner" or other Ovation models they sold as a direct result of people seeing Cassidy playing one. I think Glen Campbell helped sell a boatload of regular Ovation acoustics after he played them on his TV show.