Bargain Strat?

[Bradley Young]

Eugene and Mark,
 
While I can understand your sentiment, I'm wondering why Eddie and Fender managed to sell so many albums and guitars, respectively.  I'm not saying that commercial success is the final arbiter of talent or skill, but certainly it means something?
 
Vintaged guitars that cost 20K seem somewhat absurd to me, but for the collector that just needs to have a replica of his favorite guitar player's guitar, well, good on you, then.
 
And while you might not appreciate the final output, the guys that do the custom builds are very talented.  I don't appreciate Picasso, but I've been told (by people whose opinions I trust, our very own Valentino* among them) that he was a genius.
 
For those that haven't yet figured out my earlier comment (1030), that was sarcasm in the form of understatement.  Whatever your opinion on him or his music, he's plainly talented.  He certainly inspired a generation of guitar wankers.
 
Bradley
 
* he also said that there were guys better than him, just that he was high-profile, but I can't remember the specifics.

[David Houck]

Well I've never heard anyone say that Picasso was even a decent guitar player, but then I've never heard him play.
 
I think the thing about Eddie Van Halen was that when he arrived on the scene, within his genre, arena rock, his sound and technique were at the time quite unique.  His use of tapping and the way in which he used harmonics, both within the overall context of the genre within which he employed them, was fairly new at the time.  His style was subsequently copied extensively.  And although I was never a fan of Van Halen the band, I knew who Eddie Van Halen was soon after the first record was released, long before he met the actress.

[dannobasso]

Also a whole bunch of young guys bought an album by a certain former Motown child star just because Eddie played a solo on it. Pity was many thought he was all over the album. NOT!
 
Van Halen 1 was an album that completely blew me away sonicly. It had the same effect on me that Romantic Warrior did. He has made a significant mark on the music scene regardless of his personal life and self destructive habits.  
Still miffed about the way Michael Anthony was treated.  
 
Any way....................

[u14steelgtr]

Thanks Bradley; I actually have a lot of respect for the Luthiers that build accurate reproductions of instruments. This is not the niche of Luthierie that I am focused on but I do have tremendous respect for the people that do it well.  Building a reproduction of hacked-together Stratocasteresque guitar with 1 knob and a disconnected pickup selector does not strike me as a great accomplishment.  I grant that accurately reproducing the paint and the pattern on the nail head does take real skill.  
 
As for Eddie; until this thread the only thing I knew about him was what his Ex Wife said on a TV talk show a week or so ago about their drug use, infidelity,  and his hard-partying life style. I also did a web search on him and his Ex wife this week and read a bit more about them than I had heard on the TV talk show.
 
Regarding Eddie Halen's musicianship; all I have seen/heard is the 2 or 3 YouTube videos I watched this week (starting with the one you suggested) in which he basically only did hammer-ons, pull-offs, and an occasional strum. His playing in those videos was not remarkable. While may have sold hundreds of thousands of records and he is clearly a very charismatic entertainer; one can say that about Milli Vanilli and a myriad of other one hit wonders.  
 
But this thread was about the $20K starting bids on a couple of used Strat copies. I am among the many that do not think that a Strat copy  with no provenance at all is going to bring that kind of money.  
 
Time will tell what the market will bear; we are just marveling at the spectacle which lies before us. At the moment I am having fun marveling at what I am watching and reading in this thread. Anything that brings a smile to my face and actually makes me laugh has merit during these trying times
 
Regards
-- Eugene

[grateful]

Sorry, I never meant to cast aspersions on SRV or EVH.  It is the ridiculous price for a brand new battered Strat.  
 
Mark

[danny_bryant]

IMHO a Strat is still just a Strat anyway you decorate the thing. I know these cats are trying to replicate the guitars of the artist but it still in my eyes should be no more expensive than a 1500.00 Strat. Fender endorses a lot of people but the funny thing is most of the guys dont even use the thing in the studio. Look at John Mayer, you would have never thought he uses a certain Model 1 guitar made by a guy who use to work here in the 70's would you...