Fender Stratocaster Price Guide (updated June, 2023)

There are a lot of different versions of the Fender Stratocaster, particularly signature and Custom Shop versions that vary widely in price. However, we're looking for a Fender Stratocaster price for the following two series:

• Player Series Strats
• American Series Strats

These are the two most common series in the Fender Stratocaster lineup. Focusing on them helps simplify our price guide and avoid skewing the numbers with high-priced custom models. Yet there are also a lot of variations within these two series, particularly the American models.

You have:

• American Ultra
• American Ultra Lux
• American Performer

You also have different pickup versions, some with a humbucker and some without, which impacts cost as well. But just note that we're sticking with the two most basic Stratocasters: The Fender Player Strat and the Fender American Professional II Strat.

Fender Stratocaster Current Sweetwater Price (multiple series)

We did not include the American Performer or American Ultra (or the Ultra Luxe) in this table in favor of sticking with the Player and American Pro II, which are two of the more popular models. 

Sweetwater tends to be one of the best measuring sticks when trying to determine market value for an instrument. They almost always deal in new gear, so if you're not looking to buy used, this is a good place to start:

Unfortunately, Fender brand products in general have tended to go up in price in recent years. To me, they always seem quicker to pull that trigger than other brands.

Additional Vendors

Most major vendors carry Fender Stratocasters. This includes eBay, Amazon, and even Walmart if you look in their online store. Though note that price may change for things like finish (color), handedness, and other feature variations. As we mentioned earlier, you can also have different pickup configurations and even Floyd Rose bridges in certain models.

We only have a few variations of the Player and American Strats represented in these tables, but it's plenty to give you an idea of the typical Fender Stratocaster price.

Player Series

American Professional Series

Price Alert Sign Up (based on Sweetwater retail)

This tool lets you set up price alerts for the lowest priced Stratocaster in the table, which is always going to be be from the Player Series. If your goal is to snag a deal, this is the simplest way to let that deal come to you. A reasonable expectation is a 15 to 20 percent discount, though you can set the alert as low (or high) as you want.

Note that this alert tool tracks specifically with the guitars listed in the Sweetwater price table.

Fender Stratocaster Price History (based on Sweetwater retail)

Like the alert signup, this graph follows the Sweetwater price, and again it's among all the guitars we have listed in the Sweetwater price table on this page. If you only see one bullet point it's because there haven't been any price changes recorded yet. This graph stores its own data, so sometimes we have to wait awhile to get a few price changes recorded.

But be warned - Fender Stratocasters going down in price isn't exactly a common occurrence. 

Omitted Signature and Custom Shop Models

As I alluded to earlier, the Signature and Custom Shop Stratocasters have pricing structures that are usually much higher, especially the Custom Shop models. Since people buying those guitars are usually not looking to compare pricing, we've left them off this page. They would greatly skew the average anyways.

Vendors We Didn't Include

In order to pull live pricing we need to have agreements with the companies we display. Currently we do not have agreements with the following vendors:

• Guitar Center
• Musician's Friend
• American Musical Supply
• Reverb (sort of)

We can display Reverb pricing, but not in the same tables as with the other vendors.

Since they're a used market, I usually don't include them on pricing pages like this one because it's more of a case-by-case basis when you're buying used. There's not really a conventional used price with something like a Stratocaster, especially since they are so popular and there are so many of them.

But we'd recommend checking out all four of these places if you want some additional Fender Stratocaster price comparisons.

Cheaper Alternatives

Squier is a well-known economy brand and the most obvious alternative to a Fender Player or American Strat. There are also a lot of other Fender-style imitations from different brands. But if you just want what amounts to a cheaper Strat, there's no place better to go than Squier.

Conclusion

The Fender Stratocaster price is hard to pin down just because there are so many different versions of the Stratocaster. Make sure you take the time to compare multiple prices and used options, so you can be sure you're getting the best deal. Even though pricing has gone up over the years, it's still a great deal on the most popular guitar to ever exist. 

If you have questions about our price guide or history tools, just let me know in the comments section below.

I'll do my best to help out.

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