El Degas from Value Village

[Aria]

I was in Value Village today and saw an El Degas guitar. I didn't ask for the price as it's one of the things Value Village puts inside the glass case and are usually ridiculous overpriced for a Value Village item as their guy who sets prices usually has no idea what things are worth.

I found this picture on Harmony Central, it's not mine. The guy changed the neck on this one:

It was this exact strat body with the strange swich. What is that? A coil tap?


The neck on the Value Village El Degas looked more like this:


From reading this forum, I'm guessing it's a late 80s MIK model? What's it worth? Should I even bother going back to check it out again? That switch intrigued me. My first ever guitar was an Aria Matsumoku made guitar so I tend to like Matsumoku guitars but this one looks like a Korean one right? What you would put as a reasonable price for that guitar? I'm curious how out to lunch Value Village is. One time I saw a completely busted and cobweb filled POS Sears guitar amp from the late 80s priced at like $200 at Value Village.

[charles]

You are correct - 80s MIK.
I wouldn't pay more than $50-100 for one of those, personally.

[Aria]

Am I correct in guessing that switch is a coil tap?

[charles]

It's either a coil tap or a phase switch. Not sure which.

[Barry]

Hello Aria and welcome here.
Looks like you have this thing ID'd already. Generally speaking the MIJ ED's are the preferred models to get, but some of the MIK's can be quite nicely made too. You really need to see them up close and personal!

As for the mini toggle switch, pure guesswork, as we have no way of knowing if it was factory installed or owner installed. If it's original I would think it's a phase reversal, primarily because tapping the coils would require more wiring and more labour cost, something you're not likely to find on an inexpensive instrument. A true coil tap is not seen much on single coil pup guitars, that's normally found on humbuckers, and is more correctly called a coil split.
All that said, it is a bonus to find that feature at all!

BTW, I'm a huge Matsumoku fan too, I currently have 13 of them!

[Aria]

Hey Barry, I am certain that switch is a factory option because it's both on that random picture of the guitar I found on the internet (harmony central user from Quebec) and the actual guitar I saw in Value Village. It's the exact same switch in the same location.

It's just my curiousity about that switch is driving me crazy and I wanted to know what it was. I was tempted to buy it just to find out what that switch is. The bridge pickup is a humbucker which is why I thought it could be a coil tap.

How do you tell if it's MIJ? Do the MIJ models typically have the Fender knockoff headstock shape or something?

[charles]

Geez I just remembered....
The 80's MIK Strats tend to have bodies made from MDF or some sort of fibreboard. Caveat emptor. The one I owned was atrociously bad so I butchered it and then sold it as a project guitar.

[Barry]

Sorry Aria, I completely missed the humbucker! (dumb ass)
In my defense I was online for quite some time responding to several guitar forums and I guess I was getting punchy!
So, yes, most likely this is a bridge pup coil split, which would make sense for a 'Strat'-like configuration.

Charles' comment re the MDF body would give me pause for concern however. He's raised this issue before and it's something to beware of. I can't imagine MDF being any good as a "tone wood"! I'd sooner have plywood.

[aallen]

I have a red ED strat MIk see this thread http://www.eldegas.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=217. It is made of the MDF that Barry and Charles have alluded to. It's not the best guitar I own but it plays well. It is still a project which I will get back to soon. I paid $70 and I am not sorry I did.