Fender Custom Shop ‘floor traveller’ and how to get one.

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fretfinderfretfinder Frets: 4978
edited April 2019 in Guitar

Forgive me if I’m teaching my grandmothers to suck eggs, but it seems not everyone on here knows what a CS ‘floor traveller’ is or how to get one. I’m no expert but thought I’d share some thoughts as I’ve found it very helpful to have the floor traveller to hand when selling or buying a Custom Shop Fender. 

As many of you know, it’s basically just a detailed spec sheet for a Custom Shop guitar’s build, containing all sorts of useful details on a specific guitar, identified by its serial number. The traveller will tell you whether the body was sorted for light weight, what the fingerboard radius is, the fret size, what pickups are fitted, the neck shape and thickness at the first and twelfth frets, whether the ‘board is AAA dark rosewood, any options like finish removed from back of neck, and much, much more. 

As far as I’m aware (Mark at @guitars4you or Doug @DougCoda or any other experts please feel free to chip in) almost every Custom Shop guitar has its own traveller, including Masterbuilts. An exception is certain runs of CS guitars that share exactly the same spec, when there may just be a general spec sheet covering all of the guitars in that run.

There can be anomalies, like when a certain feature on the actual guitar is not what the traveller says it should be, but I think that’s rare. I also came across a very odd one once when I emailed Fender a serial number and pics of a Relic Strat and while they said they believed it was a genuine CS guitar (and so did I) the serial number on their system actually brought up the traveller for a CS Tele not a Strat at all! So maybe there’s the very occasional repeated s/n, not sure.

There’s a pic below of the floor traveller for a CS guitar that’s for sale on the forum right now. I got this by emailing consumerrelations@fender.com and giving them the serial number and asking politely if they’d send me the floor traveller. I’ve done this several times and in my experience they usually send you the traveller within a couple of days. 

I hope that helps but if I’ve got anything wrong in the above ramblings please correct me! 

https://i.imgur.com/pEzSHLd.png

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Comments

  • RandallFlaggRandallFlagg Frets: 13929
    The latest CS guitars now come with the floor traveller in a black wallet


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  • sawyersawyer Frets: 732
    I remember my Dad saying 'don't teach your Grandma how to suck eggs!",and a young me thinking "what the f*ck is he on about? Has he finally lost the plot" Wonder where such an expression comes from? I can't imagine a scenario where ya granny would need training in such a skill. 
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  • WazmeisterWazmeister Frets: 9447
    Good post.

    Email the following and they will pdf a Floor Traveller;

    consumerrelations@fender.com
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  • fretfinderfretfinder Frets: 4978
    edited April 2019
    Wazmeister said: Good post. Email the following and they will pdf a Floor Traveller:
    consumerrelations@fender.com
    Thanks Waz. Yep that’s the same email address for Fender that I put in my original post! 
    250+ positive trading feedbacks: http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/57830/
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  • WazmeisterWazmeister Frets: 9447
    Wazmeister said: Good post. Email the following and they will pdf a Floor Traveller:
    consumerrelations@fender.com
    Thanks Waz. Yep that’s the same email address for Fender that I put in my original post! 
    Ahh, I see now !

    Sorry Nigel, too much sun :)
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  • NeilNeil Frets: 3594
    Excuse my cynicism, but they send out a shop floor traveller  to anybody that requests one?

    Could these, as an extra piece of paperwork  help somebody selling a fake?
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  • MattFGBIMattFGBI Frets: 1602
    Neil said:
    Excuse my cynicism, but they send out a shop floor traveller  to anybody that requests one?

    Could these, as an extra piece of paperwork  help somebody selling a fake?
    You could make something of the same spec but there are many other indicators that would be missing. 

    We generally ask ask for a serial number to obtain the floor traveller too. 
    This is not an official response. 

    contactemea@fender.com 


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  • SassafrasSassafras Frets: 30273
    Wazmeister said: Good post. Email the following and they will pdf a Floor Traveller:
    consumerrelations@fender.com
    Thanks Waz. Yep that’s the same email address for Fender that I put in my original post! 

    Typical Wazmeister behaviour. Always teaching his grandmother to suck eggs.
     :) 
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  • prlgmnrprlgmnr Frets: 3964
    So what's a Blues Traveller?
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  • WazmeisterWazmeister Frets: 9447
    Sassafras said:
    Wazmeister said: Good post. Email the following and they will pdf a Floor Traveller:
    consumerrelations@fender.com
    Thanks Waz. Yep that’s the same email address for Fender that I put in my original post! 

    Typical Wazmeister behaviour. Always teaching his grandmother to suck eggs.
     :) 
    To be fair, he does remind me of my grandmother...
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  • Philly_QPhilly_Q Frets: 22516
    prlgmnr said:
    So what's a Blues Traveller?
    A jam band with some fat blokes.  But they spell Traveler with one L because they're American.
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  • I guess one reason they are now included in the case is to lessen the load on Fenders email reply system... I'm guessing that with so many of their guitars out there they must get 1000s of 'Can you tell me more about this guitar' emails...

    It's great to have the traveller doc, I recently got one from Fender for a CS strat which revealed it has 'HW STRAT JC' pickups in it... I try to make it availble with all the Fender CS guitars I sell... Fender are really helpful in sending it out.

    Julian

    Owner of the New (in 2019) guitar shop in Frome, Somerset. Coffee House Guitars. Selling a range of high end used guitars.


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  • fretfinderfretfinder Frets: 4978
    edited April 2022
    I guess one reason they are now included in the case is to lessen the load on Fenders email reply system... I'm guessing that with so many of their guitars out there they must get 1000s of 'Can you tell me more about this guitar' emails... 
    I suspect that’s right, although there’s still thousands of CS guitars out there that predated the inclusion of the traveller, so Fender will still get plenty of enquiries about these guitars from owners and potential buyers.
    250+ positive trading feedbacks: http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/57830/
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  • LewyLewy Frets: 4126
    It seems not all floor travellers are created equal....I requested one for my CS '67 Smugglers Tele and what I got back was a copy paste of the spec section from the website. 
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  • fretfinderfretfinder Frets: 4978
    Lewy said:
    It seems not all floor travellers are created equal....I requested one for my CS '67 Smugglers Tele and what I got back was a copy paste of the spec section from the website. 
    fretfinder said: As far as I’m aware almost every Custom Shop guitar has its own traveller, including Masterbuilts. An exception is certain runs of CS guitars that share exactly the same spec, when there may just be a general spec sheet covering all of the guitars in that run.
    Maybe yours was one of a special run all sharing the same spec, as I mentioned in the original post?
    250+ positive trading feedbacks: http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/57830/
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  • LewyLewy Frets: 4126
    Lewy said:
    It seems not all floor travellers are created equal....I requested one for my CS '67 Smugglers Tele and what I got back was a copy paste of the spec section from the website. 
    fretfinder said: As far as I’m aware almost every Custom Shop guitar has its own traveller, including Masterbuilts. An exception is certain runs of CS guitars that share exactly the same spec, when there may just be a general spec sheet covering all of the guitars in that run.
    Maybe yours was one of a special run all sharing the same spec, as I mentioned in the original post?
    That would make sense, yes.
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  • WhitecatWhitecat Frets: 5378
    I’ve got a limited edition Tele from a “run” in 2017 and it still has a Floor Traveller. Not sure what the criteria would be for not having one... 
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  • guitars4youguitars4you Frets: 14035
    tFB Trader
    Lewy said:
    It seems not all floor travellers are created equal....I requested one for my CS '67 Smugglers Tele and what I got back was a copy paste of the spec section from the website. 
    fretfinder said: As far as I’m aware almost every Custom Shop guitar has its own traveller, including Masterbuilts. An exception is certain runs of CS guitars that share exactly the same spec, when there may just be a general spec sheet covering all of the guitars in that run.
    Maybe yours was one of a special run all sharing the same spec, as I mentioned in the original post?
    Correct in that if it is part of a special run and listed on the Fender CS web site, then sometimes you only get the 'pasted' info from the web site - Sorry but no rule on this
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  • Strat54Strat54 Frets: 2331
    What year did they start?
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  • Strat54 said:
    What year did they start?
    Somewhat belated response... I think around 2005, don’t know for sure though.
    250+ positive trading feedbacks: http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/57830/
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