Custom Shop Fenders

ICBM

Strangefan said:

Hmmm literally none of this has proved to me a custom shop is any better, then again I dont think ANY solid body made in a factory hand made or not is worth more than 1.5k

Then you want a Fender Mexican Classic Series. Almost all the quality of a US Custom Shop for a quarter of the price.

richardhomer

Strangefan said:

Hmmm literally none of this has proved to me a custom shop is any better, then again I dont think ANY solid body made in a factory hand made or not is worth more than 1.5k

The best advice I can offer you is - don't worry about it. It's not mandatory to own one, nor to fall in line with prevailing opinion.

Just allow those of us deluded souls to waste our money on buying one - you're free to continue to be the Martin Lewis of guitarists. Last time I checked, it was still - just about - a free country.

Strangefan

richardhomer said:

Strangefan said:

Hmmm literally none of this has proved to me a custom shop is any better, then again I dont think ANY solid body made in a factory hand made or not is worth more than 1.5k

The best advice I can offer you is - don't worry about it. It's not mandatory to own one, nor to fall in line with prevailing opinion.

Just allow those of us deluded souls to waste our money on buying one - you're free to continue to be the Martin Lewis of guitarists. Last time I checked, it was still - just about - a free country.  





No advice was ever requested, it was  my opinion I'm not expecting anyone else to follow it, hence the disclaimer at the VERY start. 

And to think I unignored you to read that,  

Passive aggression at its finest, 

Blacksheep

Strangefan said:

Hmmm literally none of this has proved to me a custom shop is any better, then again I dont think ANY solid body made in a factory hand made or not is worth more than 1.5k

Well I don't think any Ferrari is worth more than £10k. But sadly economics doesn't really work like that. 

Evilmags

Bridgehouse said:

Evilmags said:

CAn only get that spec on a custom shop one (10,5 inch radius neck, Nocaster pickups, pink)- No tele is cooler. 

Is that a TU-15?

Had it for years. Still works. 

Bridgehouse

Evilmags said:

Bridgehouse said:

Is that a TU-15?

Had it for years. Still works. 

Bloody love those tuners...!

Teetonetal

Load of marketing hype and nonsense.
Yes they are generally good guitars but not in any way worth the extra £

Nick

I've not been subject to much Fender marketing, and I enjoy the quality of a good CS guitar all the same.

Value is subjective and cannot be measured by the cost of parts when you are looking at luxury goods.

blueskunk

Never had a custom shop fender but I would love one at some point.

I have had a fair few good fender guitars and can only imagine how nice a good custom shop model would be. 

ICBM

Teetonetal said:

Load of marketing hype and nonsense.
Yes they are generally good guitars but not in any way worth the extra £

I don't agree. It's simply a question of diminishing returns. Are they four times better than a Mexican Classic or twice as good as a standard US Vintage Reissue? No. But they're still better - usually.

It's also about consistency. It doesn't mean you can't be lucky and get a great one of the 'lesser' series, but it's hard to go looking for one with the expectation that you'll find one easily - it's hard to find one that's better than very good. Whereas with a CS, you'd be unlucky to find one that was less than very good, in my experience. Whether you want to pay that much extra for a small amount of likely improvement is one of those judgement calls that depends a lot on how much you have to spend…

I have also played one shockingly bad CS, to be fair. No idea how that one got out, but it had all the resonance of a piece of wet cardboard. An almost identical-looking Mexican one was far better, irrespective of the price difference.

GoldenEraGuitars

I have to say, I agree with @Strangefan to an extent. One of the best fender strats I've ever played uses a Jap neck and a 90s US body. The rest is made up of fender and non fender parts. Plays like silk and I've just finished it in an closet find style with nitro. 

When I was in Matchetts Music in Belfast last year I was genuinely considering dropping £3K on a CS Strat. I had always wanted one special guitar, I chose fender because I love their whole vibe. But upon picking up this £3k dream machine I thought "I could make that for under £800". And that's what I've been aiming to do. It was the drive I needed to setup my business tbh. While I love fender I just can't justify the cost. I also played a new Jap strat the other day and it's outstanding. £600 new I think? Unreal quality. 

Soooo... where's the other £2500 +??

guitars4you

ICBM said:

Teetonetal said:

Load of marketing hype and nonsense.
Yes they are generally good guitars but not in any way worth the extra £

I don't agree. It's simply a question of diminishing returns. Are they four times better than a Mexican Classic or twice as good as a standard US Vintage Reissue? No. But they're still better - usually.

It's also about consistency. It doesn't mean you can't be lucky and get a great one of the 'lesser' series, but it's hard to go looking for one with the expectation that you'll find one easily - it's hard to find one that's better than very good. Whereas with a CS, you'd be unlucky to find one that was less than very good, in my experience. Whether you want to pay that much extra for a small amount of likely improvement is one of those judgement calls that depends a lot on how much you have to spend…

I have also played one shockingly bad CS, to be fair. No idea how that one got out, but it had all the resonance of a piece of wet cardboard. An almost identical-looking Mexican one was far better, irrespective of the price difference.

I agree about that unplugged vibrant acoustic tone and a wet cardboard box - that is why an unplugged acoustic test is the best initial road test - it tells you so much - I maybe send back to Fender 1 or 2 new ones each year as they lack something - other dealers maybe less fussy, but as an overview it is rare - granted 2 good ones will have a different natural pitch and ring, but that is just a case of which you prefer and not better/worse

Strangefan

I think that's more to do with the woods used than anything else, another consideration is the other thread about fake custom shop necks, they are pretty much bang on, to the point people are buying them, so if custom shop ones are so much better, why isn't the difference more glaringly obvious? 

Again just my opinion,... Before the patronising simpletons start

richardhomer

Strangefan said:

I think that's more to do with the woods used than anything else, another consideration is the other thread about fake custom shop necks, they are pretty much bang on, to the point people are buying them, so if custom shop ones are so much better, why isn't the difference more glaringly obvious? 

Again just my opinion,... Before the patronising simpletons start

So someone who disagrees with you is both patronising AND a simpleton? 

I suggest you familiarise yourself with Rule 1...

Limehouse_Blues

CS Fenders are great and among reissues of golden era guitars generally get much closer in look, feel and sound to the real deal than Gibson manage with their historics.

guitars4you

Limehouse_Blues said:

CS Fenders are great and among reissues of golden era guitars generally get much closer in look, feel and sound to the real deal than Gibson manage with their historics.

they do to a large degree, yet they have acquired a 'poetic licence' of performance enhancing features, such as a 9.5" radius, chunkier frets, a various mix of pick-ups including Ancho Poblano's, and the Greg Fessler mix of 69/Fat 50's/Texas Special - then a hot of wiring mods, like the tone on bridge, no tone on middle (Eric Johnson style) or the blend pot (so now master vol + tone + blend) - In part, the 'meccano' nature of a Fender allows such mods as against a more rigid nature of a Gibson

Bridgehouse

Strangefan said:

I think that's more to do with the woods used than anything else, another consideration is the other thread about fake custom shop necks, they are pretty much bang on, to the point people are buying them, so if custom shop ones are so much better, why isn't the difference more glaringly obvious? 

Again just my opinion,... Before the patronising simpletons start

In the CS, they hand select the best wood that Fender gets in. There are some talented guys in there, and they know the right woods to chose.

So by saying that, you are kinda disagreeing with yourself. You're paying more for a CS with hand picked wood which is more than likely more resonant and lively. 

Plus the fact, the builders know what to do with it in the workshop to get the most out of it..

And your point with fake necks, well, go to an authorised dealer and you will be safe from this. Us patronising simpletons will probably be able to spot a fake - dubious history is normally a give away, as is the fact a CS neck is separate from it's body - why part out a good CS guitar?

Whitecat

Bridgehouse said:

why part out a good CS guitar?

Because the value as separates is often worth more than the value as a whole, for some dealers anyway - 

https://stratosphereparts.com

No doubt they're buying dusty unsold inventory at knock-down prices, mind you, and they could be getting the "dogs" ...

Bridgehouse

Whitecat said:

Bridgehouse said:

why part out a good CS guitar?

Because the value as separates is often worth more than the value as a whole, for some dealers anyway - 

https://stratosphereparts.com

No doubt they're buying dusty unsold inventory at knock-down prices, mind you, and they could be getting the "dogs" ...

Yeah - I did say a 'good' CS.

And I still say the way to buy a good CS is at a good dealer where you can try lots and pick 'the one'

riscado

Bridgehouse said:

One of these days I would love to try a Custom Shop 1964 Anniversary Precision Heavy Relic.

All the pictures I've seen of them look so very similar to mine that I would just love to do a side by side comparison and see how it stacks up against the original. It's the same colour, same tort on the guard, same fingerboard nut width, the lot.. 

Most of all, I would love to know if you can tell by feel and tone alone which one is which...

Feel free to head over to London and try mine.