Can you make a less expensive Strat feel/play/sound as good as a Custom Shop?

Jonathanthomas83 · June 2018

lonestar said:

“Can you make a less expensive Strat feel/play/sound as good as a Custom Shop?”

Yes.

Care to share more?

GoldenEraGuitars · June 2018

Jonathanthomas83 said:

lonestar said:

“Can you make a less expensive Strat feel/play/sound as good as a Custom Shop?”

Yes.

Care to share more?

Sure.

A well setup guitar with a good feeling neck is the starting point. If your fretting hand develops a relationship with the neck your playing experience will increase dramatically. The tonal outcome depends on your pickups and amplifier. But if you’re able to squeeze more out of your playing because of a good neck then everything else will become easier to finalise.

I haven’t bothered to read a single other comment btw so I have no idea what has been said.

stickyfiddle · June 2018

I've considered upgrading my bitsa a bunch of times. I've played numerous CS strats and even vintage ones and I honestly wouldn't trade it for any of them. Obviously much of that is familiarity and sentimentality, but I stand by the end result.

That said, I have a new neck on the way....

Jonathanthomas83 · June 2018

lonestar said:

Jonathanthomas83 said:

lonestar said:

“Can you make a less expensive Strat feel/play/sound as good as a Custom Shop?”

Yes.

Care to share more?

Sure.

A well setup guitar with a good feeling neck is the starting point. If your fretting hand develops a relationship with the neck your playing experience will increase dramatically. The tonal outcome depends on your pickups and amplifier. But if you’re able to squeeze more out of your playing because of a good neck then everything else will become easier to finalise.

I haven’t bothered to read a single other comment btw so I have no idea what has been said.

Anyone in the UK able to work Start necks/frets in a way that'll make them feel as good as what you describe?

GoldenEraGuitars · June 2018

Jonathanthomas83 said:

lonestar said:

Jonathanthomas83 said:

lonestar said:

“Can you make a less expensive Strat feel/play/sound as good as a Custom Shop?”

Yes.

Care to share more?

Sure.

A well setup guitar with a good feeling neck is the starting point. If your fretting hand develops a relationship with the neck your playing experience will increase dramatically. The tonal outcome depends on your pickups and amplifier. But if you’re able to squeeze more out of your playing because of a good neck then everything else will become easier to finalise.

I haven’t bothered to read a single other comment btw so I have no idea what has been said.

Anyone in the UK able to work Start necks/frets in a way that'll make them feel as good as what you describe?

Yip, that’s what I do. Well, part of it. We either Strat with a fresh neck or strip existing necks, fine tune them, nitro them and break them in accordingly.

ICBM · June 2018

Jonathanthomas83 said:

Be keen to hear thoughts from @WezV and @ICBM on this.

My opinion is - yes, up to a point.

There does seem to be something in the idea that the CS guitars are built from better-chosen necks and bodies. That doesn't mean that you can't find a cheaper guitar with an equally good neck or body, although the chances of both together - so the whole thing resonates better - on the same guitar is probably lower. Whether that degree of selection is really carried out for the CS, I don't know.

I honestly believe all the rest is in the care of the finishing and assembly, and perhaps the artificial ageing process (not the faked wear) on the Relics, since they always seem to sound good. This is labour-intensive and does justify to an extent why the CS prices are high.

If true, what it means is that you *can* get a cheaper model to sound as good as a CS if you add the extra work, but you have to be lucky with the combination of neck and body in the first place. If you aren't, the best you will get is close. Maybe very close, but the CS guitars I've played have all been consistently better - interestingly, the 'team built light relics' more so than the 'masterbuilts' and 'heavy relics' which I have always found a bit average.

That said, the absolute best P-Bass I've ever played is my friend's bog standard off-the-shelf Mexican one. But he briefly had another - apparently identical model - one, which was a complete dog. I really don't think the dog could be made anywhere near as good as the one that is just great anyway, no matter how much work you do on it.

Jonathanthomas83 · June 2018

lonestar said:

Jonathanthomas83 said:

lonestar said:

Jonathanthomas83 said:

lonestar said:

“Can you make a less expensive Strat feel/play/sound as good as a Custom Shop?”

Yes.

Care to share more?

Sure.

A well setup guitar with a good feeling neck is the starting point. If your fretting hand develops a relationship with the neck your playing experience will increase dramatically. The tonal outcome depends on your pickups and amplifier. But if you’re able to squeeze more out of your playing because of a good neck then everything else will become easier to finalise.

I haven’t bothered to read a single other comment btw so I have no idea what has been said.

Anyone in the UK able to work Start necks/frets in a way that'll make them feel as good as what you describe?

Yip, that’s what I do. Well, part of it. We either Strat with a fresh neck or strip existing necks, fine tune them, nitro them and break them in accordingly.

Hmmm, this is good to know. I have thought about buying something close to what I want and getting the radius and frets redone with potential for relicing and breaking the neck in.

Majorscale · June 2018

You might be able to get close with enough work and tweaks, but I've always been impressed with Fender's CS guitars, especially the reliced ones which seem a cut above. I've owned a bunch of MIM Baja Teles, which people rave about, but to me they were not even close to the 3 CS Teles that I've owned over the years. In your shoes, I'd save up and get the real deal, and if it turned out not for you then you'd lose proportionally less money and find it easier to move on than a bitsa/ heavily modded guitar.

soma1975 · June 2018

The Classic Player Strat has a 'custom shop designed' compound radius neck that is amazing.

sunshinewelly · June 2018

Best strat I have owned is the strat plus I picked up on these forums . I have bought and sold a few strats including a masterbuilt one and the strat plus is my favourite Hence why I have kept it

Hattigol · June 2018

Is there anyone out there who owns a non CS Strat and doesn't feel it 'blows CS Strats out of the window'?

Boromedic · June 2018

I have a Classic Player 50's Mexi and a CS 1960, obviously the boards and neck are different so it's hard to directly compare (Maple/Rosewood, Poly/Nitro). I also have added a new cold rolled steel block to the Mexi and it's had a full on pro setup from Nige at Leicestershire Guitar Luthier. The CS is as bought so far, and I've spent less time with it too so far.

Obviously the Classic Player was custom shop designed/influenced and its a great guitar, plays lovely, sounds lovely, light-ish nice and resonant. However whilst it's not night and day, the CS is easily a better guitar, as it should be of course, it was 5x the price new. It just resonates like a beast and it's light as a feather, and feels better quality too. Plugged in the pickups are way better than the classic player ones, and they are US pickups too. Money no object a CS is usually a better guitar but it doesn't mean there aren't exceptions, or that its not closer than you think.

I agree with above, if you start off with a good guitar whatever it is, you can improve it. If it's awful to begin with you can't polish a turd.

DrCornelius · June 2018

FS Vintage massively upgraded Tokai Strat, plays and sounds better than any custom shop strat I have ever seen or played. Will listen to sensible offers or swap for a custom shop strat.

etc.... :-)

Dominic · June 2018

I have a Mark Jenny with all the best neck and hardware,Fralins etc
Its not as good as a Custom Shop.................it's miles better !

thermionic · June 2018

ICBM said:

There does seem to be something in the idea that the CS guitars are built from better-chosen necks and bodies. That doesn't mean that you can't find a cheaper guitar with an equally good neck or body, although the chances of both together - so the whole thing resonates better - on the same guitar is probably lower. Whether that degree of selection is really carried out for the CS, I don't know.

There's some good videos on how the Custom Shop choose the wood for the necks and bodies - very interesting. You don't get this at the lower end of the price range, which goes a fair way in explaining why you have to try loads before you find a good one. Parts 2 & 3 also worth a watch.

gibsongretschfan · June 2018

My 90’s American Std Strat has been out of action for about 7 years now and this thread has just given me the kick in the arse I needed to get it back up to scratch. Just ordered a Wudtone Vintage trem conversion and are now looking for some new tuners (non-locking suggestions welcome). It needs a new nut and the fretwork and finish on the fingerboard needs addressed. Very excited to make this guitar all it can be

ICBM · June 2018

gibsongretschfan said:

My 90’s American Std Strat has been out of action for about 7 years now and this thread has just given me the kick in the arse I needed to get it back up to scratch. Just ordered a Wudtone Vintage trem conversion and are now looking for some new tuners (non-locking suggestions welcome).

The stock tuners on these are very good, and difficult to replace cleanly because of the unique fitting to the headstock. I wouldn’t change them.

tone1 · June 2018

I stopped looking (well almost stopped) after I got my Angry Angus Strat a few years ago on here... I do tend to sound like me whatever I play through, which can be quite liberating and frustrating at the same time.

Jonathanthomas83 · June 2018

tone1 said:

I stopped looking (well almost stopped) after I got my Angry Angus Strat a few years ago on here... I do tend to sound like me whatever I play through, which can be quite liberating and frustrating at the same time.

This is true, very true!

I'd like to think I sound like a better version of me when playing a three grand guitar though! ;-)

mburekenge · June 2018

Jonathanthomas83 said:

tone1 said:

I stopped looking (well almost stopped) after I got my Angry Angus Strat a few years ago on here... I do tend to sound like me whatever I play through, which can be quite liberating and frustrating at the same time.

This is true, very true!

I'd like to think I sound like a better version of me when playing a three grand guitar though! ;-)

It's the dream. Unless the better guitar is more articulate and dynamic resulting in it being easier to hear my ham fisted 'technique'.

Maybe I need a worse quality guitar?

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Can you make a less expensive Strat feel/play/sound as good as a Custom Shop?

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“Can you make a less expensive Strat feel/play/sound as good as a Custom Shop?”

“Can you make a less expensive Strat feel/play/sound as good as a Custom Shop?”

“Can you make a less expensive Strat feel/play/sound as good as a Custom Shop?”

“Can you make a less expensive Strat feel/play/sound as good as a Custom Shop?”

“Can you make a less expensive Strat feel/play/sound as good as a Custom Shop?”

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