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• Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@Goldeneraguitars
But then I think the idea that someone in the market for an £8.5K Telecaster is paying that for the guitar rather than the whole boutique presentation, red carpet treatment from the vendor, real or imagined closer association with the brand, and associated bragging rights (and that they don’t know that) is naive. See also Rolex watches, Louis Vuitton luggage, and Gucci, well, Gucci anything really…
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You wouldn’t be allowed in with a bridge like that.
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Then a question of cost - Both in terms of buying timber + relevant storage pus the CNC machine - Would be interesting to find out how many small companies who make less than say 100/200/400 guitars a year who use a CNC for wood work - Or indeed any builders making over 400 guitars a year who still don't want a CNC
Also if you buy more wood in order to make 100-200 necks a year, or more, how much wastage of raw wood do you get as not all raw wood will meet your criteria
Ref the comment about For a second, imagine that your builder has the greatest expertise in turning pre-cut bodies and necks into the perfect guitar - I often use the following as a topic of thought/conversation - I can go to Sainsbury's and buy all the relevant ingredients to make a good shepherds pie - Any of our famous TV Chef's can do likewise - So we all utilise identical ingredients - So who will make the best shepherds pie ? - On that basis we can all buy a Warmouth body and neck or indeed a body + neck from @GoldenEraGuitars - But I bet the appropriate skilled luthiers/workshops on here can put it together better than I can - Even though it is just a bolt on neck - I would assume/hope that the final playability, set-up will be better when they've finished with it, then my own DIY job
That'd cost a lot less than £8500, and I'd warrant it'd be better.
Though as others have said, Fender Masterbuilt is not an exercise in value-for-money.
One person screwing on 4 bolts at Fender USA will cost more than either our esteemed UK luthier doing it them self, or indeed a UK luthier employing a 4 bolt neck screwer - Then you have all the 'corporate issues' in that many at Fender USA HQ's don't actually add anything to the whole build process as such - They add to the corporate 'brand' process in a different way - But such corporate overheads have to be paid by employing more 4 bolt neck screwers in order to produce more guitars - Plus of course add such corporate costs in to the final cost of the finished product
As you say 'They will buy wood in bulk and cut out the middle man' - But now add wages to the team that have to handle all the relevant storage/acclimatization - The aircon/heating etc in order to process the above - Then huge floor space to store such wood - This floor space alone will be larger than many other aspects of the whole production process - So hell of an expensive 'store room' space, that is not 'actually part of the production line as such, put all needs to be brought into play when we look at the final costs
I'm not saying 4K plus or 8K is not expensive for a CS or MB - But a big plus for our highly skilled luthiers is that they don't have to worry about such costs and operations - Of course the corporation has to make a profit and they will aim to maximise that
Slightly off topic - I recall a chat with PRS a number of years ago, about guitar building - He said he stopped been a guitar builder many many years ago - He had to become a business man - That doesn't mean he doesn't get involved in many aspects of design, ideas, many new products, etc - But he also has to become a Steve Jobs, front of house presenter/business man/company figure head etc - So what he started off doing and enjoying is no longer possible - There was talk a number of years ago about Tom Anderson going back to a small company that was basically him and 1 or 2 others - He no longer became a guitar builder - But equally they have had to go through many sleepless nights in order to build a company, raise finances, handle recruitment, secure premises and keep it all smooth and plain sailing
In short, if any of our highly regarded luthiers decided to move from a small workshop, making fine guitars, one at a time, and charging £2500 to £4000 - Then now make/sell 500 to 1000 guitars in a year, via a dedicated team, then you won't see price tickets of £2500 to £4000 - That is 100% a fact, as the figures just won't stack up
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For the reasons below I am not interested..
I prefer what I already have because they evolved to fit me and my needs..
Mine don't have boasting rights but I prognosticate via Nostradamus I will prefer my own Teles..
Well it's logical guesswork because of my preferences..
Both my Teles have became my Teles by changing the bits that over time didn't work for me..A Top Hat switch tip is more tactile than a Pill Box..I bought ones with the biggest frets I could get and a neck I liked..I like pickups that can be dialled in to match each other,not mud in the neck and ice pick in the bridge..I like flat poles in the bridge it seems..The set I prefer are Alnico 3 and not wound hot..
I like the strings to be evenly spaced,but a 3 saddle bridge..Any Fender saddles with the threads on I have owned don't have even spacing ability..The saddles I do like are around a tenner,they are not compensated,but seem to intonate better than the compensated saddles I have tried,but still not perfect..I prefer the 3 saddle sound,also these have u shaped string slots and are chunky affairs...The Pickups under £200..Top hat switch..I haven't checked in a while..I like my Teles a touch under 8 Lbs..If I could buy them off the shelf how I liked them for a small upcharge,I probably would.. Most importantly,I am likely to prefer my Tele over most to play and use,no matter what the price..Same with my Strats and Les Pauls as they have evolved to fit my needs and were bought for their feel..Although that isn't set in stone....Although my heaviest LP could be a bit lighter..It is 10 lbs basically..
These £8,500 Teles have the older, for me worse options in the name of tradition and fake wear..
Purism meets fake authenticity,if you feel different about that,it's fine,it's just not for me,,I respect your choice..
I'm sure that sadly they will have collectors value,my guitars are for playing..
Relics are not for me,that seems to happen with time and use..
If they are for others,again their taste and choice,,at an upcharge..
The only thing that bothers me is if this will cause Fender to raise the prices on their Standard product,..
£1500 Epiphones are a thing now..When new prices go up,second hand prices go up etc..
Fender like Gibson partly rely on their History and will use it to justify just about anything..
Like selling sandpaper and a hammer as an Instant Mojo Kit..
I know,the original 50's prices,the present price of originals..I'm sure Fender make plenty of profit on their Professional Series..
No need to defend them,they have a marketing / bullshitting department to do that already..
The other thing that will have an effect is the price of genuine old ones. There will probably be more of them coming onto the market as the baby boomers who bought them 40 or 50 years ago pop their clogs. If they come down in price, people will be more inclined to go for one of those. That might also reduce demand for the modern Custom Shop guitars.
Equally I've had many conversations, both with customers and 'friends' within the trade about the whole 'supply' of used guitars - Expecting a glut of far to many - Yet in reality it hasn't become a genuine problem - Yet
In truth do we need to make any more new guitars - I've been expecting such issues for many many years yet it hasn't happened and that is despite the so called lack of new players and the lack of 'main stream' guitar hero's to influence the next breed of players - A different story I suppose to the OP's original post
Not so sure about the vintage market - One thing for sure is that they can't all stay original for ever and be 'saleable' with worn out components which is effectively like selling a guitar with a known fault - Many old guitars, as they stand in some form of original, aren't actually great players - I've played more 'duff' old pre 65 Fenders than good - To play and as a tool of the trade I'd say most CS/MB models outperform the playability of an original old 'un - Different story if you compare CS/MB to a restored player grade example - As I mentioned earlier, the whole 'all original' vintage market scares me as so many fraudulent examples out there
But you are right in that in most modern 'USA' factories (don't know about the far east) that many of this eon the production line will probably specialist in one or two areas - Watch various video clips of factory tours and it is often discussed - I've been round the PRS USA factory 3 times and have asked such questions - Some do stay on one part of the build - Some will be able to work 2/3 parts of the build - Think it was Tom Anderson who mentioned that they rotate some parts of the 'line' to stop it becoming tedious - Think it was to do with 'scraping' the binding to remove any fleks of paint - But equally I dare say in a smaller company like Tom Anderson, then it is good practice to have a few members of staff capable of doing more than just fitting machine heads