Buying without trying: Fender Custom Shop

vincechu89

Hi all,

On occasion, I have been tempted to go against my mantra of buying without trying on newer (2016-2018) Fender Custom Shop Strats  because the seller or store is too far but the price is great. So far I have held out but I fear I may cave in soon!

Would I be absolutely mad to buy without trying? Bearing in mind I have tried the neck shape and spec etc.

What are peoples thoughts on the consistency and quality of recent Fender CS guitars?

Fifty9

I’ve just done exactly this with a 2011
strat. Guitar feels great and possibly only a minor tweak to the setup and it’ll be perfect for me. I’d always check the neck dimensions to be confident it’ll feel more or less right for your preferences. No regrets from me on this one!

However my tele is a different case as I’ve got an 06 52 that was comfortably nicer than 2 newer ones. I was quite shocked at the difference in weight, resonance & feel to be honest the newer ones felt closer to avri than custom shop.

Pablocrackers

Really should try before you buy. Sometimes the spec can be right but you still dont bond with it or somethings not quite right hard to put a name to it mojo i guess. Ive flipped lots of guitars in the past from buying like that coz it was a good price or something but you can get lucky also and its perfect but best to try first if poss unless they have a good returns policy then its win win

The_Whisper_Thief

Distance selling laws are your friend. Check their returns policy and then go for it! 

chris45

If you have experience of the different neck types then I would have no problem distance buying from the likes of Coda, Guitars4you (I have done both for CS models).  Caveat - as long as you know the neck type you are after.  I now know that I always want miss 60s ovals.  If you haven’t tried a variety already and don’t know what you prefer I think it’s more likely you will be disappointed - the guys will be cool but it’s just the hassle.

JAYJO

Bought 2 from GAK without trying. USA Strat and a 52 Rei tele.   
1. The Strat i ordered was for a Rosewood Neck. (I received Maple) Initially Disappointed but soon got used to it. Decided to Keep.
2 The tele is also a maple neck with a slightly slimmed neck. Initially felt too narrow and too sticky!. Didnt like the sound of the pick up but it did come with a updating kit which i used. Kept that one also.
3 Bought an Ibanez  Sa Series Used off this site £100 no probs what so ever. Very pleased with it.
4 Bought a fender Squire daphne blue £80 off this site no probs at all.
not tried any of my current guitars before buying and had no problems. As long as it can be returned I would just go for it. ps  Buying this way saved me a lot of money. None of my local stores would budge on £1300 for the Tele I got it for £1095(2006).
I got the Strat £900.(2009)

Dan

Ive brought two fairly recently. Strat from guitars4you and tele from codamusic. Both unplayed but I knew what I wanted in terms of spec. Strat was a proper custom shop, in that I fully specced it how I wanted it. The tele was one they specced but it was pretty much the way I wanted it anyway.

Both turned out superbly and Im a picky bugger.

I prefer to try at home anyway as im a shit player and also you get to try with your own setup without someone hovering over you. Ive brought online and returned a CS strat as I didnt quite gel with it. Worst case you return it and lose out on the postage cost.

Also, no two strats are the same.

Strat54

vincechu89 said:

Hi all,

On occasion, I have been tempted to go against my mantra of buying without trying on newer (2016-2018) Fender Custom Shop Strats  because the seller or store is too far but the price is great. So far I have held out but I fear I may cave in soon!

Would I be absolutely mad to buy without trying? Bearing in mind I have tried the neck shape and spec etc.

What are peoples thoughts on the consistency and quality of recent Fender CS guitars?

No not at all, done it loads of times. If you buy from someone like Mark @guitars4you who can give you an honest opinion of the guitar then you shouldn't be disappointed. CS guitars are pretty consistent these days.

vincechu89

Thanks for all of the comments and opinions, it sounds like I might be ok proceeding.

Overall, with playability, I am not too fussy as long as the neck isn’t too chunky so I can pick the right profile and a good setup helps so much, so I would be getting a local tech to set up to my preferences.

Can anyone comment on whether they have been happy with the sound of the guitars they have ordered? I know strats with similiar pickups won’t be too different, but are similiar Fender Custom Shop guitars fairly consistently sounding? I have heard noticeable differences in guitars from the same range e.g. American Elite or American Vintage range

cbakay

I've observed some very good consistency, especially in later models...

I got mine without playing however was very specific with what I wanted, down to neck tint and level of wear on neck, grain/colour of the rosewood. As others have said, once you pick the frets size/neck shape and possibly the pups - you're in very good shape. 

It did take me about 9 months to find the one (a '64 reissue CS used for Fenders road show)

One thing that always helped me is, calling up fender and on the spot asking for the floor traveller sheet to cross reference to the actual guitar....which fender is more than happy to send right away.

worst case: return. 

57Deluxe

don't most online shops allow a no quibble return within a certain amount of time?

This is why so many B Stock deals out there.

Whitecat

57Deluxe said:

don't most online shops allow a no quibble return within a certain amount of time?

This is why so many B Stock deals out there.

They have to by law. 

Strat54

Whitecat said:

57Deluxe said:

don't most online shops allow a no quibble return within a certain amount of time?

This is why so many B Stock deals out there.

They have to by law. 

Oh no....not that can of worms again, please 

Dan_Halen

If you're going to try and 'use' the distance selling laws to let you try out a guitar, don't buy it from a small independent dealer. Otherwise you could well be shafting them when you return it and they have to then try sell it as b-stock. You're asking for them to pay for you to try it. Just because you can doesn't mean you should.

Dan_Halen

...and yes, some places will be happy for you to do so and that is fine. Also, some places might have some products on sale or return so might not lose out. It's not hard and fast but does need a bit of morality to be applied.

mburekenge

Isn't the best bit of getting a fine strat playing loads of awesome cs strats and choosing the one you like?

vincechu89

mburekenge said:

Isn't the best bit of getting a fine strat playing loads of awesome cs strats and choosing the one you like?

I won’t lie, I do love this experience, but some dealers are just too far for me to travel.

We seem to have opened a can of worms regarding returns etc, lets avoid that topic please.

I am well aware of my right to return, but am very aware of the consequences of returning guitars and the inconvenience it can cause a business, so I will be buying with the full intention to keep.

Strat54

vincechu89 said:

mburekenge said:

Isn't the best bit of getting a fine strat playing loads of awesome cs strats and choosing the one you like?

I won’t lie, I do love this experience, but some dealers are just too far for me to travel.

We seem to have opened a can of worms regarding returns etc, lets avoid that topic please.

I am well aware of my right to return, but am very aware of the consequences of returning guitars and the inconvenience it can cause a business, so I will be buying with the full intention to keep.

Your profile says you are in Birmingham.....surely that's not too far from anywhere, especially when you're spending £2k+ ?

vincechu89

Strat54 said:

vincechu89 said:

mburekenge said:

Isn't the best bit of getting a fine strat playing loads of awesome cs strats and choosing the one you like?

I won’t lie, I do love this experience, but some dealers are just too far for me to travel.

We seem to have opened a can of worms regarding returns etc, lets avoid that topic please.

I am well aware of my right to return, but am very aware of the consequences of returning guitars and the inconvenience it can cause a business, so I will be buying with the full intention to keep.

Your profile says you are in Birmingham.....surely that's not too far from anywhere, especially when you're spending £2k+ ?

Usually you’d be right, but work has me up North, when the gear is down South. I was weighing up buying a guitar from Andertons due to the great price - I didnt want to miss out... but i have :’(

this thread will also be useful in future if I want to preorder something

Strat54

Yeah, a serious lack of decent guitars shop up north these days. I spent a lot of time when I was a prolific buyer heading back south to places like Chandlers. Sounds Great were okay when Gary was in charge but that all went pear shaped. Music Ground despite the criminal history were a source of good guitars too from the Custom Shop back in the day. 
Which model are you after btw?

JonHosker

Just bought a CS Strat (swap for another!! Long story...numpty purchase neck shape blunder)
Bought from Peach..highly recommend them. As long as you know neck shape and general spec, you should be fine. Amazing guitar I have ended up with...roasted neck too!