Custom Shop Fenders - Your Reasons

thegummy

jonnyburgo said:

Am I the only person in the world that cant tell the difference between jumbo or vintage frets or am not affected by neck carve? I just play em (And sound equally as shoddy whatever it is)

I'm sure you'd be able to tell the difference if the two were side by side but the importance of specs in general is really exaggerated on internet forums.

25 years ago I'd bet most people didn't even know most of the specs of their guitar. I think that's the best way, I feel that my focus on them (or occasional bouts of obsession) have just been a distraction.

p90fool

All I would say is be totally honest with yourself while playing and while away from the guitars in question, and ask yourself what the more expensive one offers you that the cheaper one doesn't. 

You don't have to be totally pragmatic, it is an emotional as well as a logical decision, but either way you still have to ask yourself whether the upcharge is worth it to you.  

My own Strat is a heavy, clunky '77 so there are obviously "better" ones out there, but it suits me to a T and I like having a proper Fullerton Fender which I aspired to as a teenager. 

So although it brings me pleasure in ways other than simply as a tool (as can CS Fenders) I'm still capable of balancing what that costs against whether I'm being a bit silly. 

Mine was stupidly cheap so it wasn't an issue, but I can still ask myself whether I would have still bought it if it had been "X" amount. 

Tex Mexico

I feel like the broad consensus here is "get a CS", which is interesting considering that they can come in for a bit of stick.

FWIW I've previously owned a couple of AVRI Teles - a '62 Custom which I immediately traded for a '64, which I refinished from LPB to Shoreline Gold and reliced and then sold soon after. Both were very good players but neither had the "oh wow" factor in comparison to MIM that you get when e.g. going from an Epiphone to a good USA Gibson. I've had dozens of MIM Fenders, some good, some great, never bad.

I would of course go try a bunch of CS before buying anything - I'm thinking Strat on this occasion as I do own an exceptional first-run Roadworn Tele, however it depends on what's out there. If that Aztec Gold Custom Tele in the classifieds is still there when my cheque clears I might have to get naughty. I'm also looking at a Cunetto-era 1960 relic strat. The main AVRI contender is a '65 strat in Shoreline with matching headstock, but I haven't tried one yet so don't know if it'll be another also-ran. I am in any case looking for a reissue with vintage specs but colour choice is important because I'm a big tart. I would also very much like a relic. I did originally think I'd be picky about necks but as long as it's not a toothpick the other factors will take precedence.

GoldenEraGuitars

GoldenEraGuitars said:

Go and play a few before making your mind up. There’s nothing the “custom shop” can do that you can’t achieve with a cheaper model.

I can only imagine the LOLs are from CS owners in denial that a well set up fender at less than half the price will feel and sound the same  

RandallFlagg

I can't play shiny new guitars anymore. I love a CS relic with a worn neck. The feel of a relic'd Strat or Tele is something I really like. I have also fine tuned my preferences a bit and the 10/56V profile neck with 6105 frets is by far my favourite on a Strat.

grappagreen

Had two CS guitars. Glad I did. Both moved on for better things for the money..

Sometimes you just gotta scratch the itch and if your sensible with what you buy you shouldn’t catch too much of a cold.

Si

SNAKEBITE

Try a few before you buy and try to make an honest rational decision.

Don't get into debt over it.

Don't let "common sense" get in the way of making a decision.

Enjoy it.

crunchman

GoldenEraGuitars said:

GoldenEraGuitars said:

Go and play a few before making your mind up. There’s nothing the “custom shop” can do that you can’t achieve with a cheaper model.

I can only imagine the LOLs are from CS owners in denial that a well set up fender at less than half the price will feel and sound the same  

Won't feel the same.  The poly finish on the cheaper guitars ensures that.

In every other respect though, a cheaper one can be just as good.  You might have to play 20 cheaper ones to find a really good one though.

prlgmnr

Worth considering Haar/Smitty/other European builders that I might have forgotten

LastMantra

jonnyburgo said:

Am I the only person in the world that cant tell the difference between jumbo or vintage frets or am not affected by neck carve? I just play em (And sound equally as shoddy whatever it is)

My Gibson has tiny frets and my strat has jumbo. Love playing them both. Very different guitars really.

Stemcor

There’s always 2 sides to an argument. My guess is that there are some excellent MIM guitars, quite a few excellent MIAs and plenty of excellent custom shops. You probably can get a MIM that is close to a CS but the problem is finding the MIM.....

TINMAN82

*deleted over explanation and rationalisation*

Buy the CS. You’re soul will be happier.

crunchman

TINMAN82 said:

*deleted over explanation and rationalisation*

Buy the CS. You’re soul will be happier.

Depends.

Does the OP have a really great amp?

If not, buy a Mexican one, and spend the difference on a great amp.  It will make far more difference to the sound you get.

TINMAN82

crunchman said:

TINMAN82 said:

*deleted over explanation and rationalisation*

Buy the CS. You’re soul will be happier.

Depends.

Does the OP have a really great amp?

If not, buy a Mexican one, and spend the difference on a great amp.  It will make far more difference to the sound you get.

The thread was comparing guitars. The amp used, obviously important, is a separate topic and also highly subjective. The “good guitar vs good amp” debate is also separate.

Most people considering a CS Strat aren't playing exclusively through a £50 practice amp anyway.

Whitecat

Suspect the main reasons for hanging onto the ones I have is that they are genuinely "custom" in the sense that there is no real analogue in the other parts of the Fender catalogue. I've owned four in my life in total, two are going to be long-term keepers, one is up for sale and one is long-gone - the ones that are being shifted are just straight up model-year repro Strats, with the odd little tweak like fretboard radius, but other than the relicing (which I like) they were absolutely not doing anything an American Original wouldn't or couldn't do sonically.

These days the CS examples seem to have lighter woods and thinner finishes, but I do agree with the fact that Fender guitar designs in general are such that there can be exceptional and poor examples of any type, from Squiers to Masterbuilts.

So I guess the one thing that CS guitars can do that regular production stuff can't is "be custom".

If you are not married to the logo on the headstock (front OR back!) then get yourself to Coda and play some K-Line models. I think they are actually superior to any of the Fender stuff I've played, esp with his new home-wound pickups which are nothing short of stellar, and they cost less than entry-level CS stuff. If I were going to buy another Strat or Tele it would very likely actually end up being a Springfield or a Truxton.

crunchman

TINMAN82 said:

crunchman said:

TINMAN82 said:

*deleted over explanation and rationalisation*

Buy the CS. You’re soul will be happier.

Depends.

Does the OP have a really great amp?

If not, buy a Mexican one, and spend the difference on a great amp.  It will make far more difference to the sound you get.

The thread was comparing guitars. The amp used, obviously important, is a separate topic and also highly subjective. The “good guitar vs good amp” debate is also separate.

Most people considering a CS Strat aren't playing exclusively through a £50 practice amp anyway.

I don't think anyone expects him to be playing through a £50 practice amp, but I'd rather play my bog stock Mexican Strat with my Lazy J than a Custom Shop through a Blues Junior.

BeardyAndy

You'll not get anything for money in the bank, if you buy the right CS you'll stand a chance at making a profit if you ever have to sell it on. What joy do you get out of looking at a building society book?

JonHosker

Shameless plug, but my CS Tele (for sale here) beat all others for me! I agree you can get a great guitar for a lot less, but they are really well built etc.

thegummy

Tex Mexico said:

I feel like the broad consensus here is "get a CS", which is interesting considering that they can come in for a bit of stick.

For me, that's because I wouldn't necessarily recommend a CS to someone who was just looking for a good Fender style guitar but in this case the OP definitely seems to want a CS, so that's why I encourage him to get it.

thebreeze

If, for any reason, you want to get as close as possible to the original pre-CBS guitars then I would certainly consider the AVRI's.  I'd look around because they do vary quite a lot but I've had a couple from the 2002-2008 era that were superb guitars.  IMHO they feel and resemble the originals better than the CS guitars, particularly if you get a worn in one or play one yourself for a long time.  However, the CS guitars are really consistent in their quality and playability and you can hone in and lots of specs which suit you in a customised kind of way.  Whether they're relic'd or not I consider them to be more "blingy" than what the originals actually were, but that's not a bad thing - they're usually really, great guitars but the modern take even if they claim to be 1957 or 1963 etc.