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Again, thanks for both of your comments. You pick out some valid points and the link helped me understand what Fenders CS secret sauce is made of.
Around the end of the summer last year I bought the new American Professional Strat in Cloudburst Blue. It was the most stunning finish I had seen on a normal Strat in years. Also the naked finished neck and the feel of the guitar was something else. But I made a stupid mistake, I had bought the guitar new online. I was so enthralled with just how stunning that cloudburst mist that I didn't think about the other stuff the guitar had. I really don't rate Fenders noiseless pickups, compared to the Lace Sensors. Before I had my Strat Plus , I turned a Mexican Fender body into a replica of a Strat Plus and loaded it up with the TBX boost and 3 Gold Lace Sensors. Even those classic voiced and old designed pups were better with the overall tone, than the latest Fender ones. The other problem was the whole switching system that made the guitar have 10 different positions.
I like things to be basic and simple with my gear and I just wasn't enjoying the guitar, but the build quality just blew me away. Because everything is CNC'd , I believe (naively) that every body and neck (not fully) are going to be bang on each and every time, because there is no human involvement in cutting and milling the wood. I watched a video about the C/S being 25 and they were showing the luthiers sanding the guitars by hand and they had different templates they could use to guide them. So in a way, if you get a C/S "off the peg" guitar, it might well be the only one that has that profile?
My other guitar is a Les Paul Classic Custom, which is not a "true" LP Custom, but only the customs look like that. I don't know if Fender could do anything like that with the Strat's etc?
contactemea@fender.com
My thoughts go to what BB King said to Billy Gibbons about string size. "Why make things more difficult for yourself when you don't need to". I know there's a massive price differential, but if you can stretch to a CS it is worth it (imho). Everything is made so much easier and so much more enjoyable.
A good guitar is a good guitar. Whatever the name on the headstock or how much it cost. Play it often.
Nil Satis Nisi Optimum
I suppose this my beef with the CS. Out of all my guitars it's the cheaper teles that have been setup as Gav''s post suggests that are the ones I reach for. My mb cost near 4 times as much as these two added together and has more or less become wall art. Only played when I need a big by going on.
Out of the box the rolled edges of the mb was nice. But so little effort gets any decent guitar there. Especially something as simple as a telecaster.
It depends what stock guitar you are looking at, but if you take an AV reissue at £1500 and add £150 worth of work to it, with the better resale value of the CS guitar you won't be a lot better off with the AVRI.
My beef with CS Fenders, as I do think they are a notch above, is that I want to see more non-relic' finishes. I don't want a relic, even a light / journeyman, and the NOS are usually cheaper by a good few hundred quid, but looking last night the NOS choice in the usual places was quite limited.
Market demands I guess.
However,
Looking a Coda, a custom shop Jazzmaster is 2700+ a MB is 4600+
AN AVRI is what 1800 new, so with £200 extra work, you are still 700 in pocket.
Get one of the MIM Nitro models for 900, that has nitro and AVRI pups and you are a long way off the CS price.
I reckon that the Nitro MIM after £200 of work will be a hell of a guitar.
Seriously - the last refret (with a new bone nut) which was a pain in the arse for the luthier involved due to the artwork on the fretboard - and certain other well-reknowned luthiers refused to quote for as it was too tricky - cost me less than £200 all up and its a stellar job.
I'm not attacking other people's prices - we all gotta eat - and I guess away from the inflated ground rents of the South East, the rest of us get a better deal. However, having a fingerboard rolled (which frankly isn't tricky - Wez V has even done instructions on doing so), a fret dress (which should automatically include fret ends - if not, its half a job) and even a new, bone nut installed is a worthwhile investment for most guitars - and will lift *playability* right up there to be amoung the best, assuming your tech/luthier isn't a clown. Will it "transform" an AVRI into a CS quality guitar? Erm... maybe, in terms of playability but if the basic guitar is a turd no amount of polish (or rolling in glitter) will change it.
Having spent a wonderful day trying out most of Doug's CS Fenders (and ending up buying a PRS 305...), its not just about playability - thats a factor. Some resonated more, some sounded different and none of them were 'bad' - they all had their own character. Some suited me better than others and it was fractional - but tbh, once you get past a certain point all differences are. Only you can decide if those differences warrant the price of a CS guitar.
Replacing a nut will involve some kind of a set up afterwards for the new nut as well. Set ups at most decent places in London start from £50. If you are getting that plus a new nut installed and cut for less than £50 that strikes me as a very good deal.
My 10 penneth for those who are anti relic and think they are somehow 'fake' - I have a thought about a new shiny NOS finish on what is after all a vintage replica of a guitar that is over 50 years old - I agree that all modern guitars should have a shiny finish - Yet who has a 50 year old original Fender with a finish that is still 'AS NEW 100% THE SAME AS A NOS' - they natural fade, mellow and oxidize and as such acquire some aged patina - granted not Rory relic'd, but they will have some very light fading - so maybe NOS is slightly fake as well - just my 10 penneth
Plus point on an aged finish is that I've never heard anyone saying I've got a ding, what do I do about it - so no need to get upset about that first nick that pee's you off
Personally I could live with subtle relicing but the one I had was over the top. There was heavy fake fingerboard wear on pretty much every string on every fret. Real playing patterns don't look like that. I also didn't like the fact that all of the finish had been sanded off the neck. Also, they need to be careful on relicing the tuners. The tuners on that were stiffer than any other guitar I've ever owned. I'd rather have functionality rather than gumming them up to make them look old.
I have a AVRI '65 Jaguar. One of the things I love about it is the accuracy to what the real thing would have been like when new. Opening the case and you can imagine opening the case in 1965 with all the excitement of a new instrument, it even smells great. Then only 18 months down the line it has already collected some small dings etc, but they are my dings.
When it comes to a CS Strat, personally I just want to go and buy the best Strat possible, not to fool people or myself into thinking I've got an aged guitar. I do have a CS Custom Deluxe which fulfills the non-relic brief but am starting to think of a Strat with a slightly different spec.
Relics just don't draw me in, I walk straight past heavy relics, not interested in the slightest. When I was in Coda a few weeks back I was most drawn to the cheapest CS Strat in the whole place, a Daphne blue NOS, it was a belting guitar. Just wish there was more choice.
Maybe I should try a journeyman finish - that gold one on your site Mark looks rather lovely!