Simple question..........I think!

[Blewbyou]

I was going to buy another guitar (by another I mean Tele) the other day a Spalted maple Tele with the dual Humbuckers and my wife asked if it was an upgrade for one of the guitars I already had. I had to think about it for a bit and I said no it was just different. She then said well if you are going to buy another guitar(I already own 12) why not just upgrade one of the ones you have and sell one............ surprisingly this made sense.

OK on to my question;
Are Fender custom shop guitars really worth the extra money? Big jump in price from the Spalted Tele to a Custom shop I know ..........but she opened the door!


Thanks Blew

[Demo]

Absolutely.

HOWEVER, . . . like everything Fender, some are just flat out better than others (in my experience). You still have to hunt.

[Ronkirn]

Are Fender custom shop guitars really worth the extra money?

It all depends on if you think so.

Ron Kirn

[Southern ILL]

Simple awswer would be "YES"...but if its my money it would have to be the "ONE"......I missed it awhile back....it was a "relic" which usually don't do a whole lot for me....but this one was a small run of Keith Richards style telecasters.....master built(I forget who).....Maybe one of 3? Thats what I was told.....it was perfect!!! Had a sack load of case candy...DVD I think.

But it came with a +$3000 price tag......I hesitated.....it sold.I do regret it.

[Stoked]

Also if you are willing to spend custom shop money on a guitar you might want to look into other custom builders such as our own Ron Kirn, Rich Rice, and others. If I were going to spend that amount of money I'd want to make sure I got the guitar of my dreams. Both are great options and I'm sure you will be more than happy either way. :)

[unbridled]

Originally Posted by Stoked

Also if you are willing to spend custom shop money on a guitar you might want to look into other custom builders such as our own Ron Kirn, Rich Rice, and others. If I were going to spend that amount of money I'd want to make sure I got the guitar of my dreams. Both are great options and I'm sure you will be more than happy either way. :)

+1

That's what I'd do

[Vizcaster]

It's never a good idea when my wife suggests that I sell a guitar.

[holndav]

No sell.

Save and get what you want when you have the getus

Unless of course you have one you don't really like...

[Freight Twang]

No, I don't think so, have something built to your standards, if you have 12 guitars and still looking, you may have not got what you think is great.

Remember, you can put mag wheels on a 74' Pinto, but it is still a 74' Pinto. Ha. If you spend that kind of money, get a Nash, Glendale, Rice, etc.

[91xlntS-3]

+1 on some of the above posts, If you're going to spend that kind of $$$, I'd buy something from one of the builders. And by some of the prices of Custom Shop guitars, you could get a couple built to your specs.

I sold all my MIM Teles in order to buy my 2 MIA Teles, yeah, I miss the NUMBER of Teles I owned, but I love the 2 that I have now! If I were going to spend anything over $1K, I'd be contacting the Rice Custom Shop!!

[Rasputan]

Originally Posted by Stoked

Also if you are willing to spend custom shop money on a guitar you might want to look into other custom builders such as our own Ron Kirn, Rich Rice, and others. If I were going to spend that amount of money I'd want to make sure I got the guitar of my dreams. Both are great options and I'm sure you will be more than happy either way. :)

That's what I did... I couldn't
be happier...

And it didn't cost as much as a
custom shop guitar...

Now I'm thinking of a Thinline
custom built...

See,,, I can get two of them for the
price of one custom shop,,, and maybe
have some money left over for some
strings...

===================================

<><> Rasputan <><>

[Rich Rice]

It's all about value/perceived value. If it has to say Fender on it to ring your chimes, then that's the only way to go. Plenty of great builders here that will deliver top notch goods for a fair price. Like the old Burger King ads- "Have it YOUR WAY!"

I appreciate the kind words, fellows. Thanks!

[petebradt]

I'd buy high-end CIJ if I were you. I believe USCS is over-rated.

[newtwanger]

Have you tried the spalter one plugged in? I did last week and though it is very pretty, the sound was so...ordinary. And the neck was not great.

You can't compare a Korean made Fender with a CS one though..

I played a brilliant CS heavy relic in Vegas and loved it, it was black with a rosewood neck, low action smooth neck PU tones. $3000 and worth every cent. I played a CS Blackguard Relic Tele at a Guitar Center near Miami, it was crap. $2800 of total crap.

Ya gotta try them first.

[surfoverb]

Your wife told you to buy a CS guitar...what was the question again?

[neocaster]

+1 to considering custom builders. The Custom Shop instruments are great, but you may still have to make some compromises and pick some thing over another. With a custom build, you get your finish, your style, your pickups, your electronics, your neck (profile, radius, frets) top to bottom. If you know what you want, this is the way to go about getting it. (Unless what you want is a Fender Custom Shop guitar)

+1 to pete for high-end CIJ. I have two nice Japanese Fenders and I wouldn't sell either for twice what I paid.

[Post Toastie]

I think i understand the idea of a non fender custom builder that builds a guitar to your specs but
-you cant try the guitar first
-What if when it is done you dont like it
-If you want to sell this guitar with your specs ,will anyone else want it

The Fender brand will always hold its value better.

[Rich Rice]

Originally Posted by Post Toastie

I think i understand the idea of a non fender custom builder that builds a guitar to your specs but

-you cant try the guitar first

Absolutely correct. Can't try something that has not yet been built.

-What if when it is done you dont like it

Know what you want when you order it. Be specific. Go with somebody reputable. This way you know what you'll get before it arrives. If you don't know what you like, buy a pre-made one, or do your homework before placing an order. Most of us have a few "house" builds, and usually offer a trial period on those instruments.

-If you want to sell this guitar with your specs ,will anyone else want it

This is true of any higher end instrument, regardless of the manufacturer.



The Fender brand will always hold its value better.

As a generalization this is true, but not in all cases.

[winny pooh]

Originally Posted by Post Toastie

I think i understand the idea of a non fender custom builder that builds a guitar to your specs but
-you cant try the guitar first
-What if when it is done you dont like it
-If you want to sell this guitar with your specs ,will anyone else want it

The Fender brand will always hold its value better.

The second point is one that also makes sense for me, guitars are so personal. What if you play it and you just think it feels wrong or sounds dead aaaargh. You could of course have this with any custom build including fender, maybe thats why production line "custom shop" models are seemingly safer as you can try a couple. That doesn't stop me from lusting after most of the build I see here of course.

[newtwanger]

Originally Posted by winny pooh

What if you play it and you just think it feels wrong or sounds dead aaaargh.

I doubt a pro builder with any reputation will ship a "dead sounding" guitar to you, but since "feels wrong" is so personal, that's always a risk.

I think Rich stated very professionally his stand on "do your homework before placing an order". If I have a 12" rad thin neck that I don't live I won't order a Nocaster neck just because it's at the other end of the spectum and hope it's what I will like.