Ever regretted a CS purchase?

[birdawesome]

Just curious if there’s anyone out there that has ever bought a CS guitar and ended up regretting it / having some buyers remorse?

If so, what made you change your tune?

Did you custom order it and realize you wanted other specs during the waiting period?

Was it a team build that you maybe found some flaws with later on or maybe bought too hastily?

Or do you just absolutely adore your CS and never looked back?

Looking forward to hearing everyone’s experiences!

 

[Joe M]

Out of the many, many CS guitars I’ve had/have, the only one I ever regret buying is one of the ones I currently have….52 MB with a HB in the neck. I HATE HB guitars, but this one played, looked and felt so good, I took a chance. No matter how hard I try, I just can’t handle the HB in the neck position. But that’s all on me for being an idiot. Sure looks great….something will come along that I’ll be able to swap for it.

 

[bgmacaw]

While I've never owned a custom shop, I have been around various guitar forums for a while and made a few observations.

First, a lot of people cloak their buyer's remorse by saying things like "My custom shop was a dud/defective!" or "I just couldn't bond with it" or similar. I don't see that happen that much in this forum but it was very common in a certain "sister forum".

Another common occurrence is people buying a custom shop guitar hoping that it will make them SRV or another favorite player instantly. Then they're disappointed when that doesn't happen. Often, they'll blame the guitar instead of lack of practice and such.

However, I think many more people buy these guitars and are really pleased with their purchase.

 

[brookdalebill]

Strangely, no.
I’ve owned bunches of em’, and none of them were a disappointment.
I didn’t bond with all of em, but I own three presently, with an eye on a few more.
They truly are superior instruments.

 

[archetype]

Out of the many, many CS guitars I’ve had/have, the only one I ever regret buying is one of the ones I currently have….52 MB with a HB in the neck. I HATE HB guitars, but this one played, looked and felt so good, I took a chance. No matter how hard I try, I just can’t handle the HB in the neck position. But that’s all on me for being an idiot. Sure looks great….something will come along that I’ll be able to swap for it.

I'd say it could be easily converted to the usual neck pickup and pickguard. You could have exactly what you want.

 

[Masmus]

I own one and it is fantastic.

 

[Twang-ineer]

I have had three. Two I still own. Very happy with all. One had to go for life reasons, but it was an epic guitar. One is a bass, my Dad gifted me, and the guitar I kept is a Strat plus style 12" radius, RW, LSR, Lace Pickups , early matte locking tuners and the S1 System so I could get Bridge and Neck together. Now, when I want custom shop style work, I go to Kiesel.

 

[tshoe71]

I've owned a Tele and a Strat, still have the Tele. The weird part about the Strat is that I loved it to the point that I felt I bought it too hastily and moved it along in order to get an even more well thought out and spec'd one. I didn't know enough about the history of the instrument, the spec nuances and I'm very much learning through experience about which specs and features of a guitar work for me and which don't. I still as yet haven't pulled the trigger on another one, but plan to do so hopefully when what I'm looking for comes along. I'd have no hesitation in recommending a CS Fender, they are complete keepers in my book. As they're not cheap and likely lifer guitars, just be sure to do your research, take your time with knowing what specs really work for you and don't let GAS make you hasty. There's a newness and an adjustment to any new guitar, just like when you first get a new car, but now with my Tele simply put it's the reference for me and "home" to the point I question at times my need for any other guitars.

 

[Hey_you]

I bought a Gibson R4 Les Paul VOS back in July. As much as I have tried, I haven't bonded with it. 1st off, the switch tip was broken and had scratched the body. Very hard to keep in tune. Kept breaking high E string until I took a file and sandpaper to the wrap-around bridge. I have twice had to tighten the output jack. I called customer support and wished I hadn't. A total waste of time, IMO. Been debating to sent a hand written letter to upper management. I wish I had never bought it.

 

[Peegoo]

I've never suffered from buyer's remorse after getting any guitar or amp. I think it may be because I get it for what it is and I accept all its quirks along with all the good stuff about it.

I'm also not an impulsive buyer; I do my homework and test drive a bunch before I commit the dosh.

Buy it and own it!

 

[Fenderbaum]

never owned one, but i would seriously regret buying a plank of wood with strings on for $5000

 

[GeneB]

I've never even played/demoed any custom shop guitar. I'm afraid it would put me off on my non-CS USA-built guitars and that would be a bummer as I'm plenty happy with what I own already.

 

[burntfrijoles]

Nope. I've owned 5 custom shop guitars from Fender. Two were special ordered, one was a production series "postmodern" and two were Wildwood 10's.
All were great guitars with excellent finish and detail. I still have three of them. The ones that were sold were just a matter of "thinning the heard" as folks say.

 

[Minivan Megafun]

never owned one, but i would seriously regret buying a plank of wood with strings on for $5000

Well thanks for coming in the CS section and sharing that while also crapping on everyone who does see value in it. Quality comment.

 

[Telepi]

I've never regretted buying a CS Fender or Gibson for that matter. They've all held their value and increased as the CS prices continue to rise. There's more room in the new ones to negotiate than some people realize, based on what they usually see with MIMs and USA production guitars.

The only one I didn't really care for was the CS 70th Anniversary Broadcaster. The neck was more narrow than what I liked. And I didn't care for the blender circuit and didn't feel like swapping out the control panel. So I just returned it and got a 55 CS Strat instead. Love, love, love it. Should have bought it in the first place.

 

[57joonya]

No regrets at all .my 1st custom shop was an 04 1963 telecaster lake placid blue . That was hands down the best guitar I’ve ever owned , then I got a 1957 Gibson les Paul jr custom shop that was on par with the tele. Both amazing guitars . I’m sure there’s a few duds out there but every one I’ve tried has seemed pretty top notch. But then again, I put together a partscaster that is right in there with the cs guitars

 

[burntfrijoles]

never owned one, but i would seriously regret buying a plank of wood with strings on for $5000

Well, it's a little more than a "plank of wood with strings on".

 

[PomPomPudding]

Never regretted but also never been hugely impressed by both Gibson and Fender CS offerings I've tried/owned.

 

[72_Custom]

I've bought two and currently still own one of them. The one I sold was an excellent sounding and playing instrument, it just had a neck profile I didn't personally love and it was redundant, as it was very similar to a non-CS tele that's a "lifer" guitar for me. It was also a bit of an impulsive buy. So do I regret buying it? At first the answer was "sort of, but it's not the guitar's fault". I bought it used for a good price and knew I'd be able to get my money back on the resale, which I did. So much less regret now.

 

[CryptCaster]

I own two. One I absolutely love and the other which I wish I loved more. I don't regret that one (yet), and I'm not sure I ever will. It's a bit too soon to tell. But I think my mixed feelings about that one come from it's incredibly abrasive pickups. They have a lot of bite and, honestly, sound great for hard and heavy stuff (which I play a lot of) but they have no chill. Their clean sound has a top-note that hits like nails on a chalkboard - really pierces the eardrum - and because of that, I'm struggling to find a broad versatility with that particular guitar. It feels and plays amazing though. Maybe I just need to think of it as my metal machine (a weird, weird moniker for an esquire, but... here we are).