Master Built Wildwood Guitars

[skypilot]

I was crusing the WG site and noticed that most of the Master Built teles are reliced on the bass side and looking a bit too much the same.
Not sure what I'm getting at except looking at them en masse they look a little mass produced?
Hey don't get me wrong they are very inticing.

 

[rze99]

Custom Shop is massive. It’s not a small outfit. I don’t know the extent to which the builder relics but it would surprise me if it was just final finishing.

 

[jmontgomery]

They are mass produced.

 

[Greggorios]

I believe a favorite description is "team built".

 

[scooteraz]

The Master-Builts are supposedly built by said master. Buuuuuuuttttt, who knows if they have helpful apprentices that assist. However, either way, Wildwood goes each year to Fender CS and says “…we want 3 of these and two of those and four of that other one…”. Even the Master-Builts get multiple orders. I have a “Relic-ready” Master-Built strat, that I bought from them, and it is very nice. Only problem is the finish is so thin that it does relic quickly. So, when I sell it, is it lightly reliced, or is is in poor condition….LOL?

The normal CS guitars are indeed “team-built”. Which differs from the normal production line by having (ok supposed to be having) more done by “luthiers” as opposed to “assembly people”. I don’t know I buy into all the hype, but I do have to say the CS Thinline Tele in my avatar is slightly nicer (and better detail work) than my other Fender Teles. The difference isn’t stunning, and the worth is in the eye of the beholder, but it is there.

 

[burntfrijoles]

There are now thirteen (13) “Master Builders”! I think the number was far smaller 10 or more years ago.
I have two “Wildwood 10” Strats which are all “team built”. They order and sell those in large numbers. They are excellent! I also have (had) two Teles which I custom ordered. They were team built. Still they were excellent guitars. I also owned a Post Modern CS Tele that was part of Fender’s annual “special edition”.
I think the world of Wildwood. They have a huge selection, courteous, knowledgeable and helpful staff and unparalleled customer service. But….I think big runs of Masterbuilt guitars is antithetical to the whole concept.
The original concept for Masterbuilt was the purchaser worked one-on-one with the builder to create a truly custom, detailed, impeccably made instrument for the buyer.

 

[Minivan Megafun]

I think you guys are reading too much into it. Wildwood is possibly THE largest and most well known CS dealer in the world. They're beyond "Showcase Dealer" status. So they do get some special treatment and special runs of things that most other dealers would not have access to. So yeah they probably have a deal in place to get a number of Masterbuilds a year. OR they simply placed several Master Built orders at a time and they received them in the same queue that everyone else did.

I know Casino Guitars has talked about how they just go and order dozens of CS guitars to whatever specs they themselves like and they go into the queue and then when they eventually show up they put them on their wall to sell. They're not production runs, they just ordered all those guitars like anyone else.

So they have 13 Master Builders right now... And yet the wait time for a Master Built is still about 5-6 years.

 

[dreamingtele]

I love looking at their Instagram site. Its not just Fenders, but Gibsons and PRS.

On the Masterbuilt Fenders, I always look forward to what Ron Thorn model they have. I wish i have that amount of cash as Id like to have one. Haha

 

[Fretting out]

Woe! This is like that time someone figured out that the relics are templated!

Almost caused the universe to implode

 

[scooteraz]

Woe! This is like that time someone figured out that the relics are templated!

Almost caused the universe to implode

I’ve always thought that relics are kinda silly. But now that I have two (one a parts caster that I bought and the other an Xotic relic), I suddenly realized that when I’m a klutz and knock the guitar off of the stage, unless I break it really terribly, no one can tell. OTOH, I have done my own relicing by knocking nice guitars off of the stage, and they are no longer in “excellent” condition. LOL

 

[dreamingtele]

I’ve always thought that relics are kinda silly. But now that I have two (one a parts caster that I bought and the other an Xotic relic), I suddenly realized that when I’m a klutz and knock the guitar off of the stage, unless I break it really terribly, no one can tell. OTOH, I have done my own relicing by knocking nice guitars off of the stage, and they are no longer in “excellent” condition. LOL

I still cannot stomach dings. I just dinged my precious ES-330, so deep i can see the earth’s core. Lol.

But I really like the feel of the relics. My 330 is VOS, so it’s not super shiny and hardware are a bit tarnished. I rocked it first since first day and until now. So it really does wonders in the psychology of it all when you dont have a shiny new guitar, and just ready to rock Lol.

then I got my worn 57 avri from a pro player. So it’s all ready and loved. So i dont baby it.

Heavy relics seem too much for me, but it’s only a matter of time on gettiny my hands on one and my mind will be changed to like it as well. Hahah

 

[burntfrijoles]

Woe! This is like that time someone figured out that the relics are templated!

I agree that most visible wear in on the bass side but the relics do have varying patterns and levels of wear both on the body and necks. Some look more realistic or authentic while others look contrived.
I prefer the lightly reliced models with a minimum of checking and wear. I like Gibson’s VOS approach: dulled finish and hardware. The finish on mine is meh but the guitar itself is great.

 

[lewis]

I visit the Wildwood web site often which may be why I'm not enthusiastic about CS Fenders or Gibsons. They literally have hundreds (or more) in stock. Why pay a premium for something that's mass produced?
There's no doubt they will sound and play great but so can most any non CS guitar.

 

[burntfrijoles]

Why pay a premium for something that's mass produced?

Maybe you find a guitar that’s just what you’re looking for and it’s custom shop quality. CS guitars are produced in far fewer numbers than Fender‘s MIA product lines.
As I posted above my Wildwood spec’d Strats are great. They are better than any of 15 or so MIA guitars that I’ve owned. The only ones that came close were the two AV 64 Teles that I owned.
It also a matter of budget: how much you’re willing to spend or how much you can afford to spend.

 

[Fenderdad1950]

Since it will be custom built, specify that you don' want it

 

[Minivan Megafun]

I was watching an Andertons video the other day about some of their CS guitars and they said that people complain about the relics so they order some new looking ones and they sit there on the wall for years and no one buys them.

 

[loco gringo]

I was watching an Andertons video the other day about some of their CS guitars and they said that people complain about the relics so they order some new looking ones and they sit there on the wall for years and no one buys them.

And from this we can learn that people that complain often aren't part of the actual customer base for those guitars.

 

[Si G X]

I was watching an Andertons video the other day about some of their CS guitars and they said that people complain about the relics so they order some new looking ones and they sit there on the wall for years and no one buys them.

This is probably true... most people thinking about buying a CS Fender is because they want a relic. If I want a non-relic then maybe I wouldn't bother going Fender custom shop, I have way more choice.

.... saying that, there's plenty of relics sat in guitar shops here, I could show you online now guitars that have been on the websites for years that nobody has bought.

 

[burntfrijoles]

I was watching an Andertons video the other day about some of their CS guitars and they said that people complain about the relics so they order some new looking ones and they sit there on the wall for years and no one buys them.

10 or 12 Years ago I would estimate that Wildwood had a relatively even split between NOS and Relic models. Now I think it leans heavily to the Relic models. Obviously that‘s what sells.

 

[LPTyler]

It makes sense their master built guitars are similar, most are made by the same builder, I’m sure they all have their own techniques and patterns.

I have one custom shop guitar, and it really is nicer than my non custom shop guitars. The frets are way better, and I like the neck shape and feel more as well. The only thing I don’t like about it is the smell, I don’t know what it is but it’s not my favorite. Not horrible but not my favorite.