Hi ya all, I had this idea the other day. Would it be possible for a group of Fender Forum members like us, to order a limited private run of Stratocaster or Telecaster from the Custom Shop?. Just for the sake of sharing a special instrument within a group of respected and appreciated fellow members around the world.

Now there is a few things to consider, like Fender is probably going to build a 100 years Leo Special or something like that, the idea is not to interfere with that.

A member run private edition has surely been made somewhere, sometime ago so I didn't came with this idea by myself, so don't think that i'm trying to steal someone else's idea.

Not everyone is able to gather the big bucks to buy an expensive guitar or a second one. We could talk about a 1000$US to 2000$US for the moment and adjust as we go along with the project.

We would have to decide if we want a MIM with a sticker on it, or a MIA with a unique feature on it, like a special color and/or pups or something else, or a fully loaded affordable Custom Shop with a killer option unique for the members who would want to buy one. (The more initial orders, the cheaper the guitar)(Within reason, of course).

This idea would have to pass the test of customers interested enough to order the guitar.

We would have to decide of a reasonable price, probably linked to the number of guitars ordered.

It could be a one shot deal or a continuing run, let Fender decide about that.

There will be a lot of other things to consider but for the moment let's just think about it for a few days, and if this idea is not a winner, SO BE IT AND LET IT DIE. On the other hand if the idea catches on enough members maybe we could end up next year with a Special Limited Run Members Only killer guitar.

I want to finish this off by saying that this is just the idea or suggestion of a project, and I do not want it to be seen as a concurrent to any going or upcoming event, carried on by Fender. Just an idea, so what do you think?

Let's see if we can make something out of it.

Claude.

A cool idea...even if it is just a limited color run. I'll start saving money (besides a guitar fund...never a bad thing).

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"There is more to life than increasing its speed." Mahatma Gandhi

Owner of:
-2008 American Standard Strat in Candy Cola Red
-Vibro-Champ XD
-Fender CD-60 Acoustic (Sunburst)

Great idea!

In this instance though, I would want us to deal directly with Fender and due to the unique nature of this, have Fender offer us the guitar at dealer cost, so to speak. Besides, why should we give any dealer a cut for doing absolutely nothing? And call me crazy but I would want my guitar shipped directly to me from Fender. Not only is the direct shipping part of the keepsake but it will ensure that each of us are the first ones to lay our hands on this unique guitar. Having played Strats for over 40 years now, I know this would be an heirloom I'd surely never get rid of.

Come on FMIC, you do it for the rich and famous. How about throwing us poor and anonymous but fiercely loyal clique a bone? Think of all the free advertising!

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You dig?

Interesting thought

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The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

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Hello Claude Gallichand,

I thinks it's a great idea,
with a ton of logistics to work out.
Certaintly has merit.

Cheers.

I'm all for something like that It'd be less convenient for those of us who live outside of the States, though. Customs charges and all

Claude I am behind this 100%. I Think it is a great idea and would love to see it come to fruition. Martian also has brought up some great points and as we are the Fender community I think we should get a fair shake. I also know that there is a lot of things to iron out and agree on. And the fact that everyone has differant budgets and a lot of our good members are young price is going to be a focal point. But I would also like the guitar to have some special meaning to it it does not have to be outrageous but should have a forum theme maybe like the forum logo put in a spot like where the woodstock logo is,or on the headstock where a signature would be or stamped into the neck plate(JUST SUGGESTIONS GUYS)but something unique. Well I think everyone interested shoud jump on this post and hope we can have something special happen here.

Claude,
I'd be up for it, and my son would probably be on board also.

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Current Gear: Ron Kirn Barnbuster Tele,
Marshall: 1971 SuperLead 100>1997 1960-TV, bunch of pedals
and a 1987 Porsche 911 Carrera coupe named Veronica

Toronado, as Martian suggests, it would come directly from Fender (Custom Shop) so no dealers in the picture. Don't worry about the special fees, there will be some. I am sure that many Custom Shop owners would be glad to tell us how to deal with this.

Most of the Artists series and Custom shops are made to commemorate pasts events and/or already known artists. Why not build a Custom Shop Fender guitar for today, for active members, as I said, a Member Only Limited Run Edition with an attitude. I think that if the project is sound, Fender would be pleased to accomodate it's members.

Fender made the Highway Ones, the VG Strat, the Gdec amp, the Road Worns guitars, the VM amp, it could be our turn to rock the cashbah and ask for something special with our say in the project.

Think about it, talk about it. Let the ideas come freely, we'll sort out the viable ones later. Now is the time to test Fender and it's members, by taking a step forward and say "We want an affordable Custom Shop killer guitar". How much it's gonna cost and what's gonna be in it, is a later concern.

I am well aware that we are not talking about a one thousand guitars project, and Custom Shop stuff doesn't come cheap. But that is the kind of things that we need to elaborate on. I would think that, the more guitars ordered, the better the deal.

I can hear already "How can we order an expensive guitar that nobody ever tried?" First, it doesn't have to be That Expensive, the number of guitars could be a key factor in the final price. Second, it is a Custom Shop, so we decide what we want in it and on it. And yes, it is a little bit of a guess.

Problem is that I am too lazy to build a guitar from scratch, I don't have the tools, the time, the knowledge and the patience to do it now. So I came with this idea, to call out other members and see if we can cut a deal for a collectible, affordable, Custom Shop killer guitar. I was inspired by the legacy of Leo Fender, and as I said I do not want to interfere with something that could be coming soon. But on the other hand, I wanted to share this project and see where it can go with a little help.

So the word is out, let's give it a few days and we'll have a better view of the picture.

See ya around.

Claude.

Great idea has heaps of merit..... A lot of us Ageing Rocker's outside the States would definately be happy to jump on board with something like this im sure

Claude thats a great idea. It would have to be special order, like masterbuilt. Thats the only way around fender's through dealer ordering policy. Maybe have the lounge forums logo where the contour body one should be.

Gonna be expensive however it happens.

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No no and no

Good call! I'm in.

Your not going to get customshop for under $3500/£2140

Stick the 40% import tax into the uk on that (europe isnt too far behind). Thats £3k without a single shipping charge, that you also get a good percentage of the import tax on. Thats a bare bones price that you'll be very lucky to get.

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No no and no

I like the idea, too. Getting together a checklist of options/choices to see where each individuals desires are may be a good next step.

Can there be some kind of database entered on this forum or would it need to be individual polls?

Like:
Strat or Tele
Maple or Rosewood
Hardtail or Tremolo
etc.

They actually did this on the FDP many years ago, when the American Series was first introduced (2000?), with the cooperation of Fender. Here are a couple of caveats I can give from watching that process:

* A thousand guys said they wanted in. Less than 100 really ponied up the bucks.

* Those thousand guys argued endlessly/mindlessly about the specs of the "LE" guitar. Lots of people bailed because they didn't like the final specs.

Fender has already been through this routine once, and they know the pitfalls. Maybe someone who was at Fender when the FDP LA thing went down can offer some insight as to how Fender felt about it when it was all done.