This won't answer your question but I posed the exact same question to one of the sales guys at Sam Ash last week. He never answered but just smirked and rolled his eyes. I'm in the same dilemma. Definately want the EC, but I REALLY want one the midnight/mercedes blues. I played the "regular EC" and loved the neck. Is a Custom worth $1,500 more. Not in my noobie hands. Which is why I'm scouring CL and flea bay for a CS.

Bored at work so I arrayed the specs betwwen the EC artist and the Custom. Aside from the available colors the specs are identical. So it must be for the additional mojo from the Custom Shop. Hell for the right price I'd still get a CS EC.

More than a few threads on this subject.. Search the Forums.

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"Another day in paradise!"

Different strokes....

Enjoy..

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"Another day in paradise!"

Personally, I agree with you it's a great Guitar- that EC Blackie Strat is one of the best ever made. Make sure you try out a bunch of them at Guitar Center or Sam Ash before you decide. This is very personal. Make sure you LOVE IT before you hand over your hard earned dollars. Owning your treasure is a pleasure that can last a lifetime. Someone who was playing at a Pro Level once told me that they search for the very best ONE out of all this particular model guitar they wanted. At GC on Sunset Blvd they tried 50 guitars out til they found the one that was JUST RIGHT for them. This meant a few days of searching but it was worth it. They're very happy.

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Love my Telecaster, Stratocaster, and other guitars.