Greetings

I have seen so many posts here at the always entertaining Fender Forums about guy's that are modifying their Strats in one way or another. First and foremost is the pickup swap out, followed by a long list of mods including everything from pick guards, tuning pegs, tremolo bridges, nuts, control knobs, entire necks, and even paint refinishing. Did I miss anything? Oh of course string gauge. And I'm sure there's probably more!

My proposal to the Fender Musical Instrument Company....Please allow us to order our beloved Strats exactly the way that we would like them! Crazy concept? Do you really think so?

I'm currently in need of purchasing a new car. Something that I really dread having to do, although every model that I research, from any manufacturer that I select, always starts out with the "Price With Options" section. Here is where you choose color, interior, engine size, sound system options...would you like a steering wheel and tires on the car, electric this and that, and almost anything else that you can think of.

So now I'm looking at a new Fender Strat...Where is the "Price With Options" button? I've looked everywhere, but can't find this section. I am not really interested in the prepackaged Custom Shop models that Clapton plays or Mayer, or Beck....not even the Billy Corgan (does he even play the guitar?) model. What I am very interested in is the jromanov model! This is the same model that all you "mod" guy's buy and then change everything on it.

So I would like to select "MY" options....First I pick the body wood, then the neck and fretboard, inlays, followed by the pickups, pickguard, control knobs, tuning pegs, bridge and string setup, and finally color. I would like this Strat in "Dragonburst" please.

Why can't we do this?...Before you all start explaining to me how expensive this would be, or how many different options they would have to deal with, or how long this would take to do. STOP for just a minute and take a look at the "Carvin Guitars" website. Here is an American guitar manufacturer in San Diego Calif. that has been in business for the last 60 years.They are a full line producer offering guitars, basses, amplifiers, live sound reinforcement and just about all the stuff that Fender offers. Among several others, I have 3 of their Amps, which I have been using for the past 8 years and I absolutely love them!

Carvin will build your guitar to your exact specifications. When you go to the "build" link, you will be able to choose from literally pages of options. They will even engrave your name into the truss rod cover when the guitar is complete. You will be amazed at how many options you actually select from. Their craftsmanship is superb, materials are first class, the build time is approximately 6 weeks, and most impressive...the price is just about the same as an Am Deluxe (my personal favorite).

So Fender...will you please make this program available to the millions of loyal fans that buy and lust for your products? This is a no brainer and should be put into effect as soon as possible. Please email me with the "Price With Options" info as soon as it is released.

Looking forward to "MY" one of a kind new Strat

Comments?

Thanks for listening
Noodles

They already do it, customshop.

I get what you mean though. It would be nice to have optional extra's on stock guitars. Unfortunately from a business perspective, it appears not to make much sense for fender. Or Mercedez or Volkswagon either. They offer certain optional extra's within a pricerange. You dont get the electric retractable roof option on a C180. Its standard on the SLK 4.2 though.

The same is true of strats and tele's it would appear. Thats why they offer so many pickup configurations through the pricerange. The extra's start at the top of the range and filter down through the prices as their popularity wanes. The vintage noiseless pickups for instance. They were standard on the deluxes in the late 90's. That and the clapton were about the only guitars with them. They must have sold by the shedload as a modpart, as well as people buying the guitar primarily for that (in this instance) feature. Now that everyone is used to them, they have filtered down to the high end mexican guitars. They are a very attractive option at that pricepoint now.

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No no and no

Yeah, I get it ... it is just like how your order a Dell computer on line. It would be perfect for making the MIM std the center product, except you can upgrade the pickguard, pickups (maybe 2 optional upgrades for those), and tuners.

Wow ... that is a brilliant idea, dude.

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Laughing out loud with fear and hope, I have a desperate plan ...

Niki

Custom Shop stuff is great, I do agree, although it is prepackaged to Fender's specs, not to my choices. Not to mention that they are 4 times the price of "regular Strats" and only a small handful of pre-selected color and finish options. You do not get to "build" your own guitar, you get to select one that they have already designed themselves.

Just for some giggles...go to Carvin's site and build yourself a guitar. This you will find very rewarding. And although the retractable roof option might not be available on the 180 (actually the entire 180 is not available in the states) you can certainly upgrade the interior, sound system, wheels, tires, spoilers and ground effects packages and so on. Try ordering a Custom Shop Strat and telling them that you want different pickups, a Floyd Rose trem, and a Dragonburst finish over quilted maple with a matching headstock. And please inlay the Fender logo with mother of pearl. Your conversation will be over long before you even get to spell your name for them. If you could keep the rep on the phone while trying to explain to him what you would like them to do...even though they won't...the price would be closer to the Mercedes than to the Am Deluxe.

How does Carvin do it? I love Fender guitars, and I have 5 Strats and 2 Tele's, but I'm not a Fender snob or anything like that. I have 30 other guitars as well, including a bunch of Gibson's, Ibanez Prestige, and Taylor acoustics. I love the Am Deluxe and it is my daily player. I'd love to order one from Fender the way that I would spec it. This would be a one of a kind Strat. Your Carvin will most definitely be one of a kind. Your Custom Shop will not. Remember...with the Carvin we are really talking about a first class, top of the line, custom built, one of a kind "NIKI" model for under 2k...no kidding!

Noodles

Hello Jromanov,

You are wrong.

I'm shure You have never spoken to anyone
at the Fender Customer Shop, rep or other.
Yes I have had phone communication with them.

You like Carvin's Custom Shop great, but
one thing that they can't build at any price is
a Fender Guitar.

Cheers.

You can get pretty much anything you want out of the customshop. The only limit is your expenditure. Masterbuilt, one off, co designed. Then theres the other customshop stuff like mine that is their production, run of the mill (if that term ever applies to them) guitars. They used to be called teambuilt, with masterbuilt being the higher end stuff. Now teambuilt is just called customshop. Masterbuilders still make base models i.e 62's/56's or the wildwood guitars, that bear the title masterbuilt. They have to be kept busy whilst the paint dries on the last lot.

There was a case where a previous forum users request was turned down by the customshop. It was for a metal guitar that was in his words 'too far away from fender's traditional designs'. Looking at the socal strats it must have been some design. Suprised they refused, they make charvel and jackson customshops their too.

My own dream is for a white on ash 57, scn, s1'd, clapton midboost with a on/off switch on the midboost pot, like the s1. When I either go crazy or win the lottery it will be mine, if its possible to wire.

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No no and no

where is the "build" button, i want to look into this.

wait, the cheapest custom guitar they offer is around $799, am I seeing that right? Not a fan of the headstock on the Strat type guitars.

SO now i totally agree with you, Fender make this happen! I want a Fender, not a Carvin!

I agree with your initial post. That would be very nice but I can see two issues that Fender might have with that.

One is Customshop, that they will probably loose a lot of business and their aparent "style".
The other is that, while car companies are marketing their businesses on inovations (I am not going to go in depth about how BS is that), Fender seems to be quite succesful of marketing their past to build future. The concept "build with options" while briliant, just does not seem to jive at the moment.


my 2c

No way you can get a Custom Shop guitar for $799!! That's not even a good down payment.

Mr Bill oh Mr Bill

This is the reason that I so do enjoy this forum.

You just blurt out "You are wrong"

You tell me that I have never talked to the custom shop and you have. You say its great if I like Carvin custom shop, but they can't build a Fender guitar. Very amusing sir. Did you actually read the post? I think that I was very clear about my love of Fender guitars. Although I also love ice cream, and you might not believe it, but I eat it in several different flavors made by several different companies.

I was going to list for you the available options from Carvin on only 1 of their models (the CT6) a Strat shaped carved top. I stopped only because there were 78 individual configuration options available, and this is for only 1 model.

There are 28 sub categories to choose from as well, but I wont list them either. When I finished my "mock" build, to the specs that I would have selected, Which included bridge selection, body and top wood selection, AAAA quilted maple, finished in multicolor Dragonburst, neck selection (including radius) headstock selection (including mother of pearl inlaid logo) fingerboard wood (including mother of pearl inlay) and stainless steel frets, pickup configuration (in dirty fingers), chrome hardware with matching control knobs, strap locks, my name engraved into the truss rod cover and a killer vintage tweed HSC. This with no tax charges and of course free shipping, had an estimated build time, delivered to my door in 4 to 6 weeks. TOTAL PRICE $1,858.00

So Mr Bill...treat yourself to a different flavor once in a while. Vanilla can still be your favorite. And the next time you talk to the Fender Custom Shop, let me know, I'll fax you over these specs and if they can make you an American Strat, with these options in 4 to 6 weeks, and deliver it to your door for $1,858.00 just keep it and I will pay the bill.

Noodles

i was talking about the Carvin @799

I know the fender custom shop guitar would be waaaay more. I do feel that the Fender Custom Shop guitars are overpriced and overyhyped from what I have seen. I think it would make sense for Fender to do this, the customers would be more happy and bring more business. No one that I know owns a Custom Shop guitar or can afford one to be honest.

DBR talking of overpriced and overhyped ask yourself a question. How many previous customshop instrument owners do you know that have got rid of their instrument and wont buy another cs piece? Everyone i know that owns one cant go back to productionline instruments. I think me and Fhop are a rarity amongst em. We cant ditch our productionline instruments of choice. Ok they dont have that je ne sais qua, but their pleasureable good instruments non the less.

You really dont get to know what you've paid that extra moolah for with customshop guitars till a couple of months into owning it. You cant judge em by playing one for a couple of hours in a shop. Those builders really are the cream of the crop. The only successful boutique builder i can think of that didnt come from their is James Tyler or that guy who does the metal bodied rustocasters. They really are a cut above.

Carvin have always made classy instruments, theres no knocking em. They are not competing with the CS. Simply offering a buy direct option with a choice of pickups. Much like the idea in Jromanov's OP.

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No no and no

I say to each his own. Getting on a Fender site and suggesting that they do like another guitar manufacture is neither here nor there, Buy what you like and from the company you like. I really want everyone to have the guitar of their choice but this conversation I doubt will change the CS operations. Buy and enjoy whatever!

I own Custom Shops and production line and like them all!

OK guys continue your conversation. I did not mean to interrupt. I just misunderstood what was said!

Niki

You are usually the voice of reason. And I do agree that anyone with a custom shop piece more than likely does still have it. About 10 years ago, the company that I had worked for 18 years was purchased by a very large company from Germany. I had a substantial position with them and survived the transition for about a year. They eventually brought in their own top dogs.

As the wonderful world of employment began to deteriorate, I was forced to sell off about a dozen pieces from my collection. This was more traumatic for me than the actual job situation. I promised myself that I would never do this again, no matter what happens.

I don't know which keeps me up at night more often...the thoughts of selling off those pieces, or the thoughts of buying new pieces. Being a guitar junkie is often as debilitating as it is rewarding.

I don't want to freak out any Ford guy's by telling you to test drive the Chevy, but if you get a moment to "mock" up a CT6 at Carvin's website, I think you will find the exercise entertaining.

Noodles

Niki

By the way...and I'm buy no means trying to stick up for Carvin in any way anyhow (hopefully that's very clear) But "a direct buy option with a choice of pickups" That's a little weak ... 78 individual options ... 28 subcategories all for just one model.

Now come on Niki...there's nothing wrong with giving credit where credit is due.

Noodles