Anyone have an opinion on how, for example, the Eric Johnson Strat compares to some of the Custom Shop offerings? Build quality, parts, wood, frets, machining, pickups, etc. Are the custom shop strats better built?

Theres no comparison between the two lines. Signature guitars are just productionline run of the mill, Customshop are handbuilt things of much better quality. Wood choice, fit and finish are all superior.

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No no and no

I would agree 100%.

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"Epitaph on a blues musician’s tombstone: “I didn’t wake up this morning”" Davy Knowles


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as usual i have no educated answer. what i do want to say is that it seems like EVERYONE these days has a signature model. i read guitar mags sometimes and there's some 18 year old shredder with his own sig guitar.
if i could afford it, i'd get a customshop. no doubt.

As much as I like my SRV, I have to agree.The custom shop uses premier woods and are hand built.The Artist series are a bit above the American Standards in quality ,but you can get some of the CS guitars for about what a new SRV costs.To me the important thing is finding a guitar with the specs that suit you best.The Artist guitars offer specs that arent found on other guitars,same with the custom shop.It all depends on what you are looking for and what you can afford.

yes, if i had money i would go to custom shop...

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Jingle Maker / Music Composer http://www.adryans.multiply.com

^That's pretty funny! The Fender Custom wood elves at work. I'd love to try out a Custom Deluxe Strat although they don't have the color I want: Candy Apple Red. They have Dakota and Fiesta but no Candy!!

So I guess the whole notion of them growing their own trees is a false one ,huh? As pricey as the Artists guitars are ,you can get a Custom Shop for about 100 bills more .If you buy an EJ strat, about the same or maybe a little cheaper.If both were specs that I liked ,it would be a no brainer.Custom shop all the way.

Custom Classic, no tooling holes at all anywhere.

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No no and no

In my personal experience if it wasn't for the logo I would have never known it was a Custom Shop.

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Tune Low, Play Hard & Floor it!

Niki,some people dont buy the Signature guitar for the name, some because they like the specs and they arent available anywhere else on the product line. When I player baseball , I didnt buy a Tom Seaver glove because I wanted to be like Tom Seaver,but it was the most comfortable,besides I played left field.

You are absolutely right.Truth be told, my least favorite of my guitars is my 08 MIA Standard.I dont care for the modern C neck.I like everything else about it.I found the SRV neck with the shape ,tall frets and 12" radius to my liking .I dig the Texas Specials,but it wasnt the deal sealer.Like I said , in the Artist series ,you find guitars with specs you wont find anywhere else,maybe custom shop.

I agree with you both in a lot of respects. I'm absolutely no gear snob. Look at this, my absolute favourite. Everyone else thinks it's a POS. I however love it and favour it over any other guitar I own or have ever played.



Cost me £200 fifteen years ago. I dont think you could even buy a Squier for that much then.

As for Customshop instruments there is a very real difference between them and regular productionline guitars. Anyone who tries to tell you otherwise is a gearsnob that wont pay out, simply the antithesis of the gear snob who will only pay big bucks. Thats their choice. It's like that ancient and boring MIM/MIA topic and it's old. You cant buy a BMW for the cost of a Mini. Despite them both being made by the same people. People like their guitars, wherever they are made. You'll never catch me vehemently arguing against their choice. Except one time when I shot my mouth off to one particularly annoying individual and said something just to wind him up.
I'm honestly not like that. I get enjoyment from the most crappiest of instruments. Hence this woolworths thing from the 70's I decided to shim the neckpocket 3/8's" just to get it playable against the bodywarp.

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No no and no

WHAT? Oh crap - tell me you're kidding?

So they're not made by elves... This is the worst news I've heard for such a long time. The scales have fallen from my eyes and it has ruined my day.

Thank you. Thank you very much.

Well. I'm off to Hobgoblin Guitars. I know for sure there's some guitars made by elves there...

http://www.hobgoblin.com/

Cheers - C

Uh-huh? Try Avalon Guitars in Northern Ireland. They're made by elves, trolls, pixies - pretty much all of the Little People:

http://www.avalonguitars.com/index.php

'Course, you've gotta have pointy ears to really appreciate the tone of the Celtic Twilight in those instruments. To mere mortals they just sound like... guitars.

- C