+1, only you can decide what is better or worse. If you base your judgement or belief on what someone else tells you then that isn't always accurate. Sure there are some great Custom Shop guitars for $2000+. There are also guitars which you will like better for less. You could, with the rights body, neck parts and luthier, easily build a guitar that is better than a Custom Shop Strat for less than $1500.

So you have to decide for yourself what is better through lots of testing out different models from Custom Shop to Standards to partscasters.

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Blues with a feeling.

GUILD GUITARS: MADE TO BE PLAYED!

Tempting, but will I have to sell my house?

AND your car.

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Blues with a feeling.

GUILD GUITARS: MADE TO BE PLAYED!

After owning a 1999 Deluxe Fat Strat for 10 years and playing many great American Standards/etc, I can confirm that CS ROCKS! Although the other guitars I have owned/played were great, my Custom Shop 56 NOS is by FAR a huge improvement in feel, comfort, playability and tone. The tone is amazing. It's my dream come true. I am set. I no longer want any other guitar.

Nice Swart amp, they are super. Great reverb on them. They are made in my hometown.

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Blues with a feeling.

GUILD GUITARS: MADE TO BE PLAYED!

I've got 2 custom shops and a deluxe, can't see any build quality difference between the 3.

Gilmour custom shop - came with paint blemish behind bridge, noticeable only when looking with reflection, neck buzzes like a b*tch even after a fret job by a top luthier, the only thing that makes this the best is the pickups and vintage specs, build quality it is the worst CS I own, whammy bar wouldn't even screw in when it arrived, block wasn't drilled properly, nice quality control there!

Custom Classic - Just an average guitar, no better than a MIA Standard, I like the Mary Kaye-ish colour and lightly flamed neck but thats all cosmetics.

Deluxe - Has the best neck of them all, its so soft and nice to play, the rolled fingerboard edges are perfect, only thing is mine has a soft V and I prefer a slim C (gilmour), otherwise the deluxe is probably the best of all 3, I did replace the pickups with CS69s and a SSL5 though so not talking about SCNs here.

So from my experience you're paying for the label and some better components/wood, build quality is no better than the standard fender factory, no experience with Masterbuilds yet though..

And you are no doubt paying for the services of someone claiming to be a top luthier, that can't get rid of string buzz.

I'd rather pay for the label and then ask advice of those in the know as to where to get my guitar sorted. Or better still do it myself.

Don't know what you're reading mate, he never claimed anything, he was the recommendation from all musos, shops etc in the city.

im in the same dilemma when i shop for a strat ..

I have a 2004 american standard HSS i bought for 600 $ from my uncle . i putted some locking tuners and a Seymour duncan sh-6 humbucker . im mostly a punk rock /metal player . So i prefer humbucker sound

Yet im shopping a for another strat .. i dont know if i should go :

-Mexican hss and switched locking tuner and humbucker

-Am standard Hss and put lokcing tuenrs and new humbucker

-Am Deluxe HSS and switched only the humbucker

- Artist series ( clapton , Johnson , vaughn etc.. ) and switch the single coil for single coil humbucker .

- custom shop and switch the single coil to humbucker .

basically my question is : is an artist series better than am standard or am deluxe ???

i see clapton , johnson etc.. strat for 1100 $/ 1200 $ used everywhere . would it be a better buy than a new american standard for 1000 $ .

** even if i buy an artist .. i have to switch the pick up anyway cause i play metal , punk . in that case is it worth going for a high price guitar ???

ive been told that paying for an artist serie is always 10 % higher price than it worth .



or custom shop ?? would you go custom shop and modded it after ??

i love the strat feel and look .. but i need it modded to give them the sound i want .

Here's my take on it, and I have owned strats of all levels, from Squires right through to Custom Shop.

In each price bracket you stand a chance of finding an absolute killer guitar where the right piece of wood for the body has been paired with the right piece of wood for the neck and the pickups are just perfect for that combination and it's all gone together flawlessly. At the same time you always run the risk of getting a guitar that just doesn't feel quite right - nothing is specifically wrong with it, but something's just not right either.

With me so far?

As you move up the price brackets, 2 things happen - the quality of components improves and the level of workmanship improves.

In theory if you spent enough money you could have the perfect body with the perfect neck with the perfect pickups etc...

What's perfect? Well that depends entirely on the player and what they're looking for.

Can you find a Squire guitar that's perfect for you? Maybe.
Can you find a USA Standard guitar that perfect for you? Probably.
Can you find a CS guitar that's perfect for you? Almost certainly.

As price increases, so the tolerances decrease and the QC improves. There will always be bad guitars in any price range, but the chances of finding one decrease as price increases.

Basically - is a CS guitar worth the extra money? Only you can tell by trying the guitar. If it's not right for you then the answer is no. There's no point owning a really expensive guitar that you don't like. Just as there's no shame in having a cheap guitar that's your #1.

The best strat I ever owned was a parts-o-caster built from the body and neck of a MIM Roadworn 60's Strat with USA hardware and pickups in it.

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How did it sound to you?

Bang on... This advice should be taken when shopping.

It's really is a great amp. Swart's a great company too- the best customer service I have ever dealt with. Between it, my DRRI and my '56 NOS I really don't desire any more gear. ...Well, I'll always long for a masterbuilt.

There is millions of Custom Shop Stratocasters.
I'm Telecaster-crazy myself, BUT there is one type of a stratocaster, that is something, that i would loooove to have. It maybe doesn't even excist, but it's a red sunburst stratocaster, with chrome parts, white pickups, and pickguard, and rosewood fretboard. That is something i would love to play... Just a shame they don't make such a thing.
Fender Squier Standard Strat MN AB is something that looks a bit like it, but not so much. that has wrong fretboard and pickguard.

As an owner of one MIA Deluxe and two Custom Shop Strat ('57 and '60)

I am telling you the extra money is definitely worth it

They have both been monster guitars right out of the case, whereas the MIA took some time to get it right.

Do it ... the Time Machine series is where you should start

juicefan11

Have you looked at the Custom Shop Deluxe in aged Cherry Sunburst ??

To have a Custom Shop or not will be a long debated subject since the correct answer is each and everyone's answer

I'm rebuilding 2 stratopartsters which will raise the tally to 4. One CS 56 NOS, one morphed MIM (from Player Deluxe to Deluxe Me) and the two stratoparts ?? One SSS, the other HSS and both stripped, recontoured as well as resanded then paint and reassembly with completely different parts.

The question also is can you for yourself build a Custom Shop quality strat, by that I mean no flaws, from stock and various parts, plus all the routering, measuring and drilling, painting etc...etc... and keep the time as well as the cost lower than a CS ??



When this photo was taken, a month back, the middle strat is just for visual ideas, much different in it's final reincarnation, of course this was just before the Forum's revamping and the addition of Guitar Builder

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