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Are Fender Custom Shop Basses really worth it?

#61
Davo-London said:
Does no-one see the irony of this debate?
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Not meaning to be dense, just not quite sure I've caught the irony.

Davo-London said:
...ironically we like cheap guitars...Comparing them [CS] to pre-CBS instruments isn't a like for like comparison and so it's much more subjective...
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I take your point as "CS basses are hand-made, and thus are not cheap. Comparing them to pre-CBs instruments is not fruitful because those were factory made. Better to compare CS basses to other hand-made basses." Please correct me if I have missed the point. :cool:

I feel that because the CS bass I purchased is a replica of a pre-CBS instrument, it is reasonable to compare it to similar pre-CBS basses upon which it was patterned, despite differing production methods, materials, etc. You have probably seen the old factory tour videos. For those who have not, here is a good one:

 
#62
ukulelelab said:
A CS relic bass will never equal the real stuff. No matter how good the craftman/ sanding tool / large set of keys/ UV light/ CNC / urine and earth is used. Nothing can beat opening a case with the real thing
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And so it is written, “The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wise people so full of doubts.” —Bertrand Russell
 
#66
Ironic? In the sense that Fender manufacturing in the 50's would have started out as largely handmade instruments and progressively higher intensity manufacturing methods would have taken over. A lot of the early instruments would have been signed etc and there are hand-written notes and signatures on a number of basses. Fender has come full circle and is making hand-made instruments again but obviously at a cost. But instead of making new modern basses they are making retro basses and I find this ironic.

I know irony is saying one thing and meaning something else, but emphasising the handmade nature of CS production, whilst replicating 50's and 60's basses seems ironic to me.

Davo
 
#68
I don't own a Custom Shop instrument. It simply isn't in my budget. But over the past few years I've had the opportunity to play a few Custom Shop basses.

The first? That was the Pino Palladino signature Precision bass. Simply put, it was the most amazing P-Bass I've ever had the pleasure of playing. It played so well, it was as if the instrument WANTED to be played. Tonally it sounded beautiful. It was so good that it almost made me want to overlook the Fiesta Red finish. If I had the money at the time I would have been extremely tempted to take the plunge on the Pino CS bass.

More recently I was able to play one of the current CS production models. It was the 1961 Closet Classic Jazz Bass in black. It had the stack knobs which are something of an oddity for me since I've only ever played Jazz basses with the VVT configuration. But again, this bass just played so easily. The neck felt perfect in my left hand, and the tone was excellent. But at over $3K, again, it was out of my price range.

Simply put, each of these basses was probably the best example, in my experience, of a Precision bass and a Jazz bass. They both had a degree of playability that was hard to beat. And tonally they sounded beautiful.

The one thing I take from those particular demos? It has to do with the Custom Shop motto: "When You're Ready". Clearly, they know that the instruments they produce are not within the financial reach of everyone. But for those who have the means the Custom Shop can be a wonderful thing. For now, I have to find more value in an instrument.
 
#69
I've never owned a CS bass, but I have owned a Roadworn Jazz and a 1958 Precision. I currently own a 1962 Jazz and a Roadworn Precision. So I can compare the RW's with their vintage counterparts.

I paid $750 for the RW Jazz and in a blindfold test it would have been difficult to distinguish from the $5500 '62 in terms of weight, feel and sound.

I paid about $800 for the RW Precision and it was very close in sound and feel to the '58.

Given my experience, I wouldn't even bother to investigate the CS basses.
 
#70
I always have a bad gut-feeling about the CS instruments.

To me, it feels like 'While our regular American made instruments can have specific flaws, we try our best on the custom shop ones and if you want one of those, you have to spend serious cash'.



While other brands directly go 'this, as any other instrument we ever built, is as good as we can do, have fun'
 
#72
For me it's worth it, maybe for you it's not. I've had a custom shop '64 jazz as my main bass and have a different Fender custom shop on order currently. A Fender sounds like a Fender, not a Sadowsky or Lakland or whatever else there is at the price point, they sounds different - maybe to someone that different is better, but that's totally personal.
 
#73
Totally worth it. I went on a vintage pre-cbs hunt about 20 years ago, and it yielded nothing but dogs...... at least in the price range that I was working with...... My '08 CS '59 P is so nice, and plays so well. I wasted a lot of time and a lot of money prior to this bass.
 
#74
It's hard to put a finger on what makes people pull the trigger on a high ticket item.

I have a 65 that I got when I was a kid and it wasn't a vintage bass. It was an old used bass that no one else wanted.

I think my EBMM is a better bass.

But whipping out a high end bass does get a certain amount of respect. It can tell some that you're serious about playing.
 
#75
el murdoque said:
I always have a bad gut-feeling about the CS instruments.

To me, it feels like 'While our regular American made instruments can have specific flaws, we try our best on the custom shop ones and if you want one of those, you have to spend serious cash'.



While other brands directly go 'this, as any other instrument we ever built, is as good as we can do, have fun'
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Other brands don't have a customer base that will say "I want a bass built to the exact spec's of a bass Joe Bftsplk played on June 12, 1962". Though Ibanez did reissue the Musician a couple years ago. Know what they wanted for it? $10,000. And that is serious cash.
 
#77
I own 4 vintage fender jazzes....they range from poorly built to barely passable. Dont get me wrong, they are cool and I love them but really more from a history prospective than craftsmanship standpoint. None of these basses would make it out of sadowskys shop...or fender custom shop for that matter. If your into the history, the mojo, the coolness factor...buy a vintage fender. If you want a top notch built pro level instrument. ..buy a custom shop fender. If your REAL lucky your vintage fender might have enough truss rod action left to make the action actually playable and gig worthy.
 
#78
Davo-London said:
Ironic? In the sense that Fender manufacturing in the 50's would have started out as largely handmade instruments and progressively higher intensity manufacturing methods would have taken over. A lot of the early instruments would have been signed etc and there are hand-written notes and signatures on a number of basses. Fender has come full circle and is making hand-made instruments again but obviously at a cost. But instead of making new modern basses they are making retro basses and I find this ironic.

I know irony is saying one thing and meaning something else, but emphasising the handmade nature of CS production, whilst replicating 50's and 60's basses seems ironic to me.

Davo
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Irony is the right word in this case.


The difference is that 1950's Fender employees weren't fussing over just the right wood for bodies and necks. They didn't sign the neck pockets for pride's sake. They signed it for accountability in case the guitar was returned. 1950's Fender didn't have an ISO 9000 quality program in place.

Back in the 50's and 60's, lots of things were made using extensive hand labor. Didn't make those things better.
 
#80
The first production Jazz Bass was built in March 1960. In Fender’s summer price list that year, it was listed at $279.50 for a sunburst-finish model...
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In 2013 US dollars, that 1960 Jazz Bass is $2179.71 after inflation. So a CS team-built bass IS more expensive than a new one in 1960 by about 30%, assuming you can get out the door for $3200 USD. The problem is of course that a vintage 1960 Jazz can cost upwards of two to three times that. :cool:


Davo-London said:
Ironic? In the sense that Fender manufacturing in the 50's would have started out as largely handmade instruments and progressively higher intensity manufacturing methods would have taken over. A lot of the early instruments would have been signed etc and there are hand-written notes and signatures on a number of basses. Fender has come full circle and is making hand-made instruments again but obviously at a cost. But instead of making new modern basses they are making retro basses and I find this ironic.

I know irony is saying one thing and meaning something else, but emphasising the handmade nature of CS production, whilst replicating 50's and 60's basses seems ironic to me.

Davo
Click to expand...
 

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