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When mere words fail...Fender Custom Shop

One of a kind, every bit of wood on this thing is roasted, it's a 5 string, it has one pickup, and it didn't cost anywhere near 12K to build. Oh, and it's 7.04 pounds and balances beautifully.

I'm sure Fender will find someone with a high enough ratio of money to common sense to buy their bass, but it won't be me.

View attachment 5152914


Holy sheet!

That is gorgeous! Is it Warmoth?
 
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27713024[/URL], member: 133287"]Ah, ok. I wasn't sure when I saw the "W" on the headstock if you meant you built it or not. It's a wonderful job, that's for sure.

I “built” it in the same sense that a builder in Fender’s Custom Shop would - starting with a CNC neck and body, and doing all the remaining work myself. If your definition of “building” starts with raw lumber, then I didn’t “build” it.
 
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Was there a point to this post other than to vent your spleen? I mean, who cares what the Fender Custom Shop is charging for something you didn't have any interest in buying in the first place?

Because we don’t love how Fender encourages the growth a of non-sensical, non-musician marketplace.

They are trying to build an upper tier of desire for instruments that have no root in playing or enjoying music in any meaningful way. Just bullet points of collectible phrases and pricing them in ways to test and push the market. They want new basses, that they can make and sell, that have the desirability of vintage instruments, and it’s just transparent as fûck.

They chase the low end of first timer buyers, and they chase this high end “to the stars” market, and the middle class instruments languish and/or disappear.
 
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Because we don’t love how Fender encourages the growth a of non-sensical, non-musician marketplace.

They are trying to build an upper tier of desire for instruments that have no root in playing or enjoying music in any meaningful way. Just bullet points of collectible phrases and pricing them in ways to test and push the market. They want new basses, that they can make and sell, that have the desirability of vintage instruments, and it’s just transparent as fûck.

They chase the low end of first timer buyers, and they chase this high end “to the stars” market, and the middle class instruments languish and/or disappear.
I agree. More at stake here in a cultural sense than just “what the market will bear”.
 
...or, build your own. If not, you could go to the original wood recycler Rick Kelly of Carmine Street Guitars and get a build for a fraction of the cost and get pine from 300+ year old trees that were once buildings from the Bowery in NYC.

Rick Kelly - Custom Guitars - NYC

No affiliation.

Kelly 52’ P Bass 2009 Natural | Reverb

Rick Kelly (Carmine Street Guitars) P bass ”Trinity Church” pine skimtop | Reverb
The Kelly ‘52 does cost as a Fender CS .. uh .. wot’s the deal here ?
The old pine wood? Is that good?
 
Pine is what Leo Fender used to make the first Fenders. 300+ year old pine should be pretty resonate and light weight and make for a pretty "live" sounding bass/guitar.
Allow me to say “bah” .. 300+, 1000+ years old pine or whatever other wood species is another hype being born ..
It’s like in Italy in the case of the so-called gourmet cuisine; the potatoes of Narni, the carrots of Terni .. bah .. they’re the same potatoes and carrots I can grow in my garden.
Fender started his business with the aim of producing fine instruments at an industrial or semi-industrial level at affordable prices for the masses.
The CS hasn’t redesigned anything and the same applies to Mr. Kelly or to all other so-called boutique FSO manufacturers including Olinto and the guy with the Italian surname now I can’t recall (I’m aging).
I’m fine with my ROTM Fenders but anybody is free to buy whatever with his/her own money; there will be no winners nor losers here I guess.

Note:

What about the price of new Music Man Stingrays then? :eek:
 
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So tonewood is real? Please let me get the popcorn ready before answering.

Nay, I don't bother engaging with hostile members. I don't have a dog in the race over tonewood or tone not. That's something you obviously have more of a chip on your shoulder over than I. I'm just relaying what Kelly uses for making his guitars and basses.

I do believe a 300 year old piece of wood that has cured that long will be more resonate than a newly cut tree. I don't think it's debatable. Believe what you like.
 
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Allow me to say “bah” .. 300+, 1000+ years old pine or whatever other wood species is another hype being born ..
It’s like in Italy in the case of the so-called gourmet cuisine; the potatoes of Narni, the carrots of Terni .. bah .. they’re the same potatoes and carrots I can grow in my garden.
Fender started his business with the aim of producing fine instruments at an industrial or semi-industrial level at affordable prices for the masses.
The CS hasn’t redesigned anything and the same applies to Mr. Kelly or to all other so-called boutique FSO manufacturers including Olinto and the guy with the Italian surname now I can’t recall (I’m aging).
I’m fine with my ROTM Fenders but anybody is free to buy whatever with his/her own money; there will be no winners nor losers here I guess.

Note:

What about the price of new Music Man Stingrays then? :eek:

What are you talking about potatoes and carrots for? You lost me there. If you don't think a 300+ year old piece of pine will sound more resonant than a green tree, don't buy it. Simple as that. :)

Whether the FCS has redesigned anything or not is of no concern to me one way or another. If I don't like their products or prices, I simply don't buy them. That being said, they're a manufacturer and they are free to make what they like as long as there is a market for it. Whether anyone agrees with that or not it is irrelevant.

I have not looked at Music Man basses as they are not my cup of tea. But have you looked at the price of a Fender American Professional II Precision bass lately? It's now $3199.00 US.