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When mere words fail...Fender Custom Shop

Two overpriced slab body basses with what looks like a 70s era Minwax “hippy refinish.”

Seems like a lame attempt to do a riff in Healdsburg Guitar’s The Tree: The Four Elements series of their $100K instruments Their whole marketing strategy revolves around the story about the tree they’re using for the wood plus a whole lot of mystical mumbo ad copy.
Recently relisted.
Even Geddy Lee won't buy it!
The Tree: The Four Elements - The Element Earth Acoustic Bass
Price$999,991

$700 s&h.
 
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Scrap wood from the Skreets!
11eb3612b6f749d48d7870d845c8667c.jpg


:)
 
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Step right up folks….you too can get a salvaged tree bass guitar ripped from their roots during storms….that’s right…step right up you may even be one of the lucky ones and receive one of the diseased trees or just maybe one that rotted away from natural deterioration…
how about one made from a homeless persons makeshift shack just recently demolished by the cities bureaucrats….
Only $12,000 everyone’s a winner!!!
Now who’s gonna spin the wheel??? :)


:)
 
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27704593[/URL], member: 201831"]Recently relisted.
Even Geddy Lee won't buy it!
The Tree: The Four Elements - The Element Earth Acoustic Bass
Price$999,991

$700 s&h.

At least that bass displays a ton more luthier’s craft than those two basses. But I always had a problem with what Fender calls it's custom shop. It can actually more properly be considered detailing or customizing rather than actual custom work. Taking an existing product and blinging it out (and maybe doing an actual set up on it for a change) is just another mod - no matter how upscale it is AFAIC. But that's me.

In this age of CNC technology and factory automation, I don't think you should need to pay exorbitant prices in order to get anarguably simple enough instrument built right. I watched a fairly recent video touring Fender’s USA factory. And I was surprised how behind the times they were. And the thing they were being the most hush-hush and apparently proud about was the area where they did their “road worn” finishing. Seriously Fender? That's your big thing these days?
 
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At least that bass displays a ton more luthier’s craft than those two basses. But I always had a problem with what Fender calls it's custom shop. It can actually more properly be considered detailing or customizing rather than actual custom work. Taking an existing product and blinging it out (and maybe doing an actual set up on it for a change) is just another mod - no matter how upscale it is AFAIC. But that's me.

In this age of CNC technology and factory automation, I don't think you should need to pay exorbitant prices in order to get anarguably simple enough instrument built right. I watched a fairly recent video touring Fender’s USA factory. And I was surprised how behind the times they were. And the thing they were being the most hush-hush and apparently proud about was the area where they did their “road worn” finishing. Seriously Fender? That's your big thing these days?
People will buy anything. Businesses would be remiss to take advantage of their customers this way :)
 
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