I have seen CS going for 1500$ on ebay AV's going for 800$ or less i actually saw one sell for 650$+SH yesterday and i saw a fullerton era P sell for 1600$ yesterday , good times to buy.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Why Do Fender Custom Shops sounds so good?
- Thread starter CDweller
- Start date
I'm not saying they are pulled from the same bin as AV or AS bins. Ofcourse they are of a better,much different stock. That's why I say, "determined to be of CS quality". Quarter sawn is a whole different ball game for sure. Not something you'd see on AV or AS.
My point was more toward, I can't see a CS assembler/luthier farting around trying out 10-20 differet neck and body combinations together before they finally settle on what they think is the best combo. Certainly not while building Time Machine run basses. They are great basses. Nothing against them. But that's a lot of time for a somewhat multy run bass.
If that is the case, does anyone really wonder why Sadowski and the rest do such great business? If I am paying 3 grand for a bass (or more) that sucker better have everything I want, the way I want it. In that ballpark I am not going to "settle" for anything. While I agree the CS and the Master Built basses are far superior to the production lines, one should be able to get what they want. I am unsure of the Master built though, don't they do what you want in the options, color you want?
"Finance Now for $600/mo."
What?! for some people, that's a car payment!
Erm, that is more than my house payment! If I was making my living as a bassist I would not spend that on a bass! To each their own though.
What about the "custom classic" basses that were around recently, were those also made by the Fender custom shop people who make the $5000 ones?
If so, what's the difference?
If so, what's the difference?
I am familiar with the concept, but that's not the case here. I know vintage Fender basses, and I know tone. My current CS was not expensive- I bought it for less than $1700 off of ebay, which is not a lot of money, in my book, for a good bass.
It sounds good, plays easily, and fills a crowded bar room with great bass. It has a significant tonal variation depending on what pickup and tone control selection one chooses.
It's head and shoulders above a standard Fender production Jazz. I also prefer it to my early '65 Jazz. Of course, there was significant variation among the early Fenders, and they were not all fantastic basses.
When I bought the Lake Placid Blue Jazz I mentioned, there were two other CS Jazzes at the shop displayed along with it. They were all good, clearly better than the production models. Yet as it is with all musical instruments, there were significant differences between the three CS basses. The LPB CS was better than the other two.
My buddy has an SX bass which compares favorably in all respects to my CS. Dang it, and there goes your placebo effect. I also don't doubt that once in a while, the stars will align and a production Jazz will roll off the line weighing less than 8.5 lbs. and sounding like butter. Rarely.
They sound great because they are made with the same detail as old Fender back in the day.
If you make a few hundred CS Basses a year, the QC is much better.
Thats, why Lakland USA, Sadowsky USA, Coppolo, Basses are of such high quality.
A few made right, are better than a lot made poorly.
CC's are made by the Custom Shop as basically a Greatest Hits bass that were produced without specific CS orders. Limited quantity, highest quality. Special colors (mine is Aged Cherry Burst), slimmer waist, deeper cut-aways, different electronics than the Deluxes, one-piece alder body. Solid, ringing, beautiful tone, very versatile. Feels wonderful, perfectly balanced, plays like silk. I can make it sound like just about anything. Blocks, no binding, rolled edges. A work of art. I continue to be very impressed.
One of my favorite things (and probably the least important) is how the paint job reacts to colored stage lights. The yellow and red change or disappear altogether as the colors change. One moment it looks like a classic 3-color SB, other times like a blue-busrt, other times like a transparent natural finish, sometimes like Antiqua. Totally unexpected and I didn't notice till watching a video of it, but dang it's beautiful!
- Aug 21, 2008
- 1,168
- 33
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist : Fodera Guitars , Harvest fine leather bags & straps
as a Lefty who just don't want to accept to go with the only choice (an american standart in sunburst, alder body and a rosewoodneck) I had to order in the CS.
I got a 57 P (team built) and a 66 J (Master Built by Dennis Galuszka) and they turned out so nice.
The 66 J is full of life, tone and punch. The finish (closet classic) was done prefectly 1+++.
I also have a 78' J and it's the perfect partner for the two CS babys.
I'm happy
I got a 57 P (team built) and a 66 J (Master Built by Dennis Galuszka) and they turned out so nice.
The 66 J is full of life, tone and punch. The finish (closet classic) was done prefectly 1+++.
I also have a 78' J and it's the perfect partner for the two CS babys.
I'm happy
as a Lefty who just don't want to accept to go with the only choice (an american standart in sunburst, alder body and a rosewoodneck) I had to order in the CS.
I got a 57 P (team built) and a 66 J (Master Built by Dennis Galuszka) and they turned out so nice.
The 66 J is full of life, tone and punch. The finish (closet classic) was done prefectly 1+++.
I also have a 78' J and it's the perfect partner for the two CS babys.
I'm happy
Sehr teuer, dennoch sehr gut.
- Aug 21, 2008
- 1,168
- 33
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist : Fodera Guitars , Harvest fine leather bags & straps
aber durch den Paarpreis viel günstiger
or :
because I have ordered them as a pair and got a great deal from my CS dealer both basses tunred out a lot cheaper as if I would have ordered them seperately
I came across this thread as I am getting ready to practice some charts as I now play in a big band.I started in 1976 on a 1974 Fender bass that my parents paid $300 for brand new.The eighties came along and I started to get into jazz and listening to "Return to Forever", "Weather Report" etc..while still keeping my Marshall Tucker, Rush, Grand Funk albums.I was in a music store located in Memphis when in a stand I spotted an Alembic.At the time Alembic basses were the shizzle. (can't believe I just typed that) Stanley Clarke played one and they went for what seemed like the price of a car.I was freaking out when the salesman let me try it thinking this is the greatest thing to ever happen. Guess what, it was the worse sounding and playing bass I ever tried. Lesson learned.I still play a Fender jazz, a custom shop '64 for the last seven years in my favorite LPB. It works for me and you know the saying "if it's not broken, don't fix it.
