US shops with Custom Shops

[darrellm]

Hi all

Here in the UK, custom shop Charvels are really hard to get: we had one dealer speculating by getting some in a few years ago, but now they have zero stock. I have one of the US pro-mods but really want a custom shop.

I have a friend in the USA who is moving back to the UK next year, so I thought I might get him to get me one, if I can find the right one. So I have a few questions for you US guys.

• I came across CMC guitars who seem to have quite a few in stock: are they a good shop to buy from? http://www.cmcguitars.com/brands/Cha...sort=pricedesc
• Prices seem to be around $3000-4000, is that about right? Do US shops haggle or is the ticket price the one you pay?
• Any other shops recommended?
• I will be buying blind so I need a shop I can trust.

Thanks.

[CaptNasty]

CMC is a Charvel/Jackson custom shop dealer. So they are reputable. I have never bought there, so do not know how they are to do business with.

$3-4,000 is about right... for a brand new Custom Select. It is high for a Select and unrealistic for any Masterbuilt. A guitar bearing the “custom shop” badge can be a Custom Select or a Masterbuilt, two very different levels of quality. In person you may be able to haggle. In the US some shops do, others will not.

I have numerous custom shop guitars that I commissioned from Jackson.

On your last two questions, I will say this: in my opinion the magic of a custom shop guitar is when you spec out a guitar that has all of the options you want. No compromises. Off the shelf “custom shop” instruments strike me as vanity pieces. YMMV.

You have to know what you like in a guitar: neck finish, carve, thickness, and width in particular. Fret material and size. Action and setup. Bridge type, mounting method, and setup. Control placement. Just name a few of the decisions you get to make an a custom ordered instrument. Knowing what decisions to make to create a guitar that is ideal specifically for you is where the magic of “custom shops” lie.

Since you say your friend is moving within a year, you will not be able to get a custom ordered guitar built in that time frame. So I am guessing you want an “off the shelf” “custom shop”. To me that is the antithesis of the value proposition of a custom shop guitar. Again YMMV.

Buying a custom shop guitar that someone else spec’d out is effectively buying a production guitar at a premium. It may have unique features and bells/whistles but you are taking the same risk of buying any guitar sight unseen. Be it a production or custom spec’d instrument, you may get the instrument and find that you do not get on with it.

Also, right now the “custom shop” guitars coming out of Charvel/Jackson are Custom Selects, not Masterbuilt. They are basically just customized Selects... as the name implies. Custom Selects are produced by the same people using the same processes and the same materials that are used to make a Select. If you are not familiar with the difference between a Select, Custom Select, and a Masterbuilt you should educate yourself before proceeding. Not all guitars bearing the “custom shop” badge are created equal.

The notion of the “Custom Shop” as a higher tier of quality just does not hold true as the vast majority of guitars coming out of the Custom Shop are Select level instruments. The very few Masterbuilts (Ups the quality, but still risky as an off the shelf purchase) that are produced would run in the $7-9,000 range new and $4-6,500 used..

[darrellm]

On your last two questions, I will say this: in my opinion the magic of a custom shop guitar is when you spec out a guitar that has all of the options you want. No compromises. Off the shelf “custom shop” instruments strike me as vanity pieces. YMMV.

I know where you're coming from, but I guess I don't know enough about the various options, nor what I like to be confident enough to spec a true Custom Shop build. Was playing Les Pauls last night, I have a 60s neck on mine, my mate has just got an R8 and handed it to me saying "you won't like this" but I did: if I had to choose between the two I don't know which I'd pick. Maybe I'm just indecisive.

Thanks for all the info, lots to think about. As I said, I've got a US ProMod but I'd like something with a nice figured top rather than painted, and chrome hardware rather than black, and maybe a rosewood fingerboard rather than straight maple.

[CaptNasty]

I know where you're coming from, but I guess I don't know enough about the various options, nor what I like to be confident enough to spec a true Custom Shop build. Was playing Les Pauls last night, I have a 60s neck on mine, my mate has just got an R8 and handed it to me saying "you won't like this" but I did: if I had to choose between the two I don't know which I'd pick. Maybe I'm just indecisive.

Thanks for all the info, lots to think about. As I said, I've got a US ProMod but I'd like something with a nice figured top rather than painted, and chrome hardware rather than black, and maybe a rosewood fingerboard rather than straight maple.

If you don’t mind paying a premium, a custom select will be a nice guitar for sure. You could save $400-500 by going with a Select. Still a US made instrument. Same level of quality. Just as nice.

Though it does seem a lot of retailers are getting the custom shop badge as a way to increase their take on a sale.

Even if you do not want to do a custom order, you should probably think through a couple basic preferences:

Neck: do you like them thicker or thinner?

Pickups: HH, HS, HSS, SSS?

Bridge: tremolo or fixed? If tremolo, Floyd, Gotoh, or VTrem?

I think whether you buy off the shelf or custom order, those questions are pertinent.

[darrellm]

If you don’t mind paying a premium, a custom select will be a nice guitar for sure. You could save $400-500 by going with a Select. Still a US made instrument. Same level of quality. Just as nice.
.

Good point, thanks, that DK24 HSS looks nice in Autumn Glow, don't really need a middle pickup altho it was useful on my old Model 4.