Custom shop vs Custom select

[Temple of Doom]

Roughly, I know it's different per case, but what are the build times for actual custom shop vs cs select? And is the actual custom shop builds a lot more expensive?

[neilli]

They're not accepting 'custom shop' (Master Built) orders at the moment, so Custom Select is the only option right now. Build time is about a year in my experience, maybe a bit less.

MB builds are a 1500 charge on top of the base price, plus the cost of the option you want (so if you wanted a Hanneman type Soloist, you'd start with a $3673 Soloist base model, add the $1500 MB charge, and then add the cost of the kahler which might be $500, and you're at $5673 list price. Which you'd then get a street price discount on which will vary on the store and your relationship with them).

[xenophobe]

Masterbuilds were hitting delivery times of roughly 2-1/2 - 3 1/2 years on average. Right now they're trying to clear the back log, I assume. There are also rumors of restructuring or reorganizing workflows.

[PowerTube]

This is the very reason I switched to Carvin/Kiesel three years ago. An absolute ceiling of $3000.00 will get me anything I could possibly ever want and delivered within two months. And if there's any problem whatsoever, back she goes for a full refund, no questions asked.

[z1n]

The selects are much faster build times but not master built. Whomever is building the USA models I believe builds the CSS as well. Ive had 2 CSS and average was 5 months

[x_zac10]

This is the very reason I switched to Carvin/Kiesel three years ago. An absolute ceiling of $3000.00 will get me anything I could possibly ever want and delivered within two months. And if there's any problem whatsoever, back she goes for a full refund, no questions asked.

That sounds great, other than ending up with a Kiesel rather than a Jackson.

[shreddermon]

Yeah, I'm hearing custom select orders are taking longer now, closer to a year.

[Axewielder]

So does this mean they are a bit more permissive with custom select requests at the moment? I just want a 22 fret King V dammit.

[shreddermon]

Nope, just the opposite.

[PowerTube]

That sounds great, other than ending up with a Kiesel rather than a Jackson.

Don't knock it until you've tried it. I'm a Jackson fan of a few decades. I currently own two USA Soloists, three imports, and I've had three other USA models in the past. I'm not in any way discouraging anyone from buying Jackson.

But when the topic of the Custom Shop comes up..... I was just pointing out that, for a LOT less money, and a MUCH shorter wait time, you can own a USA-made guitar of very high quality without the 3-year wait and the $5000.00+ price tag. Plus, there's a 10-day "No Questions Asked" return policy.

This cost me less than $1900.00 delivered and it arrived in about eight weeks. It has:

Neck-through construction
Original Floyd with locking nut
Alder body
Quilted Maple top
Birdseye Maple fretboard
Abalone inlays
Direct-mounted pickups
Coil-splitting bridge pickup.
24 Stainless Steel frets
Factory locking hardshell case

[Temple of Doom]

The selects are much faster build times but not master built. Whomever is building the USA models I believe builds the CSS as well. Ive had 2 CSS and average was 5 months

When was the last time you ordered a CSS?

[ed]

I asked for a CSS dinky in february and the price tag was 4k euros and wait time 12 months.

Oh and i have a Carvin custom too it was 2700 euros and the build time was about 3 months but that was in 2014. I have nothing else bad to say about the Carvin except that it developed some sharp fret ends like i have seen on mexico made Charvels and fenders do.

Also i have to add that the resale value on Carvins is pretty bad compared to Jacksons.

[PowerTube]

Also i have to add that the resale value on Carvins is pretty bad compared to Jacksons.

I have no axe to grind and no product to promote, but you might want to rethink that:

https://www.guitarcenter.com/Used/Jackson/2013-SL1-Soloist-Solid-Body-Electric-Guitar.gc

https://www.guitarcenter.com/Used/Carvin/V220-Solid-Body-Electric-Guitar-114555923.gc

I won't argue that, generally speaking, Jackson has a somewhat higher resale than Carvin/Kiesel. The Jackson Custom Shop models in particular can bring a huge price. A lot of that is the simple fact that every Carvin/Kiesel is a one-off custom. Not only does that leave little basis for comparison, but the options chosen by the original owner might not be to the taste of everyone.

But again, I still love Jackson and I would also love to someday have a Custom Shop model. But for now, my patience can't handle a 2-3 year wait time.

[Luca1973]

But again, I still love Jackson and I would also love to someday have a Custom Shop model. But for now, my patience can't handle a 2-3 year wait time.

Quote!

In my opinion, a year on average for a Custom Select and 2 (or more) years for a MB are both ridiculous waiting times.

We're not talking about violins, cellos or classical guitars, and even for those the waiting times are most of the time shorter.

How many employees does J/C have??
I'd suggest to hire more staff if they have so much work.

[PowerTube]

Quote!

In my opinion, a year on average for a Custom Select and 2 (or more) years for a MB are both ridiculous waiting times.

We're not talking about violins, cellos or classical guitars, and even for those the waiting times are most of the time shorter.

How many employees does J/C have??
I'd suggest to hire more staff if they have so much work.

Yep. Another thing is that I can be a bit fickle in what I want, like most guitarists. By the time a CS guitar finally gets to me, I may not be lusting after it like I was when I first ordered it.

I drove this point into the ground a few years ago and I hate to bring it up again, but one thing that always chapped me was that I wanted one thing: basically a stock SL2H with a maple fretboard on a Limited Run. You know what I was told? That it's a "woodworking change" and I would have to go full Custom Shop. Really???? They need a different saw to cut maple as opposed to cutting ebony? Maybe there's something I don't understand, but I thought that was the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. I wasn't asking for a different body shape or a different neck thickness. No, I just wanted them to cut and install a piece of maple instead of ebony.

That's what pushed me toward Carvin/Kiesel. I could get Birdseye Maple, Flamed Maple, "regular" Maple, Ebony, Rosewood, etc....

My third and final build with them is very Jackson-esque. My camera sucks and doesn't begin to do this thing justice.