Wow...Jackson Shannon Rhoads LTD Custom

[Jim Shine]

Re: Wow...Jackson Shannon Rhoads LTD Custom

Masterbuilt guitars have ONE guy building the whole guitar. Highly custom pieces have to be Masterbuilt, there is no other way. The next level is team built where a group of people build your guitar. These guitars are made with existing specs. You cannot have a full blown custom guitar built on the team level.

[Genebaby]

Re: Wow...Jackson Shannon Rhoads LTD Custom

I dig the concept Jim, but it shouldn't matter how a "custom shop" builds a guitar you order. If one guy needs to do it all, or a bunch of guys, it's still a custom guitar from a custom shop. Jackson have been building highly customised guitars since the beginning, from almost standard spec guitars with a few changes to whatever body shape you can dream up, they didn't need to be "master built", they were just "built" at the custom shop.

Who is to say the "master builders" are the best qualified to make a highly customised guitar? If it's such a weird ass shape and feature list, nobody is better than the other if they are all good guitar builders and know what they are doing. Just send it to the custom shop of your choice and let them worry about how it's made, that's their job. Saying you are a custom shop and then telling a customer his guitar is "too" custom and will cost you extra is a bit much. I know the Fender and Gibson crowd are willing to shell out for that, but they are also willing to pay crazy prices on their stuff, I hope C/J doesn't go the same way, but it looks like Fender could be preparing us for the same kind of thinking. In 10 years time we may see the advent of the $1000 "original old school, can't get it no more" JT6 trem. Buy it to complete your Jackson that had an OFR put on, and get some $2000 J50/J80 pickups to complete that sucker.....hmmm.....

[Metalcop]

Re: Wow...Jackson Shannon Rhoads LTD Custom

I like the idea. Don't know if I would pay $550 more for it, but it is a novel concept, that has worked well for Fender. Just for comparison, Jackson did sell around 160 something Soloists for more $$$ than the comparable SL1, because they were built to MS's specs and he signed them. The thing that is not a given is that a Master Built guitar is going to be better than a production or team built guitar. Just having a single person in charge of everything does ensure a much tighter quality control IMO. If Mike Shannon master builds guitars like this with San Dimas era specs, I will be on the purchasing list!

[xenophobe]

Re: Wow...Jackson Shannon Rhoads LTD Custom

You can have him build it, but yeah, you'll have to spend the cash. Personally, I don't like the neck specs that Mike Shannon would want, well save for binding over frets, so NOT paying him to have the regular crew build it is fine in my book.

I respect him as a builder, and obviously FMIC did too, to send him back to a newly aquired Jackson was a smart move, and I think on many levels, the way Fender has treated Jackson has shown in an increase in overall quality.

[RacerX]

Re: Wow...Jackson Shannon Rhoads LTD Custom

[ QUOTE ]
Yeah, an "expidite order" fee [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

Don't laugh....I hear tell Mike S. does just that...but only for his friends.

[xenophobe]

Re: Wow...Jackson Shannon Rhoads LTD Custom

Yeah, but they probably don't have to pay extra.

[model1]

Re: Wow...Jackson Shannon Rhoads LTD Custom

while we are at it...
just a little question
(maybe i´m a dummy but i´m here to learn) [img]/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img]
one of the significant shannon specs (shannon soloist) is the angled neck, right?
so my question is:
is there sth like a "Shannon Rhoads", with that angled neck in production(rr1t perhaps)? [img]/images/graemlins/scratchhead.gif[/img]
otherwise that would be really a thing i would spend CS-money for
i have to have a rhoads with angled neck topmounted floyd, someday [img]/images/graemlins/headbang.gif[/img]
andy

[xenophobe]

Re: Wow...Jackson Shannon Rhoads LTD Custom

Not specifically angled neck. Non-recessed if it's a Floyd. I like that. I don't care about the fat necks though.

All non-recessed Floyds and TOM briges have angled necks.

[LarryL]

Re: Wow...Jackson Shannon Rhoads LTD Custom

Personally I could care less about a Masterbuilt Fender Strat. When it comes to C/J's Mike is the franchise to me. He's been there forever, helped build stuff for RR, is the guy they send to deal with EVH on the striped guitars, and basically designed all the classic Jacksons like the Soloist and Kelly.

I've had pretty much every Jackson that I could care about and have no interest in a post 1985 model let alone a new Custom Shop guitar built by someone that's been there a year or two. I'll pick one up on Ebay or have GMW customize one for me thank you. A guitar built entirely by Mike to my liking would be worth a significant upcharge to me.

The Masterbuilt program is quite successful at Fender and eventually I think it could be at C/J. I think for now most C/J buyers just want a good playing guitar as cheap as possible. If they did a Masterbuilt thing (properly) there is little downside. Like the PRS Private Stock program you just ignore it if it's not for you.

[peedenmark7]

Re: Wow...Jackson Shannon Rhoads LTD Custom

I agree with a little bit of what everyone is saying here...
but does anyone here think the san dimas stuff that eyeryone grovels for was master built ? hardly....
lots of hands were on each guitar back in the day...
what was wrong with the custom shop method back then ?.....
This is simply fender at its best...finding another way to squeeze $4-5k out of a $2k guitar...
I am disappointed at every new turn fender puts c/j through.
Its been impossible to get a custom order quotes, and the wait for it,isnt worth the no we dont, no we wont routine...
On paper a masterbuilt series sounds awesome... but production work is still production work.
Each master builder still has a time frame in which to complete each guitar, and I would bet its not that far off normal production expectations.
so who benefits from the extra cost? the player or fender?
its almost as bad as marketing fishing lures in 500 non fish catching colors....
john

[peedenmark7]

Re: Wow...Jackson Shannon Rhoads LTD Custom

I should add.... a few years ago I heard about the fender c/s marty stuart tribute tele.. a country guy for those unfamiliar.... not my big cup 'o tea but I like marty, he's a super player and a very nice guy...
I checked into getting one even though I am not a fender fan..
the guitar was available in a light blue sparkle or natural ash... neither color is one marty plays....
I priced the plain jane one and also the one with a parsons/ white "B" string bender.
retail was $7600 and $5450 respectively.....
now tell me is there any new fender tele no matter who's name is on the headstock or whos putting it together worth that kinda money ?
I didnt think so either....
sh!t I can build/assemble a warmoth every bit to the task and then some and be way ahead...and if I am felling so marty smitten I could have an artist put his name on it and still have less than a third into it...

[LarryL]

Re: Wow...Jackson Shannon Rhoads LTD Custom

Well, at some point you are just paying for a name and the associated "mojo" as everyone says. For well under a grand you can get the used USA Jackson of your choice that will play and sound great. The likelihood of getting a really special one is about the same as if you take the crapshoot of having one built. Beyond that $500-$700 or so bottom line it's all about what makes you happy. Whether it's a graphic finish, flame maple, limited edition, or the Strat headstock, none of that really adds to the sound or experience. None of this stuff is really worth the price but the market supports it because guitar players are a strange group that buy things based on nostalgia or because their hero played one (with the EVH series being the most extreme illustration of that). I just look at the Masterbuilt thing as something normal in the scheme of things.

[Jim Shine]

Re: Wow...Jackson Shannon Rhoads LTD Custom

I agree the used stuff is where it is at. I can also understand the CS thing as well. I personally would LOVE to have a Soloist with a brass V-trem. However there are very few on the used market making me consider going CS.

[Bengal65]

Re: Wow...Jackson Shannon Rhoads LTD Custom

Yea, everybody is on track here. I totally agree. To each his own. If ya want it, get what makes you happy. When the vintage guitar market took off in the early 80's I rebelled and just bought new guitars and started building my own as well. When the Fender Relic thing came up I laughed. When Gibson started doing Tom Murphy, aged customs, I laughed again. When I started playing back in '64, my guitar teacher's were all Jazz players and the Gibson Johnny Smith, Super 400, a Gretsch etc. were the thing to have. My Dad finally took me to a real good guitar shop after my teacher told him I no longer could play a cheapo guitar (Stella Harmony) with 1/4" action. After much pestering my Dad for an electric, we went to that shop. I looked at the guitars on the wall all around the shop. I looked at what looked like a disposable guitar. It was real weird with sheet metal screws in the top holding a plastic cover, with plastic covers on the pickups and a silhouette head stock somewhat replicating a violin or upright bass. The neck was "bolted" with 4 large sheet metal screws. My Dad an engineer (and drummer), said probably some inventor came up with those cheapo guitars and if you broke a head stock or neck you screw another one on. The colors were loud, no sunbursts, metallic colors like I used to paint my model cars. Hmmm, I just passed them by, but I did take a look at what the manufacturer's name was on the head stock. It said Fender. (After all the Beatles didn't play them). By the way they were $249.95 list for a Stratocaster with Vibrato. My Dad couldn't afford a Gretsch Country Gentlemen, so I settled for an Aniversary. Then the store owner said the boy needs an AMP. My Dad said, no "he's going to have to play it the way it is for awhile". The store owner insisted as well as I that the guitar was electric! My Dad said, no it sounds fine. The store owner threw in a Jap Univox amp with the purchase of the Gretsch. My Dad said O Great, it'll probably last a week. (WWII Vet). How times change. [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[shreddermon]

Re: Wow...Jackson Shannon Rhoads LTD Custom

[ QUOTE ]
I personally would LOVE to have a Soloist with a brass V-trem. However there are very few on the used market making me consider going CS.

[/ QUOTE ]

Jim, look at the blue one in the lower right:

Brass Vintage Trem Soloist

Cool axe, huh? That was at summer NAMM. Not sure which dealer got it, though. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]