Hi Joel. I'm no expert on this, but I'l answer as I understand it. In a nutshell, American series guitars are production line guitars. Custom shop guitars are built by more experienced, knowledgeable and talented builders, and built with more attention to detail. Beyond that, wood quality is allegedly better with the Custom Shop instruments. There are different build levels in the Custom shop: Masterbuilt (completely designed and built to your needs with an individual builder), and Custom Builds (custom features done to existing instrument designs.) You can also buy Custom Shop instruments off the shelf. I imagine that the dealer sometimes requests certain specs, and sometimes Fender offers dealers what is popular. As I said, I'm no expect. I have not ever bought a Fender Custom Shop instrument. I do have friends who own Custom shop instruments,a nd say that they're worth every penny. I know people who don't feel that it is worth the extra money. If anything I stated is incorrect, I hope somebody chimes in and corrects me.

Bob

Joel, I bought a new Jeff Beck American made Strat this year and have to say it's the best guitar I have ever owned.
The model is similar to the Clapton as far as quality goes.
I am no professional either so my take on this is more financial.
But I have looked into all the efforts of having a custom built on a Jaguar and decided that I didn't want to shell out that cost.
I am happy with the American standard.

Joel, I don't think you're going to like the Clapton strat, particularly if you want to use it for surf. It's got a blocked tremolo, so unless you modify it, you've got no whammy bar. I don't like the V neck carve at all, nor the pick-ups. That said, they've improved the pickups since the dreadful Lace sensors in the early years of the EC signature strats... Still not great for tones that I want, but better than the Lace sensors. I'm not a "trad surf nazi", insisting that equipment has to be just like the old days, but the EC strat is, for me, too far afield for any music that I want to play.

Joelman wrote:

IceratzSurf wrote:

Joel, I bought a new Jeff Beck American made Strat this year and have to say it's the best guitar I have ever owned.
The model is similar to the Clapton as far as quality goes.
I am no professional either so my take on this is more financial.
But I have looked into all the efforts of having a custom built on a Jaguar and decided that I didn't want to shell out that cost.
I am happy with the American standard.

I have an American made ~2017 Elite Stratocaster HSS it’s truly a nice guitar.
I bought it hoping that the Shawbucker in the bridge position and the S-1 switching wound butter my toast. It’s a great guitar, beautiful, incredible smooth neck. Nice heel joint. But the Shawbucker just doesn’t get the sound I’m seeking.
I would like to switch to an Eric Clapton loaded pickguard. But I haven’t been able to find an actual fender one.
So I’m thinking maybe an Eric Clapton guitar might do it. At least I would like to try one.
Joel

Bob

I have a Custom Shop Jazzmaster. At the time I ordered it I was looking for a Jazzmaster in Lake Placid Blue and Fender weren’t making any, as far as I could tell. I had the money and I wanted to treat myself. My local dealer had never had a CS Jazzmaster and they were very helpful. They’ve since stocked quite a few CS Jazzmasters, including Lorenzo’s Blue Sparkle, which I pointed him towards.

Was it worth the extra money? Well, I got the guitar I wanted, built to the specs that I wanted and, as I say, at the time I had the money. Is it better than an American made production model? Probably not. I’m still very happy with it, though. Perhaps most importantly, having a CS Jazzmaster has quite definitely not made me a better guitarist.

Los Fantasticos

Last edited: Aug 04, 2023 03:02:06

For Clapton models I'm not sure what justifies the cost increase spec-wise, but I must say that the Mercedes Blue and Midnight Blue they were running at one point are gorgeous colors.

Neptune Trojans

Wow Daniel, he sounds really bad. It sounds like he was born a sinner, just like the rest of us.

Patrick

Padraig wrote:

Wow Daniel, he sounds really bad. It sounds like he was born a sinner, just like the rest of us.

I wasn't born a sinner. No need to make up stupid crap so you can control me.

Daniel Deathtide

Samurai wrote:

OMG, I have just listened to the whole Cream album((( What have I done!

I agree that politics and religion are out of place here, but that dude came at me with Christian propaganda and Clapton is a right wing asshole. He hates democracy, thinks Trump won and that vaccinations cause autism - and all that wack-a-doo space lasers shit etc etc. If you can still enjoy his music, good for you. I've always hated his playing so it's not a big deal for me. I just think people should be informed!

Daniel Deathtide

Last edited: Aug 04, 2023 12:23:10

Wow!! Death Tide! You are unfreakingbeliveable!
Hey I was just posting about pieces of wood with some electronics.

Not the person that has tripped your personal political button.

We each strive here to get gear and the sounds that gear makes to satisfy our desires to make music. There is nothing political in wanting a guitar, amp, pedal, whatever, that helps a person achieve that sound.

Joel

If you don't like Clapton, don't buy his music or his guitars. But I think this type of personal attack is out of place here.

As to the merits vs. demerits of the Clapton Strats, it's totaly up to personal taste. I personally don't like a matte finish on the neck, nor do I favor the Lace Sensors or the Noiseless pickups they have. So I shy away from them. But they are, for many people, excellent guitars. I've played a bunch - they were all well made, played well, and if you like that sound, great. It's not my sound, I tend to go for a totally vintage Strat sound.

Not exactly my thing, but right now I have both a SRV Strat and a Kenny Wayne Shepherd (MIM) Strat that I like a lot better than the Claptons. But again, the pickups are (to me) more wound for a blues guy than a surf guy, IMO. Just a bit more midrangey to my ears. Not a ton, though, and I think they surf just fine. In fact, I used the KWS Strat strung up with heavy strings with the surf band for a while several years back. But I think these two are more natural for blues, as with the Clapton. Again, to me.

I have and have had quite a number of both American factory Fenders and custom-shop Fenders. Mostly vintage reissues and relic/closet-classic/ types. Of course, it depends on the exact guitar - there are great and mediocre (for me or any other specific person) examples of each. But I have found that there is generally significantly more attention paid to the important fine-finishing details on the custom shop Fenders I've owned (and own). Things like - nut work, rolling of the fingerboard for comfort, premium wood choices, choice of fret sizes and excellent fret work, neck shape, choices of electronics, and so on. Especially if I want a light Strat or Tele (I generally do), I usually (but not always) find the wood better on the custom shop reissues.

As to price of the custom shop stuff - I buy or trade for these used. I also find the astronomical prices for a lot of new guitars seriously off-putting. To buy used or vintage, one must be very patient and persistent. I frequent guitar shows, various stores when I'm traveling, craigslist, reverb, whatever. But if you gotta have exactly the thing you want right away, you're gonna tend to pay through the nose. Actually, this is not new. But what I pay primary attention to is the actual market value of a guitar. If you don't pay more than the guitar is actually worth in the open market, it's hard to lose. But that's the part that requires discipline, LOL.

The other thing is that there are sometimes more variations between guitars of the exact same technical specification than between guitars of different specifications. The exact guitar matters. This can be kind of tough to deal with when buying guitars at a distance, or even buying a custom-made guitar. I have played ridiculously expensive, custom-made guitars that did absolutely nothing for me, and then a garden-variety reissue guitar that absolutely hit the nail on the head - for me. I have a 20-year-old Tele Custom AVRI reissue that is stellar, as well as a 10-11-year old '59 American Vintage Strat that is beyond stellar. Every bit as good as vintage guitars or my two custom shop Strats, one a '60 Relic in seafoam green with matching headstock. OK, the foam green is too cool for school, but the sunburst '59 AV is just as good a player - again, to me.

One other thing - I pay scant attention to what other people say about a guitar. Sometimes reviews can help triangulate in on a rough idea of what might work. But I am the only person that can decide whether or not a guitar really floats my boat. And I have to play them to figure that out.

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