Fender or Fender CS decision

[bbl]

I've been jonesin' for a sonic blue P-bass for a while.

I must have one. And yes, I'd like it to be a Fender.

So... should I buy an American Std P-Bass in black, then send it off to Pat Wilkins for a refinish?

Or should I order through the Fender Custom Shop? Hmmmmmm...

[Matt R.]

[bbl]

Can't see images here. What is it, Matt?

[Matt R.]

Hm, they're showing up as I view the thread. I have a Franken-Precision.

Sonic Blue Warmoth body, 2008 USA Fender P-Neck, Fender vintage style bridge and tuners, mint green guard. I was just showing off sorta

[bbl]

Nice. You have great taste.

The neck and body fit well?

[Matt R.]

The neck pocket is ever so slightly different. There was a tiny gap. But I gently worked the "corners" of the neck pocket with a Dremel tool and used the flash on my iPhone as a guide to peer through the bolt holes in the body to make sure they lined up with the existing holes on the neck. They now fit snug and absolutely straight and perfect. It's a stellar bass.

But I'll be the first to acknowledge my methodology isn't quite "professional"

[Matt R.]

If you're interested, my blog chronicles the build in several different parts.

http://mattrisme.tumblr.com/

[andrew]

For the cost of Fender custom shop stuff you have a huge number of cheaper options. I'd consider trying to find a vintage Fender lefty neck that fits the specs you want, or buy a newer Fender American Standard Jazz, take the neck and marry it to a warmoth body. Unless you prefer a P width neck, then I'd go with a newer American Standard P and a refin.

That you're considering CS suggests you're open to pricier options, so there are definitely ways you can do this that will be pricy but still save you a few thousand dollars over a CS bass.

Matt, your P bass still looks awesome.

[Matt R.]

Ha, thanks Andrew. Hey can you see the pix I posted in my first post in this thread?

[NoXX]

Matt,

I can see the pix, no problem....they did take a while to load the first time, however.

Cheers.

[bbl]

I should have clarified - I can't see pics from my work machine, as they're blocked.

[Basshappi]

Yes, there are plenty of more affordable options.
I'd say pick up a used American Precision and have it refinished.
How much does Wilkins charge for a refin? Even if it is in the $400 range you'd still probably come out money ahead. Fender CS is ridiculously overpriced in my opinion.

[andrew]

I believe this bass would be over $5,000 to have custom made from Fender. There's got to be a LOT of cheaper options.

[bbl]

Holy carp, I was thinking in the 3's, not near 5.

Yeah, I think I'll eventually buy a new P-Bass and just have it refinished.

[andrew]

Holy carp, I was thinking in the 3's, not near 5.

Yeah, I think I'll eventually buy a new P-Bass and just have it refinished.

I'd confirm with Fender on price, but last masterbuilt custom shop bass I saw was over $5,000. While it's a small thing, I think a custom finish would make it masterbuilt.

All the Fender CS basses I've owned/played have been very nice, but the price for the top tier CS instruments is why I'm inclined to get my "Fender" basses from other companies like Lakland, Sadowsky, Regenerate, Lull, etc.

Getting a refin job would be much cheaper.You could probably get 3 refinned American Standard basses for the price of a masterbuilt CS bass.

[Addison]

Don't forget... there are a couple specific kinds of the high-end Fender "Custom Shop" builds...

Masterbuilt is built by one person who sends you picture updates and emails and who calls you on the phone to ask specific questions and talk about options, etc... they also read you bedtime stories every night and send strippers to your house for your birthday. Ok, not that... but there is a LOT of care and attention involved. The guys who are hired as master builders are some of the best in the industry.

My quote for a lefty "70's style" 5-string Jazz bass was $5500.

The second category is "Team Built." These guys are Fender's "second tier" (for lack of a better term) craftsmen, and most of them are in training to eventually be "Master Builders" or eventually do their own thing. They usually do special limited runs and some of the very small run pieces like the Jaco Tribute bass and that kind of thing.

Team built Custom Shop basses typically sell new in the $3000-$4500 range.

Both Custom Shop basses I have had were team built, and they both kick major ass... so, it is possible to get a bad-ass lefty Fender Custom Shop P-Bass in the $3000 range, but your problem is going to be finding one.

Even though a few have popped up on the board recently, lefty team built Custom Shop basses are usually quite rare.

I know Craig Brody at Guitar Broker does limited run Team Built basses... I think he orders 15 at a time, and he has ordered one lefty jazz bass (it's the one I just sold here on the board). He has some BEAUTIFUL '59 P-Bass relics coming in right now, but all of them seem to be right-handed.

Check this one out...



They're also $4250, so that might be out of your range...

Anyway, if you really, really want one bad, you should call him up and see if he ordered a lefty, or see what it would cost to get you one.

[andrew]

The second category is "Team Built." These guys are Fender's "second tier" (for lack of a better term) craftsmen, and most of them are in training to eventually be "Master Builders" or eventually do their own thing. They usually do special limited runs and some of the very small run pieces like the Jaco Tribute bass and that kind of thing.

Team built Custom Shop basses typically sell new in the $3000-$4500 range.

But can you order one off team built instruments?

[Addison]

But can you order one off team built instruments?

I'm not 100% on that, but I know that my Team Built '64 NOS is in Seafoam Green, which is definitely NOT a standard '64 NOS color... at least it wasn't the year it was built.

And when Craig Brody orders his "batch" of 15 team builts, each bass is a different piece. So far, every instrument I've seen that he's ordered has been a unique color.

So... I dunno for certain, but it seems like as long as a dealer is ordering a batch and you can get in on it, you can make a color request.