molan

As a long term buyer and seller here at BC I have to say I don't like the new format much. Feels a bit impersonal and loses the nice chatty community feel we had before. Seems more Gumtree-esque to me as well. Some of the core design elements require additional clicks per item which isn't very user-friendly (especially on a mobile - the fastest growing access device). I usually see this as a tactic from sites trying to 'harvest' as many page views as possible but a lot of site analytics tend to show those additional page views have a lower value and detract from the core message. Could just be because it's launched with lots of stuff that doesn't work very well so maybe they'll improve.

[quote name='ped' timestamp='1353412499' post='1874660'] Hi mate Check my earlier post: [/quote] Sorry Ped, missed that one. I'd seen something originally saying that their would be pics on the front pages and thought that the fact there now weren't might be something to do with the various site issues kicking around

Ni images loading in the new classified section for me - the listings are there but the various home pages are completely image free

Great bass, way over the cost these sell for in the UK though!

Scrambled menus - luxury, no access to site at all for last day or so on mobile (which is my main access device). . .

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1352984024' post='1870094'] Can someone clarify exactly what you get with a Fender CS instrument. Is it a combination of standard Fender features to your spec that doesn't exist in any of the current production models or is there something more? [/quote] My understanding is that all CS basses are made in a separate part of the factory in Corona by a special team of their very best builders. They have access to a series of genuine vintage templates and stuff plus the very best woods Fender can source. You can actually see this team at work as part of the factory tour so it's not just Fender marketing hype (although I'm sure there's an element of that). Some basses are 'team' built which means there's one guy working on a batch of necks, another on bodies etc. For a, hefty, additional fee you can ask for Masterbuilt which means pretty much everything is made by a single guy. There's a belief that this personal attention to detail will mean some sort of overall higher quality but I've yet to be convinced of this. There are a range of CS instruments built every year to a set of standard specs & they all will be more or less the same (obviously each piece of wood is going to be slightly different so there will be some tonal differences). These are usually the artist models - currently Jaco Pastorius, Reggie Hamilton, Pino Palladino & Dusty Hill. There's then usually about 2-3 per year of a specific time era that's designed to be as close as they can get to the original E.G. '58 P or a '64 J etc. Every now & then they will pop up something completely different - this year they made a P Bass pro with a J pickup at the bridge and blocks on the board. The big CS dealers in the States also have Dealer Select models - basically the dealer specs something up and has a batch of them made just for that dealer. Nothing to stop a UK dealer doing this but I think the numbers involved might be too high. Finally you have the full custom orders - these are principally built from a set of core Fender design principles J or P body, 50's profile neck, 60's pickup spacing etc. However you can, theoretically order anything you like but it does need to be a 'Fender' in broad design. They ahve made a few fairly crazy guitars but not as many off the wall basses from what I've seen. The latest area the CS guys seem to be really going for is a range of odd custom paint combinations that look like old basses that were something like sunburst but then re-sprayed with shoreline gold etc. If you really go for the full Masterbuilt experience you can even choose your builder and talk to him directly about every aspect of the build and finish - which is kinda what you'd expect if you bought from a UK custom builder like Martin Petersen, Bernie Goodfellow, John Shuker etc. Probably lots more to this but that's about the best I can do for now

Wow - I'm really getting into this now, lol. Has anyone watched the videos on the CS site? http://www.fendercustomshop.com/index.php/master-built/# I found the two on body wood & neck wood really interesting. They are, unsurprisingly, totally about Strat & Tele shapes but I like the way the guy in the vids stresses some stuff about there not being a 'better' wood but just that it will sound 'different'. Even the same woods can sound quite different dependent on weight etc. Worth 10 minutes of your time if you're interested in this sort of stuff

[quote name='charic' timestamp='1352978892' post='1869995'] Hmm... Masterbuilt Fee $2,600 Custom Classic Jazz Bass 4 $4,900 Ash Body $300 Contoured Neck Heel $50 Sunset Orange Trans AAA Flame Maple Top $800 AAA Flame Maple Neck Figure $500 P Bass Neck ( I think that's Modern C) 1 - Piece Maple Neck Base Model Radius Brass Nut Black Binding and Blocks (can't see option) Black Hardware (can't see option?!), if not then Base Shaller Machine Heads $50 BA3 Bridge $50 Black 1 Ply Pickguard $50 S-1 Switch $100 Hand Wound Bass Pickups $250 Total Cost... Drumroll Please! $9650 [b]£6,086.51[/b] [b]Although I'd be tempted to ask for EMG's instead [/b] [/quote] I hadn't seen full prices anywhere but I see they are on the quote sheet. I've looked at the catalogue a few times but only saw recommended full retail prices for finished basses & not options. Those masterbuilt fees are really high - there's an extra $1,000 to specifically choose your builder as well. Mind you - I guess I did start this off by saying 'if money were no option' so i can only blame myself!

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1352978108' post='1869981'] The RH 5-string is CS. [/quote] Ah ha - the site is working again now! http://products.fendercustomshop.com/en-GB/products/search.php?partno=0158500800 Looks like the 4 is CS too That's the 4th of the Artist CS models with Pino, Jaco & Dusty

[quote name='Kiwi' timestamp='1352962684' post='1869767'] Headless, graphite bolt on neck, chambered body, semi parametric eq. and custom soapbar pickups. [/quote] I'd love to see their faces when an order like this went in

[quote name='Angel' timestamp='1352924652' post='1869499'] I already have a Fender CS, it's a Reggie Hamilton 5 string. Probably on the chopping block now though as I am firmly in the 4 string camp. I guess I'd like the same as a 4 string but relic'd and NOT sunburst! [/quote] Is the Reggie classed as a Custom Shop? I thought it was an 'Artist' series but wasn't sure if it carried the CS logo as well? I'd seen the Pino, Jaco & Dusty Artist models so maybe Reggie is in there as well N.B. I did try to check but the CS web site was down when I looked earlier

[quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1352912698' post='1869333'] Something with Sadowsky written on it. [/quote] The pickups and pre-amp

I've played a few Fender Custom Shop basses now and have been really quite impressed with just how well they are made and, more importantly, sound. I realise that we should expect them to be top notch given the price premium over 'regular' Fenders but it does feel like some of the newer ones have seen them raise their game a little (or maybe I was just lucky!). Certainly the Pino signatures seems to get rave reviews from just about everyone and the one I had for a short while was great. I also saw a Jaco model that looked seriously nice a while back which was much nicer than the Artist series ones I've seen. So - purely for fun - if you didn't have to worry about how much it might set you back I wondered what the BC collective would ask the Custom Shop to build? My starters would be: 1960 stack knob Jazz Herbie Flowers model in Lake Placid Blue with Fiesta Red undercoat & heavy relic finish with a tort guard. 1966 Jazz with a bound board and dots in a nicely faded Olympic White with matching headstock (because I like the way white matches the binding) and, again with a tort guard that looks like a 'proper' 60's aged one. 1977 Marcus Miller Jazz in natural with pearl blocks and a simple, high quality, active pre - basically an MM signature that's as close as possible to his original gigging bass & without the nasty scratchplate There'd probably have to be an old looking P bass in Burgundy Mist with a slim neck and a pearloid plate plus a 64J in Shell Pink along the way as well, lol. Haven't really thought about crazier colour schemes or hybrid body / neck combinations yet. . .

Blimey - you could open a shop with that lot!

Standard fit on Wood & Tronics as well. They used to use Fodera, and did actually prefer them, but the Dunlops come in a lot cheaper and still sound really good Could just be me but I felt they 'died' quite quickly though

[quote name='dwh87' timestamp='1352685001' post='1866203'] These are cheaper than some MIM models by a couple hundred pounds from some places. Fender have really made them very cost effective. That does mean luxury things like a hardcase are missing though. [/quote] A Mexican Fender P is about £425 - surely there's no way a UK dealer can sell an American P for a couple of hundred less than that? The FSR tag has been used for a few different basses and not all are for a single retail chain. I think the early ones were for Guitar Center in the States and some of those were MIM not MIA. Fender marketing then realised they could use the label for other limited runs and these have been around 150-200 units I think. I have seen some as low as £500 (the Antigua P) and I seem to remember one of them up over £1,000 (stained ash P). I know the more expensive ones came with hard cases. Sounds like typical Fender really, grab a label and use it for marketing purposes across a range of guitars and confuse everyone

Saw a gig at the Festival Hall tonight with a bassist switching between DB and a Fender P (looked like a Pino) all evening. Both basses went through one rig with what seemed to be a simple A/B pedal. The rig was an SVT Classic into an 8x10 (laying on its side). Big suspended wooden stage and not a hint of feedback all evening

[quote name='pendingrequests' timestamp='1352667377' post='1865945'] yep, its just the bare bones, which gives it a really good price for an american made fender. [/quote] That sounds wrong to me - sure the dealer isn't just tryin to flog you a new case (whilst also selling the original Fender case to someone else)?

This is nice - but very expensive (and it's German!) http://www.bassgear.co.uk/products-page/accessories/straps/richter-beavers-tail-jaro-tan-1055/

Take a stack of pics, front and back of body, neck and headstock. Remove the neck and get pics of the cavity pocket and any stamps on either neck or body. Same with the control cavity and check the pots for serial numbers. If they lift out easily then remove the pickups and get pics of the underside of these as well. Basically the more info you can get them the more likely it is that you'll be able to start dating it. Depends if you just want an approx value for personal reasons or whether you're intending to sell it. If it's the latter then you should, ideally really strip it down and get a better feel for authenticity and dating. I've seen a swathe of old Fenders in the last year and it's amazing what some, supposedly reputable, dealers will sell as an authentic vintage guitar Saw one recently that had been through one of the highest profile dealers around that had been sold as 100% original with no refinish. Took the neck off and the pocket and bridge had been shaved to take a neck that was either not original or had a seriously thick coat of gloss lacquer as part of a, very obvious, neck refin