CS BASS VI - Best places to buy / Is the Window Closing?

[mezcalhead]

I was told the same thing.  I wonder if this dealer is just getting them painted himself?

The dealer will supply a copy of the Fender work order, so I imagine that would hold a big clue.

I put the question to them, and here's their response:

Thank you for writing about a custom color Fender Bass Vl.  It is definitely possible to get one on order at this time.  Actually I have had orders for several others over the past few weeks.  These are 100% made & painted in the Fender Custom Shop.

Only a few Fender dealers are permitted to purchase custom Fenders from them.  I am one of these dealers. If you check our website you will see that I keep over 70 or 80 Fenders that are custom made. I specialize in them.

That checks out for me .. as you say, the custom finish will be on the work order, so they'd look pretty stupid if they were lying about it.

BTW, Do you guys think the current Fender nitro fininshes will fade as real vintage finishes do?

Last week I had the chance to have a close-up look at a custom shop relic 50s Strat which is the main guitar of a professional guitarist and has therefore had more than its fair share of use over the last few years. It had more wear and wear in different spots than what you'd expect to see on a relic, in fact I felt that I could see in various places what was the work of the CS (eg: fingerboard wear) and what was naturally acquired (eg: finish cracking/dirtying on the inside of the lower horn). The guy said that it looked a lot more reliced than when he bought it.

So I think the answer to your question is yes .. perhaps quicker, as the CS seems obsessed with thin finishes which wasn't necessarily the case in the 50s/60s.

[thewizardofaz]

I think your comment about the CS being concerned with thin finishes when Fender really wasn't that concerned in the 50s/60s is right on the money. The orignal finishes slowly got thinner over the years though. I think what Fender is doing now is trying to make a new finish so thin it acts and ages like a vintage thin finish, without having to wait 40 or 50 years. It makes me wonder what those CS guitars are going to look like in 10 years, especially the regular thin skin series. I'm wondering if they won't age prematurely due to that thin skin.

[glimmertwin]

I think your comment about the CS being concerned with thin finishes when Fender really wasn't that concerned in the 50s/60s is right on the money. The orignal finishes slowly got thinner over the years though. I think what Fender is doing now is trying to make a new finish so thin it acts and ages like a vintage thin finish, without having to wait 40 or 50 years. It makes me wonder what those CS guitars are going to look like in 10 years, especially the regular thin skin series. I'm wondering if they won't age prematurely due to that thin skin.

It means there is going to be a lot of wor in the future for refinishers!  :-)