Fender Mod Shop expands availability

[Meriphew]

Still waiting for a mod shop Bass VI or an AVRI Bass VI.

[crazyzeke]

The funny thing is that even in Toronto, there is really only one store with what can be called a real selection of offsets, and that's Cosmo Music, which is not even technically in Toronto. And even there, you'll find 20 Strats for every Jaguar.

I don't know how well Montreal speaks for the rest of Canada (it's a big country after all, also no Quebecois "French speaking for Canada" type jokes please) but when I went browsing with my now ex-gf who is Canadian in 2023, I was super disappointed how little difference there is from what I can easily source in the UK - same old selection of Fenders, Gibsons, Ibanezes, Boss pedals, even the more boutique stuff. We made so many little pilgrimages on the metro just for me to find this out

I think the one shop I liked, whose name I cannot recall, had some tobacco brown triple P90 custom Fender I'd never seen and that was about the most excited I got, apart from one really nice double cutaway Ibanez elsewhere. The guitar itself was awful - literally one of the worst sounding Fenders I've ever played, which as my two electrics are Fenders was saddening - but there was a Canada made PTP type amp that was simple controls like I prefer and sounded awesome when cranked. As usual I can't recall the damn names of the stores or the amp builder but yeah... I was expecting every shop to have unique to Canada type stuff and it didn't.

[crazyzeke]

Still no Rhythm Circuits on JM’s & Jag’s. No Thinline’s for JM’s, Jags, Tele’s, Strats, Bass’.. No Bigsby’s.. No Coronado’s..

What’s changed?

Yeah my other gripe is it seems to be impossible to get modern Jags of any kind with 7.25" radius boards.

People keep telling me "but there's so little difference between 7.25" and 9.5", feel wise" (including some luthiers, sadly) yet my fingers say different. I've had a few Jags and Stangs with 9.5" boards and I hate them, they feel wrong.

I actually prefer the 12" camber 25.5" scale Pao Ferro board on the Meteora probably because it's more Gibson like - it has 22 frets which seems super rare for a full scale Fender, and to be fair if it didn't I wouldn't own it based on how much I use the high frets when harmonising lead work - 21 frets won't cut it, stupid as that might sound.

[Larsongs]

Still no Rhythm Circuits on JM’s & Jag’s. No Thinline’s for JM’s, Jags, Tele’s, Strats, Bass’.. No Bigsby’s.. No Coronado’s..

What’s changed?

Yeah my other gripe is it seems to be impossible to get modern Jags of any kind with 7.25" radius boards.

People keep telling me "but there's so little difference between 7.25" and 9.5", feel wise" (including some luthiers, sadly) yet my fingers say different. I've had a few Jags and Stangs with 9.5" boards and I hate them, they feel wrong.

I actually prefer the 12" camber 25.5" scale Pao Ferro board on the Meteora probably because it's more Gibson like - it has 22 frets which seems super rare for a full scale Fender, and to be fair if it didn't I wouldn't own it based on how much I use the high frets when harmonising lead work - 21 frets won't cut it, stupid as that might sound.

I have a Tele with 7.25 radius & several other Guitars ranging from 7.25 to 12.00.. I can feel the difference between my Tele with 7.25 & my Strat with 9.50.. I can feel the difference on all my Guitars..

[crazyzeke]

I have a Tele with 7.25 radius & several other Guitars ranging from 7.25 to 12.00.. I can feel the difference between my Tele with 7.25 & my Strat with 9.50.. I can feel the difference on all my Guitars..

Exactly! You know what I mean then. If people couldn't tell the difference and it didn't matter, all necks would be the same.

The thing I always try and wonder about with Fender™ Custom/Mod Shop is how much you really can get them to add aftermarket parts. I swear there's a Japanese guitarist from a rock band that's big in Japan who has a signature model with a Buzz Stop fitted as standard but I should have bookmarked it as I now can't find who it is and some promo pics of the model.

[F15hface]

I have a Tele with 7.25 radius & several other Guitars ranging from 7.25 to 12.00.. I can feel the difference between my Tele with 7.25 & my Strat with 9.50.. I can feel the difference on all my Guitars..

Exactly! You know what I mean then. If people couldn't tell the difference and it didn't matter, all necks would be the same.

The thing I always try and wonder about with Fender™ Custom/Mod Shop is how much you really can get them to add aftermarket parts. I swear there's a Japanese guitarist from a rock band that's big in Japan who has a signature model with a Buzz Stop fitted as standard but I should have bookmarked it as I now can't find who it is and some promo pics of the model.

The Inoran Jazzmaster?

[crazyzeke]

The Inoran Jazzmaster?

Bam, nailed it, hats off to you sir.


Here he is with a worn Lake Placid Blue looking one

[forestgreen]

I was a huge fan of the simple mod having the rhythm circuit switch horizontal instead of vertical which they did for his road worn LPB and Oly white but not the black for some reason.

[crazyzeke]

I was a huge fan of the simple mod having the rhythm circuit switch horizontal instead of vertical which they did for his road worn LPB and Oly white but not the black for some reason.

That's interesting, why do you prefer it? Me personally it would make it harder to change. It's hard enough to change with a pick flick in the vertical position so horizontal it'd be impossible.

[IrishBread69]

I'm ok with the AP1 spec if the body is routed for the rhythm circuit.

I'm led to believe that it isn't though? Anybody clear this up for me.

No option for a painted headstock burns too. Texas tea or mystic seafoam would be instant purchases for me.

[bessieboporbach]

The funny thing is that even in Toronto, there is really only one store with what can be called a real selection of offsets, and that's Cosmo Music, which is not even technically in Toronto. And even there, you'll find 20 Strats for every Jaguar.

I don't know how well Montreal speaks for the rest of Canada (it's a big country after all, also no Quebecois "French speaking for Canada" type jokes please) but when I went browsing with my now ex-gf who is Canadian in 2023, I was super disappointed how little difference there is from what I can easily source in the UK - same old selection of Fenders, Gibsons, Ibanezes, Boss pedals, even the more boutique stuff. We made so many little pilgrimages on the metro just for me to find this out

I think the one shop I liked, whose name I cannot recall, had some tobacco brown triple P90 custom Fender I'd never seen and that was about the most excited I got, apart from one really nice double cutaway Ibanez elsewhere. The guitar itself was awful - literally one of the worst sounding Fenders I've ever played, which as my two electrics are Fenders was saddening - but there was a Canada made PTP type amp that was simple controls like I prefer and sounded awesome when cranked. As usual I can't recall the damn names of the stores or the amp builder but yeah... I was expecting every shop to have unique to Canada type stuff and it didn't.

You might have been at Steve's, the major independent instrument store in Montreal (and a major one in Toronto too).

There really isn't very much "unique to Canada stuff," especially in electrics. There are boutique builders, of course, but most of the action is in acoustics. Many beautiful acoustic guitars are made here because of the immense national popularity of folk music.

And there's Godin of course, but all their stuff is distributed everywhere, they are like the Hofner of Canada. It's probably a bit cheaper here than elsewhere.

[crazyzeke]

There really isn't very much "unique to Canada stuff," especially in electrics. There are boutique builders, of course, but most of the action is in acoustics. Many beautiful acoustic guitars are made here because of the immense national popularity of folk music.

And there's Godin of course, but all their stuff is distributed everywhere, they are like the Hofner of Canada. It's probably a bit cheaper here than elsewhere.

Good points, I feel - I believe Larrivée still build at least some of their acoustics in but also others abroad, unless it's all overseas now. A friend of mine has one and it's lovely, just a shame he's a lefty because obviously it's pretty hard to play...

Oh yeah I forgot about Godin! I like the guitars where they build the GK pickups into the bridges so you have the option for using Roland VG synth stuff; personally I love all that and would happily consider fitting it to one of my electrics but the long fragile expensive 13-core cable is off-putting and as far as I know there's no wireless version of it.

[bessieboporbach]

There really isn't very much "unique to Canada stuff," especially in electrics. There are boutique builders, of course, but most of the action is in acoustics. Many beautiful acoustic guitars are made here because of the immense national popularity of folk music.

And there's Godin of course, but all their stuff is distributed everywhere, they are like the Hofner of Canada. It's probably a bit cheaper here than elsewhere.

Good points, I feel - I believe Larrivée still build at least some of their acoustics in but also others abroad, unless it's all overseas now. A friend of mine has one and it's lovely, just a shame he's a lefty because obviously it's pretty hard to play...

Oh yeah I forgot about Godin! I like the guitars where they build the GK pickups into the bridges so you have the option for using Roland VG synth stuff; personally I love all that and would happily consider fitting it to one of my electrics but the long fragile expensive 13-core cable is off-putting and as far as I know there's no wireless version of it.

I'm getting a bit off topic now but I have to say, in the acoustic arena in particular (and electric archtops), I'm a bit astonished what the Godin family of brands is able to pull off for a Canadian-made instrument at the prices they charge. I know they cut corners with scarf joints, hidden screws, and that sort of thing, but it's not like the import brands aren't doing that stuff too at the same price point or higher. And their instruments sound good and are built like tanks.

I'm one of those tiresome scrooges about guitar prices, especially in the COVID era, but one of the reasons I'm like that is because of how much you still get when you buy Godin.

[crazyzeke]

I'm getting a bit off topic now but I have to say, in the acoustic arena in particular (and electric archtops), I'm a bit astonished what the Godin family of brands is able to pull off for a Canadian-made instrument at the prices they charge. I know they cut corners with scarf joints, hidden screws, and that sort of thing, but it's not like the import brands aren't doing that stuff too at the same price point or higher. And their instruments sound good and are built like tanks.

I look at it as cutting the right kind of corners, the ones that are so far off on the other side of the room you don't even notice. So I'm fine with that too, if the end result is a great instrument, and from the little I've read about Godin they definitely qualify. Canadian build quality I've experienced on cars (it's surprising how many they build for non-Canadian marques) and electronics tends to be excellent so I don't doubt a lot of their guitar are too! 🖥

I'm one of those tiresome scrooges about guitar prices, especially in the COVID era, but one of the reasons I'm like that is because of how much you still get when you buy Godin.

I know what you mean; I am too with guitar equipment prices in general, not just instruments. It's why when I saw the prices of a lot of effects pedals I like, have owned and want to buy again/have wanted I had a moment of "why the f**k does everything cost £200 now, even stuff like the Ibanez DE-7 which I got for £50 over a decade ago originally" and set myself the challenge of seeing how many pedals I could buy for that amount if I went for cheaper clones like Dolamo/Behringer or underappreciated ones I know are good like Danelectro.

Just did a running total spreadsheet and for four pedals (two gain, two chorus/spatial) I've spent £127, when I could have easily spent £73 more for just one Boss/Digitech/DOD pedal I wanted.

[Wucan]

There really isn't very much "unique to Canada stuff," especially in electrics. There are boutique builders, of course, but most of the action is in acoustics. Many beautiful acoustic guitars are made here because of the immense national popularity of folk music.

And there's Godin of course, but all their stuff is distributed everywhere, they are like the Hofner of Canada. It's probably a bit cheaper here than elsewhere.

Good points, I feel - I believe Larrivée still build at least some of their acoustics in but also others abroad, unless it's all overseas now. A friend of mine has one and it's lovely, just a shame he's a lefty because obviously it's pretty hard to play...

Oh yeah I forgot about Godin! I like the guitars where they build the GK pickups into the bridges so you have the option for using Roland VG synth stuff; personally I love all that and would happily consider fitting it to one of my electrics but the long fragile expensive 13-core cable is off-putting and as far as I know there's no wireless version of it.

I'm getting a bit off topic now but I have to say, in the acoustic arena in particular (and electric archtops), I'm a bit astonished what the Godin family of brands is able to pull off for a Canadian-made instrument at the prices they charge. I know they cut corners with scarf joints, hidden screws, and that sort of thing, but it's not like the import brands aren't doing that stuff too at the same price point or higher. And their instruments sound good and are built like tanks.

I'm one of those tiresome scrooges about guitar prices, especially in the COVID era, but one of the reasons I'm like that is because of how much you still get when you buy Godin.

Godin retail prices have gone way up sadly, at least their electrics. Their Stadium 59 was one guitar I've always kinda wanted but never pulled the trigger... it released at 1100 CAD in 2019, nowadays it's $1979.