Fender Mod Shop Walkthrough | Is it a Good Deal??

[@garygarvin1541]

I have a Mod Shop P-bass ... Mystic Aztec Gold with an absolutely gorgeous rosewood fret-board. It is so well finished and set up. I will give Fender credit in another area ... the Pro II guitars and basses. Superb. But, the Mod Shop rocks. BTW, I'm 72 and still rockin'!!!

[@GarryParker]

If only Jackson or Ibanez did this! Maybe Fender will extend it to include Jacksons one day.

[@nikaxeguitar]

Dude that’s a super interesting idea Garry. That would be something I’m TOTALLY into.

[@brandonjackson5865]

Yep I think they could do Charvels as we speak and I’d love a Mexican Mod Shop Charvel or Jackson ( if they would build some Jackson’s in Mexico ) Too bad Fender hates Jackson lol .

[@Yodarox22]

I got a Tele made about 6 months ago and it’s wonderful. The modern C neck wasn’t available in any American Tele I could find so this was the perfect solution for me. Only about $400 more than a new American Tele & I got it exactly the way I wanted it . The mod shop says expect 30 days… I got mine in 2 weeks. Would definitely recommend if you can swing it .

[@WREDog]

Bought a Profesional P bass from the mod shop. When compared to the standard shop models I only paid about $150 extra for a silverburst finish and a roasted maple neck. So I'd say it was worth it. One thing to mention is they'll give you a 10% discount if you buy a Fender Play subscription. So you can get it a bit under 2k after all is done.

[@nikaxeguitar]

That’s awesome Insight man. Thanks!!

[@johnnyx9892]

They are offering 10% off now, if you just subscribe to their newsletter.

[@Bag-Of-Toys]

dig my mod tele. you are correct...it came looking great, but with NO relief in the neck - Clearly not set up well, but with some tweaking, it's now a fantastic guitar. Great to get the guitar you want, just make sure you send it to a luthier for a setup, or you know how to do it yourself.

[@nikaxeguitar]

Hey man! Thanks for stopping by. Yeah I agree. Sometimes the price is good when you get EXACTLY what you want without compromise

[@jmdyt3626]

Here in the uk we have to pay a lot for the mod shop it’s £2089 to get the guitar I want to get which is basically $2700 usd and I have a 20% of student discount which comes out to £1671 which is still about $2150

[@Mach-X]

A mod shop guitar is about the same cost as a standard off-the-rack American Ultra. Maybe it would be worthwhile to compare the specs?

[@A_Noid]

Considering their QA, unless you have very specific needs that fit with what they offer (which is in the end pretty limited in terms of customization), I’d say no. There are sooo many used Fenders out there that you can certainly find what you’re looking for for cheaper. And if you want to pay a bit more, a used custom shop will be a step above.

[@brandonjackson5865]

I’ve wasted hours building these things and dreaming . Of course you can get a 2000 dollar Jackson ? I think it’s a fair deal to spec your own guitar. The only downside is the resale value is probably worse than a boat lol . How about fender let us spec a Charvel in Mexico for around 1000 to 1500 . That’d be cool . Single pickup So Cal or Pro Mod . Basically the Mod shop is a factory built parts caster . Let’s do the same thing in Mexico take your 3 or 4 best builders and someone from quality . Print out an RO have someone pull the parts from the customers order forms. Then hand assemble them in Mexico off line. I’m not talking about custom colors but you could mix and match from what they have in stock . Those nice Charvel necks with the ebony boards on any color they currently stock. I’d pay an extra 500 dollars for a Mexican Charvel built to my specs . They have a good selection of Duncan PU already . Again I think Fence have invested so much in Mexico, but they are still under utilizing their resources . Balaguer and Halo have been doing this semi custom thing in Korea , surly Fender could do it in Mexico . If they won’t build Dinkys in Mexico at least a Charvel Mod Shop would be cool . 2 grand for a MIJ Jackson and you can more variety and probably better playing guitars in the 700 dollar Mexican Charvels. I know I got off topic, but Jackson happens to be my last name and I’d love to have my Sir name on a reverse headstock . I don’t get it fender is killing it from squire line all the way up to the custom shop and everything in between in their family of brands except Jackson oh they are killing it ( Jackson brand ) Fender why do you hate Jackson ?

[@nikaxeguitar]

Brandon. This is some good insight. I totally agree with your assessment on Mexican builds.

[@JB-ub3xp]

I bought a Jazzmaster and Strat from the Mod Shop and I love them both. They have a lot of options and all make your guitar unique.

[@nikaxeguitar]

Hey JB. Yeah it does seem like a good way to buy a guitar. The options are insane

[@jogmas12]

I can only afford one, if that

[@johnnyx9892]

I just spec'ed out a lefty Tele with a roasted maple neck and alder body. I wanted a humbucker in the neck position and I got that too. With their 10% off "welcome" discount it came to $1,710. That's cheaper than what I am finding on Reverb, and none of them have the humbucker. It also comes with the TSA approved hard case.

[@jmdyt3626]

I’m going to get one, I’m a student and can get 20% off , the guitar is was going to mod comes out to £2089 but with the discount it’s bellow £1700

[@shaindaman13]

You overlooked some key information though regarding hardware. For example people may wanna know that NOT ALL tuners they offer are available for every neck choice you may want. I ordered mine in mid March and had it delivered to South Carolina in 13 days which I felt was fairly quick. Mine DID come with a beautiful set up. Played great straight out of the box. But I was disappointed when I was forced to have it setup with .009-.052 strings as well being the smallest gauge they offer, since I play with .007-.036. I got a GORGEOUS Fiesta Red Strat with the modern style two point tremolo. However I was again disappointed to find that the lacquer finish 50s V neck which I was dead set in having you only get with the Original Top Loader style tuners. I really have always liked those type tuners but for this guitar I was shooting for a classic 50s aesthetic but with modern hardware. Overall I am blown away by this guitar despite not being able to get exactly the hardware I wanted on it. You have to be sure you’re gonna be okay with it because you’re paying a huge up-charge for that Mod Shop Certificate and Satisfaction of having it built to your own specs. Changing anything after the fact would make it totally pointless.

[@nikaxeguitar]

Oh dang! Nice catch man. Great insight here. Thanks for stopping by!

[@russiangoose7053]

Tbh I'd just go for a warmoth build and do a mix of classic fender looks but single humbucker and the playability of something like a Kramer with a flatter radius and a Floyd rose. Maybe even metal flake paint and the banana headstock. I think you can get better bang for your buck if you can assemble and set it up yourself but I know not everyone wants to buy the tools and learn to do it because it can be tedious as hell, I only learned to do it because there's no reputable techs in my area and it helps me save money and get a better guitar for less

[@nikaxeguitar]

Yeah man I totally agree. Piecing it together yourself also give you your own little slice of history

[@russiangoose7053]

@@nikaxeguitar that's true as well, especially if you paint it yourself which I just spray paint all mine matte black because it's cheap lol

[@chaaaaaaaance]

i’ve dreamed of having my own unique custom guitar, i’ve already customized a tele in the mod shop and have it in my cart, now i just need the money 💀 is there anything else i need to know if i ever get the money to buy this? i’ve seen a lot of comments about bad experiences w this… has anyone ever had good experiences..? also, nice video !

[@Robowx]

I wish the Mod Shop had a Telecaster Thinline body.

[@EMN_the_orange]

And now half of the options arent on there.

[@nikaxeguitar]

Really?! Bummer

[@EMN_the_orange]

Not quite half, but a lot are gone, including the soft v shape neck and the all rosewood neck.

[@Greasiola]

@@EMN_the_orangerosewood neck is there

[@trenken]

Options are too limited for what i would want. Cant get block inlays which is just… inexplicable. To pay $2000 for a jazz bass and have such limited options, just not worth it. Could get an American jazz performer bass for $600 less. To get me to pay $600 more, you better offer some more options. They dont though. Lame. This definitely isnt the fender custom shop. Mod shop is too limited for what theyre asking. If im gonna spend $2000 on a custom fender jazz bass, i want block inlays. If not ill find it elsewhere, very likely for cheaper.

[@nikolasroumell6799]

I’ve always wondered how this works. Looks like they have a lot of optiona

[@nikaxeguitar]

Yeah . Pretty robust options!

[@victorruiz7862]

Seafoam is one my Favorite Color for Guitars. (2,000$) Ooof !

[@nikaxeguitar]

Me too dude! Yeah man, stiff price

[@aevans692]

might have ordered if they did a nitro finish ...

[@Greasiola]

Something to note is that the tele you made does actually exist off the shelf, it’s the American Pro II Deluxe Tele. Might not come in that color but worth knowing you can get it brand new for about $500 less!

[@nikaxeguitar]

That’s awesome’

[@jogmas12]

Floating bridge is more than fixed

[@jerryodom7358]

I think Fender needs to do away with the POLY COATING over guitar body’s…those guitars can be stripped with a heat gun and there is no paint or stain on the wood at all. Just white wood…..why would you do that?….

[@jogmas12]

So is it a good deal?

[@dwaynecarroll6098]

Great video! But please turn the hat around. Sorry! 🙃