Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred

[Mike Eldred]

Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred

Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred

WOW! How cool to have someone from my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE guitar/amp company on planet Earth here at SD!! Nothing in the world compares to the sound of a Tele into an old Vibrolux Reverb.

Now that's out of the way, are there any plans to produce a Tele from the CS with a B Bender in it anytime in the near future? Not like an artist model, but something at the CS level w/ a bender as a "standard" type of model.

Twang on!!!!

We do the Fender Bender version. Not much call for them really. But we do them occasionally. I remember when we did the Marty Stuart Tele we offered that option. Marty said, "Me and about 6 other guys use that". It was pretty funny.

ME

 

[ImmortalSix]

Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred

Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred

Mike - how involved was the Custom Shop and it's luthier team in creating a process by which to deliver consistent relic products (the Road Worn line)?

I know the Road Worn series is a hot button for some folks, but I am simply amazed at the detail of the relic work on the 60's rosewood Strat neck I have.

I have heard rumblings of a John Mayer "The Black One" unlimited production model (assumedly using Road Worn techniques), as well as 83 masterbuilt custom shop guitars. Do you have any visibility of this project, and if so, when can we look forward to seeing these?

Thanks a lot! We're so glad to have you here!

-Hunter

 

[Mike Eldred]

Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred

Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred

Hi Mike, it’s great to have you here. Evan, you’re awesome for getting Fender here.

Mike, I’d like to talk to you about the aerodyne series guitars. Is Fender USA going to release a USA made version of these awesome guitars? The only Fender Aerodyne guitars available to the states are made of basswood and what looks to be a maple veneer (for the strats). I’d love to see corona’s take on what Fender Japan is putting out. I know that they recently had a 2 piece alder version of the Fender Aerodyne Strat but it's for Japan only.

Seeing how this most likely will never happen, would it be possiblehave one built through the custom shop? Maybe even a Master Build? :bling:

Well, thanks for taking you’re time to stop by and keep up the good work with Fender.

Man, I'm sorry but I don't deal with that side of the business too much. I know they were talking about it a while back. I know you can order it Master Built, but that's all I know about it. Sorry!

ME

 

[Mike Eldred]

Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred

Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred

Hi Mike - glad to see you here!

One of my favorite Custom Shop pickups is the Hot Nocaster. Are there any plans to release a Custom Shop set of pickups for aftermarket sale like these (i.e. the original Nocaster set)? Perhaps a Twisted Tele neck with a Hot Nocaster bridge set? If not - are there any pickups that come close to that tone?

Thank you!

Yes, we are working out on how to do Limited Edition release sets from the CS. Our pickup department is not very big so we can't really open it up to bigger runs.

ME

 

[marvelous_seven]

Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred

Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred

It's nice to see one of many gifted luthiers in this world to have a nice talk here in SDUGF today.
Thanks Evan for bringing this up :yourock:,and Mike I've got a question for you:
Is it true that any endorser artist get exclusive rights to have a custom shop guitar build for themselves for free (at least once)?

And to top it all off,between any artist you have worked with together,who is your most favorite of them all and what do you like about him/her?



Wait a minute,I guess that was two questions then
Sorry if my English so bad,but it's truly fun to have you join us right here Mike. :thanks:

 

[newking70]

Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred

Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred

How do you feel about the CBS headstocks?

 

[Mike Eldred]

Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred

Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred

Hey Mike:

Thanks for joining us. It's always a pleasure to spend time with you, even if it's over the Internet. My question is more a personal one; what was like to find yourself as a working, touring, recording musician in your 30s with a wife and kids?

And if I could be so bold as to slide another question in, what do you think of titanium vibratos?

- EAS

First of all, thank you for even asking me to do this. You (and your beautiful wife) are two of my favorite people and it's a bummer I don;t get to see you unless it's in a booth at a trade show.

Touring was fun, but once our first daughter came, it was getting really hard to go out. Lee Rocker is a great family man and he would always keep the tours down to two weeks at a time. We had one three week deal when my daughter was about 3, and when my wife picked me up at the airport, my daughter looked at me, and I could tell she was confused. That was it.

She's 15 now and still looks at me that way...but for different reasons.

Titainium trems? I dunno. Haven't gone there yet.

ME

 

[elscorcho]

Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred

Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred

Hey Mike THANKS FOR BEING HERE!

I know I'm in the monority, but I prefer a hadtail strat, any plans for any new hardtails?

 

[Mike Eldred]

Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred

Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred

Hey Mike, I've got a couple of quick questions:

1) Has Fender completely dropped the harder rock/metal market now that you've acquired Jackson?

2) How come Fender doesn't make the Showmasters anymore? those guitars were the bees knees/cat's whiskers/dogs bollocks, etc etc. Set neck, sleeker strat shape, arched top, no pickguard..those things were totally rad!!! Even the floyd rose equipped 24 fret production line showmasters from a few years ago were wicked.

1) I don't think so. It's just people tend to gravitate to other brands for that.
2) That guitar was VERY cool! We just retire certain models and that one was time to go. It really wasn't what people come to us for, and we have so many more requests for the Relic stuff or more vintage type instruments.

ME

 

[JohnnyGuitar]

Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred

Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred

Hi Mike, thank you for doing this.

It seems that Fender has been facing competition from a lot of custom builders and part suppliers, like Warmoth, Nash, Suhr... I know the Custom Shop is competing with the higher end custom builders but I wonder how do you deal with the mid priced competition... is there a plan to make some sort of a build your own guitar service with standard parts?

Also, I bet you have worked with a lot of artists and seen a lot of of people who are putting in different upgrades in their guitars - pickups, active electronics, hardware, special comfort cuts, scalloping, etc... What do you consider to be the ultimate upgrade for a Strat and/or Tele?

 

[Mike Eldred]

Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred

Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred

Hi Mike, thanks for sitting in and doing this.

Do you feel extra pressure to live up to the high standards that people expect from the Fender Custom Shop, or are you able to treat it as a "normal" job?

Hahahahahahahaha!!!!! This job is anything but normal for sure.
Sometimes it's weird, but not like "...extra pressure to live up to the high standards that people expect from the Fender Custom Shop..."

There is a commitment. From everybody at Fender.
We have an historical responsibility. That is very clear and everybody pursues that with a rabid enthusiasm. May sound corny, but it's the truth. Nobody wants a CBS scenario on their watch. There were a bunch of people and families relying on what not only the CS but the entire company do, so everybody at Fender is VERY focused on the job at hand. We just celebrated (last friday) the anniversary of Bill Mendello and Bill Schultz buying the company back from CBS. It was a great day!!

ME

 

[jeremy]

Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred

Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred

nice guild with the staples!

why do the necks on the custom shop guitars always feel so right?

we you part of the team that did the '54 masterbuilt strats a while back? absolutely some of the best strats ive played.

it seems like leaving a (good?) job at yamaha to go on the road might have been a hard decision. did you think of it as maybe one of your last chances to hit the road and tour or was the opportunity to play with lee too enticing or ?

thanks for doing this. ive enjoyed reading your posts

 

[Seraphial]

Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred

Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred

Hey Mike

Glad to have to here at the SD forum!

1 very silly question (just wanted to confirm) and a few hopefully not so silly

1) Does the CS Shop still do customer request one offs? I'm guessing if you want specific neck profiles, etc that would be masterbuilt rather than team built territory?

2) What projects are in the pipeline for the CS? I've seen some fantastic Custom Classic runs at Wildwood and was wondering if that thype of thing would be continuing?

3) How does one get into working for the custom shop nowadays? Still apprenticeships etc?


Thanks

 

[Grandturk]

Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred

Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred

Hi Mike - loved the run of Master Built strats that the Music Zoo offered - HSS, Floyded and beat to heck. Any future plans for a similar Custom Shop (non master built) run on these?

 

[Seraphial]

Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred

Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred

Actually, one more remark - thank the guys at the CS for me who thought up the Classic Player strats. They're absolutely fantastic and hope to see more like this in the future (hint - 70s classic player?)

 

[Mike Eldred]

Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred

Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred

Hi Mike, thanks for taking the time to chat with us!
You've worked on countless famous guitars guitars over the years... could you please tells us about the early Charvel years and specifically, your involvement with the Randy Rhoads models, the Jeff Beck guitars, the Eddie Ojeda bulls-eyes and, of course, the Eddie Van Halen black and yellow striped Charvels?
Also, back then, did Charvel send guitars to Floyd Rose to install the systems or were you doing the installations?
Do you remember what Charvel guitar received the first Floyd Rose bridge?
Thanks!

I was hired by Grover (his first hire after buying the company) in 1979. I was 18 at the time. Eddie Van Halen had given me the phone number for Charvel's Mfg. because he had bought some parts from them, and I wanted to get a custom guitar made too. I kept driving up there to pay money down on this guitar, and finally asked for a job.

Randy was a gem. So was his girlfriend. He would come in and I would set up his Les Paul, and I assembled the white and black guitars. It was so tragic when he died. Grover and I were in Lake Tahoe and had just got off the plane when we were told that he had died.

Jeff Beck had a couple things that we made him. There was a flame painted Strat first, and then he bought a pink Soloist, and then we made him a yellow one. I had to up to the Sunset Marquee to talk to him about neck shapes, Grover just said, "go up there and sort it out", and I went by myself! It was very intimidating.

The pink bullseyes I think were made for Manny's or Sam Ash, and I think Ojeda bought that there. I can't remember exactly.

We always installed the Floyds at the shop. Don't remember the first, but I remember the WORSE. Vic Verget sent over a 1956 white blond Strat with gold parts...and a Floyd Rose box. I told Grover no way, but we had to. It was a crime. I should have went to jail for that.

ME

 

[Mike Eldred]

Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred

Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred

Mike - how involved was the Custom Shop and it's luthier team in creating a process by which to deliver consistent relic products (the Road Worn line)?

I know the Road Worn series is a hot button for some folks, but I am simply amazed at the detail of the relic work on the 60's rosewood Strat neck I have.

I have heard rumblings of a John Mayer "The Black One" unlimited production model (assumedly using Road Worn techniques), as well as 83 masterbuilt custom shop guitars. Do you have any visibility of this project, and if so, when can we look forward to seeing these?

Thanks a lot! We're so glad to have you here!

-Hunter

We send Master Builders down to Mexico all the time, so we help with the Road Worn for sure.

The BLK1 will be NOS from the production line and limited to 500 pieces. The CS version will be exactly duplicated (Relic) and limited to only 83 pieces. Should be cool, hopefully around July.

ME

 

[ImmortalSix]

Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred

Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred

We send Master Builders down to Mexico all the time, so we help with the Road Worn for sure.

The BLK1 will be NOS from the production line and limited to 500 pieces. The CS version will be exactly duplicated (Relic) and limited to only 83 pieces. Should be cool, hopefully around July.

ME

Big thanks :headbang:

 

[Grandturk]

Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred

Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred

Don't remember the first, but I remember the WORSE. Vic Verget sent over a 1956 white blond Strat with gold parts...and a Floyd Rose box. I told Grover no way, but we had to. It was a crime. I should have went to jail for that.

You sir, are my hero!!!

 

[Mike Eldred]

Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred

Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred

It's nice to see one of many gifted luthiers in this world to have a nice talk here in SDUGF today.
Thanks Evan for bringing this up :yourock:,and Mike I've got a question for you:
Is it true that any endorser artist get exclusive rights to have a custom shop guitar build for themselves for free (at least once)?

And to top it all off,between any artist you have worked with together,who is your most favorite of them all and what do you like about him/her?



Wait a minute,I guess that was two questions then
Sorry if my English so bad,but it's truly fun to have you join us right here Mike. :thanks:

Ha! No, not true. The CS artists do get guitars but not the regular signature artist.

Favorite artist: I dunno. They are all pretty amazing. Gibbons is a good friend, so is Mayer. Clapton is a very nice guy, Beck made me coffee in his house once. Robert Cray is probably one of the nicest people I have ever met. Lots of our customers are famous albeit not rock stars, and those guys are pretty amazing too. Dean Fearing. Google him. One of my best buddies.

ME