Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
- Thread starter Evan Skopp
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Mike Eldred
Dir. Mktg. Fender Custom Shop
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
I like the bigger headstocks. It's a cool look, I mean...Hendrix. C'mon.
Blackmore!!!
ME
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
I like the bigger headstocks. It's a cool look, I mean...Hendrix. C'mon.
Blackmore!!!
ME
tone4days
Heel Whacker
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
ME goes to the top of the cool list
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
ME goes to the top of the cool list
Butch Snyder
ObsoleteChickenPickingologist
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
10k Nocaster bridge pickup - please bring it back.....
Oops, sorry Evan.....
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
10k Nocaster bridge pickup - please bring it back.....
Oops, sorry Evan.....
tone4days
Heel Whacker
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
hunter, no posting for kidney sales in the trading post, ok?
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
hunter, no posting for kidney sales in the trading post, ok?
Mike Eldred
Dir. Mktg. Fender Custom Shop
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
You and me both!!! I saw a 59 at GC Hollywood once, and had to walk out because I was thinking of selling all my stuff to get it!
We don't do runs of things unless we know that they will get snapped up quickly. the fact is, most people prefer a trem. BUT, we are a Custom Shop so most of what we do is ordered and that kinda determines what we make ya know?
ME
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
You and me both!!! I saw a 59 at GC Hollywood once, and had to walk out because I was thinking of selling all my stuff to get it!
We don't do runs of things unless we know that they will get snapped up quickly. the fact is, most people prefer a trem. BUT, we are a Custom Shop so most of what we do is ordered and that kinda determines what we make ya know?
ME
XSSIVE
OCDologist
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
Mike, thanks very much for taking the time for us to assault you with random questions hahaha.
i own a 2007 custom shop Charvel i ordered as a 1 off to my specs which for the longest time was my holy grail guitar, a strat headstock charvel with a "Vintage Eldred Flames" graphic. i was real happy to be able to order a modern version of it with the strat headstock when fender bought jackson/charvel and allowed the use of the headstock. anyway, since the graphic has your name on it do you have any history from your Charvel days about that finish? it's easy for me (a car guy) to assume the flames and the separate panel (for lack of a better term) look of the back of the graphic came from the hot rods and lowriders driving around California at the time you were working with Charvel but was there a specific car perhaps that sparked the idea? or perhaps some hotwheels cars? or am i way of with my guess?
for those who have no idea what i'm talking about here's my charvel...
and i'd kick myself later if i didn't sneak in another Charvel question...do you still own any Charvels from back in the day when you worked there?
thanks again!
-Mike
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
Mike, thanks very much for taking the time for us to assault you with random questions hahaha.
i own a 2007 custom shop Charvel i ordered as a 1 off to my specs which for the longest time was my holy grail guitar, a strat headstock charvel with a "Vintage Eldred Flames" graphic. i was real happy to be able to order a modern version of it with the strat headstock when fender bought jackson/charvel and allowed the use of the headstock. anyway, since the graphic has your name on it do you have any history from your Charvel days about that finish? it's easy for me (a car guy) to assume the flames and the separate panel (for lack of a better term) look of the back of the graphic came from the hot rods and lowriders driving around California at the time you were working with Charvel but was there a specific car perhaps that sparked the idea? or perhaps some hotwheels cars? or am i way of with my guess?
for those who have no idea what i'm talking about here's my charvel...
and i'd kick myself later if i didn't sneak in another Charvel question...do you still own any Charvels from back in the day when you worked there?
thanks again!
-Mike
BTMN
LifeIsGoodologist
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
Now that Hamer is under the FMIC corporate umbrella, have you ever played a Hamer Daytona? If you ever get to go check out the Hamer shop in West Hartford I highly suggest the visit. Some great cats working there. :cool2:
My Daytonas...
Black one is gone but that Natural is gonna be here a long time. :approve:
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
Now that Hamer is under the FMIC corporate umbrella, have you ever played a Hamer Daytona? If you ever get to go check out the Hamer shop in West Hartford I highly suggest the visit. Some great cats working there. :cool2:
My Daytonas...
Black one is gone but that Natural is gonna be here a long time. :approve:
JohnnyGuitar
New member
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
You've just made my day. I went for the CBS headstock because of Hendrix and Blackmore...
Also, I'd love to see more modern takes on Telecasters... like the Richie Kotzen MIJ... not a question, just wishful thinking.
:yourock:
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
You've just made my day. I went for the CBS headstock because of Hendrix and Blackmore...
Also, I'd love to see more modern takes on Telecasters... like the Richie Kotzen MIJ... not a question, just wishful thinking.
:yourock:
gripweed
Jolvisologist
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
I hope I'm not too late...
Was there anything unusual about the Hendrix Strats you inspected?
What is the most unusual request you've gotten for a guitar?
I have a great idea for a guitar I've always wanted built by the Custom Shop, I hope I can afford it one of these days!
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
I hope I'm not too late...
Was there anything unusual about the Hendrix Strats you inspected?
What is the most unusual request you've gotten for a guitar?
I have a great idea for a guitar I've always wanted built by the Custom Shop, I hope I can afford it one of these days!
fakiekid
New member
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
Hi Mike, its wonderful to see people such as yourself taking the time out to talk to fans/customers. Props to you and everyone at Fender. :friday:
Will we be seeing any cool Seymour/Fender collabs in the future? Like the old Pearly Gates Plus? Would love to see a Twisted Tele style pickup from Seymour
.
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
Hi Mike, its wonderful to see people such as yourself taking the time out to talk to fans/customers. Props to you and everyone at Fender. :friday:
Will we be seeing any cool Seymour/Fender collabs in the future? Like the old Pearly Gates Plus? Would love to see a Twisted Tele style pickup from Seymour
.Mike Eldred
Dir. Mktg. Fender Custom Shop
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
To be honest, we aren't looking at that aspect of the business. We don't feel like we compete with those guys really, and I mean they offer other services that we don't get involved with.
We make Custom Fender guitars for you. To YOUR specs.
If you want a Suhr, that's a different guitar. There are some similarities but not really what we do. He makes a GREAT guitar for sure, and if you play both and you like his better, that's what you should buy.
As far as how we feel about the "midprice-point" builders, I dunno. It's not who our customer is. Our customer knows what they want, and is very specific. Whether it's Eric Clapton or just a person who has always wanted a custom Strat built for them. That's kind of why our tag line says, "When You're Ready". Because some people just are not ready to make that instrument. It is a highly specialized segment of Fender. We don't feel it would be prudent or advantageous to expand it, or make it more accessible to be honest. And, that allows others to fill those areas of the marketplace.
Hopefully, they will look at our regular models too.
Ultimate upgrade? Man, it all depends on what you want. we make a Strat Pro and a Tele Pro that has LOTS of features that we get called for from artists and those guitar really have a bunch of cool features without having to get a Master Built guitar.
ME
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
To be honest, we aren't looking at that aspect of the business. We don't feel like we compete with those guys really, and I mean they offer other services that we don't get involved with.
We make Custom Fender guitars for you. To YOUR specs.
If you want a Suhr, that's a different guitar. There are some similarities but not really what we do. He makes a GREAT guitar for sure, and if you play both and you like his better, that's what you should buy.
As far as how we feel about the "midprice-point" builders, I dunno. It's not who our customer is. Our customer knows what they want, and is very specific. Whether it's Eric Clapton or just a person who has always wanted a custom Strat built for them. That's kind of why our tag line says, "When You're Ready". Because some people just are not ready to make that instrument. It is a highly specialized segment of Fender. We don't feel it would be prudent or advantageous to expand it, or make it more accessible to be honest. And, that allows others to fill those areas of the marketplace.
Hopefully, they will look at our regular models too.
Ultimate upgrade? Man, it all depends on what you want. we make a Strat Pro and a Tele Pro that has LOTS of features that we get called for from artists and those guitar really have a bunch of cool features without having to get a Master Built guitar.
ME
Mike Eldred
Dir. Mktg. Fender Custom Shop
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
Thanks for the kind comments.
I think the necks feel that way because of the people there. We all love guitars and there is a respect for certain aspects of the guitar especially the neck where your hand really has the most contact.
the 54's were a very hard project for us. the parts, the pickups, the opinions! Most 54's are very different, so we had to ALL decide on the ONE that we would make...it was hard.
Yep, I liked Yamaha a whole bunch, but they weren't really having the idea of me out there on the road, playing a Tele, etc. I still get to see some of the people there and Paul Meizenzahl works for us now and he used to be one of my bosses at Yamaha!
ME
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
Thanks for the kind comments.
I think the necks feel that way because of the people there. We all love guitars and there is a respect for certain aspects of the guitar especially the neck where your hand really has the most contact.
the 54's were a very hard project for us. the parts, the pickups, the opinions! Most 54's are very different, so we had to ALL decide on the ONE that we would make...it was hard.
Yep, I liked Yamaha a whole bunch, but they weren't really having the idea of me out there on the road, playing a Tele, etc. I still get to see some of the people there and Paul Meizenzahl works for us now and he used to be one of my bosses at Yamaha!
ME
Mike Eldred
Dir. Mktg. Fender Custom Shop
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
1) Absolutely! We never stopped that! That's the main part of our business. It depends on what you want. Just a neck shape change? Just a color? No problem. It's when it gets into lots of changes that you may end up with a Master Built guitar.
2) All of our Showcase Dealers try to do custom runs of things. we are working on some really cool guitars for June / July release, and those will be out soon. the new website is going to really be cool too, much more interactive.
3) Depends. The CS employees are the best at Fender. Usually, you work in the main plant, and as you progress, we look for certain things that set you apart as far as talent. it may be paint, frets, sanding, it all depends. Rarley do we hire from outside right into the CS. It does happen, but you have to have lots of experience for that to be a way in.
ME
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
1) Absolutely! We never stopped that! That's the main part of our business. It depends on what you want. Just a neck shape change? Just a color? No problem. It's when it gets into lots of changes that you may end up with a Master Built guitar.
2) All of our Showcase Dealers try to do custom runs of things. we are working on some really cool guitars for June / July release, and those will be out soon. the new website is going to really be cool too, much more interactive.
3) Depends. The CS employees are the best at Fender. Usually, you work in the main plant, and as you progress, we look for certain things that set you apart as far as talent. it may be paint, frets, sanding, it all depends. Rarley do we hire from outside right into the CS. It does happen, but you have to have lots of experience for that to be a way in.
ME
J Moose
New member
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
Aww man! I already know what I think, I was wondering what YOU think!
Specifically, I was wondering if you had noticed any trends to either type of system... figure you've probably built & handled more guitars on a technical basis then I've played... which is also not a small number!
Anyway, next question!
Are there or have there ever been plans for a 'modern vintage' line of guitars? Take the traditional appointments and refine certain things for the way playing styles have evolved over the years? Thinking of things like a heel cut, flatter radius (12" ?) and pickups with flat or at least modern staggered magnets...
I had a very low serial number EJ strat which was amazingly great... one of my clients has a real '55 or '56 and it was like the junior version of that guitar... really resonant & so alive and responsive, but after a while all the usual stuff that bugs me about strats started to get to me... like the size of the heel & string balance.
I realize the Am. Deluxe hits some of those points... but I like the bigger neck with the flat radius, 6-point trem & that sort of thing. I can't be alone there...
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
Aww man! I already know what I think, I was wondering what YOU think!
Specifically, I was wondering if you had noticed any trends to either type of system... figure you've probably built & handled more guitars on a technical basis then I've played... which is also not a small number!
Anyway, next question!
Are there or have there ever been plans for a 'modern vintage' line of guitars? Take the traditional appointments and refine certain things for the way playing styles have evolved over the years? Thinking of things like a heel cut, flatter radius (12" ?) and pickups with flat or at least modern staggered magnets...
I had a very low serial number EJ strat which was amazingly great... one of my clients has a real '55 or '56 and it was like the junior version of that guitar... really resonant & so alive and responsive, but after a while all the usual stuff that bugs me about strats started to get to me... like the size of the heel & string balance.
I realize the Am. Deluxe hits some of those points... but I like the bigger neck with the flat radius, 6-point trem & that sort of thing. I can't be alone there...
speed2dirt
Butterball
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
Hey Mike, thanks for doing this. You mentioned several posts ago a "historical responsibility" to Fender & their legacy. Do you feel this hinders growth and innovation for Fender products? People may not be as accepting of a redesigned strat from Fender as opposed to another company doing the same thing.
Also, there was a recent thread voting on Fender vs G&L. The results were pretty even with no clear-cut winner. What are your opinions of G&L compared to Fender products, throwing all biases aside? A quote from the thread stated "One is Leo's original and the other, people say, is Leo's perfection." Do you feel this is accurate?
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
Hey Mike, thanks for doing this. You mentioned several posts ago a "historical responsibility" to Fender & their legacy. Do you feel this hinders growth and innovation for Fender products? People may not be as accepting of a redesigned strat from Fender as opposed to another company doing the same thing.
Also, there was a recent thread voting on Fender vs G&L. The results were pretty even with no clear-cut winner. What are your opinions of G&L compared to Fender products, throwing all biases aside? A quote from the thread stated "One is Leo's original and the other, people say, is Leo's perfection." Do you feel this is accurate?
JordanM82
New member
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
Mike,
Do you feel like the instruments that are most often requested through the custom shop drive the direction of what production line instruments fender is offering? Also, are the instruments most often build by the CS unique in some way to the instruments offered by Fender; or is it that most people/artists are just looking for a higher quality instrument with more attention to detail?
Thanks for joining us today, it's great to have a someone from a shop as well known and respected as the Fender CS join us for a Q&A. Have already thoroughly enjoyed reading all the answers.
-Jordan
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
Mike,
Do you feel like the instruments that are most often requested through the custom shop drive the direction of what production line instruments fender is offering? Also, are the instruments most often build by the CS unique in some way to the instruments offered by Fender; or is it that most people/artists are just looking for a higher quality instrument with more attention to detail?
Thanks for joining us today, it's great to have a someone from a shop as well known and respected as the Fender CS join us for a Q&A. Have already thoroughly enjoyed reading all the answers.
-Jordan
Mike Eldred
Dir. Mktg. Fender Custom Shop
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
Not at the moment. Maybe sometime down the road. we like to protect the integrity of the original run. If you bought one of the Master Builts, and we released a Custom Built version a month later, would you be upset? I know I would!
ME
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
Not at the moment. Maybe sometime down the road. we like to protect the integrity of the original run. If you bought one of the Master Builts, and we released a Custom Built version a month later, would you be upset? I know I would!
ME
Mike Eldred
Dir. Mktg. Fender Custom Shop
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
We do it now on certain models. Hot Nocaster is what we call it.
ME
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
We do it now on certain models. Hot Nocaster is what we call it.
ME
J Moose
New member
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
One more question, cause I gotta get back behind the console & likely won't be able to check in again...
Given that you've been on the other side of and played & toured as a musician at a fairly high level, could you share any stories from that experience? I personally love the hairy ones where it all seems to be going wrong & then ends up being so right! But whatever... anything truly memorable or mesmerizing tales from those days that you can actually write about?
Thanks again!
Re: Live Chat Now - Guest Luthier Series - Mike Eldred
One more question, cause I gotta get back behind the console & likely won't be able to check in again...
Given that you've been on the other side of and played & toured as a musician at a fairly high level, could you share any stories from that experience? I personally love the hairy ones where it all seems to be going wrong & then ends up being so right! But whatever... anything truly memorable or mesmerizing tales from those days that you can actually write about?
Thanks again!
- Status
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