Paul is mourning too...

[SteveGlitch]

Fender Custom Shop head Mike Lewis has died, Fender confirms

Lewis first joined Fender in 1991, and went on to lead many major projects for the brand.

guitar.com

Rip...



Hope we get some fresh blood that will usher in a creative new era. My problem with Fender Custom Shop is that everything more or less looked the same, at least everything that was available to the consumers

 

[RC Mike]

Hope we get some fresh blood that will usher in a creative new era. My problem with Fender Custom Shop is that everything more or less looked the same, at least everything that was available to the consumers

Classy.

 

[Greywolf]

Always sad to lose a member of the community , RIP

 

[SteveGlitch]

Classy.

I thought so too. I know that alot of what they've offered consumers was too overpriced. My hope is that they get someone in there that will change things for the better. More affordable, and true custom models would be exciting. It has hurt too many artists for them to have to rely on Squiers having the best color schemes and custom (non-Fender) parts as opposed to the Custom Shops themselves.

Of course I'm referring to recent years - I'm not sure about when he first started. That may have been a different story altogether

 

[RossF]

Condolences to his friends and family.

 

[SinSir]

Looks like some variety to me at the local Fender Custom shop. Helluva guitar if you ask me.

Sure, not cheap, but there's a dozen pages of guitars. Heavily on the relic thing but also many that aren't.

Custom Shop - Electric Guitars - Wild West Guitars

wildwestguitars.com

Wanna make your own, go for it!

How to Order | Fender® Custom Shop

www.fendercustomshop.com

Plenty of great American and Mexican Fenders out there too. Fan of squiers but it's not the only way to get a cool finish or specs. CME Fender selection is an amazing sight to see

Electric Guitars

Electric guitars are just one of our specialties. We carry an extensive selection of solid-body electric guitars, semi-hollow-body electric guitars, and hollow-body electric guitars from top brands. Shop electric guitars today.

www.chicagomusicexchange.com

Want some dealer run exclusives? 172 Fenders vs 16 Squiers

CME Exclusive Electric Guitars

The Chicago Music Exchange works closely with top brands to design and create custom models only available right here. Featuring hand-selected specs, unique colorways, and proprietary components, the CME Exclusive series includes collaborations with Gibson, Fender, Reverend, PRS, and more.

www.chicagomusicexchange.com

I'd rather pay my respects and seperate the criticism than bag on a guys work after the grave. There's plenty of killer options out there for Fender and the Custom Shop. I'm a PRS guy these days, but once upon a time I was Fender all the way. I still check them out everywhere I go. Sometimes you just have to go to the right places. May you rest in peace Mike Lewis. Thank you.

 

[SteveGlitch]

Looks like some variety to me at the local Fender Custom shop. Helluva guitar if you ask me.

Sure, not cheap, but there's a dozen pages of guitars. Heavily on the relic thing but also many that aren't.

Custom Shop - Electric Guitars - Wild West Guitars

wildwestguitars.com

Wanna make your own, go for it!

How to Order | Fender® Custom Shop

www.fendercustomshop.com

Plenty of great American and Mexican Fenders out there too. Fan of squiers but it's not the only way to get a cool finish or specs. CME Fender selection is an amazing sight to see

Electric Guitars

Electric guitars are just one of our specialties. We carry an extensive selection of solid-body electric guitars, semi-hollow-body electric guitars, and hollow-body electric guitars from top brands. Shop electric guitars today.

www.chicagomusicexchange.com

Want some dealer run exclusives? 172 Fenders vs 16 Squiers

CME Exclusive Electric Guitars

The Chicago Music Exchange works closely with top brands to design and create custom models only available right here. Featuring hand-selected specs, unique colorways, and proprietary components, the CME Exclusive series includes collaborations with Gibson, Fender, Reverend, PRS, and more.

www.chicagomusicexchange.com

I'd rather pay my respects and seperate the criticism than bag on a guys work after the grave. There's plenty of killer options out there for Fender and the Custom Shop. I'm a PRS guy these days, but once upon a time I was Fender all the way. I still check them out everywhere I go. Sometimes you just have to go to the right places. May you rest in peace Mike Lewis. Thank you.

Thanks!!!

The only thing is that Fender won't deviate from their pre-established necks, headstock and body shapes - if they do it's only in an unnoticeable amount. Like John Mayer said, which is supposedly why he went to Paul. Squier on the other hand will, it's almost as if Squier isn't bound to the legal deformation laws that Fender is, which is strange. That's probably why more artists rely on Squier than Fender. For me, personally, I just mod-ship standard player Fender stuff myself. Thankfully Fender's stuff is highly user friendly in that regard.

Of course, then you have Cory Wong's strat, it's slightly different shape (thinner and slightly pointer than the average American strat but you won't really notice that, you'd simply have to read it on the brochure. Cory swears you can feel it, I've used one in the studio and could not hear or feel the difference of the custom shop version of his signature strat based strat and the standard American strat with the Seymour Duncan Washing Machine pickup set.

Anyways, it wasn't meant as a jab at the guy, it was just my way of saying it will be interesting to see who they bring in and hopefully they won't do worse, or just as good but surpass him. I think it would be great for Fender to get someone who can think outside the box a bit and that usually comes from getting in fresh blood.

 

[Victor Vector]

If you play electric guitar, you owe homage to Fender. Plain and simple. That being said the new 70th anniversary strat has me gassing BIG TIME!...supposedly better than a custom shop at half the price....(and the best case candy ever)

 

[SteveGlitch]

If you play electric guitar, you owe homage to Fender. Plain and simple. That being said the new 70th anniversary strat has me gassing BIG TIME!...supposedly better than a custom shop at half the price....(and the best case candy ever)

While the average person will not care, I have always been told by artists who come into the studio that my Fender collection is insane. It has and will always be something that I'm proud of, there's only 4 there but you can imagine

I will always love Fender and have utmost respect for them, always have (started on Fender)

 

[JasonE]

Wow, sorry to read about this. I wonder if he is the one that took over when Ron left... It is always sad to lose a builder.

 

[Bogner]

How Did A RIP Situation Turn Into A Brand Bash? That Type Of High Brow Act Doesn't Usually Happen Until About Page 7 Or So.

RIP Mike Lewis

Thank You For All You Did For The Guitar And The Guitar Community.