Should You Trust The Fender Mod Shop in 2023?

Baxter and Jonathan give you some Mod Shop stories and if its a good example of what to expect with direct to customer guitar sales.

[ocdguitarreviews]

Thank you so much for the kind words! It was really an honor to be featured in your video :) I would love to be on your channel one day. Let me know when you need me to nit pick some guitars lol.

[CraigGriffiths]

I now know why there is no Mod-Shop in Australia. We have the Australian Consumer Law that says if it something is not fit for purpose or arrives faulty. A customer gets a refund, regardless of the terms and conditions.

[archer]

That's what I did, Fralin pups, locking tuners, Graph Tech saddles, CTS pots and a full shield my mod shop build right here at home.

[bluegryp]

It’s really not a bad option for those that want more choice on pickups, necks, colors, etc. The prices are a little higher but they aren’t outrageous. Not like the custom shop. Yeah you can build a partscaster for cheaper but who has time for that.

I can’t speak for everyone but I had no quality issues on my mod shop. It came in flawless and perfectly set up.

[room]

I bought a Mod Shop Precision Bass earlier this year and had quite a few problems with it too. (I have a video on my channel discussing it.) It all comes down to _really_ sloppy and fast assembly, and little if any QC before sending it out the door. I mean really stupid things like _the pickup wasn't screwed down._ The screws were just stuck in the slots. Inexcusable on a $2000 instrument!

[rrparker]

I modded my 2010 American Standard Strat. Completely got rid of the normal volume knob, turned the first tone knob into the new volume. Replaced the 3 single-coils with a JB/Jazz set. Custom pickguard for the new electronics. I then eventually moved that JB/Jazz set to my sparkly pink Ibanez RG. I put the Ibanez humbuckers in my Strat and it sounds freaking amazing.

[aphotosyntheticworld]

Got a Mod Shop HSS strat that I absolutely LOVE and has become my #1 but boy the road to receiving it was odd. Very vague process that leads to a guitar just showing up one day. Shame that some people have had bad experiences. I personally think if you have the money it's the best route to getting a new American strat because you can get the exact guitar you're looking for. They often have some pretty cool options pop up when it comes to materials and vintage pickups. Obviously you're better off holding the guitar you're going to buy but if you're going to go the online route it's a rad option.

[routerecords]

I ordered two Mod Shop hardtail Strats in a year, the first one in Aztec gold had an issue with the volume pot where it kicks in when it's supposed to be all the way off, otherwise a beautiful guitar that I love so much that I ordered a second one in Penny once they got the roasted maple necks back in stock. The second one had to go to a local service center as the neck pickup was loose and not functioning. Despite those issues - which shouldn't be happening at this price point - these have become my two favorite guitars.

[mikegutterman]

Two years ago I got a mod shop Jaguar in charcoal frost metallic. It was a flawless experience and I was perfectly happy. Hopefully they haven't ruined that experience nowadays.

[caiusmadison]

*Mod Shop* back when they used to allow all options available on the line it was cool. They also allowed matching headstock, which they canceled sometime ago, which makes no sense. The custom ordered factory line with matching headstock is a staple. When they took it I wrote off ModShop, it failed its own mission to me.

[nwolf]

You guys are the voice of the little guyy. Thank and keep beating up on the uber huge guitar manufacturers!

[dandylion]

Appreciate you guys bringing context to the market right now. Explains why used guitars are more expensive

[churro_gonzalez]

I recently bought a gold tremolo bridge from Fender. What surprised me is how ‘used’ the bridge is.

I do believe it used to be part of a previous guitar and the bridge was removed from it.

[PapajamaJoe]

I’d either get a new guitar from a trusted shop (ideally, try it with my own hands), or the custom shop route - go all the way if you’re going to personalize your guitar.

[wewin]

I have a mod shop that turned out great. Some of us like specific things but don’t have 5k to drop on a guitar. I do wish they offered ash bodies though.

[damianjoseph]

I have purchased 4 guitars from the Mod Shop. 2 Jags, a JM and a Tele. All four of them were flawless. (But heavy.) Not trying to stick up for Fender, but I have had great luck. Then again, I ordered an Am Pro II JM from Sweetwater last week, came with a broken volume knob and the brassiest, orange-ist tint/paint I've ever seen all over the neck, nut and frets.

[richbriggs]

You guys are so right on the help at fast food restaurants. We went out of town, and the place we stopped at was the worst service. A bunch of kids running the place. My mom said, "Why don't you go get us some food from there because it was close. I said no, lol. I'm going somewhere else.

[richardbehrendtiii]

I ordered a MOD shop guitar purely because they were offering a rosewood neck I could put on a strat in my color choice (Inca silver) it came out great. That being said, if it had major flaws I’d hope that a company like Fender would stand behind their product.

[jtbandy]

The mod shop is a great way for us lefty’s to get exactly what we’re looking for. I’m sad to hear that it isn’t worth the purchase price.

[paristhalheimer]

Years ago, I wanted Fender to make a Build a Bear style store. A store where different parts are displayed. You choose them and you put it together, an electrics guy setups the electrics, and sets up the guitar.