VERY good point.

Even if it's an options shop, made to order guitars won't be cheap. I'd expect at least the price of a VWH for a Custom shop Ibanez (depending on features of course).

Second question, this is Magnus Olsson's custom guitar MO1TT which presumably was again made from scratch in the custom shop in CA.

And this is RG8570M TB that was available to people (at least in Japan) again mass produced in Japan.


.

VERY good point.

Even if it's an options shop, made to order guitars won't be cheap. I'd expect at least the price of a VWH for a Custom shop Ibanez (depending on features of course).

Do you guys even wonder about what the price of a Custom Shop Ibanez would be?? and you think a regular (mass produced) production Jem is expensive.........

Hey Tak, nobody is expecting J Custom shop quality out of a public USCS, and quite frankly I think you know there's no way you could better their quality anyway. What they want is options, especially fretboard woods, neck profiles, and paint colors. If there was a small selection of inlays that could also be offered then everybody would be very happy, and this arrangment could be easily pulled off via the old H&S format. Japanese cut CNC'd bodies to be finish routed for the pickup configuration ordered, 43mm necks in all the profiles [there's only about 6 or 7], and fretboards already inlayed [like the mass produced you can buy on e-bay]. From what I was told H&S had the capacity to finish 50 guitars per day in their heyday [of course they were using built MIJ necks without the need to do any neck work] and using already preparred parts they should be able to knock out 5 a day. The mass produced parts would also keep the costs down below stratospheric so the company could make a good return and the customer wouldn't feel too gouged.

Just doing a translation of what Dex is trying to say

Since we're talking about the Custom Shop, here's a sample of the superb work done by Mr. Hosono's team:
http://caprile.googlepages.com/jbh100
That was custom made for Javier Bassino, a member of the chilean Ibanez Army, and as you can see, a lefty player. Incredible guitar!

PS: I figure since Javier uses it live, there's no problem showing the guitar. If there is, please me let me know and I'll remove the pic

IMO, it just wouldn't be the same.

If Ibanez would license Warmoth to make and sell it's bodies and necks, that would solve the whole "options shop" thing and be awesome indeed.

If Ibanez would license Warmoth to make and sell it's bodies and necks, that would solve the whole "options shop" thing and be awesome indeed.