first thing first,i never say that you can get american strat for 1.6k...
second,i can speak for myself,dun talk as if you're the only one that can speak for yourself in this world
third,lets say i make a guitar from crappy material, assemble and put in my own specification,what im doing is CUSTOMISING the guitar...so when the guitar is ready,its a CUSTOM guitar, no matter how CRAP it is,do you understand that?or you have other definition of CUSTOM?
fourth,fretless6 made a custom 8 string,so what's the big deal?
fifth,i think you should check the dictionary,go find out the real meaning of CUSTOM,its doesnt mean 'EXTRA string', 'EXPENSIVE PARTS', 'HIGH END product'...its just making/producing things the way you want it to be
and the last one,u dun need big cash to get a custom,1.6k-2.5k is enuff...as long as you know the right contact,it will allow you to get the parts with cheaper price yet good quality...min 3k for custom?haha,my arse...