John has issued a public statement assuring fans that he is not a racist after giving an interview in which he spoke in racist terms and admitted there were parts of him that are indeed racist. Should Fender keep him as part of their future marketing campaigns?

There isn't room for racism in music/art and hopefully life in general.

If he really assures he isn't a racist, then business relationships shouldn't come into the equation.

'Personally, don't care either way.

Nobody's perfect and way too many folks all over this planet are way too politically etc sensitive.

What comes to mind is a rock dropping to the bottom!!!! Oh no that's Mayer that's OK he can be dropped!!!!

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The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson

I do not care for Mayer but there is no reason why Fender should part ways with him. He just is not the sharpest tool in the shed and really has not done anything anyone else here has never done at some point. The only difference is we do not have to worry what the public on a huge scale thinks of us. The only person he really hurt was himself.

The guy is really like a big kid and you can tell that by the way he kisses and tells about his relationships. How many grown up celebrities do you see hold news conferences when they break off a relationship, or give blow by blow details. He will be back to groupies very soon.

I am not now or ever have been a fan of John Mayer so I have no opinion in this matter.

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Chet Feathers

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I didn't Lose my mind, I traded it for this guitar.

Compared to other celebrity screwups, this is nothing. Plus the man sells Fender guitars, so yes, they should keep endorsing him.

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I traded my car in for a microphone.

I don't think Fender should sponser anyone. Save that money and lower your prices so that the average musician can better afford your products and give your loyal employees a raise. A lot of these guys aren't even using actual Fender products anyway. They have custom built gear that gets a Fender badge or decal slapped on it to honor their contract and they think no one is the wiser.

Well he has caused a recent $@!& storm if you will and he is a very polarizing figure to begin with but this is a bad situation for all involved. Even as a fan of his I'm bothered by his recent words, there simply isn't a place for what he said. Quite honestly his recent interviews have all been quite strange. He just hasn't dropped the bombs that he did with Playboy. On one hand there are lots of stars that have skeletons in their closets who have made horrible decisions that are still popular and marketable and let's not forget that Fender is a business. There is also something to be said about loyalty too and that goes both ways. All I know is that John Mayer's career feels like it could be hanging from a string and it will be interesting to see how the market responds and how he responds going forward. There will be people who continue to love him and those who will forever view him as a racist, womanizing pig. He simply couldn't have picked words that were as hurtful and demeaning if he tried. Either way it's going to be interesting.

I'm not a fan and frankly, I don't give a rat's buttocks either way.

Having said that, there' an old saying: "Bad press is better than no press at all." So, even though Mayer runs his mouth faster than his mind, he's still getting his active press which I'm sure, still stimulates interest in him and his endorsements. Even here, look at all the [wasted] bandwidth he continually gets.

As always, this is merely IMO where YMMV.

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You dig?

In this age of political correctness, Patti Smith would have never been able to release one of her best songs, and from all I know Patti Smith is no racist...

As far as John Mayer, a talented musician who just seems to be saying a lot of stupid things in recent interviews.

Advice for John, shut up for awhile, and only speak through either your agent/attorney/manager/publicist for the next few months, or until some other celeb screws something up.

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RAMA LAMA FA FA FA

I don't think Mayer's meteoric rise to stardom warranted a signature guitar in the 1st place as there are others who are a lot more deserving of having a guitar put out to honour them.No matter what Mayer said after the to try and clear the air it was a half hearted insincere attempt at damage control.He should no more get a signature guitar than David Duke should.I just have zero tolerance for racism and I'm just absolutely fanatically against any form of it.Any company that allows him to endorse a product and remains silent about his outrageous comments is in fact condoning what he said.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

There's way too many signature Strats as it is. I don't really care I wouldn't buy one of his guitars anyway. There's nothing original about his sound or his playing.

Personally, Im not a fan. Not that I dont like him, he is just not popular at all in my corner of this world. However- Fender need to ask whether or not they want a loose cannon endorsing their product and whether it is good or bad publicity.

If it was good enough for Tiger, it should be good enough for JM. Lets face it- they guy is the most un-popular subject on these forums- that has to count for something.

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I think that Fender should drop John Mayer and bring on Lady Blah Blah.....she is popular, dresses nicely and plays really - really fun music...........she does play the guitar doesn't she???

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I Can't Explain