I got a new issue of Frontline the other day. A 2010 full line catalog , with retail prices and pictures, options, accessories, the whole gambit.

In just the guitars line-up, (not counting banjos, acoustics, mandolins, Squiers, or basses), there are 338 different models in 13 different lines to choose from, each with it's own color and mod options. Strats, Teles, Jazzmasters, Sonics, Jaguars, etc. The most expensive Fender Guitars looks to be the Eric Johnson Strat at $2699.

I can remember the days of one Strat in Sunburst or a custom special order color, one Tele in White or Butterscotch, and that was about it. I remember buying my first new Strat for $360 with case in the late sixties.

Fender has outdone itself in making something available for everyone.

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Life is like a sh*t sandwich. The more bread you have, the less sh*t you have to eat.

Strat prices stayed pretty stead for a long time. Guitars aren't cheep.

My first Fender in 1989 was used MIJ Tele Custom: $450
'87 Strat (used) $600
2001 Clapton Strat (new): $750 w/ Trade in
2004 40th Anniversary Strat (American Seriews/ new):$1,000.
I see a frend here.

Paris

Something for everyone suggests to me that Fender is a popular brand.
You cannot make all those guitars and expect to make a profit if nobody
was buying. So, fender is doing pretty good to accomodate everyone from low priced first guitar to top end to custom.
The whole thing is a luxury that is surprising considering the economy.

I was just thinking about how Cadillac and Chevrolet were changing body
styles every year back in the 50s - GM had excellent stylists in their studio
back then. Top notch products came out and the economy was boomin'.
Nowadays, before the recession, GM, and others are quite restricted in how different their product will look over several model years. Minute changes may take place and usually, they are often trivial cosmetic changes. 55-57 Chevies had 3 dramatically different car designs in three consecutive years.
TO the trained eye, there is no mistaking a 55, 56 or 57.

In my mind, the 1950s were the auto industry's golden era.
Love it or hate it, this was when a Cadillac was a Cadillac



To think that Fender is still makin' the same basic guitar after 55+ years
is indeed a testament to a good design.
I just wish they still made 55-57 Chevy Bel Airs using the same materials
though modifying just the drivetrain to meet today's regulatory standards.
Unfortunately, the car would have to have windbags and that just kills the original.
I am betting that the last American made Fenders to roll off the assembly line will be fairly expensive to obtain by future and today's standards.
Imagine when Made in China strats go for $2500 and $2500 is like $25,000
Not a pretty picture but the way the historic trend has been, it's not hard for me to fathom.

All those guitars in the catalog are simply luxury items.

That's how it was when I got my Strat in 72. There were a couple of neck widths and "C" didn't mean the shape of the neck but the width. My Strat was $300 with a case, a cord a couple packs of strings, a strap and a handful of picks. Now it's all confusing. Why not concentrate on making just a couple of models and making them right and making them in the USA?

IMO there's way too many options which I imagine drive the cost of everything up. If we wanted to change pickups and trem systems, we did it ourselves and had a one of a kind guitar. Personally I don't need or want that many choices. I can't find any other company with as many model choices as Fender.

Martin Guitars have been around for 177 years and has maybe 30 models. If you count the HPL guitars that they make in Mexico. IMO The only thing Martin about the HPL series is the name on the headstock.

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Life...... It's sexually transmitted and always fatal

+1!

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

All those choices are why the American made guitars cost as much as they do. You have to make up the difference somewhere. It's just that the big corporations like to blame the wages of the American worker for the higher prices of American made goods and use it as an excuse to manufacture outside the USA. The profits are huge on guitars and amps made outside the US. Last time I was in Mexico, the locals told me that $40 a day was great money but the days are roughly 10-12 hours long. No overtime is paid. Some factories in China and Korea are way worse.
Check this out
http://cortaction.wordpress.com/
http://cortaction.wordpress.com/2010/01 ... om-fender/
Still feel good about all the choices?
The Cort craftsmen actually do a nice job. It's a shame. Low priced guitars come at a serious price.

_________________
Life...... It's sexually transmitted and always fatal

very cool caddy,

prices aren't really up, you forget about inflation.

$360 dollars, 32 years ago (late '60's), at 5% inflation give a price today of $1,715.

So really standard strat's have come down in price. But don't tell fender.

I can remember a glass of beer at 10 cents, it is a little more than that today.

I agree with what supro was saying about worker wages compensation etc.

There are moments when I ask why X product costs so much, then I stop and think about the variety of reasons.

example
Production line Strats will always be cheaper to produce than the custom shop and reason is repeatability. With repeatability, odds improve that better components are typically produced because the skill improves.
That's a plus side for quality control and ultimately the best possible price for the consumer. The next investment for economical production is automation: CNC machines, Robotic handling, conveyors, etc.
For mass production, nowadays, technology is about as good as it gets.
But at a price. Whereas an AM Stnd Strat's cost is held down, something
goes amiss. Somewhere in the past, an employee or a number of employees lost their job to a machine.
Reminds me of a Twilight Zone episode in which a factory owner, through automation that eliminate employees, increased profits - in the end the technology fired the owner.
Spencer Tracy and Katherin Hepburn played in a film that had a similar theme. Both films were waaaaaaaaaaay ahead of their time and darned
if they didn't have excellent foresight.

I don't mind buying foreign made products but I do mind when the people are taken advantage of. We all know that "Made in X" country implies cheap but it really, there is one more hidden cost we overlook. The future of the US economy and overall standard of living. I firmly believe that future generation in this country are going to face some seriously hard times paying for our own greed.

Global Compettition was heralded as a good thing. I can remember when we had a small mom & pop hardware store here in town. When Home Depot came to town. Bye bye mom and pop.
Our town has gone downhill ever since the big box chains showed up.
The politicians are corrupt and children's education is in the trash at the curb. That's the future, folks.

Sorry but when politics is behind the stupidity, it's time to get rid of stupid.

Thing is, even the Custom Shop stuff if I'm not mistaken uses the same raw parts, bodies, necks, scratch plates, tuners that they might use on other model guitars. It's not like some magic machinist is producing these things. Unless you're sending in special instructions, it's still a production guitar, it just costs form $3,000 on up. How many Custom Shop 60 Stratocaster Relic Electric Guitar's do you think there are? Is it made especially for you? No. It off the rack like a cheap suit. Just a higher priced rack. Maybe more attention is paid to them, but they should be paying attention to every guitar that leaves the factory.

Don't even get me started on the $25,000 Van Halen Frankenstrat, or Blackie. A portion of the money from Blackie is supposed to go to the Crossroads Rehab Center in Antigua. I called out of curiosity to ask how much of the proceeds go to the rehab and no one could tell me. Is it tax deductible? Couldn't tell me. But it's all beat up just like the original right? That's great for Clapton or Van Halen but is it right for me? Who knows. It's all a shame.

How is it Peavey can survive using American labor all these years and still be affordable? Maybe they pay their employees minimum wage? I doubt it.

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Life...... It's sexually transmitted and always fatal

About Blackie and Frankenstrat, $25,000 is a lot of dough for a guitar, any electric guitar.
Thinkin' of Martin, They have an extremely fancy guitar full of beautiful inlay work. About $100,000 if I remember right. I can see where something
that may be labor intensive can cost a lot of money but when we are talking about a guitar that really, is simple as snot in design, produce and distribute in large quantities going for $25,000 it's purely a wealthy eccentric's toy. What most people fail to remember is that Clapton put three different strats together to get Blackie. I forget the story of Frankenstrat but it too was a hodgepodge of parts.

Darn thing is Fender's got a way of selling guitars.
Gibson.. the same thing.

Here's one for ya...
How come they've never made a Buddy Holly Sig Strat? Ya suppose it's a respect for the family issue? They didn't make a Jimi Hendrix strat did they??
I would like to think this is the case.
IMHO, those two players don't need a signature/tribute strat made as
a tribute.
IF you know your players, you can look at a Sunburst and immediately think of Buddy. That's Buddy's Signature/Tribute Strat. Sunburst is his.

An inverted white strat has Jimi written all over it.
IF I wanted a signature Hendrix strat, I'd be inclined to purchase a left handed guitar and invert it as Jimi had done with the right handed guitar.
(I'm right handed) I wonder if Jimi ever dranked his coffee upside down. I can see it now, Hey everybody, I can drink coffee with the cup upside down!

Same idea holds true for a Clapton Sig Strat only I would need to buy
three guitars.
While Sig guitars can be cool to some people, it's not for me.
I think I should look at an AM Standard and do my own customization that
makes my custom Strat the only strat in the world and thus.... maybe not to others but priceless to me. IMHO, that is ultimate Cool.

The laundry list of sig guitars sickens me. John Mayer, Billy Corgan, Jim Root Twice? Kenny Wayne Shepherd, J5? What did these guys contribute to music except sell a lot of records? IMO KWS is the Blues equivalent to JM. Nothing great but makes a lot of faces. How long did it take Clapton, Beck and Guy to get a sig guitar? Decades! It used to be a sign of respect, now it's how many records. Man I have more respest for Mojo Nixon. LOL

Twinhit, I like you man, you are my shove to the soapbox. I think I better get down now. Flame suit on and ready.

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Life...... It's sexually transmitted and always fatal

I'll be happy to loan you my Kevlar, Supro.



Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

I am a very simple Fender guy..either the MIM Standard, AM Standard, HWY 1 or Deluxe Player. I want to sound like me not any of my influences. Not that I am anything special...just how I am.
ABS

Thanks, Arjay!
And ABS, good on ya kid. Sounding like you is the best thing you'll ever do. Nothing worse than chasing someone else's sound and doing it half arsed.

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Life...... It's sexually transmitted and always fatal

And spending thousands of $$$ on unnecessary gear in the process only to find out you've been jerkin' yer own gherkin!

Just play your guitar and enjoy the groupies......it's the only sane course of action!



Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY