We're tremendously excited to announce the grand opening of the stunning new Fender Visitor Center at our manufacturing facilities in Corona, California. And, for the approximately 29,223 individuals who have asked me through the years if we offer factory tours, as of this coming Monday the answer is now "YES!"

Full details and photos from the past two days of grand opening celebrations are available at the following links:

Fender Visitor's Center & Factory Tours: Information and Hours

Fender News: Fender Announces Opening of Visitor Center

Hint: we're located within very reasonable driving distance from Disneyland so there's really no excuse now ... come out and say hi to both Mickey and Fender on the same visit!

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Director at Fender. Guitarist & guitar collector. All views/opinions expressed here are my own and not Fender’s.

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Thank you for posting Brad!

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you can save the world with your guitar one love song at a time it's just better, more fun, easier with a fender solid body electric guitar or electric bass guitar.

Now I cannot sleep until I go.Damn I hate being from Illinois.I am in the middle and the rest of the world happens around you.I am hoping now fender will have a sweepstakes that will have one lucky winner be flown out there for a vip tour and a guitar too.Well one can dream.

Hey that's only, what, a 3 or 4 day drive? Come on now, no excuses here.

_________________
Director at Fender. Guitarist & guitar collector. All views/opinions expressed here are my own and not Fender’s.

Follow me on Instagram:
@brad_on_guitar

And on Facebook:
facebook.com/bradonguitar

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Shirley Has The Blues

Blacktop P Bass
mim Deluxe P Bass Special
mim P Bass
Ibanez BTB405

Now you're talkin'!

_________________
Director at Fender. Guitarist & guitar collector. All views/opinions expressed here are my own and not Fender’s.

Follow me on Instagram:
@brad_on_guitar

And on Facebook:
facebook.com/bradonguitar

Yeah!! anyone from Illinois??I'll chip in for funds.Otherwise I will price for airfare.Make it a 3 day trip.

I've been seeing the 'tweets' and positive responses....cool!

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Being able to play and enjoy music is a gift that's often taken for granted.

Don't leave home without it!

Thanks for the info Brad. It's a long ride for me but one that I'd love to make. I visited the Martin factory in Nazareth Pa a couple of times and it's truly amazing to see how these beautiful instruments that we love so much are made. I'm sure Fender has done it up right with their brand new facility. The Martin factory has what they call their "Pickin' Parlor" where you can try any of the many instruments hanging on the walls. Does the Fender tour offer a similar room?

if anyones going from australia i'd be happy to take a ride

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riley

The last time I was in Corona I called the Fender plant and asked about a tour, so I was probably #2381 on the list. That was in 1999, if I remember correctly, and I was somewhat bemused by the fact that the Fender factory was located on the site of Sunkist Lemon Products, on Joy St, which processed lemons from Southern California growers into lemonade, lemon oil, cow feed and much more. I worked my way through college there, running a '60 truck scale on the night shift.

As the population increased in California, citrus groves were increasingly turned into suburban housing developments, and by 1970, when I left, most of the fruit came from Arizona. After that, I moved to Texas and had a serious career and raised kids and put them through college. I forgot about Corona until I drove by Fender with my brother on that visit.

In the interim, I became a serious fan of Fender Precision basses, and currently have four, including an AV '57 that was built in Corona.

I feel an odd connection with Fender as a result, along with my BA from Cal-State Fullerton. It's ironic that, when I attended college there, I was unaware that Fender existed. Such is life.

Someone go to Corona for me and report back, OK?

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"Digo: 'paciencia, y barajar.'" Don Quijote de la Mancha, Part II, Chapter 23

Awesome, I better start saving for flights!
How does the design your fender American design guitar work? What sort of options are available and what will it cost? Or is it just a custom shop order form or something?

This is epic Brad.

My next vacation will be to socal because of this.

The factory tours are free too? Fender rocks.

A few years ago I took the Taylor guitars factory tour here in San Diego. Enjoyed it. They have a sales room where you can of course buy accessories. They also had some instruments for sale. I believe they were all categorized as used, having been loaned out or perhaps used at music shows. Of course you could play them - they have a couple of "sound rooms" just for that.

As free souvenirs they burn their logo into the sound hole cutouts from their acoustic guitars. I have a set of 6 coasters.

The day that I went, they had a T5c for sale, for just a bit more than I had been planning to pay for a plain T5. The T5c came home with me.

So, Brad, I don't know whether the same kind of "used instrument" opportunities will exist, but I'm going to accelerate saving for my GAS fund in anticipation.

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Shirley Has The Blues

Blacktop P Bass
mim Deluxe P Bass Special
mim P Bass
Ibanez BTB405

About two weeks too late for me. Family vacationed in Del Mar, north of San Diego, and I had to ride out the hurricane by going north to Calabasas, returning to the east coast four days later on the 31st of August. Was so preoccupied with the goings on back east that I failed to realize how close to Corona we were until I saw the announcement. So its on my bucket list for the next trip out to see my father-in-law. Not all being lost, I stopped in to visit the folks at Fretted Americana which is a coin-toss from dad's, and had a brief interlude with a '57 Strat the ticket price of which would pay for some kid's year at a good private school. As long as we are on the subject, why was the Fender University program shelved?

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"Another day in paradise!"