There's a member on the Strat Forums seriously in the market for one of the better guitars in the line. He's trying to make up his mind between a '57AVRI and a '57VHR and has been most patient in his solicitation of advise from us which has been strong in the suggestion that he audition the guitars in order to make up his mind. He's managed to get his hands on a '57AVRI but can't find an example of the other model anywhere. Out and about today, I had a walk throught the Guitar Center in Carle Place, NY, and then the store in Commack. Trying to find an sample of the guitars he's shopping for was tantamount to seeking a virgin in a brothel. With the exception of a sprinkling of MIA's in the Standard and Deluxe wrappers, and an Clapton here and there, most of the Stratocasters on the walls were MIM or MIC in origin. What's the point of having a high end line to boast of when the consumer in the market for same has to put out an all points bulletin to find one? There's not the likes of The Music Zoo in every community and even they don't carry everything in the high end line. I suggested that he put a deposit on the AVRI, lay it away, and have the vender order a VHR for him to audition, thus showing faith that one or the other will walk out of the store in his hands.

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"Another day in paradise!"

That sounds like a good plan. If the vendor knows there is a firm sale either way, he might bring in a VHR. It depends on how quickly such high end guitars get sold in his shop. If he thinks the unpurchased guitar will languish on the wall, he may not be willing to order another high end model.

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Member #26797
My other guitar is a Strat.

I dunno how Fender ever expect anyone to lay out much'o spondoolicks on a guitar they've never played. I think it's the single worst marketing idea ever, that must be hurting sales. Especially when other manufacturers seem more than willing to put shining examples of their high end gear on back street shop walls.
My local stocks Squier, Fender China, Fender Mexico and a couple of Highway One guitars. All great. Market leaders in their price brands. You won't hear me knock em.
They also stock high end Dean and Washburn guitars. Which yeah, ain't all they used to be. (or perhaps my tastes have changed as I've aged) But they also have several British made Wilkinson guitars nearing the £2K mark. Which to my hands compare in every way to Custom Shop standards.

Now if I had a guitar in mind and went to my local dealer looking for it, or one made by the same company of comparable price. To find they didn't/couldn't stock it. Yet had guitars made by A.N Other of similar cost. I'd give one a shot.
Fender seem to excel at advertising and pushing product, more than any other company. But do they pique an interest in potential customers only to lose it to other manufacturers?

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No no and no

Per the majority of my experience, there is a pervasive philosophy among dealers to not want to sell what they don't have currently in stock. This is especially when it comes to 'high-end' stuff.

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You dig?

The idea I put forth was sparked by an experience I had at a Sam Ash dealer near my home. I had expressed an interest in the Jeff Beck Artist Series guitar and the salesman offered to order one for my perusal, with no committment on my part, expressing full confidence that it would eventually sell to someone.

Niki's point is well taken. GC puts all the hight end stuff [$1599+] up near the ceiling to keep it out of the hands of the 'headbangers'. Their Platinum Room which displays the Custom Shop line was nearly bereft of Fender product today. I am given to understand by reliable sources which I prefer not to disclose that Gibson exerts a quota on dealers. In order to sell Gibson, dealers are obliged to display a specified percentage of Gibson gear and I believe it has to be greater than Fender or other competitors.

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"Another day in paradise!"

I was told by a shop owner that the dealership licenses are a nightmare. Obviously this is over here and not the States but could be a similar thing.

BAsically, Gibson's quota exertian is not just about percentage of wal space..........the shop has to buy a 'pack' of guitars and display them all...... and this guy's shop would have basically lost all their wall space to Gibsons. This 'pack' includes, basically, one of each model from LP Studio right up to a couple of Customs.............

I was told that Fender is pretty similar, just not with the set amount of guitars that have to be bought. Very few shops in UK have the buyng power to get in even a handful of high end or CS models and this is what I was told by the shop owner...........I promise this is what he said......

Basically there a re two types of people buy high end guitars.............the ones who have plenty of money and will buy on specs alone without trying.......they will order it in and buy it because they have decided from reviews that they want it and cost is not an issue........(I wish!!! But I know there are those that take this approach)
There are also the ones who 'know their stuff'....now get this. This came from the shop owner who claims he was told it by a rep..............these folks are the ones who get the spec sheets of a guitar, they know what each part individually does, ie neck profile, pup setup, individual bridge setups etc and because they 'know their stuff' they will know what each configuration does and therefore be able to tell how the guitar will play/sound without trying it and therefore buy the thing without even seeing it............!!!!!!!!!

Now I have no idea where this idea came from and I don't know which company the rep that said this came from but if that is any guitar company's philosophy on high-end guitars then I am truly shocked.....well not truly shocked but it is a disgrace and penalises small business owners and alienates any player who lives nowhere near a big dealership.

I know this doesn't answer your conundrum Doc but I find this approach shocking and I know the frustration of searching high and low to try and find a guitar that I want to just try.

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speak slowly I'm a drummer too!!

And I proudly lack a stick or a kazoo up my arse...........

A local music store owner told me about problems with certain big companies. He said Fender and Epiphone insist they carry (and buy) an assortment that the company decides on. He can't just buy what he wants. To carry the brand, you have to pay a price on your autonomy.

how many of us have walked into a shop not expecting to buy anything, then walked out with something MIM, or second hand MIA ? i know i have 2 or 3 times. its passing trade, and to keep the books in the black selling a good number of cheaper guitars is more likely to keep a business running than selling the odd CS guitar a month. hence so much room is given to 'cheaper' guitars. and thats even before the idea of the 'quota' thats been raised above.

im actually going to the best local guitar shop today, and i have to say theres usually lots more gibson and PRS high end guitars than fenders. there are however more fenders in general than any other make. i dont usually look at the upper reaches of the wall simply because it makes me sad, but for the sake of knowledge i will endeavour to check out the most expensive fenders in there

and im going there to check out a modern player thinline tele hopefully....

This has turned out to be an interesting can of worms I opened to go fishing with. Though the argument is made for the lower priced lines, the issue at hand is that a seriouis buyer has been unable to find a representative example of the product he is seeking to purchase and that it appears, from the input of the Forum members, that company policies are directing the way dealers are obliged to stock inventory so as to frustrate his attempts even further. This is really no way to run an airline.

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"Another day in paradise!"

back from my trip, empty handed unfortunately.

most i could have spent on a fender today was about 1800 gbp/ $2900. went in one local shop and one national chain store, both had nice guitars in.

my new guitar 'want' is a '75 custom tele that was part of the 60th anniversary range apparently, looked stunning. only 42 in the uk apparently, both shops had one. also saw a browns canyon tele which was very nice, and the chain store had a strat that they commissioned fender to do a run of 20 of. lots of very nice stuff.

i was most surprised at this : there was a second hand MIM std strat with the satin finish they only did for a year, exactly the same as mine :



i paid 330 gbp for mine brand new from the same shop - same price as any other mim std strat. whenever it ws they were being made. the 2nd hand one was 390 !!

i wish i had more money, that '75 custom would be mine............

From my limited experience working part time for a Fender dealer I do know that they have a target quota that this dealer is expected to buy during the year. This includes their Squire line and an evergrowing line of acoustics. As much as he would like to stock more of the higher end stuff his capital is limited so much of it gets tied up in the lower end products. He had a bad experience with the Custom Shop many years ago and won't even talk to them. When he does order a signature guitar or higher end reissue he's taking a big gamble because it ties up alot of money and may hang up there for 6 months to a year. They pushed 4 EVH guitars on him when they first came out 2 years ago and he's still got one hanging.

I agree Doc that its not good for consumers of higher end guitars but the quota system seems to be standard business practice. He pretty much dropped the Boss line because they went to a 10 pedal minimum order.

Curiouser, and curiouser......Go ask Alice. She'll tell ya.

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"Another day in paradise!"

One pill makes you larger
And one pill makes you small
And the ones that mother gives you
Don't do anything at all

Cheers

David

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"Humans think they are smarter than dolphins because we build cars and buildings and start wars etc...and all that dolphins do is swim in the water, eat fish and play around. Dolphins believe that they are smarter for exactly the same reasons."

[quote="ZZDoc"]The idea I put forth was sparked by an experience I had at a Sam Ash dealer near my home. I had expressed an interest in the Jeff Beck Artist Series guitar and the salesman offered to order one for my perusal, with no committment on my part, expressing full confidence that it would eventually sell to someone.

I too am in the market for Jeff Beck Strat and will be getting one in the near future. But the Sam Ash in my area does not have any in stock and I have to first buy it for them to order one so I can try out. Somehow that don`t seem right, how can you sell an item if the consumer can`t see or try it first ?

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It's like congress, you have to pass the bill to know what's in the bill.