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Post subject: Why Fender?
Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2014 5:06 am
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I have an odd question.

I work in finance / strategy - I have worked in big consumer companies and small consumer companies.

As a general rule: the bigger you are, the more you focus on volume; the smaller you are the more you focus on quality.

In a sense, Fender seems to buck this trend. Despite being a large guitar company (is it the largest?), it has a cult following with high quality instruments.

How does Fender do it?


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Post subject: Re: Why Fender?
Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2014 6:12 am
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edelstone wrote:
How does Fender do it?

IMO:

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Post subject: Re: Why Fender?
Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2014 10:43 am
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I'd wager it has a lot to do with being a large enough company that they can offer products at pretty much every conceivable price-point. Its a useful strategy if you're looking to build a loyal customer base. If somebody buys a Squier starter pack to learn on, there's a pretty good chance that when they go to upgrade, they'll buy a more adorned version of the guitar they already know, and before they know it they're a Fender guy.

Or you know, maybe people just think they look cool.

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Post subject: Re: Why Fender?
Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2014 11:02 am
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edelstone wrote:
I have an odd question.

I work in finance / strategy - I have worked in big consumer companies and small consumer companies.

As a general rule: the bigger you are, the more you focus on volume; the smaller you are the more you focus on quality.

In a sense, Fender seems to buck this trend. Despite being a large guitar company (is it the largest?), it has a cult following with high quality instruments.

How does Fender do it?


Modern Fender is unfortunately infamous for the opposite. Ask any random guitar player what they think of modern Fender, and chances are that problems with quality and how it has deteriorated will be one of the first things mentioned. It's unfortunate, but that seems to be the street perception.

I concur - of the three Fenders I have bought new the last year, none of them were top quality. The MIM one was the worst[1], and should never have passed QC, but even the expensive Select had quality issues[2], and so did the Uke I bought[3].

I hope that Fender will get back to former glory and high quality, but IMO, they're not there right now.

[1]: Wide range humbuckers where the screws could not be adjusted because they're (quite visibly) misaligned with the holes; a bridge that moved around, because the holes had been drilled too shallow, so the screws could not secure it, and burr on the string tree sharp enough to draw blood (which it did).
[2]: Lacquer on top of the frets. Based on what I've read here, this seems to be a reoccurring problem lately - someone doesn't know that they need to wipe off the lacquer from the actual fret tops, or someone figured they could save a buck by not doing it? Oh, and a G+G case made by someone not entirely sober.
[3]: In sealed factory packaging, it had a gouge on the edge/inside of the hole -- looked like it had been used with a Uke strap, and badly so.


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Post subject: Re: Why Fender?
Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2014 11:08 am
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Tochai wrote:
Or you know, maybe people just think they look cool.


It is indeed hard not to look cool with a strat on you. :lol: That goes for any price point. :wink:


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Post subject: Re: Why Fender?
Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2014 11:21 am
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Yep, my 2004 American Deluxe has laquer on the frets. Didnt realize this til it started chipping off.... Now I'm wonering how to remove the laquer from the sloppy looking frets. Maybe go in after it with a razor knife? How could they let this happen?
Its not only wrong, Its morally wrong, if one knows better. :?:

That being said, I have a 2013 American Strat that was manufactured to perfection.
The piece of Maple that was selected for the neck is absolutely choice. Finger board and frets are spotless. Its a pleasure to simply look at.

As to why Fender: Well, tone, but there is an open feel to playing a Strat or Tele.
Although I like LP's, they have a closed claustrophobic feel, and are not balanced.
Heavy in the $@!, like my woman. :)


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Post subject: Re: Why Fender?
Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2014 11:54 am
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Taurus wrote:
Although I like LP's, they have a closed claustrophobic feel, and are not balanced.
Heavy in the $@!, like my woman. :)

Try an SG with an old style fat neck - they're definitely not arse heavy :D


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Post subject: Re: Why Fender?
Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2014 1:20 pm
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Fender isn't really known for Quality anymore. Sure the higher end Mexican, Japanese and American models are all very nice and in the case of those Mexican models certainly very good quality for the money.

However, the lower end Mexican models and most of the Chinese Fenders are really just Squiers. Which is not helping Fender. At all. That's not to say that they are more or less guilty of this than any other manufacturer. However, most other manufacturers make more of an effort to separate their lower quality lines from their higher end product.

Meaning that Gibson usually puts out serviceable to stellar work. While Epiphone puts out crap to nice work. However, Fender puts out crap to stellar work. While Squier puts out crap to nice work. So in the end it really doesn't matter that they have two brands or not. There are Fenders out there that are simply not very good instruments. There really should be no such thing as a Fender starter pack. Leave that to Squier. The Classic, Pawnshop and Roadworn series instruments make the cut out of the lower end stuff especially if they tightened down the QC a bit. To me, they are good enough to wear the Fender name as they are fairly consistent and certainly in their best cases can outshine the lower end American models. However, the reality is that the Mexican Standard line, Modern Player, Blacktop, ect should all be high end Squiers and the redundancy in the Squier lines should be cut. Fender really has a problem with oversaturation of product and redundancy. They have way too many similar offerings at multiple pricepoints, yet miss the holes in the lines while trying to push competitor knock offs. You don't need 12 different split coil Squier, and 30 different Splitcoil Fender Precisions. You need maybe 5 Squiers, and 12 different Fenders. Just increase the options available on those.

The reality is that what should determine what makes the cut to wear the Fender name should be quality and not origin. Lines like the American Special, Mexican Standard could go away. Easily.

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Post subject: Re: Why Fender?
Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2014 5:43 am
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I don't see Fender as any different than other guitar companies. Guitars are a very personal and subjective item and when you find something you like you stick with it. The comfort, the tone, the design, all parts of the equation.

Personally I see a Strat as more versatile than say a Gibson Les Paul. The clean tone is legendary and the lighter weight and build make them far more comfortable.

The overall quality of today's products can be debated in items from guitars to home appliances. Sure the Fender factory now uses machines in production steps that used to be done by hand but that's not unusual either.

I love my Fenders, and my Squiers, and wouldn't trade them for another brand for any reason.


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Post subject: Re: Why Fender?
Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2014 5:56 am
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They make good enough quality instruments in every price range to meet every kind of player's need.

Other companies do not. Gibson is the first to come to mind. Yes, they have Epiphone, but no where near the selection of the current Squier lineup.

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Post subject: Re: Why Fender?
Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2014 10:57 am
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edelstone wrote:
I have an odd question.



As a general rule: the bigger you are, the more you focus on volume; the smaller you are the more you focus on quality.



How does Fender do it?


First I will say I as a general rule like the big's I focus on volume the louder the better, "if it's to loud your too old" :lol: :lol:, but serious I think it has to do with celebrity testimonials, when you have people like Eric Clapton, Niel Rogers, Buddy Guy and the list goes on and on using these tools a lot of folks will say If it work for them I want one. I guess if Hendrix and others were only using Deca's as their go to guitar I would think Deca or what ever Japanese manufacturer that were making them would still be in business today
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Post subject: Re: Why Fender?
Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2014 11:36 am
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I don't hold a cruddy guitar here and there against a company--I choose a guitar by it's (individual) feel, sound and quality.

Unfortunately, there are more than a few "lesser" instruments making it past QA/QC from many storied manufacturers (Fender and Gibson being the most notable).

Ultimately, I play Fenders and G&Ls because of the way they feel, sound and look. I like the looks of some other guitars, but their feel turns me off--or I like the feel of some other brands, but their sound turns me off, and so on...

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Post subject: Re: Why Fender?
Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2014 1:52 pm
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:arrow: My personal experience is that Fender is crafting superbly high quality instruments at a very reasonable price point. My 2012 American Standard Jazz Bass is a perfect example. It's factory stock Custom Shop pickups are the very best sounding jazz bass pickups that I have ever heard in my 44 years as a bass player. Todays craftsmanship and overall build quality from Corona far exceeds anything that I ever played coming out of Fullerton during the CBS 1970's of which I have 1976 Precision that I bought new. I would much rather have a brand new American made Fender than anything Fender made in the 1970's.

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Post subject: Re: Why Fender?
Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2014 2:09 pm
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linnin wrote:
:arrow: My personal experience is that Fender is crafting superbly high quality instruments at a very reasonable price point. My 2012 American Standard Jazz Bass is a perfect example. It's factory stock Custom Shop pickups are the very best sounding jazz bass pickups that I have ever heard in my 44 years as a bass player. Todays craftsmanship and overall build quality from Corona far exceeds anything that I ever played coming out of Fullerton during the CBS 1970's of which I have 1976 Precision that I bought new. I would much rather have a brand new American made Fender than anything Fender made in the 1970's.



As someone who used to play a 78 Precision and now plays a 2012 AVS 57 RI Precision I can agree with that! Not that my 78 was a bad bass by any stretch. The American Vintage Series instruments are amazing. However, what is considered "reasonable" I think is where the argument lies. The reality is that there are a lot of Fenders that I would still take my 78 over in a heartbeat. Those basses aren't cheap to some. Actually, you might be able to pick up a used 78 Precision for cheaper in some cases.

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Post subject: Re: Why Fender?
Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2014 6:36 pm
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edelstone wrote:
I have an odd question......In a sense, Fender seems to buck this trend. Despite being a large guitar company (is it the largest?), it has a cult following with high quality instruments. How does Fender do it?

The issue we have been looking at in these pages, based upon current events within the company, is whether they are presently
'doing it'. Consider the Custom Shop as having a cult following with high quality instruments. Beyond that, Fender may have bitten off more than it could handle in acquiring the broad base of companies it has and it's return on investment may be suffering as a consequence.

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