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Post subject: Re: My local just let me know they no longer a Fender Dealer
Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2014 1:39 pm
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Aspiring Musician
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Lightnin MN wrote:
Yea, good gear costs money, no doubt.

But, simple price comparisons between Fender and Gibson don't consider that Fenders are 'Modular' guitars that cost much less to produce than the more traditional methods employed by Gibson. Gibsons just cost more to make. Unfortunately, Gibsons are coming up short on both Quality of Workmanship and Materials compared to what they once were.

So much so, that I opted for a Heritage H-535 over an ES-335 for many hundreds $ less and couldn't be more pleased. It's better made, using superior materials, than the Gibson.

Image

Being an Amateur player means you have to try and get the most Bang4Buck and if well bought, you can do quite well. I got my FSR Ltd. Ed. '57 AVRI, my Telebration (Empress) Telecaster and my FSR Set-neck Custom Mahogany HH Telecaster all for just $125 more than the cost of an LP Standard.

I dearly want an LP someday, and I'll get the Standard when I do (if I don't opt for a Heritage instead). But for now, I'm pretty happy going the route I did.

cheers!


Please elaborate on how the Heritage has "superior materials" and better make when compared with a Gibson? :?


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Fender Play Winter Sale 2020
Post subject: Re: My local just let me know they no longer a Fender Dealer
Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2014 1:44 pm
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Looks nice Lightnin. I have an Ibanez Artcore AS73 that I like a lot. They don't have to cost a fortune to be great guitars.

Here's one I just finished. I call it a Shitar. Cost me around fifty bucks to build it. I built a knotty pine Tele too. That was around $550 to build.

Image

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Post subject: Re: My local just let me know they no longer a Fender Dealer
Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2014 3:03 pm
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That one cool shitar!!

One of the hollow body guitars I've always wanted to check out:
Image

Looks pretty good for under a grand.
Not fond of the tuners, but I like everything else. (I played a guitar with the same type tuners, just felt a little loose) Maybe just a fluke.

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Post subject: Re: My local just let me know they no longer a Fender Dealer
Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2014 3:22 pm
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Professional Musician
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Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2012 2:14 pm
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JimRussellMills30! wrote:
Lightnin MN wrote:
Yea, good gear costs money, no doubt.

But, simple price comparisons between Fender and Gibson don't consider that Fenders are 'Modular' guitars that cost much less to produce than the more traditional methods employed by Gibson. Gibsons just cost more to make. Unfortunately, Gibsons are coming up short on both Quality of Workmanship and Materials compared to what they once were.

So much so, that I opted for a Heritage H-535 over an ES-335 for many hundreds $ less and couldn't be more pleased. It's better made, using superior materials, than the Gibson.

Image

Being an Amateur player means you have to try and get the most Bang4Buck and if well bought, you can do quite well. I got my FSR Ltd. Ed. '57 AVRI, my Telebration (Empress) Telecaster and my FSR Set-neck Custom Mahogany HH Telecaster all for just $125 more than the cost of an LP Standard.

I dearly want an LP someday, and I'll get the Standard when I do (if I don't opt for a Heritage instead). But for now, I'm pretty happy going the route I did.

cheers!


Please elaborate on how the Heritage has "superior materials" and better make when compared with a Gibson? :?


Well, it's generally accepted that when Norlin Musical Instruments bought Gibson from Chicago Musical Instruments in 1969, quality began to suffer.

Even though Gibson continued to be managed by CMI (Maurice Berlin, Pres. CMI and co-owner of Norlin) until 1974, Norlin's stated mission was to increase profitability by consolidating manufacturing (moving operations from Kalamazoo to Nashville), using more 'modern' methods (more machining processes) and substituting 'engineered' materials (primarily HPL instead of solid woods, but also recently Baked Maple). This led to a significant backlash of the Gibson faithful, unhappy with the drop in quality.

Gibson was within 6 mos. of closing it's doors in 1986 when Henry E. Juszkiewicz, David H. Berryman, and Gary A. Zebrowski bought the company and opened plants in Nashville and Bozeman.

Meanwhile, led by former Plant Manager Jim Duerloo, several former Gibson employees who chose not to make the move down South, established Heritage Guitars in the old Gibson factory at 225 Parsons St. in Kalamazoo, building versions of classic Gibson designs, on acquired and refurbished Gibson tools.

Virtually hand-made the way Gibson used to (Heritage refrains from saying Hand-Made, rather Hand-Crafted because they do use some machining - much less than Gibson), Heritage retained the use on solids woods as much as possible.

Almost anyone doing a side-by-side comparison between a contemporary Gibson and a Heritage model will choose the Heritage as the superior instrument. I know that I did.

cheers!

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'11 FSR Am. Vtg. Ltd. Ed. CAR '57 Stratocaster (SN# LE02639)
'14 American Deluxe Ash Stratocaster
'12 Telebration Empress Telecaster
'99 Deluxe Nashville Telecaster
'12 FSR Telecaster HH
'10 Heritage H-535
'99 Martin DC-1E
'13 Lanikai Tenor Ukulele


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Post subject: Re: My local just let me know they no longer a Fender Dealer
Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2014 6:39 pm
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Lightnin MN wrote:
Virtually hand-made the way Gibson used to (Heritage refrains from saying Hand-Made, rather Hand-Crafted because they do use some machining - much less than Gibson), Heritage retained the use on solids woods as much as possible.

Almost anyone doing a side-by-side comparison between a contemporary Gibson and a Heritage model will choose the Heritage as the superior instrument. I know that I did.


I'm glad that all my Historic Shop re-issue Les Pauls were all built before 2000 -- there's no telling what Gibson's done to crap them up since then. I still want a '58 Gold Top re-issue (prolly shop for one on the secondary market).

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: My local just let me know they no longer a Fender Dealer
Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2014 6:14 pm
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Joined: Wed Jul 30, 2008 7:48 pm
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The local music store in my area used to sell pretty much ANY kind of musical gear you could want: guitars, amps, keyboards, drums, saxophones, violins, you name it. Then the competition from online dealers and, presumably, Guitar Center, got to be too much and the owner cut back on stock in a major way. Now he pretty much sells only guitars and amps, and even then his stock seems to be dwindling.

It's got to be very tough for the independent music vendors these days. They are competing with Guitar Center and the online retailers in the new gear market and then with Ebay and Craigslist in the used gear market.


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Post subject: Re: My local just let me know they no longer a Fender Dealer
Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2014 5:22 am
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As I said. If it's between the used market and GC then it's definitely the used market. Which I have zero issues with. My American Vintage 57 P was used. It saved me 900 bucks and the thing looked like it had been played 5 times. Tops. I'll take that all day and twice on Sunday. I've got no issue buying a used Custom Shop 51 or 55 Precision. Most people who own these instruments take care of them very well. They will likely see much more danger gigging in bars with me than with someone who keeps it on a stand in their studio or home. The Rig is a different issue as the one I want isn't very old, and as far as I can tell will be a special run. So that's a bit trickier. Not really a used market yet. However, this week I will be heading to that bigger independent shop a couple towns over and see what they can do.

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Post subject: Re: My local just let me know they no longer a Fender Dealer
Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2014 11:38 am
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Yeah Tim they are nice. If you catch a sale it's even better. Now I'm looking at the Gibson ES335 and 339 Studios. I tried them and they're really nice for the money and the workmanship on the two I tried was outstanding. Stripped down guitars don't bother me at all. I look for tone, and playability. I don't give a ratsass about shine and binding. :wink:

The fact is, good gear costs money. That's why we have Squires and MIA guitars. As you get more serious, you work your way up. It's a shame what the manufacturers do to the dealers, but they need to stay afloat too. Every guitar Martin Guitars ships is sold period. I got that info the last time I was at the factory. You can't keep a factory going on spec sales but they should cut the Mom and Pop shops some slack. They were around before the big box stores and made them what they are today. I try to deal with a small shop every time I can.[/quote]

Yea, good gear costs money, no doubt.

But, simple price comparisons between Fender and Gibson don't consider that Fenders are 'Modular' guitars that cost much less to produce than the more traditional methods employed by Gibson. Gibsons just cost more to make. Unfortunately, Gibsons are coming up short on both Quality of Workmanship and Materials compared to what they once were.

So much so, that I opted for a Heritage H-535 over an ES-335 for many hundreds $ less and couldn't be more pleased. It's better made, using superior materials, than the Gibson.

Image

Being an Amateur player means you have to try and get the most Bang4Buck and if well bought, you can do quite well. I got my FSR Ltd. Ed. '57 AVRI, my Telebration (Empress) Telecaster and my FSR Set-neck Custom Mahogany HH Telecaster all for just $125 more than the cost of an LP Standard.

I dearly want an LP someday, and I'll get the Standard when I do (if I don't opt for a Heritage instead). But for now, I'm pretty happy going the route I did.

cheers![/quote]
I agree they are very nice guitars and Im getting ready to get a 335 this week. Theres just nowhere around me that carries Heritage and Im not much on ordering guitars without playing them.

Bob I have been thinking about getting the 335 stuido.


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Post subject: Re: My local just let me know they no longer a Fender Dealer
Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2014 12:07 pm
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Just to reitterate a comment I left on another thread: Our undying loyality to the brand must be tempered with a reality check in that, in the end, we are all simply pieces in their corporate chess game.

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