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Post subject: Interesting Article in the LA Times @ Direct Fender Sales
Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2015 5:33 pm
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http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/en ... tml#page=1


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Post subject: Re: Interesting Article in the LA Times @ Direct Fender Sale
Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2015 6:01 pm
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A interesting article for sure. For Fender to say this won't effect retailers is a fairy tale. People want to play before they buy and this will just turn retailers into demo shops. I already use GC for this, but at least I then buy from MF. They think if they cut out the middle man they can stop wholesale and get the entire selling price, which would increase profits. They have already stopped listing guitars at MSRP and started listing them at street price. It's not a very far jump to under cutting retailers. Fenders greed is going to shoot themselves in the foot.


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Post subject: Re: Interesting Article in the LA Times @ Direct Fender Sale
Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2015 12:03 am
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Too much fear and paranoia over nothing.

Fender isn't undercutting retailers, in fact the retailers can offer a slight discount and undercut Fender.

"Direct-to-consumer sales work best for shoppers in areas with limited access to retailers or who know what they want but can't find it at a nearby store."

^ This is likely where direct sales come in most, and if there isn't a local retailer, there is no one to harm. :wink:

"People tend to want to play the instrument they're interested in before spending more than a thousand dollars on it. For instance, a standard Stratocaster costs about $1,300 in retail shops and on Fender's site. Dealers do more than just sell equipment too. They provide lessons and repairs that manufacturers don't offer.
Buying from a guitar shop can be a personal experience that the Internet can't replicate, said Keith Brawley, vice president of sales for popular acoustic instrument maker Taylor Guitars. "Musicians often have a relationship with their dealer like some people have with their doctor,...
"

I have not ordered anything directly from Fender, even when I have to order a guitar that is not stocked by my favorite retailer. I have the retailer order it, keeping that personal relationship that is important to me.

There was an instance in which I wasn't sure about which of two guitars that I really wanted. The retailer ordered both, let me check them out when they arrived, and choose the one that I wanted, they kept the other. That would be quite a hassle to do that directly from Fender, even assuming that they would let you do it in the first place. :idea:

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Post subject: Re: Interesting Article in the LA Times @ Direct Fender Sale
Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2015 9:18 am
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Kind of an annoying trend across many industries. For me however If I cannot try the item I am interested in and then if I like it, walk out of the store with it; I simlpy wont buy it.

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Post subject: Re: Interesting Article in the LA Times @ Direct Fender Sale
Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2015 9:51 am
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i can understand the dealers' concern...

years ago I held a job in wholesale sales. on of the companies whose products I represented decided to direct sell in areas that they felt were not getting the coverage they needed. while this was going on they reassured us that this would not have a negative effect on us. we were offered bonus money to get their products into our accounts.

2 years later, they developed their own sales force, and took the products away from us-eliminating the middle man. this cost sales reps thousands of dollars in income. I left the job because I saw more and more companies headed in the same direction.


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Post subject: Re: Interesting Article in the LA Times @ Direct Fender Sale
Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2015 10:14 am
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j.4knee wrote:
Kind of an annoying trend across many industries. For me however If I cannot try the item I am interested in and then if I like it, walk out of the store with it; I simlpy wont buy it.


I think many others will try a guitar in the store, and then go order it from the manufacturer because they want a brand new one, and not one that others have played with in the store.

That would be all expenses for the B&M retailer, and all profit for the manufacturer. In the short term. Until the retailer goes away, at which point it will hurt the manufacturer too because of all of us who won't buy unless we can look with our hands.

I do wonder about whether the current powers that be in FMIC thinks short term or long term. Too many decisions lately seems to indicate the former - that they want a quick ROI and then pull out.


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Post subject: Re: Interesting Article in the LA Times @ Direct Fender Sale
Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2015 12:43 pm
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I don't know. I wanted to order a Custom Shop instrument last year. The frustrating process of going through a dealer, who then went through a rep, who then went through the build team became soul crushing and I ended up just picking up a used bass. (A beautiful instrument to be sure, but definitely not what I would have ordered had the process not become all but unworkable) I'd be all for this as long as the return and service policy was robust enough. Let me call the CS rep direct and order my bass. Give me an on line direct American VINTAGE Series Design Experience. I'm all in. I know what I do and don't want in a Fender Bass. I can't get it outside of the Custom Shop and American Vintage Line anyhow and no one in a 3 hour drive stocks instruments on that level. So it's not like I'm missing out on "trying" anything first. Bring it. Give me an ADE with options that cater to the gigging musician who prefers Fenders that actually play like Fenders and I'll guarantee you a sale, or three. :wink:

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Post subject: Re: Interesting Article in the LA Times @ Direct Fender Sale
Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2015 1:30 pm
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TheKingofPain wrote:
I can't get it outside of the Custom Shop and American Vintage Line anyhow and no one in a 3 hour drive stocks instruments on that level.

Parkway Music in Albany should be within a shorter range, no?
Unless you live so far upstate that Montreal would be closer?


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Post subject: Re: Interesting Article in the LA Times @ Direct Fender Sale
Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2015 1:55 pm
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Parkway carries instruments on the CS and American Vintage level, but not a robust selection of basses and certainly nothing. I'd play. While many shops outside of large metropolitan areas may stock the finer guitars. Most shops treat bassists fairly poorly. You get the standard... "Well, we can order it for ya...". As nice as that is. I have a computer. I can do that too. Guitarist always have a much more robust selection and most of the time they don't understand that bassists are pretty forgotten about. So while a dealer may have a legitimate beef about this hurting their business in regards to guitars. The reality is that isn't my concern. Dealers. Parkway Music (who happens to be the dealer I went through the Custom Shop process with) in particular don't want to carry higher end inventory for their bassists. Especially with any sort of real selection. If you want my business. Then act like it. Parkway, and every other Fender retailer in NYS has flat out said that it's not worth it to them to carry these products regularly. Well, then it isn't worth my money to give them business.

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Post subject: Re: Interesting Article in the LA Times @ Direct Fender Sale
Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2015 2:18 pm
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Now that sucks. Not being a bassist, I don't see the problems you guys have (except for not being able to hold your liquor.... Just kidding!).

You'd think that there would be enough bass players around that someone would want to sell you good instruments?
Parkway is two hours away from me, and have a better guitar selection than Guitar Center (one hour away), but I wasn't thinking of the bass choices. Sorry about that! Anyhow, the local GC is weird in that they seem to carry a lot of bass amps but almost no bass guitars. Strange.


I've bought guitars over the Internet before. Only once without actually trying it first. I'd much prefer to at least get a feel for the intstrument before buying. Pickups and strings can be changed to improve an instruments, but if it doesn't feel good, it's kind of pointless, because then I wouldn't pick it up and play it.
That's why I want brick and mortar stores.


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Post subject: Re: Interesting Article in the LA Times @ Direct Fender Sale
Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2015 2:29 pm
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arth1 wrote:
Now that sucks. Not being a bassist, I don't see the problems you guys have (except for not being able to hold your liquor.... Just kidding!).

You'd think that there would be enough bass players around that someone would want to sell you good instruments?
Parkway is two hours away from me, and have a better guitar selection than Guitar Center (one hour away), but I wasn't thinking of the bass choices. Sorry about that! Anyhow, the local GC is weird in that they seem to carry a lot of bass amps but almost no bass guitars. Strange.


I've bought guitars over the Internet before. Only once without actually trying it first. I'd much prefer to at least get a feel for the intstrument before buying. Pickups and strings can be changed to improve an instruments, but if it doesn't feel good, it's kind of pointless, because then I wouldn't pick it up and play it.
That's why I want brick and mortar stores.


From a guitarists standpoint this definitely sucks, and I get that. It really is a shame that shops don't cater to bassists more. However, I really believe that bassists only have themselves to blame. The reality is that most of the music that is played by cover bands, or is really popular with most young people doesn't feature real quality bass tone any more.

So most bassists are perfectly happy with solid state amps, and low end instruments. Let's face it. If you're just going to distort the bass signal does it really even matter? Probably not. I've been in the local scene here for a decade, and I can literally count on one hand the number of local gigging bassists who put real care into their tone and the instruments they play.

From my standpoint, The reality is one of the great things about Fender. Especially the American made instruments. Is the consistency. If I were to order a 58 Precision Reissue, or even an American Design Experience bass that featured appointments from the 58 and 63 year models if they were available. I have very little doubt that I would enjoy it. As long as I know I'm getting the specs I want. Then I know Fender's American plant is capable of getting me a bass built to those specs that meets my expectations. Same with the CS.


Just did a show with the new band in Brooklyn two nights ago and they want to bring us back. I heard good things about some of the shops down in the city in terms of selection. If we end up crashing and leaving later next time maybe I'll try to hit some shops when in town. I bet I'd be able to get my paws on some decent gear down that way.

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