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Post subject: Suggestions to Fender - Customer Service
Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2015 4:11 pm
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Fender has a legacy that is rare in this world. It is of course, a big corporate, owned by private equity. None-the-less, its success as either an investment or family business is based on maintaining the legacy - something from which we all benefit.

So.............what improvements would you suggest to Fender in terms of Customer Service?

I am looking for improvements that will help lots of people or help the business, not just subjective product improvements .

For example, DON"T say "Put maple necks on Telecaster XXX model" - there is another thread for this.

So, a couple of ideas I have.

Lefty Love: to increase the range of lefty products, Fender organise "Lefty Love" month - lefty customers can pre-purchase products from an expanded range of guitars/basses at STANDARD prices, though Fender has 12mths to deliver. This way Fender, can complete the smaller scale production when convenient (costs less) and lefties get a better range of products at STANDARD prices. A lefty can purchase outside of Lefty Love though simply has to take what is leftover.

I am not expecting the lefty range to be complete, though better.

Product Trial Studios: Fender set-up product studios in the major centers where by a large (near complete) range of products is available for potential customers to trial. Conversely, it costs (say) $20 to use the studio.

This way, a customer can trial many products, with minimal cost (in the scheme of things) then go away and find the cheapest way to buy the product (usually online) - I feel that for many people, it will be appealing to spend $20/$50 upfront with the benefit of confidently buying the correct product online.

Fender will display the products at hopefully breakeven or profit.

I am not thinking a near complete range of colours, just a near complete range of the types of products.




Comment: I would also suggest, don't worry too much about the finer details; just focus on the high level ideas. For example, with my Product Trial Studio idea, we would need to work out how to treat a person who is accompanying a friend to trial products though is not intending to purchase - I don't yet have the accurate answer to this problem, though it can be worked out later (I am sure there will be a solution).


To Fender:: you should also probably test ideas with us.


Last edited by edelstone on Sat Feb 21, 2015 6:12 pm, edited 6 times in total.

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Post subject: Re: What would you suggest to Fender?
Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2015 4:55 pm
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Suggestions? How about an electric 12-string?


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Post subject: Re: What would you suggest to Fender?
Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2015 5:28 pm
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The Fender Strat version of a Les Paul Studio (same quality but with less "eye candy" to keep costs down). Does it already exist?

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Post subject: Re: What would you suggest to Fender?
Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2015 5:45 pm
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Bring back the Highway One series. They were like what strings10927 was asking about. A regular Strat or Tele model but without all the bling. Same guitar, same tone, just not as sparkly.

Edit: The current model is the American Special. It's more an update-to-date version of the Highway One.


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Post subject: Re: What would you suggest to Fender?
Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2015 5:54 pm
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Cool ideas, though I sense Fender probably has the products covered (enough).

The intent of this thread was less about specific product ideas, more about ideas for:
- better quality
- better delivery service etc.

--> raising ideas that would help musicians in general, that Fender doesn't seem to have raised.

If we want a product suggestions, I suggest we start a different thread so as to not blur the two issues.


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Post subject: Re: What would you suggest to Fender?
Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2015 6:00 pm
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Time for a new 6-string electric model that will stay in production along side the Tele, Strat, Mustang, Jaguar, and Jazzmaster.
Not a short-run novelty.
Not an imitation of what somebody else is doing.
A new original Fender idea to augment the current classic line.

And if it was available in black, that'd be nice too. 8)


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Post subject: Re: Suggestions to Fender - Customer Service
Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2015 7:33 pm
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How about if Fender exerts more energy to take care of the mom and pop independent music stores, which is the foundation that built the company. Catering to GC and the other big box retailers is risky business that could go bad in a big way.

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Post subject: Re: Suggestions to Fender - Customer Service
Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2015 7:40 pm
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Expand the American Vintage Bass line to include an early 50's Single Coil Precision Bass, and the humbucker equipped Telecaster Bass II from the 70's. The American Vintage line of basses has had the same format for 32 years. It's time for more models. Comparable to the choices guitarists get. Also, more colors would be nice. Closer to the options that guitarists get there, as well.

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Post subject: Re: Suggestions to Fender - Customer Service
Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2015 11:43 pm
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How about some owners' manuals, each specific to the model of guitar?
- Truss rod, intonation, action, pickup height, and tremolo setup guide for that model, with a list of required tools (e.g. hex wrenches - which sizes? metric or imperial? Don't just say "a set of hex wrenches")
- Wiring diagram, with pot impedance values and so on. Presumably someone has already done that homework before it even went into production. Copy/Paste.
- Cleaning and polishing guide. (esp. finished versus unfinished surfaces.)
- String selection guide (there's another thread by a guy who messed up the tuners on his short-scale bass partly because the merchant sold him regular strings.)
- String replacement how-to.
- Replacement part numbers.

They don't even have to be printed manuals. A PDF online will do.

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Post subject: Re: Suggestions to Fender - Customer Service
Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2015 11:58 pm
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Fewer models where you can't buy replacement parts.
The Fender store needs to have at least bridges, necks, pickups and pots for all Fender branded models sold within the last few years. Now they don't even have parts for the models currently being sold. For many of the models, the only option is to buy parts from gutted guitars on eBay.


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Post subject: Re: Suggestions to Fender - Customer Service
Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2015 2:20 am
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John L Rose wrote:
How about some owners' manuals, each specific to the model of guitar?
- Truss rod, intonation, action, pickup height, and tremolo setup guide for that model, with a list of required tools (e.g. hex wrenches - which sizes? metric or imperial? Don't just say "a set of hex wrenches")

- Wiring diagram, with pot impedance values and so on. Presumably someone has already done that homework before it even went into production. Copy/Paste.
- Cleaning and polishing guide. (esp. finished versus unfinished surfaces.)
- String selection guide (there's another thread by a guy who messed up the tuners on his short-scale bass partly because the merchant sold him regular strings.)
- String replacement how-to.
- Replacement part numbers.

They don't even have to be printed manuals. A PDF online will do.


You do not need more owners manual just more work on guitar.
If you do some guitars tune -up, you know that do not need owners manual for each guitar , there are all same .

It is like changing a wheel on a car , they are not the same size and may need different size wrench , the jack is not same too . You don't need a owner manual for this if you do the job few times .

Need more information ? Everything is on line ,or there are ,many good books you can buy.
Fender do not need to add cost to the guitar with hundred new owners manual
And waste paper .


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Post subject: Re: Suggestions to Fender - Customer Service
Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2015 4:56 am
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edelstone wrote:

Lefty Love:

Product Trial Studios:

To Fender:: you should also probably test ideas with us.


Really like the LEFTY LOVE concept. Fender is under-serving southpaw guitarists and bassists. Might show Fender there is a larger lefty market than they thought if there is a wide enough selection of models instead of THREE. As it is now many opt to go AWOL from F-Troop with another brand or build their own F clone. Can't blame them one bit. Of course it could also turn out Fender was 100% right all along. The truth is that switching over to lefty models interrupts production of right handed models.

The PRODUCT TRIAL STUDIO is a very expensive concept to pull off even regionally. When you can walk intp the big box stores and play 57 different Fenders free in each one, who would pay to play them at a Fender Studio?

Part of what is wrong with the instrument business now, not just Fender but industry wide, is buying guitars online from mega retailers who don't have to deal with service or support after the sale.


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Post subject: Re: Suggestions to Fender - Customer Service
Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2015 5:14 am
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brotherdave wrote:
edelstone wrote:

Product Trial Studios:



Really like the LEFTY LOVE concept. Fender is under-serving southpaw guitarists and bassists. Might show Fender there is a larger lefty market than they thought if there is a wide enough selection of models instead of THREE. As it is now many opt to go AWOL from F-Troop with another brand or build their own F clone. Can't blame them one bit. Of course it could also turn out Fender was 100% right all along. The truth is that switching over to lefty models interrupts production of right handed models.

The PRODUCT TRIAL STUDIO is a very expensive concept to pull off even regionally. When you can walk intp the big box stores and play 57 different Fenders free in each one, who would pay to play them at a Fender Studio?

Part of what is wrong with the instrument business now, not just Fender but industry wide, is buying guitars online from mega retailers who don't have to deal with service or support after the sale.



Re. the studio, I am in a country where we get very little in comparison - one reasonably well stocked bass shop, though that is it. That is the problem with small populations. We can get everything, though we have to order it. I'd love to go to the Fender import warehouse and try stuff - I'll even pay for the privilege.


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Post subject: Re: Suggestions to Fender - Customer Service
Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2015 5:45 am
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Drew365 wrote:
How about if Fender exerts more energy to take care of the mom and pop independent music stores, which is the foundation that built the company. Catering to GC and the other big box retailers is risky business that could go bad in a big way.


Two elephants are in the room on this one. First, most of the Mom & Pops are gone already. Too late.

Second, you are right. If GC folds FMIC will have to settle in bankruptcy court for cents on the dollar. GC owes FMIC a staggering amount of money and some creditors had rather not extend GC any more credit. GC sometimes can't even pay the interest they owe on their debt so their hole keeps getting deeper and deeper each year, not shallower. GC has few hard assets beyond inventory, GC rents their store buildings and warehouses for example. GC only has inventory because manufacturers extend them credit. In May 2013, Standard & Poor's cut its debt rating on Guitar Center Holdings Inc to "junk bond" status, citing struggles with "weak operating trends." The corporate credit rating on the company dropped from 'B-' to 'CCC+'. So why does GC keep opening new stores? New stores are places to put more inventory which means the company's assets grow on paper, but these assets (instruments, amps, etc) aren't being paid for which piles more debt on top of what they already owe. I don't see how they have stayed open this long.

FMIC's heavy dependence on the obviously insolvent GC and GC's online subsidiaries like MF, M123, WWBW, etc is partly why investment bankers didn't like the FMIC public IPO a couple of years back. Another reason was FMIC's own debt.

FMIC and GC play well together. But at the end of the day GC takes all the toys home. This is probably partly the reason FMIC launched their online guitar ordering recently. They know GC is over the brink of the event horizon and with most Mom & Pop's already gone should GC go FMIC would be stuck with the capacity to mass produce tons of products but have no way to sell them.

Carvin seems to do OK with almost all of their sales being direct sales to end users from day one with no authorized dealers, but that has been their business model all along. FMIC isn't ready for prime time as a direct seller yet, but seems to be and needs to be looking in that direction.


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Post subject: Re: Suggestions to Fender - Customer Service
Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2015 5:53 am
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edelstone wrote:
brotherdave wrote:
edelstone wrote:

Product Trial Studios:



Really like the LEFTY LOVE concept. Fender is under-serving southpaw guitarists and bassists. Might show Fender there is a larger lefty market than they thought if there is a wide enough selection of models instead of THREE. As it is now many opt to go AWOL from F-Troop with another brand or build their own F clone. Can't blame them one bit. Of course it could also turn out Fender was 100% right all along. The truth is that switching over to lefty models interrupts production of right handed models.

The PRODUCT TRIAL STUDIO is a very expensive concept to pull off even regionally. When you can walk into the big box stores and play 57 different Fenders free in each one, who would pay to play them at a Fender Studio?

Part of what is wrong with the instrument business now, not just Fender but industry wide, is buying guitars online from mega retailers who don't have to deal with service or support after the sale.



Re. the studio, I am in a country where we get very little in comparison - one reasonably well stocked bass shop, though that is it. That is the problem with small populations. We can get everything, though we have to order it. I'd love to go to the Fender import warehouse and try stuff - I'll even pay for the privilege.


For people in a market outside FMIC territory, you have an international distributor (except in Japan where it is Fender Japan or China where it is Fender China.) Any marketing changes in your market and even what specific models to import for distribution are solely up your international distributor and not up to FMIC at all. FMIC makes the Fender instruments distributed in your country yes, but has absolutely nothing to do with marketing or warrantying them anywhere except the USA and Canada. So it would be up to your international distributor, not FMIC, to open the demo studio.

I see your point about limited selection. This is your distributor's call, not FMIC's.


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