For the 387 forumites who posted new threads b*tching about the price increase:
Guitar Center is including a "last chance at 08 Fender pricing" in their annual Green Tag sale that will continue through March.
This includes:
Fender USA Standard Series
Mexico Standard Series
Highway One
Deluxe series
Jaguar
Deville Amps
Frontman Amps
and more stuff that I dont feel like listing.
Now, I know that no one in their right mind would start a new thread voicing their disapproval of the new 09 pricing if they were not seriously thinking of buying a new Fender. So I expect all of the forumites that moaned and cried about the $$ hike to post pix of their new Fender gear by the end of the month.
No Guitar Center in your area? Buy online, their shipping/ return policy is excellent! Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with GC or fender, except I own some of their sh*t. I just want to see how many babies were actually thinking about buying new gear, or just felt like crying about somthing.

just a note here, online prices are higher than in-store prices. I noticed the pricing last week in the two local G.C. stores I visit but online the prices are much higher.

"For the 387 forumites who posted new threads b*tching about the price increase . . . "
Are you ok with paying an extra 300 + dollars? I don't get it. This doesn't upset you or make you question Fender's decision at all? You would gladly pay a rediculous increase of up to 30% in one year?
Give your head a shake! This makes absolutely no sense in these economic times. Hundreds of thousands of people are losing their jobs in
North America alone and Fenders solution is to raise prices astronomically?
What do you think the majority of their sales come from? It's not the professional musicians I can tell you that. It's the every day normal person who works a 9-5 and loves to play as a hobby or in small bars. Really poor decision making in my opinion. These are the kind of things that really give a company a bad name.

Did you read the first post in the thread? How about the thread title? This is the point:
YOU CAN BUY FENDERS AT 2008 PRICES AT GUITAR CENTER ALL THIS MONTH.
Are you shopping for a new fender git/ gear? If you are, you can still get new gear at 2008 prices.
If your not looking for new Fender gear, why complain about the price of gear that you are not going to buy anyway?
I bought a new MIA Standard strat and a Deville 212 at below 2008 prices before the increase. So I am not going to complain, because I am no longer in the market for Fender products, and will not be for a long time. Why are you complaining? You can still get gear at 2008 prices. Do you just like to b*tch?
If you dont like the increase because you want a new Fender, buy one this month for the 08 price, and shut your mouth.
I dont like spending money any more than you, but why complain? Buy now and save. If you dont have the $$ now, than your broke $@! will probably never have it.

I think what he is trying to say is if you're really going to buy now is the time to do it before the prices go up for good.

I used to work for GC and the thing that always chapped my hyde was when they bumped up the prices on the previous years gear as the new stuff came in. Some of it is a flaw in their archaic computer system, but as the new gear came in, the old would reflect the new gears cost and price.

It's cool that GC is somewhat circumventing that with this green tag sale, but you watch; whatever doesn't sell from '08 will go up to the new price when the month is up. I've seen it too many times.

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The mind is like a parachute; it doesn't work unless its open-FZ

I was just on their site, I didnt see anything about Fender in the green tag sale they are having

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"Wait a minute, somethings wrong here!"

I was in-store yesterday and they had green tags all over the place including on Fender products. I don't think the web site matches in-store at all.

If this is true I will go check a GC store to see what I find

I bought a new MIM Strat last weekend for $349. Definitely last year's prices.

Please 773, if the price of materials and production goes up, do you really think the overall price the consumer pays is going to stay the same? Grow up, businesses passing the bill to the consumer is generally the way business works...

I'm from Toronto Canada and none of our stores are honering 2008 pricing here so we lose out. I guess what you're saying is true but I was looking at the big picture. Just wanted some opinions about the matter.

Blame it on guitar hero. I was talking to a salesperson at GC about why would anyone spend hundreds of dollars on a video game to pretend to play the guitar when they could buy a real guitar and a handful of lessons for a similar amount of money. I was surprised by his response. He said and I quote "that game saved retail" He went on to say that after selling the video game many people come back for just that, a real guitar! In the business world its all about supply and demand. I sympathize with all the people losing their jobs but that unfortunately doesn't make it less expensive to produce any given product. If they're selling like hotcakes prices are sure to climb. In a way that's what makes them special. I didn't see any new Gib@@n's in the $400-$500 price range.I would say that price point ($400-$500) is reasonable for the quality. That's just my opinion.

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With every mistake we must surely be learning..

Music is the space between the notes.

Lets not get into another pricing debate. I just wanted the forum to know that 2008 prices are still out there.
If you dont have a GC in your area, and are really thinking about buying new Fender gear. Work that magical google machine, and get some phone numbers. A few years ago I was offered in store pricing + reasonable shipping across state lines.
Its out there! If you want it, you can find it.

Yeah, it is the Epi line (owned by Gibson) that is seen as the direct competition to the Fender MIM line. I am just pointing that out -- not disagreeing with you. All Gibsons are MIA, right?

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Laughing out loud with fear and hope, I have a desperate plan ...