Fender USA runs dry - when can we expect some guitars?

ebaysux · **Posted:** Tue Aug 31, 2010 9:09 pm

Jazzyguy wrote:

ebaysux wrote:

Jazzyguy wrote:

ebaysux wrote:

mc_deli wrote:

ebaysux - the info is:

The OP (me myself and I) couldn't be arsed to wait so bought a 2009. A few posters have just received orders from the spring. There are very few am dlx 2010 models anywhere in stores. Different dealers are all telling funny stories about the shortage. Example rumours include; recession, layoffs, flood, paint supplier bankruptcy, paint mix secrets no longer available, staff shortages, skilled staff shortages, and the biggie, Fender USA is going bankrupt.

There are two conclusions I think it is fair to make:
-The lack of supply of US made Fenders is probably down to a combination of recession production slow-down and changing paint supplier (this seems fairly reliable as it has come from two separate Fender USA sources)
-If you are waiting for a new US-made Fender on order, then you have probably already had the delivery date put back to sept/oct, and there is really no way to tell when, or even if, you might actually get your guitar

...and Finnish cheese is the best in the world...

Oh..I almost forgot what this post was about..lol.

Yeah i had heard it was a paint shortage..but that people could not get natural finish either..which certainly has no paint on it...so I call BS on that one.

I just got my guitar and the paint (Candy Cola) is way different than it used to be at the beginning of this year. I can say for certain that they did in fact change paint suppliers.

That may be the case..but then what would be the excuse then for any delays with naturals?

Even a natural finish requires a lacquer so I'm guessing the paint supplier might supply that as well?

I guess anything is "possible". Time travel anyone? Elves that live in a tree making cookies? Leprechauns? Penny auctions will make me rich?

Some clear coats are poly..some are lacquer. Either way...I would have made sure I had enough paint and clear-coat in stock to cover any length of time that the paint supplier might run low..or if I decided to change suppliers. I would consider that I have a customer base waiting for orders...but who am I to suggest how Fender should conduct business?

All I know..is I still feel the paint supply excuse is rubbish. Just like they told us fuel prices went up due to supply and demand and then we find out demand has actually decreased.

We may never know the truth..heck Fender can not even figure out (or refuses to tell me) what the markings on any of my Japaneses bodies mean.

Don't get me wrong..I LOVE Fender...I love Fenders...but when you really get to the core of it all...it is just another corporate clusterfuck.

Think about it. Does pizza hut run out of sauce? Does KFC run out of chicken? Does GM run out of tires?

Give me a break. Surely there is someone responsible to make sure to order paint and clear coat if they are running low. Or for the past 50-60 years they just paint and never check if they are running low? BS BS...oh did I mention BS.

ebaysux · **Posted:** Wed Sep 01, 2010 12:45 am

Jazzyguy wrote:

ebaysux wrote:

Jazzyguy wrote:

ebaysux wrote:

Jazzyguy wrote:

ebaysux wrote:

mc_deli wrote:

ebaysux - the info is:

The OP (me myself and I) couldn't be arsed to wait so bought a 2009. A few posters have just received orders from the spring. There are very few am dlx 2010 models anywhere in stores. Different dealers are all telling funny stories about the shortage. Example rumours include; recession, layoffs, flood, paint supplier bankruptcy, paint mix secrets no longer available, staff shortages, skilled staff shortages, and the biggie, Fender USA is going bankrupt.

There are two conclusions I think it is fair to make:
-The lack of supply of US made Fenders is probably down to a combination of recession production slow-down and changing paint supplier (this seems fairly reliable as it has come from two separate Fender USA sources)
-If you are waiting for a new US-made Fender on order, then you have probably already had the delivery date put back to sept/oct, and there is really no way to tell when, or even if, you might actually get your guitar

...and Finnish cheese is the best in the world...

Oh..I almost forgot what this post was about..lol.

Yeah i had heard it was a paint shortage..but that people could not get natural finish either..which certainly has no paint on it...so I call BS on that one.

I just got my guitar and the paint (Candy Cola) is way different than it used to be at the beginning of this year. I can say for certain that they did in fact change paint suppliers.

That may be the case..but then what would be the excuse then for any delays with naturals?

Even a natural finish requires a lacquer so I'm guessing the paint supplier might supply that as well?

I guess anything is "possible". Time travel anyone? Elves that live in a tree making cookies? Leprechauns? Penny auctions will make me rich?

Some clear coats are poly..some are lacquer. Either way...I would have made sure I had enough paint and clear-coat in stock to cover any length of time that the paint supplier might run low..or if I decided to change suppliers. I would consider that I have a customer base waiting for orders...but who am I to suggest how Fender should conduct business?

All I know..is I still feel the paint supply excuse is rubbish. Just like they told us fuel prices went up due to supply and demand and then we find out demand has actually decreased.

We may never know the truth..heck Fender can not even figure out (or refuses to tell me) what the markings on any of my Japaneses bodies mean.

Don't get me wrong..I LOVE Fender...I love Fenders...but when you really get to the core of it all...it is just another corporate clusterfuck.

Think about it. Does pizza hut run out of sauce? Does KFC run out of chicken? Does GM run out of tires?

Give me a break. Surely there is someone responsible to make sure to order paint and clear coat if they are running low. Or for the past 50-60 years they just paint and never check if they are running low? BS BS...oh did I mention BS.

I don't know. Anything could of happened. After the paint supplier went out of business like they say, then their story is theoretically possible. I doubt the paint supplier would give Fender a heads up that they were soon closing shop, leaving Fender (and the people responsible for ordering colors as you say) in the dark thinking they could get paint from the supplier when they need it on the spot. Afterwards Fender had to find a new paint supplier probably order test samples and then have the colors and mix fine tuned, then order more test samples and so on. All of which can be time consuming, especially finding another supplier in the first place.

Having this coupled with the economic layoffs last year, then shortly afterward orders being received in droves can set them back 6-8 months easy.

Their paint story seems extremely reasonable to me. Especially because the Candy Cola paint on the guitar I just received is a different color mix than the ones before the backorder. Also, I might add a lot nicer and much more true to the name Candy Cola. You gotta see this thing, it's freaking stunning!

Yeah..guess there are a lot of "perhaps" and "possible" and theory. But logically, it would seem any paint supplier would love a Fender account. There is no paint shortage. Even if some colors are special mixes etc..what about black, clear, etc..you telling me they need a chemist and scientific lab to test it? Heck, there best paint ever was supplied from the automotive industry "DuPont" I believe"..I know they are still in business.

I don't know..as stated anything is possible..perhaps I just refuse to believe there is not more to this then corporate politics or massive layoffs, strike etc. There is no paint shortage I am aware of and I can't imagine it setting back orders for months to test paint. heck my car was painted in a day.

Snowjoe · **Posted:** Wed Sep 01, 2010 12:50 am

ebaysux wrote:

Funny story about London and beer. You see my parents for a graduation gift purchased plane tickets for my girlfriend and I to go to Europe. Neither of us at the time were any kind of world travelers...just spoiled Americans living in the land of abundance and taking everything for granted.

I could write pages and pages of our experiences, but I will stick to the beer story. She is not much of a drinker, myself have been known to indulge. We were both hungry as well but really wanted a snack more then a meal. So we figured we would hit up a few local taverns/pubs whatever..and sit down, order a couple of beers and some snacks..and all is well.

We found out rather quickly this is not the way they do it over there. First mistake may have been the time of day. We have dubbed this time of day as the "stampede of suits". In other words, we are just settling in and want an easy beer and snack...when seemingly out of no where, hundreds upon thousands of men in suits are coming at us. We did not know if we should run the other way..duck and cover, or just shield our faces with our hands and ram into the pack. We chose to run for cover at the closet pub.

Thinking we could sit down and have a simple cold beer and snack turned out to be something not quite in the cards for us. First thing we noticed...no seats. Then we noticed...that yes...it seems in that town, they stand while they drink.

We asked if there was a way to sit down at a table or something and order a snack to hold us over..and we were basically snickered at.

I was a bit disappointed, but figured.."when in Rome"..so until the roads were clear of the stampedes, we stood in the pub drinking tepid beer with the suits...until we no longer gave a rats $@!.

What you found out, is don't go to London :lol:

I really don't like London much at all, too many people, too many businessmen and totally different to the rest of the UK.

ebaysux · **Posted:** Wed Sep 01, 2010 1:12 am

Snowjoe wrote:

ebaysux wrote:

Funny story about London and beer. You see my parents for a graduation gift purchased plane tickets for my girlfriend and I to go to Europe. Neither of us at the time were any kind of world travelers...just spoiled Americans living in the land of abundance and taking everything for granted.

I could write pages and pages of our experiences, but I will stick to the beer story. She is not much of a drinker, myself have been known to indulge. We were both hungry as well but really wanted a snack more then a meal. So we figured we would hit up a few local taverns/pubs whatever..and sit down, order a couple of beers and some snacks..and all is well.

We found out rather quickly this is not the way they do it over there. First mistake may have been the time of day. We have dubbed this time of day as the "stampede of suits". In other words, we are just settling in and want an easy beer and snack...when seemingly out of no where, hundreds upon thousands of men in suits are coming at us. We did not know if we should run the other way..duck and cover, or just shield our faces with our hands and ram into the pack. We chose to run for cover at the closet pub.

Thinking we could sit down and have a simple cold beer and snack turned out to be something not quite in the cards for us. First thing we noticed...no seats. Then we noticed...that yes...it seems in that town, they stand while they drink.

We asked if there was a way to sit down at a table or something and order a snack to hold us over..and we were basically snickered at.

I was a bit disappointed, but figured.."when in Rome"..so until the roads were clear of the stampedes, we stood in the pub drinking tepid beer with the suits...until we no longer gave a rats $@!.

What you found out, is don't go to London :lol:

I really don't like London much at all, too many people, too many businessmen and totally different to the rest of the UK.

The worst if it was, that this was supposed to be the summer, we were from South Florida so packed for summer..IE: shorts, tank tops, sandals. We get there and it is snow flurries and rain..freezing cold. So we spent the first day shopping for clothes.

London was not a bad place to visit...just not good for people like us who were clueless where to go or what to do..or what the city was like. I actually grew up in Manhattan, and really am not impressed with London...a clock, a palace that has a fence around it..nothing spectacular.

We did take an excursion to Leeds castle...and I must say..although it was freezing rain and gloomy and so many events were canceled, the countryside was spectacular..really made the whole trip and the beer episode worth it.

The funnier story is what we went through in London to find a decent hotel room we could afford...ah this stuff was better then a sitcom..and harder to believe it is true..but we can save that for another post..haha.

Ceri · **Posted:** Wed Sep 01, 2010 9:11 am

ebaysux wrote:

I actually grew up in Manhattan, and really am not impressed with London...a clock, a palace that has a fence around it..nothing spectacular....

Hi ebaysux (and everything else sux by the sound of it too): been falling about laughing at your posts. Travelling is really not for you, is it?

Some advice. Never go to Paris: a tower, rude waiters and food without ketchup.

Or Spain: tapas is served in very tiny portions and only late at night.

Or Rome: some old stuff, a lot of it broken. No Pizza Hut.

Or Cairo: everything is old and broken.

Venice? Canals - who needs them?

Holland, as we've heard, is all about thin bits of ham. And again, canals. So what? Don't go back.

And I can see why you left New York too. A couple of small jazz clubs... nuttin' else much.

:lol:

- C

Xhefri · **Posted:** Wed Sep 01, 2010 9:26 am

Ceri wrote:

ebaysux wrote:

I actually grew up in Manhattan, and really am not impressed with London...a clock, a palace that has a fence around it..nothing spectacular....

Hi ebaysux (and everything else sux by the sound of it too): been falling about laughing at your posts. Travelling is really not for you, is it?

Some advice. Never go to Paris: a tower, rude waiters and food without ketchup.

Or Spain: tapas is served in very tiny portions and only late at night.

Or Rome: some old stuff, a lot of it broken. No Pizza Hut.

Or Cairo: everything is old and broken.

Venice? Canals - who needs them?

Holland, as we've heard, is all about thin bits of ham. And again, canals. So what? Don't go back.

And I can see why you left New York too. A couple of small jazz clubs... nuttin' else much.

:lol:

- C

I am falling off my chair!!! :lol:

nikininja · **Posted:** Wed Sep 01, 2010 9:39 am

Never found a bad city.

I have found locals that are bad at giving directions, or enjoy filling you with misinformation though.

EbaySux, did you ever ask anyone whats worth going to see? You missed the Royal Ballet, Opera, history museum (that goes back further than the 1500's) and Albet Hall???

Next time, let us know. I'll show you a world of delights, some of them may even be legal. :lol:

nikininja · **Posted:** Wed Sep 01, 2010 4:03 pm

Anyways

For tourist hotspot information on these isles all you need to know is this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4NeFo7zkfk&feature=related

Xhefri · **Posted:** Wed Sep 01, 2010 4:27 pm

nikininja wrote:

Anyways

For tourist hotspot information on these isles all you need to know is this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4NeFo7zkfk&feature=related

Cool, Thanks Niki! I plan on coming there maybe next Spring. Is that a good time? LOL! Like rain, right in May or early June?

nikininja · **Posted:** Wed Sep 01, 2010 4:59 pm

Late May early June is a time when rain is more unlikely. It always rains here, if you want guaranteed rain, March, April and early November are your guaranteed months.

That said if you stay for a couple of weeks you'll likely see it, or you can easily travel for it.

I like you love the rain. There's no such thing as bad weather. Once you resign yourself to the fact you are going to get wet, it's plain sailing so to speak.

All joking aside Wales, particularly the south and Herefordshire border are seriously breathtakingly beautiful places. Get up the Black Mountains mate, you'll love it.

ebaysux · **Posted:** Wed Sep 01, 2010 10:36 pm

Okay, I can detect a wee bit of sarcasm when i see it. Yes, granted I am a horrible world traveler. But I have traveled quite a bit of it...and can take the good with the bad. It is just hard to compare anywhere to Manhattan, south Florida, Los angeles..well the places i have spent a good portion of my life residing at.

I did not mean to imply everything else sux..but was merely posting some less then positive experiences for comic relief. I also very much appreciated everything these other countries had to offer, but of course the experiences that often stand out most that you will never forget, are the less then positive ones.

Paris? been there..a few times. Love it. But what do i remember most? Getting lost on a rent a scooter, the rent a scooter lock breaking, and then being charge 7 or 8 HUNDRED dollars for them to come cut the lock off...and this lock looked like something from the Flintstones. I do not recall being treated particularly rude by the french.accept by one bartender...and I am sure my mention of the fact that he would be saluting a Nazi flag if not for us "arrogent" Americans...that he rather enjoyed my company.

On a side note the food in paris did not require ketchup to make it edible. I listened to my mom..who told me to only eat at the places that had a crowd, and she was correct. The food was the least of my worries in France.

Never been to Spain, but I imagine the women are hot..and that would easily make up for any small portion of tapas.

Never been to Rome either, but my drummers mother lives there..and he rants and raves about the food and it's freshness. Granted, he told me the locals are quite "clicky", but every time he comes back from a trip there, he is 20 lbs heavier..so apparently they do food right there. Not to mention, I have never had any negative remarks from anyone who has been to Rome..only that I MUST go there, and that I will love it. I have a trip to Rome on the agenda.

Never been to Cairo. But intended to as I have been to the middle east. And I have nothing negative to report. The food was awesome (I LOVE Mediterranean food), the people were very nice (well I had to get used to haggling over prive for anything), and the whether was perfect. Probably did not hurt that I stayed at the Hiltons...but nonetheless, i did plenty of off the beaten path local exploring, and it was an experience i can never forget and all positive...other then I was sick when we were supposed to catch a plane to Cairo..so I missed out.

Venice??? From every accurate report I have heard, I would love it there. I only hope in my life time I get to experience a gondola with a loved one..before the ancient structures rot and fall in.

Holland. Never said i would not go back..only stated i was almost crushed by a stampede of hungry tourists looking for a free piece of cheese, and that we had to survive on delicious pastry since we did not know what was safe to eat there. I would not have been there 3 times already, nor consider going back if overall i did not like it there. You are simply getting the wrong idea from my posts.

I left NY because I was sick of shoveling snow 4 months out of the year. A few good jazz clubs was not enough reason to stay. Oh don't get me wrong, I have my share of experience here in LA that is much less then positive, but overall..it is beautiful whether, beautiful women, lots of opportunity for a musician, and more then enough to keep me busy. The food?? Compared to NY it SUX...or SUCKS if you prefer..but the weather...oh can I tell you we got the weather in the bag here.

Holland, as we've heard, is all about thin bits of ham. And again, canals. So what? Don't go back.

And I can see why you left New York too. A couple of small jazz clubs... nuttin' else much.

Xhefri · **Posted:** Wed Sep 01, 2010 10:51 pm

Ah, ebaysux, don't let a little British humor get to ya. When i read what you posted, i was like, ummmm, this will be interesting. London is a city full of a lot of history and is much older than any in the US (obviously!) It is all in good fun! :lol:

ebaysux · **Posted:** Wed Sep 01, 2010 11:05 pm

Good fun indeed. Sarcasm aside..don't worry about me taking anything too personally or seriously, I am on board that this is all in good fun.

As I did state in a reply regarding London, that it is not a bad place to visit. Actually, even the less then positive experiences were experiences nonetheless, and they are priceless.

I actually loved the architecture of the city, and the night life..well to an extent..it really is hard to compare anything to NYC..where I have waited in lines on a Wednesday at 6am to get INTO a packed club.

It could have been a much better experience as I was given a "to do" list and a "where to stay" list by family and close friends who actually live in or near London. But we realized after we got there we had left the notes home. My stupid pride stopped me from calling and asking what to do...so essentially we were like two lost souls dropped off in a city like London with little money and no clue where to go or what to do and ignorant refusal to contact anyone who could actually help us.

I take full blame for that.

AdrianJordanMusic · **Posted:** Thu Sep 02, 2010 1:37 am