chromeface wrote:
I really don't like seeing the US Deluxe Bass series lacking of a fretless Jazz and a 5-string Precision, but love much their cool retro-looking CBS-era features such as the headstock decals and the bound necks with the blocks. Also, the "new" Deluxes lose their 22nd fret, which was a standard feature since the inception of the American Deluxe basses in 1995. For which reason Fender decided to not include these options on the 2010 series?
The reason is "Standardization." Fewer options (colors, necks, fretted vs. fretless) mean streamlined production. It is all about making the most guitars possible in the shortest amount of time. Any options add production time which raises labor costs and causes quality control issues.
Like all companies that actually make a product in the USA, Fender is looking for ways to cut costs and increase productivity right now. It isn't about being mean and it isn't about making an inferior product. It is about saving Fender USA and maybe...just maybe making some profit.
I personally am more concerned about Fender remaining in continuous operation under current management instead of Fender going out of business or being taken over by an even bigger conglomerate that knows nothing about making instruments. We'd be right back where we were in the darkest days of the CBS era. Fender has recovered quality wise by leaps and bounds since then. There were some painful years but the brand survived and I think they are making the best basses they've made since 1965 right now.
The price hikes of a year ago came only because the company needed the money. When everyone complained about the increases and then sales slumped further Fender rolled back prices on the USA and MIM things and were hurting, but they could not do so on the CIJ instruments due the US Dollar versus Yen exchange rate exploding in a negative direction if you were holding dollars. Fender has to make up the losses somewhere and cutting options is an easy way to do that. They evaluated sales of fretted versus fretless USA Jazz basses and found that they could do away with the fretless option for now and still sell as many if not more fretted ones. Anytime a production line worker has to shift gears mentally it causes a slowdown. Fender wants to grind out as many instruments as possible in as few man-hours as possible. That is all they care about right now. It is about saving the brand.
If you want something special, that is why they have a Custom Shop. I too would LOVE to have all these choices. I especially want a blonde P-Bass. But fully understand WHY it is that I can not have one. I don't want to see a repeat of Fender in 1983/84 and I don't think anyone else does either.
Here in the USA brands are collapsing left and right. Pontiac, Saturn and Hummer have all closed in the past year. Oldsmobile before that. Mercury is in the final year of production. These are all fine products. I love my Mercury Grand Marquis and plan to buy another one of the last ones out this year. My aunt bought a new Olds every 2 years since 1951. My copper colored Pontiac Trans Am (the Thunderchicken) was a bitchin' machine that could outrun just about anything short of a Corvette or Ferarri. I have several friends with Saturns who all say they were the most reliable cars they ever had. The Hummers are practically nuke proof. Well, these brands all made GOOD products but just couldn't make it in this economy. Fender is doing what they have to do to survive.
Fretless USA Jazzes, a rainbow of color choices and neck choices may return someday. Right now for USA businesses, it is about staying alive. Ask people who worked at Curtis Mathis or people that used to build Oldsmobile cars.
Fender USA instruments are one of the FEW THINGS LEFT worth owning actually made in the USA! Other than pizzas, beer and value menu fatburgers of course. I want them to keep making the Fenders in the USA.
If I had ONE criticism of Fender USA it would be LACK OF INNOVATION! Where is the follow-up to the JP90? It is only 20 years overdue! Fender USA seems stuck at reproducing the early 1960's stuff. I mean other than the S-1 switch, which was a huge debacle, and the graphite reinforced necks....where are the innovations? There are none. What did they learn from the Heartfield project? Why didn't they proceed with a USA low impedance XLR output bass? I have LOTS of whys.