3 strikes for Fender

Bluesman

Bluesman

New member
I'm a Fender fan and they are my favorite products but 3 things bothers me
about Fender that I find irritating and unacceptable.

1- Lefty Strat.: Only 2 versions: Standard and Highway. All single coil. No humbucker for the lefty except if you're willing to pay a lot.My favorite Strat. is a American Fat Strat. Deluxe. and is not avalable for lefties.

2- Contests.: Only for American citizens. Fender is big anough to act and do like any other big companies and make it avalable for everyone. It almost sound like American shovinism.

3- Halfstack amp.: On all poles about what kind of amp. guitar players like most, the halkstack comes first and by far. Fender does not offer much choices about that and they don't even offer a good choice of 2X12 cabs to at least complete your gear.

Looks like Fender needs to be shaked up cause they are to independant and do not care anough about what their supporters would like to have.

What do you think of that?
 
Re: 3 strikes for Fender

Kind of... "dont tell us what you want, we'll tell us what you need"
 
Re: 3 strikes for Fender

Item #2 probably has more to do with the laws of your country than Fender policy. I don't know that for a fact, just a hunch. ;)
 
Re: 3 strikes for Fender

1. I agree, more lefty options would be nice.

2. There's alot of US companies that only offer contests to US citizens. If you check the details, most contests open to Canadians are offered by the Canadian branch of the company. Unless you're in Quebec, because almost every contest isn't open to them anyway (I assume it's because companies won't produce french language rules and regulations).

3. I agree.
 
Re: 3 strikes for Fender

I totally agree with #3. Why the HELL is there no Bassman head? :yell:
 
Re: 3 strikes for Fender

If Fender made some high-gain heads with that sweet pristine clean sound of their other amps I'd snatch one up before you could "superkalafragalisticexpialadocious".
 
Re: 3 strikes for Fender

THese type of comments regarding#1, and # 3 don't do much good here. If you are really unhappy with the product line regarding Lefty guitars, and the lack of a good "stack" from Fender, you should sit down and write them a letter. Thats the only way Fender is going to know.
 
Re: 3 strikes for Fender

Bluesman said:
1- Lefty Strat.: Only 2 versions: Standard and Highway. All single coil. No humbucker for the lefty except if you're willing to pay a lot.My favorite Strat. is a American Fat Strat. Deluxe. and is not avalable for lefties.
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As much as I feel for you on this one Fender has obviously made the decision based on what the sales figures are. Fender is a business; if they thought they could make more money by doing just about anything I think they would seriously look at it. They've taken a ton of flak for doing things that have made them alot of money (Tom DeLonge Sig Series for example) in the past. I think if it would be worth their while financially they'd of done it by now.

2- Contests.: Only for American citizens. Fender is big anough to act and do like any other big companies and make it avalable for everyone. It almost sound like American shovinism.
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I know there's Fender Europe and Fender Japan. Is it possible that the restrictions are for reasons that Fender wants players to support their own regional branches?

If I won a Fender Aussie contest or promotion would there be whining about how I should only be allowed to enter Fender USA contects or pomotions? Darned tootin' there would be....

3- Halfstack amp.: On all poles about what kind of amp. guitar players like most, the halkstack comes first and by far. Fender does not offer much choices about that and they don't even offer a good choice of 2X12 cabs to at least complete your gear.
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I disagree completely. Additionally I would like to see what polls you gleaned your information from.

Looks like Fender needs to be shaked up cause they are to independant and do not care anough about what their supporters would like to have.

What do you think of that?
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In the past few years Fender has probably done more in the way of offering new models and general innovations than any other guitar manufacturer has done in the past few decades. Between the sheer volume of new models, standard Custom Shop guitars, pickup innovations, QC on lower priced instruments and affordable U.S. instruments they've proven they're listening to what players want and have given it to them, even at the typically fatal Fender risk of offering too much at one time. Just because something you want isn't in that list does not disprove what they have accomplished.

In short, a few lefty models, international contests and a half-stack just isn't what the people want despite how loudly you're yelling about it.
 
Re: 3 strikes for Fender

Bluesman said:
I'm a Fender fan and they are my favorite products but 3 things bothers me
about Fender that I find irritating and unacceptable.

1- Lefty Strat.: Only 2 versions: Standard and Highway. All single coil. No humbucker for the lefty except if you're willing to pay a lot.My favorite Strat. is a American Fat Strat. Deluxe. and is not avalable for lefties.

2- Contests.: Only for American citizens. Fender is big anough to act and do like any other big companies and make it avalable for everyone. It almost sound like American shovinism.

3- Halfstack amp.: On all poles about what kind of amp. guitar players like most, the halkstack comes first and by far. Fender does not offer much choices about that and they don't even offer a good choice of 2X12 cabs to at least complete your gear.

Looks like Fender needs to be shaked up cause they are to independant and do not care anough about what their supporters would like to have.

What do you think of that?
Click to expand...

They are listening to their supporters. They are building what is selling. 1/2 stacks may be what people say they would prefer but combo's are what sell the most. I think they will listen when people stop buying their stuff. There are plenty of people building what you are asking for. Why is it so important to buy it from Fender? Its that kind of misplaced loyalty that is causing the problems you are complaining about.
 
Re: 3 strikes for Fender

I gotta say, if you don't like Fender, don't buy from them. Their company is built around cheap guitars- they sell more of those (and SS combos) than anything, so it is hard to cater to the 5% of lefties and half-stack lovers out there. Quite frankly, 1/2 stacks are better done by other companies anyway. I did sell mine, since it was too big to carry around.
Again with the lefties, I am one although I play righty. A good choice, since it allowed me to choose any guitar out there.
 
Re: 3 strikes for Fender

To Skarekrough: Seems I've touch a sensible cord here. Don't be upset about some comments on Fender even if you're a fanatic about them. I think there's anough lefties around the world to offer a Strat. with humbuckers. Also, get out of your basement and check it out. You'll see that halfstack are more popular than combos. and that didn't stop me from having a combo amp. but on a stage, halfstack looks better. Hey, I love Fender but that doesn't stop me from sharing some opinions with other people on that forum. Isn't it what it is all about?
 
Re: 3 strikes for Fender

I'm a Fender fan and they are my favorite products but 3 things bothers me
about Fender that I find irritating and unacceptable.

1- Lefty Strat.: Only 2 versions: Standard and Highway. All single coil. No humbucker for the lefty except if you're willing to pay a lot.My favorite Strat. is a American Fat Strat. Deluxe. and is not avalable for lefties.
Click to expand...

I know it can be a pain being a lefty guitar player, but learning to solder can really help you out in this dilemna. You can slap a HSH pickgaurd on the highway 1 strats like many people do to get strat feel and bucker tone.
Stratdeluxer is lefty and he plays an am deluxe strat-maybe he can help
 
Re: 3 strikes for Fender

Closed Eye said:
If Fender made some high-gain heads with that sweet pristine clean sound of their other amps I'd snatch one up before you could "superkalafragalisticexpialadocious".
Click to expand...
get a fender prosonic head
 
Re: 3 strikes for Fender

have you talked to the guys at SouthPaw Guitars? They get some stuff that doesn't officially exist out of the factory.
 
Re: 3 strikes for Fender

Hmmm. Dunno about this halfstack business.

Fender have made various heads in recent years: the cyber twin head is currently available, and the tonemaster and prosonic came in head versions during the 90s.

i'm guessing that fender have not pushed head/cab setups as much as they could for two reasons: sales and market perception.

I think that in general, most people think 'combo' when they think fender. look at vintage prices. Blackface bassman heads are still a great deal. Why? -because people aren't familiar with them compared to twins and deluxes. fender realise this, and build combos because that's what their market research tels them will sell.


And they are right: According to fender, the Hot Rod Deluxe/deville series is the best selling tube amp ever. I'm sure the folk at fender are happy to play to what they know is a working formula.

As for lefty guitars, that's a problem across all manufacturers. Also, the advent of the hotrail/lil59 type of pickup has probably influenced fender decision not to make one.

Again, sales dictate the numbers. lefties do get the short end of the stick. My lefty friend asked Sterling Ball at a NAMM show if he could get an EVH in lefty and was told no go, only to see John McEnroe of all people playing a lefty EVH on television some time later.

And the competition problem is a legal thing. Fender explain it on their website. i don't mind the idea of different countries holding different positions in principle, but in practice it leaves something to be desired. In New Zealand, our fender importer doesn't feel the need to give stuff away to a captive market. Stink, eh?
 
Re: 3 strikes for Fender

Those are all really small, niggling complaints. None of which the average consumer cares about.

First of all, which mainstream, mass-production company offers a wide variety of lefty models? None of them. Lefty guitars are unbelievably hard to come by. I had a guitar teacher who was left-handed and he played a normal guitar in the normal right-hand style.... his greater level of dexterity in his left hand helped with chording and speedy licks. But, that's just ONE example of a way to get around the problem.

Secondly, as for the contests not being open to non-US residents, the contests are hardly what makes or brakes a guitar company. They're just icing on the cake and very unnecessary icing at that.

Thirdly, with the amp thing - they're just giving their amp customers what they want. If more people wanted a Bassman head, they'd provide it, but they don't, so they don't. It's just the law of supply and demand.... it's not as if Fender is deliberately trying to screw you over.

I can understand where your frustration comes from, though. I went through a period where I was particularly pissed off at Jackson for 1) offering very few basses 2) offering very few mahogany guitars and 3) offering very few non-dbl. locking trem models. Eventually, I just got over it because I recognized the fact that every company needs to offer what people are willing to buy. The problem isn't with Fender, it's with you not liking Fender's current line. So relax.
 
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