Cancelled Fender Custom Shop order

[MattZilla]

If Fender's board hadn't made the decision to start stockpiling at the start of COVID, given the precarious nature of the supply chain and increased demand, they should be being asked to resign en masse. To not have DR, business continuity, financial health, and reputation of FMIC top of mind would be a failure on many, MANY levels. Even at current inflated prices, raw materials constitute only a small part of an instrument's cost, particularly on a high-margin custom shop instrument.

This can be said of almost all manufacturing companies in all industries.

What also can be said of most manufacturing companies in most industries: they’d need to buy land and build a storage facility at least equal in size to their manufacturing facility’s just to store a year’s worth of materials.

That’s a huge investment that just isn’t part of typical sensibilities, values, or teachings- particularly in a world where we’re at least trying to implement as much of Six Sigma into our practices.

Preparedness is really not a close friend to profits.

———

If what has been mentioned by people supposedly in/near lumber & mining operations, the materials supply groups are taking an opec-like position and simply jacking prices and claiming low supply- which is not something customers in 2016 (or any pre-Covid year) would have paid a preparedness premium for.

 

[micguy]

I don't understand why the Fender custom shop don't care about their customers or their reputation. After nearly 18 months of waiting and being straight up lied to by the custom shop I cancelled my order this week.
It was just a 63 Precision bass with a roasted body and a roasted maple neck painted lake placid blue.
It should have been so easy... I have purchased well over $25,000 dollars of custom shop basses and amps from music stores in the past and figured I would get something special but not anymore. They lied when after 8 months they said it would be ready in ten days, then 4 months later they said the neck had a problem and it would be another 30 days... then 3 months later they said the body was bad... So I finally cancelled the order. The music store I was dealing with was lied to as well and they will no longer be carrying custom shop stuff. I will get it done with a local boutique guitar builder instead.
Thanks for the rant....

This makes absolutely no sense. One of the things about roasted wood is that the stock (before you mill it into a body or neck) is stress relieved - there's literally no waiting time needed between any machining steps. So, they pick a piece of wood, throw it into the cnc, and an hour later, they can see the surface that will be on the finished product. If there's a defect, another piece of wood goes into the cnc, and an hour later...that one is "inspectable". The delay for a bad piece of wood should be less than a day - any longer than that, and something is very amiss in their process.

 

[bobalu]

MJT Aged Finishes

Thank-you, not familiar with them.

 

[blowinblue]

As they say in Latin: Bummer to da max :-(

Or as they say in English, "Fender...meh."

M. M.

 

[micguy]

I know nothing specific of Fender USA’s operations but I’d be willing to bet $10 that, even if they actually have a dedicated wood ageing room, the wood that typically comes out of there not twisted & bowed is reserved for industry players and regular Joe’s ordering Custom Shop from some rando shop somewhere in americaland are just getting wood that was on the pallet just a few weeks or even just days prior.

I’d not be surprised if all Standard, Special, Artist Signature, etc. USA production models are built from boards that were on a pallet on a flatbed truck less than 40 days prior to being cut, shaped, painted, and shipped.

You may or may not be right about Fender - I've seen enough twisted MIM necks on guitars and basses in the last few years that I might agree - at least about MIM production. But I also know that many of the Asian factories that make Squiers and other guitars of that general price bracket do have dedicated drying facilities. A few years ago, I toured an Asian piano factory, and all their pianos, besides being made from properly aged wood, are stored in different areas after manufacture, depending on what continent they're being shipped to. if Fender isn't properly drying their wood, then they are really behind the industry in understanding how vital that is.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

The custom shop is probably swamped, but that doesn't excuse their excuses which are obviously lies. And I'm judging Fender CS assuming that you received those comments directly from Fender, not through the dealer.

 

[drumvsbass]

I used to say that no one should spend more than 1k on a Fender bass. Now it's probably a bit more but you get the drift. Fenders aren't supposed to be bought new boutique. They are a hammer that you pound nails with, and like the velveteen rabbit, after years of loving abuse, they become boutique.

 

[MattZilla]

You may or may not be right about Fender - I've seen enough twisted MIM necks on guitars and basses in the last few years that I might agree - at least about MIM production. But I also know that many of the Asian factories that make Squiers and other guitars of that general price bracket do have dedicated drying facilities. A few years ago, I toured an Asian piano factory, and all their pianos, besides being made from properly aged wood, are stored in different areas after manufacture, depending on what continent they're being shipped to. if Fender isn't properly drying their wood, then they are really behind the industry in understanding how vital that is.

I’m certain that they understand it, but other items in the budget are more important such as salaries for salary workers and advertising, and as can be clearly seen on TB and on stages- there’s a low ceiling on how much they can charge for product and still move units.

Theoretically, they really shouldn’t have any need for either salary workers or advertising, but it is what it is.

 

[fishdude101101]

Probably a blessing in disguise. Just buy a lake placid American Original 60s p bass. I don’t see anything special about the custom shop that causes it to be twice as much as the original line.

to me their custom shop is just another production line with slightly more options.

This. I'm sure they all start from the same production parts. Their "custom" options are very limited. I considered purchasing one but they wouldn't let me pick a flatter fingerboard radius that the normal j/pbass. So that tells me a lot.

 

[wheelsup247]

Glad to hear you got your money back. While the Fender Custom Shop production processes and policies are unknown to me, the OP’s 18 month wait leads me to believe Fender Custom Shop does not practice “first in first out”.

 

[40Hz]

Crappy communication is definitely a bummer...
One, however might consider what has been going on the past 16 months that could contribute to a significant delay.
Again, not excusing poor communication, but if you placed an order pre-covid and expected it anywhere near on time, you're dreaming.

Unfortunately, the Covid pandemic has become all too convenient excuse for poor customer service and communications lately - despite the fact we’re now emerging from under it. I’ve gotten more Covid related excuses in the last month than I received during the peak months it was raging.

It took Fender 8 months to say it’d be ready in 10 days, then 4 months more to realize the OP’s neck was bad. And another three after that to announce it was now the body that needed to be replaced? Where could Covid possibly enter into that debacle?

I understand the pandemic has created situations and inconveniences that we’ll be living with for awhile to come. But please, let’s not allow ourselves to get blindly accept - or get in the habit of doing it ourselves- of blaming everything on Covid.

 

[Yonni]

Besides all of the arguments for both sides so far, this is their custom shop. That is supposed to be the best of what you can get from a new Fender. Their business’ reputation lies on this, not in what Leo did 50+ years ago. If it’s supposed to be a premium product at a premium price you have a right to expect a premium service. Someone in Fender needs to get fired because forums are just full of stories of how bad their customer service and quality control is. I’m not sure who is responsible but “something is rotten in the state of Denmark” to quote the bard. Something needs to change because it seems to be a culture with them now that this is acceptable. Of course, they’re making millions off the back of Leo and Hendrix, Clapton, Gilmore, Springsteen, etc etc. They probably don’t give a sh...!

 

[FRoss6788]

Never once said it was an excuse for poor communication, in fact said the opposite.
Supply chain issues are real, major cuts in staffing are real, especially in California.
I still say that they're two sides to every story as well...

Unfortunately, the Civid excuse us becoming all too convenient for poor customer service and communications.

It took Fender 8 months to say it’d be ready in 10 days, then 4 months more to realize the OP’s neck was bad. And another three after that to announce it was now the body that needed to be replaced? Where could Covid possibly enter into that debacle?

 

[Yellow Bang66]

I don't understand why the Fender custom shop don't care about their customers or their reputation. After nearly 18 months of waiting and being straight up lied to by the custom shop I cancelled my order this week.
It was just a 63 Precision bass with a roasted body and a roasted maple neck painted lake placid blue.
It should have been so easy... I have purchased well over $25,000 dollars of custom shop basses and amps from music stores in the past and figured I would get something special but not anymore. They lied when after 8 months they said it would be ready in ten days, then 4 months later they said the neck had a problem and it would be another 30 days... then 3 months later they said the body was bad... So I finally cancelled the order. The music store I was dealing with was lied to as well and they will no longer be carrying custom shop stuff. I will get it done with a local boutique guitar builder instead.
Thanks for the rant....

Ugh! must be frustrating,especially during this covid crisis! I'd give warmoth a shot, a little pricey & you have to turn some screws, you dont have to be too handy either, The quality is outstanding! and the amount of choices is awesome! IDK what there turn around is like right now, but Ive had really good luck with them! I have day dreamed of ordering the perfect bass( to my spec) but quickly shy away as soon I price that Ba$$! I have sloooowly pieced together a Warmoth partsbass with great results! i pieced it out to spread out the payments over time, since I was between jobs at the time!plus I got really good at being patient, curving my impulses! I used the time to research the next step & really look into what I really wanted. Yeah it took along time to finally complete it,but it was a fraction of what you went through! Plus I got Exactly what I wanted!

 

[droo46]

Sorry to hear about that.

However, some of the delay may be because of the shortages of lumber, caused by the shipping squeeze which in turn resulted from the pandemic. No excuse, of course, but that could be a partial explanation.

The lumber shortage is artificial if it exists at all. I don't buy that excuse for a second.

 

[40Hz]

Never once said it was an excuse for poor communication, in fact said the opposite.
Supply chain issues are real, major cuts in staffing are real, especially in California.
I still say that they're two sides to every story as well...

Consider the size of Fender. Are you seriously arguing that in over a year they couldn’t find an acceptable body or neck blank in their entire raw wood inventory? Or that they lacked the necessary staff to turn out what sounds like a pretty garden variety Precision Bass?

As far as two sides to every story goes, I’d have politely suggest that despite the catchiness of that old saw, it isn’t true of every story. And based on my own experiences, I’ve also found that better than 80% of the time when there were two sides to a story, it was because one side was lying through their teeth. So while I am willing to concede there may well be differences of opinion or recollection about something that happened, I’m less inclined to automatically assume it’ll most likely turn out to be just a big misunderstanding.

 

[dkelley]

Well ya know. Old Leo.... he's not so fast at making basses anymore....

So give him some time.... 10 years, 100 years, 1000 years... it takes a long time for someone of his current health.

 

[Meaculpa]

I will get it done with a local boutique guitar builder instead.

Yeah! I'm building a stingray with a local builder too.

 

[FRoss6788]

Consider the size of Fender. Are you seriously arguing that in over a year they couldn’t find an acceptable body or neck blank in their entire raw wood inventory? Or that they lacked the necessary staff to turn out what sounds like a pretty garden variety Precision Bass?

As far as two sides to every story goes, I’d have politely suggest that despite the catchiness of that old saw, it isn’t true of every story. And based on my own experiences, I’ve also found that better than 80% of the time when there were two sides to a story, it was because one side was lying through their teeth. So while I am willing to concede there may well be differences of opinion or recollection about something that happened, I’m less inclined to automatically assume it’ll most likely turn out to be just a big misunderstanding.

Well in this case l've no reason to believe the OP over Fender...
Dude comes on, one post, and disappears.
Other posters have questions about communications with the shop owner ect.
Easy to throw out baseless claims as fact and bail....
I've personally experienced huge supply chain problems and tempered my expectations accordingly, regardless of what the vendor I'm dealing with tells me as they too have only so much control over the situation.
I'm not sure, either, how garden variety a roasted body is though... Don't think I've seen that before.

 

[LBS-bass]

Well in this case l've no reason to believe the OP over Fender...
Dude comes on, one post, and disappears.
Other posters have questions about communications with the shop owner ect.
Easy to throw out baseless claims as fact and bail....
I've personally experienced huge supply chain problems and tempered my expectations accordingly, regardless of what the vendor I'm dealing with tells me as they too have only so much control over the situation.
I'm not sure, either, how garden variety a roasted body is though... Don't think I've seen that before.

The whole situation is depressing. I don't know what actually happened. OP says they kept putting him off and "telling lies" and other people in this thread are talking about communications they've gotten from other companies about delays, and those people are calling it great customer service from other vendors they're recommending- while agreeing that the OP didn't get customer service. So what did he get? Are they excuses or explanations? Is it good service to contact the customer and offer this information about unexpected issues with components, or is it poor service?

So it's really hard to know if the OPs version of "telling lies" involved emails explaining legit delays that were unexpected, and it's also hard to know how the OP would determine that these explanations aren't true.

While I am all about customer service and I don't make excuses for legitimately poor customer service, perception is 9/10 of reality. Something taking a long time would make some folks distrustful, while other folks would take it in stride.

Bottom line for me is that I'm sorry the OP didn't get his bass within the expected time frame. Hope he's able to find something he loves and get it more quickly. I don't really have an opinion on the rest of it, but it does suck for him to feel like they tried to put something over on him