Fender became kind of desperate: They made 89 different but very similar versions of their P or J basses in Mexico or the USA or Indonesia or Japan or China.
They felt kind of bored, but they thought their customers were even more boring and biz has to go on. Translated to capitalism: sell more or die.
After drinking 10 cups of coffee their marketing manager felt kind of alive again and proposed to produce one of their Made in Mexico instruments as Made in the USA because it was transported via Highway One from Mexico to the US or the other way round (forgive me, I didn't have 10 cups of coffee today) to put finish on the mexican bass in the US or to put finish on the US bass in Mexico or what do I know. That was called "The Highway One Made in the USA" bass. Back then in the good old times just a few month or years ago, after 12 cups of coffee and feeling alive again, their marketing managers still had some kind of humour. Now let's face what we are up against. We are in the 15 cups of coffee no humour left department. The Fender Special was created. Why drive that far, let's forget about Highway One. Let us sell a made in Mexico P or J as a made in the US instrument or the other way round or inbetween (I didn't have 20 cups of coffee today and lost track) and call it "Special" and please let us not drive that damn highway for no purpose at all, back and forth, back and forth. Even our marketing guys don't know if they or our customers are more boring. They just want P's and J's. Exactly the same as 60 years ago and different and even more
different because they are as similar to the ones 60 years ago as never before.
Never felt better to be a bass player, not a bass manufacturer.
They felt kind of bored, but they thought their customers were even more boring and biz has to go on. Translated to capitalism: sell more or die.
After drinking 10 cups of coffee their marketing manager felt kind of alive again and proposed to produce one of their Made in Mexico instruments as Made in the USA because it was transported via Highway One from Mexico to the US or the other way round (forgive me, I didn't have 10 cups of coffee today) to put finish on the mexican bass in the US or to put finish on the US bass in Mexico or what do I know. That was called "The Highway One Made in the USA" bass. Back then in the good old times just a few month or years ago, after 12 cups of coffee and feeling alive again, their marketing managers still had some kind of humour. Now let's face what we are up against. We are in the 15 cups of coffee no humour left department. The Fender Special was created. Why drive that far, let's forget about Highway One. Let us sell a made in Mexico P or J as a made in the US instrument or the other way round or inbetween (I didn't have 20 cups of coffee today and lost track) and call it "Special" and please let us not drive that damn highway for no purpose at all, back and forth, back and forth. Even our marketing guys don't know if they or our customers are more boring. They just want P's and J's. Exactly the same as 60 years ago and different and even more
different because they are as similar to the ones 60 years ago as never before.
Never felt better to be a bass player, not a bass manufacturer.
