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Fender finally offers stealth string retainer for sale

#23
Eilif said:
I honestly don't see that $21 is that bad a deal. I wouldn't pay that, bu it's not just a cheap washer. Rather It's got to be made of a material strong enough to hold the string down. Plus it's chromed, which is not cheap for small batches. I grant you the maker and Fender are surely making a very good profit and when the copy comes out it will be MUCH cheaper.

However, think of it this way. If you've got some string buzz issues that wrapping the string down isn't fixing, here's a $21 buck way to fix it without a trip to the tech and with no permanent mods to your bass. Almost seems like a bargain for such an easy reversible fix.
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Good points except for the difficulty of identifying the metal needed.

Metallurgy is an exact science these days. Tell a materials specialist what you're looking to accomplish and they'll point you to the metal you need to be using in very short order. There's very little if any guesswork involved. Usually it comes down to cost - and choosing between more expensive and better, or less expensive and adequate.
 
#27
40Hz said:
Good points except for the difficulty of identifying the metal needed.

Metallurgy is an exact science these days. Tell a materials specialist what you're looking to accomplish and they'll point you to the metal you need to be using in very short order. There's very little if any guesswork involved. Usually it comes down to cost - and choosing between more expensive and better, or less expensive and adequate.
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I've got no idea what metal it is. I'm just saying that if this product is strong enough to have a track record (albeit only a year or so) of holding the string firmly in place that it's not some cheapo zinc washer. I'm assuming whomever made it consulted a relevant specialist, but I could be wrong.
 
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#28
Eilif said:
I've got no idea what metal it is. I'm just saying that if this product is strong enough to have a track record (albeit only a year or so) of holding the string firmly in place that it's not some cheapo zinc washer. I'm assuming whomever made it consulted a relevant specialist, but I could be wrong.
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There are catalogs of metals and their characteristics such as hardness, machinability, etc. Usually most common metals like steel, which you can roll for whatever characteristics you're looking for, are amazingly cheap. A good machine shop can guide you in your selection since most have at least one materials engineer on staff. What can get expensive is the machining to fabricate whatever you're looking to make.

So it's possible they're not making huge amounts of cash on these things at $22 a pop. But if they're costing Fender more than a dollar each all in (including delivery), I'd be really surprised.
 
#31
That's a nice $21 solution to a $5 problem...or at least, $5 is the most I could charge for that washer with a tip on it.

If they cranked out sets of those for $20 they'd sell some sets. There is NO way those cost Fender more than a buck each to make. If so, they're working with the wrong people.

Rather than spend $80 to correct what's normally a problem caused by incorrect string installation, I'd find another string retainer from another maker.
 
#33
Pilgrim said:
That's a nice $21 solution to a $5 problem...or at least, $5 is the most I could charge for that washer with a tip on it.

If they cranked out sets of those for $20 they'd sell some sets. There is NO way those cost Fender more than a buck each to make. If so, they're working with the wrong people.

Rather than spend $80 to correct what's normally a problem caused by incorrect string installation, I'd find another string retainer from another maker.
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Where'd $80 come from?! The retainer is $21.
 
#35
Jah Wobble Fan said:
Pilgrim is assuming a purchase of four units, one for each string.
The advert suggests the retainer is good for the A, D and G string but says nothing about it having utility for the E.
Thus a "full set" would comprise three units @ a cost of $63. Still steep by Pilgrim's standard, I bet. Mine, too.
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Doesn't the average Fender (or many other brands) already have a string tree for the D and G strings? Still looking at $21...
 
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#38
organworthyplayer337 said:
Doesn't the average Fender (or many other brands) already have a string tree for the D and G strings? Still looking at $21...
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It can solve the A string break angle issue, but then again so does a retainer bar.
svmjbv-nat_headstock-front.jpg
 
#39
I have a 60th Anniversary P that came stock with one of these for the A string. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that's the first model on which this gizmo appeared. It's probably not necessary on any of the other strings. I don't even know if it is necessary for the A -- I haven't bothered to see what would happen if I replaced it with a regular washer -- but I thought it was a nice feature.
 
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#40
Lobster11 said:
I have a 60th Anniversary P that came stock with one of these for the A string. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that's the first model on which this gizmo appeared. It's probably not necessary on any of the other strings. I don't even know if it is necessary for the A -- I haven't bothered to see what would happen if I replaced it with a regular washer -- but I thought it was a nice feature.
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You're correct. The blackguard/blonde was the first with the stealth retainer.
 
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