I hope he does a good job. My fear is that if GC is any indication, he might ship basses off without a setup.
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Fender Hires Guitar Center CEO
- Thread starter bassyRyan
- Start date
who knows.. maybe they'll bring back the golden days of setting up gear before it leaves the factory --- he's got to be aware GC won't do this.
Fender's not a little factory in Southern California any more.
It's a mega-corporation. The CEO of Fender has had very little to do with the day-to-day manufacturing operations for decades.
So, now they've hired a new CEO who has years of experience running a mega-corporation. Seems like a sound move to me.
Fender has had it's ups and downs in terms of quality control, customer service and design silliness under every CEO and during every era of it's existance. Now we're entering a new era for Fender, and I'm certain that during this era they'll make mistakes. They'll slip up on the assembly line or design a dumb product or screw up somebody's customer service issue - just like they always have. I'm sure it was like that under Leo's watch at times, too. (Sorry, Leo.)
I've played and repaired Fender products for a long time. I've seen some pretty awful clunkers on their part, too, but for the most part Fender does things pretty well and, under a good, experienced manager I'm sure they'll continue to do so.
It's a mega-corporation. The CEO of Fender has had very little to do with the day-to-day manufacturing operations for decades.
So, now they've hired a new CEO who has years of experience running a mega-corporation. Seems like a sound move to me.
Fender has had it's ups and downs in terms of quality control, customer service and design silliness under every CEO and during every era of it's existance. Now we're entering a new era for Fender, and I'm certain that during this era they'll make mistakes. They'll slip up on the assembly line or design a dumb product or screw up somebody's customer service issue - just like they always have. I'm sure it was like that under Leo's watch at times, too. (Sorry, Leo.)
I've played and repaired Fender products for a long time. I've seen some pretty awful clunkers on their part, too, but for the most part Fender does things pretty well and, under a good, experienced manager I'm sure they'll continue to do so.
I like the guy already.
The big question is: will he get rid of basses with big red bats and skulls & crossbones on them?
Hew could just put free vinyl stickers in with the bass. Wouldn't that be cheaper and easier and simpler when the owner matures and wants to remove them?
Seriously though: Fender and Squier are making some massive changes and I figure that the rumors of Fender-Corona moving to Mexico ..........
Hmmmm?
Maybe Fender needs a CEO head to chop if it doesn't work out right.
The big question is: will he get rid of basses with big red bats and skulls & crossbones on them?
Hew could just put free vinyl stickers in with the bass. Wouldn't that be cheaper and easier and simpler when the owner matures and wants to remove them?
Seriously though: Fender and Squier are making some massive changes and I figure that the rumors of Fender-Corona moving to Mexico ..........
Hmmmm?
Maybe Fender needs a CEO head to chop if it doesn't work out right.
I would wager that without the link to the article, no one here would even notice a difference in Fender's products at all. I think we all need to loosen up.
OK - to help us all loosen-up, I present an image of Geddy Lee that Google Images gave me:
Is THAT loose enough?
Is THAT loose enough?
This guy is and should be far removed from the people who design and manufacture the product. All he needs to know is sales and marketing. It doesn't matter to Fender what level of quality their products are. If people want inexpensive junk, he needs to know that and make sure that the customer base is provided with inexpensive junk.
A sure fire way to put a company out of business is to put an technical person in charge of running it.
At least he's not an engineer. I have found them somewhat delusional and not really on the same planet.
+1
Alot of us don't like to recognize this, but a big piece of the puzzle in the business world is moving product.
Whether or not you like or hate GC, the chain moves product, and its CEO has alot to do with that.
And no one can offer any substantive proof or logical reasoning that Fender products will suddenly universally suck just because they acquired a new CEO.
One thing I missed here (maybe I didn't see it) is what kind of CEO Fender currently has, and what style of CEO this guy was at Guitar Center.
In a company the size of Fender, sometimes a CEO is all over everything, and sometimes they do very little but golf. Sometimes they are great at managing their teams, sometimes they just let the team do what they are already doing. Sometimes they are entirely about squeezing ever drop of profit from the brand, sometimes they see a long term goal that balances profit and quality. And he still reports to the FMIC Board, and since FMIC is privately held, they may be an aggressive board for all I know.
There's lots of interesting commentary in this thread but no real meat yet. I'd be curious to know from those who do: What was his management style at GC? Are there other shakeups in management about to happen at Fender? How has Fender been doing financially in the last couple years? Is he bringing in other GC people with him? Is he a Fender buff personally?
Like most of you, I respond to the Fender brand on a gut level and hope for the best. It'd be great to hear some more responses from people "in the know" beyond all of our random and brilliant speculation.
In a company the size of Fender, sometimes a CEO is all over everything, and sometimes they do very little but golf. Sometimes they are great at managing their teams, sometimes they just let the team do what they are already doing. Sometimes they are entirely about squeezing ever drop of profit from the brand, sometimes they see a long term goal that balances profit and quality. And he still reports to the FMIC Board, and since FMIC is privately held, they may be an aggressive board for all I know.
There's lots of interesting commentary in this thread but no real meat yet. I'd be curious to know from those who do: What was his management style at GC? Are there other shakeups in management about to happen at Fender? How has Fender been doing financially in the last couple years? Is he bringing in other GC people with him? Is he a Fender buff personally?
Like most of you, I respond to the Fender brand on a gut level and hope for the best. It'd be great to hear some more responses from people "in the know" beyond all of our random and brilliant speculation.
You're right - and we (the ROYAL 'WE' here which includes everybody) have no real inkling what this guy's all about. What I DO know is that if he screws up, there will be a new whipping boy in town.
I heard through my guitarist that Fender US hasn't put out an instrument in three months as the new CEO is overhauling US production. I did a search and could not find anything to confrim this but he's a former industry guy. I'll have to get more details. I heard of the new CEO through him also.
Another important piece of info that's missing here is the fact that Thomas has been on the Fender Board of Directors for a number of years. He's already had a hand in shaping the direction of Fender.
That's the funny thing though: I bet a year into his tenure, we will be getting posts here talking about how Fender's instruments have taken a quality dive since he took over!!!
You will see people saying things like, "My pre-Larry Thomas Jazz doesn't have THAT problem".
Fender adding the CEO of GC to it's line up is not a bad thing in my eyes. Unlike earlier posts have stated, he is not a "salesman". He's management. While its true that sales are a part of his job (as with any other company I might add) his role also includes accounting, logistics, marketing, HR, networking with other companies, etc... This can only help Fender. Besides who would be more qualified?
Let's face facts, here we are 60+ years later and Fender still makes the same three guitars and basses they've always made with little to no real advancement in design. A swap of pickups here, a new finish there, but no real innovation since Leo ran the show. "Let's take an American made Jazz and hit it with a belt sander. We'll call it a 'Relic' and charge people $2,500 to $4,000 for about $500 in parts." This is the best marketing idea you can come up with? Really? How about a few new models of guitars and basses instead? Fender (and Gibson) are drowning in their own tradition, and have developed their own little niche (aka rut).
It is true that Fender did put out the VG Strat which I thought was an awesome guitar but nobody really bought them. Heck GC was trying to get rid of them for less than the price of a standard Strat at one point. The problem is that the type of guitarist that would be into that kind of tech is more than likely playing an Ibanez, or Parker, or something along those lines.
Most people that play a Fender are looking for that traditional vintage vibe and the sense of heritage that comes from playing a P or J bass. This is not a bad thing and you have to use what makes you happy and works for you and what you play. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying there is any thing decidedly "broken" with Fender (got my eye on a P-Bass Special at the moment) I just wish they would add to what they already do. The recent addition of compound radius fingerboards and contoured neck heels are great upgrades to the new models, however other companies have been doing these kind of thinigs for over two decades.
I think that this new addition to Fenders staff may be just the guy to break Fender out of its stagnant zombie like state. I don't think this guy is going to do any major mods to the Fender recipe but like I said the new blood may inspire some new design ideas, which can only add to our options as musicians.
If you got this far, thanks for indulging me with my rant and groove on
(Ducking flying tomatos)
Let's face facts, here we are 60+ years later and Fender still makes the same three guitars and basses they've always made with little to no real advancement in design. A swap of pickups here, a new finish there, but no real innovation since Leo ran the show. "Let's take an American made Jazz and hit it with a belt sander. We'll call it a 'Relic' and charge people $2,500 to $4,000 for about $500 in parts." This is the best marketing idea you can come up with? Really? How about a few new models of guitars and basses instead? Fender (and Gibson) are drowning in their own tradition, and have developed their own little niche (aka rut).
It is true that Fender did put out the VG Strat which I thought was an awesome guitar but nobody really bought them. Heck GC was trying to get rid of them for less than the price of a standard Strat at one point. The problem is that the type of guitarist that would be into that kind of tech is more than likely playing an Ibanez, or Parker, or something along those lines.
Most people that play a Fender are looking for that traditional vintage vibe and the sense of heritage that comes from playing a P or J bass. This is not a bad thing and you have to use what makes you happy and works for you and what you play. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying there is any thing decidedly "broken" with Fender (got my eye on a P-Bass Special at the moment) I just wish they would add to what they already do. The recent addition of compound radius fingerboards and contoured neck heels are great upgrades to the new models, however other companies have been doing these kind of thinigs for over two decades.
I think that this new addition to Fenders staff may be just the guy to break Fender out of its stagnant zombie like state. I don't think this guy is going to do any major mods to the Fender recipe but like I said the new blood may inspire some new design ideas, which can only add to our options as musicians.
If you got this far, thanks for indulging me with my rant and groove on
(Ducking flying tomatos
)
Actually, that was a BRILLIANT marketing idea. Perhaps not a great engineering idea, but a great marketing idea ;-)
