Fender Japan is gone :(

[dusterdan70]

who cares..i for one never bought a bass that was not made in the good ole u.s.a. its bad enough that they own the auto industry ,electronics,etc...but our beloved musical instruments too?!?!?... BUY AMERICAN,SAVE OUR FUTURE...PLEASE!!!

100% ignorance right here folks, it's just plain sad. Fender Japan made absolutely wonderful instruments and it will a great loss to the musical and instrument community with them going away. Lots of intelligent points brought up in this thread (other than the one I've quoted), so the decision makes sense...sadly I too was traveling to Japan in November, wanted to get a Walnut Jazz Bass

 

[Marial]

Point being, a rat is still a rat, no matter how many Red, White & Blue Brooks Brothers suits they wrap themselves up in.

/rant

My Brooks Brothers was made in Indonesia. Says so right on the little label inside the suit.

Just sayin'.

Still a damn nice suit, though.

 

[Malak the Mad]

My Brooks Brothers was made in Indonesia. Says so right on the little label inside the suit.

Just sayin'.

Still a damn nice suit, though.

Please tell me you're joking!

Link Removed

 

[Marial]

I'm not. Globalization baby.

 

[2.6kHz]

Who cares who made it and where. If it plays good, buy it. Buying solely on country of origin is a fool's gamble these days.

Why should fender be forced to bleed cash so customers can feel better about a country of origin sticker on the back of a neck? They can't control exchange rate on the yen or other external economic factors. Things are what they are.

 

[Old Blastard]

Them that's got shall have
Them that's not shall lose
So the Bible said and it still is news
Mama may have, Papa may have
But God bless the child that's got his own
That's got his own.....

 

[moreblues]

oh boy...america is truly doomed...i agree that fender japan has made killer basses,no doubt there...i am talking about everything in general... i have been around and have seen first hand what has happened with the manufacturing base and trade deficit...all i am saying is we have CHOICES...and IMHO...my choice is to buy japanese...LOL..YOU KNOW WHAT I mean...wish i could stir up so much excitement when trying to sell a bass..LOL..CHILL EVERYONE...enough said on this topic because its a losing battle...i pray for your children...

 

[AaronVonRock]

who cares..i for one never bought a bass that was not made in the good ole u.s.a. its bad enough that they own the auto industry ,electronics,etc...but our beloved musical instruments too?!?!?... BUY AMERICAN,SAVE OUR FUTURE...PLEASE!!!

At first, I thought this post was a joke, kind of a parody making fun of people who really think this way. Then I continued reading a few posts down and realized this guy is serious. Wow.

Beware of people who say "they did this" or "they did that" when referring to other nationalities and races. Red flags go off and my Spidey senses are on alert.

 

[Pilgrim]

There is no point in lamenting the global marketplace; all one can do is deal with it.

People will pay for quality products; but for commodities, they'll go to the place that they perceive offers the best price. Cheap guitars and basses have become commodities.

American manufacturers can still complete on quality, but they have to sell it and deliver what they sell. Don't go head to head with China or Indonesia when you're only selling based on price - you will lose. Find another way to compete.

It's kinda like when Wal-Mart comes to town, If you're selling $150 bikes out of a store front downtown, your market just moved out from under you. Sell a better bike, provide great service, and change your market position.

 

[TonyP-]

Well if you were looking for quality that costs less then a MIA you can always look into a Warmoth.

 

[mikeyjm2]

So glad I picked up a used P/J Aerodyne from a TB'r here recently. It's blue with matching head stock, cream binding, such a nice bass.

Man, I am envious. Been eyeballing those a lot here lately. Don't need another bass but... if I was going to buy another now that's what I'd be looking for.

 

[BassFishingInAmerica]

It's not impossible that with (what might be) FMIC buying back the name in Japan that it might have bought the rights to manufacture the designs such as the Aerodyne elsewhere in the world.

Is the Aerodyne an awesome bass because it was made in Japan or because it has the name "Aerodyne" on it?

 

[Moving Pictures]

Is the Aerodyne an awesome bass because it was made in Japan or because it has the name "Aerodyne" on it?

They are just great instruments. As simple as that. But yes, it is a cool name.

 

[BassFishingInAmerica]

They are just great instruments. As simple as that. But yes, it is a cool name.

My point is that building Aerodynes somewhere else does not mean it will be of the same quality, just because it has the same name on it.

 

[Mugre]

For someone who finds a 32 inch scale to be "just right", this kind of bites.

Kurt

 

[Buzz E]

フェンダー日本は本当に吸う！

 

[Moving Pictures]

My point is that building Aerodynes somewhere else does not mean it will be of the same quality, just because it has the same name on it.

Lol. I read that too literally. But to address your point, the Aerodyne being made in Japan is certainly a factor in the quality of those basses with the high emphasis on workmanship there. You are also correct that building this bass in another country does not guarantee the same level of quality. However the MIM Geddy Lee basses get a lot of praise and they used to be MIJ. One does wonder if that is an indicator or an exception. However the Deluxe and Vintage (Classic) lines from Mexico are quite good. Only time will tell if this change is really positive or negative.

 

[Captain Chaos]

I think my Marcus and Geddy will keep me happy for a long long time. Or should I get a P bass too?

 

[Malak the Mad]

Is the Aerodyne an awesome bass because it was made in Japan or because it has the name "Aerodyne" on it?

For me, Aerodynes are great for a number of reasons; super-slick esthetics and certain ergonomic features (yay vintage fretboard radii!) for starters. But these, for myself and others, are personal reasons why we dig them.

On a purely "construction" level, there's a high degree of quality and attention to detail, as well as a body design that is not found in any other Fender bass that I can think of. For instance, check out the carved-top & bound body. Y'don't see that in just any off-the-shelf Fender! It's things like this that make Fender Japan's offerings unique unto themselves while still being recognizably "FENDER".

…and that's just a few reasons some of us are lamenting the apparent End of the Party.

 

[nerkoids]

There's nothing wrong with speaking from the heart. I, for one, hold sincerity in the highest esteem. But there's a difference between "speaking from the heart" and "knee-jerk dogma".

But, back to the thread as it was initially intended…


Are you kidding?! Gimme more! MORE, I SAY!!

I know, right? That blue aerodyne.... is beeeeeeooooouuuuuuttttiffffullll...