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How could the people at Fender be so clueless?

tdizzle

tdizzle

Aug 3, 2009
787
62
Detroit, MI
www.myspace.com
#1
Check this 1982 Jazz Bass out, and read what Fender wrote about it. It's no secret that S-8 serial numbers were common in 82-83, and that a dots and binding maple neck/board would only be from that period (66 dots and binding was all rosewood). So, it seems like you could throw a rock and the Talkbass community and hit someone with more historical knowledge than the folks who currently work for Fender.

I don't make a habit of posts like this, but this is not the first time I've seen completely bogus info from Fender. I remember a few years back when there was a completely fake 73 Jazz on ebay (there was even a thread on this forum about it). I wrote Fender about with a pic and they said it looked fine to them.

I'm not hating, because I love Fenders, but DAAAAANG!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=121245397053
 
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#3
Pretty crazy...only way to know for sure is check the pot #'s. Since in 76 or 77 the knobs went to the gypy lookin plastic with numbers on em, the pots would be tell tell because it could be a 78 that had a 82 neck replaced on it but it sure as hell isnt an all original 78...
 
#8
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#9
tdizzle said:
Check this 1982 Jazz Bass out, and read what Fender wrote about it. It's no secret that S-8 serial numbers were common in 82-83, and that a dots and binding maple neck/board would only be from that period (66 dots and binding was all rosewood). So, it seems like you could throw a rock and the Talkbass community and hit someone with more historical knowledge than the folks who currently work for Fender.

I don't make a habit of posts like this, but this is not the first time I've seen completely bogus info from Fender. I remember a few years back when there was a completely fake 73 Jazz on ebay (there was even a thread on this forum about it). I wrote Fender about with a pic and they said it looked fine to them.

I'm not hating, because I love Fenders, but DAAAAANG!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=121245397053
Click to expand...

Without getting all defensive and such, I don't know that I'd totally agree with "completely bogus info", although it certainly wasn't a definitive answer.
Having been on the final guitar line myself in '82, (and still possibly clueless), I couldn't swear to you that the date stamp is a bonafide Fender stamp either. Myself , i would have liked to see the neck pocket, but we answer with what we're given, I suppose, and move on to the next of the 1,000's of emails waiting. No excuses, I agree that the answer could have been better, and now the "Fender Rep" is more aware that what may seem to be a simple email is publishable, read and vetted on this here world wide Interwebs.

I would also somewhat agree to "you could throw a rock and the Talkbass community and hit someone with more historical knowledge than the folks who currently work for Fender.
I've been here for a little while (33 years or so) and i would venture an educated guess that there are plenty of folks out there in TalkBass land that have a better handle on some historical data than me. From my own perspective, I haven't spent alot of time checking pots out. When i was on the guitar line, my focus was completing the guitars/basses and getting them out the door----not the date stamps, pots, number of side dots, or material used in binding (though others were).

So again, no excuses, but i WILL ask you to think about the amount of knowledge that our reps are expected to be experts on----Fender guitars and basses from day one--Jackson, Charvel, Fender Amps, Sunn Amps, Guild, Gretsch, Squier....and the list goes on......then add to that the lack of available official documentation from eras gone by.....and I can only ask your forgiveness that the answers aren't always as "spot on" as you (and we) would like them to be.

No worries though! Personally, I appreciate you and others talking about it, and helping to keep us on our toes.

All the best,
rob
 
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#11
Honestly, I would not expect any company to be experts on their entire history, especially when the company has changed hands. That's not their primary job. Leave that to the historians or the collectibles experts.

If they had given out incorrect information about their current product line or something still under warranty, that would be a different matter entirely, in my opinion. :)
 
#13
Family friends work at the Scottsdale location and I went on a private tour as they dont let people tour that building. Anyways I was viewing stuff and talking about this and that and they didnt have a lot of answers for some stuff and said they were really impressed with how much I knew about Fender products. Point is not everyone is a guitar nerd, to a lot of people its just a job. I have tried getting jobs there but I think I am just to big of a nerd haha.
 
#14
A-Step-Towards said:
Family friends work at the Scottsdale location and I went on a private tour as they dont let people tour that building. Anyways I was viewing stuff and talking about this and that and they didnt have a lot of answers for some stuff and said they were really impressed with how much I knew about Fender products. Point is not everyone is a guitar nerd, to a lot of people its just a job. I have tried getting jobs there but I think I am just to big of a nerd haha.
Click to expand...

so true
 
#17
A-Step-Towards said:
Family friends work at the Scottsdale location and I went on a private tour as they dont let people tour that building. Anyways I was viewing stuff and talking about this and that and they didnt have a lot of answers for some stuff and said they were really impressed with how much I knew about Fender products. Point is not everyone is a guitar nerd, to a lot of people its just a job. I have tried getting jobs there but I think I am just to big of a nerd haha.
Click to expand...

I would have much higher expectations for customer-facing employees (sales, product support, etc) to have solid knowledge of their current products.

For behind-the-scenes folks, I just expect them to be good at their area of focus, and not necessarily an encyclopedia of the product line.

Also, a lot of the quality of attention you should expect for these inquiries depends on their likely expectation of sales. If you're inquiring about a 1978 bass, then any attention you are given is based on goodwill and the hope that you are a happy owner likely to purchase again at some vague time in the future. But if you're asking about the type of poly finish on a 2014 American Deluxe, the answer to your question may translate to a sale right away and the financial improvement of the company. ;)
 
#19
Troph said:
I would have much higher expectations for customer-facing employees (sales, product support, etc) to have solid knowledge of their current products.

For behind-the-scenes folks, I just expect them to be good at their area of focus, and not necessarily an encyclopedia of the product line.

Also, a lot of the quality of attention you should expect for these inquiries depends on their likely expectation of sales. If you're inquiring about a 1978 bass, then any attention you are given is based on goodwill and the hope that you are a happy owner likely to purchase again at some vague time in the future. But if you're asking about the type of poly finish on a 2014 American Deluxe, the answer to your question may translate to a sale right away and the financial improvement of the company. ;)
Click to expand...

I agree - The interface person, if they are doing their job well is there to make the prospective buyer feel confident about what they are interested in buying. Questions are answered honestly and related facts are presented when appropriate. Most people know what they want based on a variety of things, so it's more about feeling comfortable in the (sell-sell-sell) retail environment. I wasn't planning on buying anything on the day I last bought a new bass retail, but the salesperson was friendly, set me up and didn't hoover around me while I played a few basses. The clincher was throwing in (w/o hesitation) a Fender gig-bag to carry it out in. I walked out feeling like I had a good experience. (and a cool new bass that I still own/play) Sort of off topic, but for what it's worth.
 
#20
RobSatFender said:
Without getting all defensive and such, I don't know that I'd totally agree with "completely bogus info", although it certainly wasn't a definitive answer.
Having been on the final guitar line myself in '82, (and still possibly clueless), I couldn't swear to you that the date stamp is a bonafide Fender stamp either. Myself , i would have liked to see the neck pocket, but we answer with what we're given, I suppose, and move on to the next of the 1,000's of emails waiting. No excuses, I agree that the answer could have been better, and now the "Fender Rep" is more aware that what may seem to be a simple email is publishable, read and vetted on this here world wide Interwebs.

I would also somewhat agree to "you could throw a rock and the Talkbass community and hit someone with more historical knowledge than the folks who currently work for Fender.
I've been here for a little while (33 years or so) and i would venture an educated guess that there are plenty of folks out there in TalkBass land that have a better handle on some historical data than me. From my own perspective, I haven't spent alot of time checking pots out. When i was on the guitar line, my focus was completing the guitars/basses and getting them out the door----not the date stamps, pots, number of side dots, or material used in binding (though others were).

So again, no excuses, but i WILL ask you to think about the amount of knowledge that our reps are expected to be experts on----Fender guitars and basses from day one--Jackson, Charvel, Fender Amps, Sunn Amps, Guild, Gretsch, Squier....and the list goes on......then add to that the lack of available official documentation from eras gone by.....and I can only ask your forgiveness that the answers aren't always as "spot on" as you (and we) would like them to be.

No worries though! Personally, I appreciate you and others talking about it, and helping to keep us on our toes.

All the best,
rob
Click to expand...

Rob,

Thanks for posting. I have always wondered if Fender actually had a presence on this forum, and it is nice to know that they do. I understand what you mentioned about reps being expected to know about so many different products and lines, and it made me realize how easy it is for me to know so much about Fender basses, because that is my primary focus. It is worth noting, however, that if a person has an old Fender that they don't know much about, they will most likely turn to Fender for info, not knowing of resources such as Talkbass (and once they hear it from Fender, they really aren't trying to hear it from anyone else. I have had some experience with that). So, I say most respectfully, that it might be worth while to have one or two of us complete nerds hanging around for when such questions arise.

Thanks again for posting, and all the best.
 

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