I Just Don't Understand Fender!

[Dr. Cheese]

Okay, put another way: If *I* don't like how a bass plays, I'm not going to want to buy it. True, many basses are just set up poorly (or strangely - depending on the player) but many are just bad players. Who wants a bad player?

Its not even about the setup. it can be the basic design itself. Some people just hate thin Soundgear necks and narrow string spacing. Some people just hate Warwick necks and weight. Some hate the neck and balance of Alembic Series I. Of course there are many more examples.

 

[cnltb]

last year sometime. find a store, play one, see what you think.

I did... I liked what I saw as far as mass produced fender basses go and do like the looks on these...especially the simples lay out 4 and 5 strings...I think thy only have two pots. Right.
That's why I am surprised to read of their going away.

 

[obimark]

Let me help you understand.

Fender is a business. Business wants to make more money.
Jazz and P-basses probably account for 97% of their total sales (whether Fender or Squier).

Every now and then they throw something out "new" to see if it "sticks". Or in other words actually sells. It doesn't matter whether it is the greatest bass in the world, or if it is even better than a Jazz or P. ONLY if it sells.
I would imagine, the sales of the Dimension Bass are not where they had hoped they would be.
So the product is dis-continued, sunsetted, or whatever other term you like. (IMO- I didn't love the look of any of them, just looked strange to me)


However,I am glad I got a Black Aerodyne, MIJ before they are all gone.

 

[bholder]

Management. managers. Should I say more.

 

[gjohnson441496]

You would be wrong

+1

 

[Dr. Cheese]

To give Fender some credit, I am very happy that Fender will continue to produce the Squier a Dimension in the single H format. The Squier is an extremely well made bass that is at least the equal of an ATK, but with a comfy Fender style five string neck. If the single H Dimension appeals to you, don't let the Squier badge put you off.

 

[pedroims]

I can understand Fender, they release a new model, sales are not as expected, take it out from production. That is a normal practice in the business world and that is why many other companies does not release new models, they stick to what makes money, if I was a business owner I will do the same, in fact, most of us.

 

[Slevage]

I certainly see no long term strategy in getting rid of the single H, especially the five because there is a sizable number of bassists who would play an SR5 style bass if wider string spacing were an option. This Dimension may not be a runaway smash, but, over time, I think it would make money.

With all do respect---- how can you determine it will make money without cranking the numbers?

 

[gjohnson441496]

Didn't these dimension basses only come out, like, five minutes ago?

They came out in 2013

 

[obimark]

In business- you have a certain time, you give ANY product to turn a profit. The money a company like Fender puts into, R&D, Production and Marketing for a new product like the DImension is staggering.

I would venture they have $10-15 Million dollars into it. The payback on that kind of money at a margin of $300 a bass is astronomical. I highly doubt it is profitable for them. Again regardless of whether it is the greatest bass design ever or not.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

With all do respect---- how can you determine it will make money without cranking the numbers?

Every Fender is not a runaway smash. I love the Fender Reggie Hamilton, but I don't see a ton of them around, yet Fender has kept it in their lineup for years.

 

[David Jayne]

You would be wrong

M'kay. I have examples of each. In my opinion they are superior. Which was the point.

 

[One Drop]

What's great is when companies are so focused on profit that they lose money. It's usually a long-term / short-term discussion, but US companies are so focused on "The quarter" that they will destroy the year in order to have a great quarter. Very silly.

How exactly is Fender doing this?

I think their lineup is best it's been in years, and their distribution is good and their marketing is fine. Quality is great and they have made incredible share in starter instruments with the Squier lines (people tend to forget they are products of the same company).

Their big problem is being so beholden to a single distributor, namely GC.

These threads get real silly fast, first the bashing, then the preemptive 'here come the fanboy' posts and the countdown to the resulting arguments.

All the armchair marketing and business experts crack me up, too.

It's like IBTL comments, just juvenile and unnecessary.

Anyway, carry on, just thought I'd do my part to add to the charade.

 

[Slevage]

Every Fender is not a runaway smash. I love the Fender Reggie Hamilton, but I don't see a ton of them around, yet Fender has kept it in their lineup for years.

They see the numbers ($$$$) we only see the basses.

 

[rogerbmiller]

I've never smoked Fodera, actually, I wonder what it's like?

Really good but you have to inhale.

 

[Jack MN]

It costs a whole lot of money to run a production line and maintain an inventory of parts to build something, not to mention marketing expenses and administrative costs. If they don't sell enough units to cover those costs, they lose money. So they discontinue production of products that sell poorly and instead devote their resources to producing products which sell better.

There are numerous examples of companies that didn't follow this strategy, they no longer produce anything because they went bankrupt.

 

[TMARK]

Cool, just couldn't see myself with

Cool, just couldn't see myself with one. I'm glad someone likes them, they have a lot of hate.

I think the hate comes from people comparing it to Stingrays and L2000s. Its not a Stingray. Its not an L2000, but it plays a similar role. It sounds like a Fender but not like a j or p, or a p/j. But here is the rub: as much as I liked it, I still didn't buy it. For the out the door price of an American Deluxe IV I could custom order an L2000 or get a Stingray or Sterling HH or HS.

Complaints about build are, from what I've seen, unfounded.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

I think Fender understands Fender better than we want to give them credit. The single H isn't selling, so they discontinued it. I've seen two at Guitar Center over the last two months that are at a low clearance price and haven't moved. If people want a Fender, they want a P or a J.

 

[TMARK]

It costs a whole lot of money to run a production line and maintain an inventory of parts to build something, not to mention marketing expenses and administrative costs. If they don't sell enough units to cover those costs, they lose money. So they discontinue production of products that sell poorly and instead devote their resources to producing products which sell better.

There are numerous examples of companies that didn't follow this strategy, they no longer produce anything because they went bankrupt.

I think G&L and EBMM run a tighter ship. They carry less inventory and don't rely on scale like Fender does. Fender needs to move units to cover costs, while G&L and EBMM, from what I can tell, have smaller and tighter production, inventory, etc.

 

[BigBigGuy44]

I currently own a single H American Deluxe Dimension and HH Stingray. When the Stingray is set to only bridge, the tone between the two is remarkably close. Not much of a difference at all. Build quality is also identical. What I think sets the Fender apart is its neck profile. Wider string spacing, asemetrical feel and compound radius should appeal to people who want a Stingray but prefer a Fender neck.