I read that too about the Stratocaster-was going to disappear around 1967'68 until Hendrix came along.
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My reliable source confirmed something....
- Thread starter gustobassman
- Start date
I read that too about the Stratocaster-was going to disappear around 1967'68 until Hendrix came along.
Any company that does not always do what's best for itself is doomed in the long run.
I'm sure the reps are clueless but it doesn't take a marketing genius to figure that one out...Fender's not making bass amps that people want to buy. Their bass amps have gotten a lot better but they make the cheap ones ugly (sorry, but they are), or they make them expensive and nice looking but lacking critical features. The Bassman TV series is a perfect example...wonderful sounding and looking $1000 combo amps with micro heads that can't be removed and zero expandability. And then when they do finally make a nice one that delivers, it gets lost in this sea of mistakes. Kind of a shame, really. The number one bass manufacturer in the world and the company that brought the electric bass to the world, and they just can't get it together with their bass amps. Never could, either. Didn't even start making decent bass amps till the 90's.
True, but the owners can doom a company by bleeding it to death. A classic example was Schwinn bikes. By all accounts, the Schwinn family ran the company into the ground by pocketing all of the profits and re-investing nothing in new technology, until the only valuable asset of the company was the brand name.
Agreed.
They seem to be missing a pro level strong and light decently priced and featured bass amp line.
That being said if you ever get a chance to try out their new Bassman series you might be pleasantly surprised: all tube, great tone and power, all the extras are there as well. The only downside is the pricepoint (and of course size and weight but that is par for the course on all tube).
Fender has done some awesome stuff lately. The '08 american standard revamp then the bassman amps which are killer , and not at all in the SWR/GB market. Makes perfect sense for fender to bring out a new line of compact solid state modern sounding amps based on all the good tech they have in the portfolio. And IMHO would make little sense to continue churning out headlights AND shuttlemax 6.2s. Im optimistic.
I picked up a Streamliner 600 & Uber Quad in January. My local dealer usually has a few Genz models in stock, but now they have none. It's been like that for a while now. They had to special order my stuff.
+1 they blew it! Had no foresight they thought BMX and mountain bikes were a passing fad. Kinda like Fender did with sitting on their old line of bass amps for so many years.
It should be pointed out that if Fender were planning this for the end of 2013 and not announced anything there would be no reason for places to fire sale the two brands this early.
In many cases shops no longer stocking them might be an indication that they don't sell well or garner enough margin which would add credence to the rumor that Fender might drop them. Love them or not, if they don't make enough money for everyone in the distribution chain they are not a good product.
In many cases shops no longer stocking them might be an indication that they don't sell well or garner enough margin which would add credence to the rumor that Fender might drop them. Love them or not, if they don't make enough money for everyone in the distribution chain they are not a good product.
Agreed. And to latch onto your point (if I may) many get OFFENDED when Fender tries something new. The attitude here is almost "HOW DARE THEY". Even in the 80s and early 90s when the bright colors and pointy head stocks were all the rage, Fender "wasn't allowed" into that market by their fans. They tried a few times but to no avail. The made a "Strat" for a while that had no pick guard and on/off switches for a SSH setup, black head, etc. but they went nowhere. People want Fender to do what it does and quit trying to reinvent the wheel. Most new ideas are rammed back up their butts. However, people LOVE to complain that they don't offer a Daphne blue J with binding and clay dots. So they want Fender to stay what they are, but offer the exact combination of options THEY want. Oy. Nobody could win in a market like that.
That being said, I do believe they need to break into the mid-level class D market, and using GB designs would get that done. But the same kinds of complainers mentioned above will probably want to burn Fender to the ground for trying THAT TOO. (TB audience notwithstanding.)
By the way, I own a GB Shuttle 6.0 as a backup, and the thing is nothing short of sterile sounding to me. I never could get any really nice tones out of the thing. Don't get me wrong. For a couple hundred used it makes a great 600W backup that fits in my gear box nicely. But my intent was to gig it every now and then and that won't happen. I have heard nothing but great reviews about the newer high-end amps though.
"In recent years, Fender Musical Instruments Corporation has branched out into making and selling steel-string acoustic guitars, and has purchased a number of other instrument firms, including the Guild Guitar Company, the Sunn Amplifier Company, and other brands such as SWR Sound Corporation. In early 2003, Fender Musical Instruments Corporation made a deal with Gretsch and began manufacturing and distributing new Gretsch guitars. Fender also owns: Jackson, Charvel, Olympia, Orpheum, Tacoma Guitars (based in Seattle, WA), Squier and Brand X amps. The Californian guitar giant has recently purchased Kaman Music Corporation, which owns Ovation guitar, LP and Toca hand percussion products, Gibraltar Hardware, Genz Benz Amplification, Hamer Guitars and is the exclusive U.S. sales representative for Sabian Cymbals and exclusive worldwide distributor of Takamine Guitars and Gretsch Drums." (quote from wikipedia)
It looks as if in some years, all good musical instruments will come from one or two major companies. Capitalism works for america, but corporatocracy doesn't. Eventually all manufacturing money will end in fewer pockets leaving the little and middle guys out of the market. Goverment should prevent that from happenning, but at this point, goverment and corporations are almost the same thing in the U.S.
It looks as if in some years, all good musical instruments will come from one or two major companies. Capitalism works for america, but corporatocracy doesn't. Eventually all manufacturing money will end in fewer pockets leaving the little and middle guys out of the market. Goverment should prevent that from happenning, but at this point, goverment and corporations are almost the same thing in the U.S.
Maybe not I was at my local GB dealer last week who's been a stocking dealer for years. I bought all my GB gear there.
When I asked him about the rumors I heard going around about GB going under and Jeff now doing r&d for Fender. The answer I got was "it's a possibility".
BTW his GB stock in the store was the lowest I've ever seen it but nothing was on blowout.
Let's hope it's just a rumour, I love Genz Benz gear. My bass teacher has a STL 6.2, incredible little amp. I'm saving some money to get a stack of Focus 210 cabs.
Wouldn't it be boring to have a stage full of fender guitars, fender basses, fender guitar amps, fender bass amps, fender straps, fender picks, fender stands, fender hats and so on?
