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Phil Lynott/ Thin Lizzy Fans...
- Thread starter BrentSimons
- Start date
"As of July 10, 2012, the majority shareholders of Fender were the private equity firm of Weston Presidio (43%), Japanese music distributors Yamano Music (14%) and Kanda Shokai (13%), and Servco Pacific (5%). In December 2012, TPG Growth (the middle market and growth equity investment platform of TPG Capital) and Servco Pacific took control of the company after acquiring the shares held by Weston Presidio."
...guess what their main interest is...
...guess what their main interest is...
- Jun 6, 2012
- 4,837
- 6,859
- Disclosures
- I don't wait 30 minutes after eating, to go swimming.
Could inspire me to get a mirror pickguard for my black Mexican P...
There's an active collectors market for this kind of instrument and I'm thinking Fender keeps up with that market.
Oh I'm not doubting there's a market, Fender knows it well, and prices accordingly. More just curious what the actual margin ends up being on something like this. How much goes into parts, labor, licensing, marketing vs how much $$ they score at the end, etc.
BTW this is not a gripe or a judgement. If a company can get it, and people are willing to pay, all good. That's commerce. Just genuinely curious what the math is. Like is it $1,000 for R&D, $1,000 in parts and labor, $1,000 to the estate of the artist, $1,500 in marketing per item, $8,000 in profit? Or something drastically different?
That's exactly what I did. Been playing that bass and singing Thin Lizzy songs for many years with it.
It's about damn time Phil got his own signature bass, but only the most serious collectors will buy one. I'll bet mine sounds and plays just about as good.
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Boy, I thought I was cynical. Tell me what is Dan Lakin's or Mike Lull's main interest? Fender, as big as they are, is just another pawn in a multinational financial chess game. At the end of the day, the management and workers in Ensenada and Corona want the same thing as Mike and Dan, that they make guitars that make people happy for the price they've paid and that succeed in the marketplace.
mugre
Take a moment to look through this thread at all the DIY tributes and what they cost, average that and subtract from what the FCS Phil bass costs and you've got a ballpark on the difference between the retail price of a random black P bass with some mods and a FCS Phil bass.
As for a breakdown, only Fender knows and I'm sure they aren't telling. But in the end the only thing that truly matters is how much they actually sell for. Limited editions either start high and get higher as they are bought up, or start high and tank. Either way Fender can't lose. Even if they discount them by half, it's still a random P bass with mods.
Think of these instruments as dinosaur bones. Most of 'em will wind up on display under glass or locked away in a vault with a bunch of other fossils.
For me, the only justification for that price would be if the money goes to his survivors via licensing, or contributes to some charity. Otherwise, it's a real gouge, even by FCS standards, to me. There are a LOT of choices if you can afford to spend that kind of money for a bass . . . . .
Based on that price I’d say young people are definitely not their target audience.
I love Phil but not enough to let Fender rake me over the coals. He also played an Ibanez Roadster, which are available for a couple used cars less.
It could be a trick.
Your doctor shows you the bass hanging in his office, you ask how much it costs, he says $13,000, you think to yourself "Hmmm, I could buy a Fender MIA, add a mirror pickguard, Badass II, and still be well under $2k.
You sure don't need a new bass, but you build a Phil, just because it's a relative bargain.
