Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Reflections on the new us jazz.
- Thread starter wooker
- Start date
The 2008 and presumably up models were a decent value. Not great, not even good, just decent. With the recent price hikes new fenders are no longer a decent deal.
I don't dispute that the newer fender standards are higher quality than previous generations. They are. They aren't quite as high quality as the hype would lead one to believe though. They are mainly improved over preceding iterations of fenders. In comparison to the lakland skylines, G&L's, and other manuacturers, fender is still sometimes lacking. Doesn't mean they aren't perfectly playable and can be set up to do a great job. Just means that their new costs are NOT justified compared to other instruments either in the same price range.
side note/rant: Used fenders aren't worth what people want for them these days either. Yes I know, their value is based on what people will pay. Still, a 2007 or earlier fender that would go for 650 isn't miraculously worth an extra 300 a couple months later just because some corporate monkey jacked up fender's MSRP in an unfathomable mid-recession price hike. Until used prices get down to where they should be (especially for the pre-2008, not QC upgraded fenders), I wouldn't bother with them used either. IMHO, no american standard (even the 2008 and up five bangers with the fancy pants case) are worth more than 750 for mint condition. I know others disagree and are paying the artificially inflated prices. Until the prices come down, I won't bother with them (unless of course the value of dollar plummets and price stays constant lowering the effective price). Hell, I picked up my fretless american J less than two years ago for $450 and now people want twice that for pre 2008 fenders.
Above rant intends no offense to anyone. Insert whatever smilies needed to convey that.
I don't dispute that the newer fender standards are higher quality than previous generations. They are. They aren't quite as high quality as the hype would lead one to believe though. They are mainly improved over preceding iterations of fenders. In comparison to the lakland skylines, G&L's, and other manuacturers, fender is still sometimes lacking. Doesn't mean they aren't perfectly playable and can be set up to do a great job. Just means that their new costs are NOT justified compared to other instruments either in the same price range.
side note/rant: Used fenders aren't worth what people want for them these days either. Yes I know, their value is based on what people will pay. Still, a 2007 or earlier fender that would go for 650 isn't miraculously worth an extra 300 a couple months later just because some corporate monkey jacked up fender's MSRP in an unfathomable mid-recession price hike. Until used prices get down to where they should be (especially for the pre-2008, not QC upgraded fenders), I wouldn't bother with them used either. IMHO, no american standard (even the 2008 and up five bangers with the fancy pants case) are worth more than 750 for mint condition. I know others disagree and are paying the artificially inflated prices. Until the prices come down, I won't bother with them (unless of course the value of dollar plummets and price stays constant lowering the effective price). Hell, I picked up my fretless american J less than two years ago for $450 and now people want twice that for pre 2008 fenders.
Above rant intends no offense to anyone. Insert whatever smilies needed to convey that.
Fair enough. Some good points. I wonder when people mention the higher price. Do they realize that although GC.com, MF.com...etc. have the Am Stnd Jazz listed as $1399, you can get that bass at $1149 if you actually go into a GC store. It's actually tagged at that price. Why they do this I don't know. Why aren't their web prices the same? But it does make it more palletable a buy.
