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Significant Fender price increases coming next month
- Thread starter tekhna
- Start date
The world's a small place these days. Ain't much that isn't connected somehow.
Price adjustment was going to happen this year. Tariffs add to it, and drove the timing. Tariff can be the scapegoat for the entire increase, but there was some adjustment going to happen because of inflation on other things. California is an expensive state to do business in.
I looked back and saw that I paid $140 for my Monoprice P bass in 2022. I thought it was a good deal for a good quality Chinese bass. Now, you can buy a Squire branded Chinese P bass for $130. That is a slim margin and might not be sustainable.
Fender starting the Standard line is not spur of the moment. They were planning ahead for expected tariff increases on China and Mexico before the election was decided. The tariffs on Indonesia are less than the proposed ones for China, and the Cort factory is reliable quality.
I looked back and saw that I paid $140 for my Monoprice P bass in 2022. I thought it was a good deal for a good quality Chinese bass. Now, you can buy a Squire branded Chinese P bass for $130. That is a slim margin and might not be sustainable.
Fender starting the Standard line is not spur of the moment. They were planning ahead for expected tariff increases on China and Mexico before the election was decided. The tariffs on Indonesia are less than the proposed ones for China, and the Cort factory is reliable quality.
D
I'm willing to take a hit for the common good. The U.S. has to make our own parts. Imo
If it were only that simple
That's what's pretty remarkable--US domestic manufacturing is at an all-time high. US domestic manufacturing employment is at an all-time low. I think when people say they want domestic manufacturing, what they mean is domestic manufacturing employment. But that's just never happening, too much is automated and always will be.
Hopefully this kills some GAS around here and helps keep many of us from unnecessarily buying excessive instruments we probably don’t need. If someone truly needs a bass for a particular need or situation perhaps the used market or spend a little more to purchase from a local builder?
I don't know why you think this is some big bluff from Fender. Every year or two they raise prices. Fender isn't trying to control anyone. They're just trying to make money. It's not a conspiracy. It's just routine business.
Maybe it's ultimately a bad business decision. We'll see.
....and what about things that cannot be made in the U.S.?
and who says a manufactured trade war is ever going to benefit the "common good"?
Same. I would gladly pay a little more in taxes if it meant subsidizing things we need here.
Do prices ever get lowered? They just have more sales.
To clarify, I am not supporting the tariffs. I was just pointing out that Fender is just acting as all business are going to have to and that the blame for price increases lies on someone else.
The only “common good” I’m seeing is that I’m discovering all sorts of new Canadian products that I would have passed over before out of habit.
No. (Edit to clarify that commodity prices will fluctuate with supply and demand, but with more specialized items like basses it is much rarer.) That’s why I never trust a politician who says they’re going to lower prices.
I’m sure there is the odd ethics focused company that would lower the prices, but good business practice would be to maintain the price to either reinvest or hold to weather uncertainty… or big bonuses like most executives give themselves.
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You couldn't have said that any better! Both sides have major incentive to do what they're doing, so what did we expect was going to happen?
Fender won't be lowering prices back down when the trade war is over. They might have a brand-wide sale in the future, which will give the illusion of lower prices in the short term. They did that at the end of 2024. But prices will remain higher as they have been over the last several years. Gone are the days when you can buy an American Pro II bass new for $1,600. The good news is that there are so many other bass brands out there to buy from.
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Those other brands don't live in a vacuum. Their pricing will increase as well.
You're right. Blanket tariffs mean blanket price increases. But that still doesn't mean Fender basses are a better deal than basses from other brands.
Feel, tone, etc are mostly subjective. Where I think Fender shines over the competition is in resale value. They tend to do well.
Fender is absolutely pulling a “get yours while they last” sales tactic here. I don’t blame Fender, it’s a good opportunity to scare potential buyers into the fact that prices are going up so if you snooze you loose… hopefully in the end it forces Fender to build and buy their components here, and Americans buy less but better quality instruments?
