You said they cant stay in business selling $300 basses when thats exactly what they have been doing for decades. You should start posting in the bass snob thread.
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Squier Models Disappearing ??
- Thread starter tubatodd
- Start date
You said they cant stay in business selling $300 basses when thats exactly what they have been doing for decades. You should start posting in the bass snob thread.
If they only sold $300 basses, you would be correct. They don't. So you're not.
Fender's financial position says they are selling too many $300 basses and not enough $1000 basses.
The Squier site is definitely showing models that don't seem to be available for sale. I tried the old VM Jaguar bass with the black-and-tort, 34" scale and stacked knobs (I used to have one, regret selling it). Clicked the "buy now" button for both local and online dealers - came up with a 404 error both times. Nobody's got them on any of the major online sites either. There may be one or two out there in a retail store not yet sold, but it sure doesn't look like they're actually shipping new ones to dealers. But the site still shows it as an active model alongside everything else.
I don't really know what Fender's business model is. When I look at how stuff gets marketed in the GC paper catalog, it seems like the tendency is to stun the reader with gorgeous $5000 and $2000 guitars in the opening pages - then you catch your breath and find a similar $500 model a few pages in. Certainly, watching the turnover (or lack thereof) in brick-and-mortar stores, it seems like the higher-end models are for display, to get the shopper drooling, but the actual sales are in lower-end models. I don't know if that's deliberate and sustainable from the company side, but that's how the dynamic seems to work.
I don't really know what Fender's business model is. When I look at how stuff gets marketed in the GC paper catalog, it seems like the tendency is to stun the reader with gorgeous $5000 and $2000 guitars in the opening pages - then you catch your breath and find a similar $500 model a few pages in. Certainly, watching the turnover (or lack thereof) in brick-and-mortar stores, it seems like the higher-end models are for display, to get the shopper drooling, but the actual sales are in lower-end models. I don't know if that's deliberate and sustainable from the company side, but that's how the dynamic seems to work.
I love the fact that every month (or two weeks) we have a thread that disects Fenders business and comes to the conclusion that it doesn't work, and they do it all wrong.
I hope they take notice soon as they have only been around for nearly 70 years.
I hope they take notice soon as they have only been around for nearly 70 years.
$300 Squiers are not impacting the sales of $1000+ Fenders in any way but positive by creating more Fender guys and gals for future sales. Where an issue comes up is between the higher end Squiers and lower end fenders. Right now at Musician's Friend a CV 70's P is $379, a Fender Standard P is $579 and an American Standard is $1299. Whether there is a $200 difference between the CV and the MIM is debatable, but many not wedded to the name on the headstock would conclude the difference is not with the money. There just isn't a clear discinction between the better Squiers and lower Fenders and that is not real good for Fender.
Japanese Fenders, except for the Aerodyne J, are excluded from the US for the same reason. There isn't a clear enough distinction between a $900 MIJ and a $1300 MIA of a given model.
But you don't understand. If they don't give that one guy on TalkBass exactly what he wants, they will FAIL, FAIL, FAIL!
Fender has always moved colors in and out. I had a 2000 MIM Jazz that was Midnight Blue, and that's one color that shows up only occasionally for a year or so. The color selection comes back around - in the meantime, buy a used one in your color or model of preference. Fender sells so many instruments that if it has been made, you can find one without much searching.
Probably has more to do with them buying up all kinds of music-related companies in the last few years than any possible lack of sales. Buying companies often comes with whatever debt they've incurred. Their closing down of Ovation is a case in point.
Also, they do have a fair amount of competition in the sub-1000 or even sub-500 dollar range. When you have brick and motar stores getting the el-cheapo, SX-type offerings done by the same Chinese guitar factories with their own brand on the headstock (Glen Burton, Harley Benton anyone?) for the ones who buy this stuff like it's this year's iThing, that's one less customer who'll buy a Squier or even a low-end Fender.
Since I've been gone a few days and am late to this thread, I'm gonna make a pitifully vain attempt to drag it back to the original context.
I wouldn't worry too much. If you keep a weather-eye out for it and really, really want it that much, I don't doubt you'll find it. Hell, in 2011, the very first bass I had ever wanted to purchase was a particular Squier Standard P-Bass Special. The only problem was it had been discontinued two or three years earlier. But, with some diligence and tenacitybordering on obsession, along with some creative ways to search for any new listings for it, I found one six months after I began my "quest". Since then, I've seen more than a few like it pop up here and there…mainly Craigslist and Guitar Center's used database.
Outside of the new colors and models, one thing they definitely upgraded was the tuners. I had a pretty damn good Affinity Jazz a couple of years ago, but the one thing that kept bugging me was the crap-tastic closed-box tuners. They were squeaky and very prone to falling out of tune. (thank Bob it was just a traveling/practice bass!)
When the new colors/models came out, the first thing I asked TB'ers who'd seen them up close was, "What kind of tuners are they using?" It was confirmed they sport the same open-gear tuners most other Squiers carry. I'm willing to bet they're the same as the VM's tuners, possibly even the CV's.
I wouldn't worry too much. If you keep a weather-eye out for it and really, really want it that much, I don't doubt you'll find it. Hell, in 2011, the very first bass I had ever wanted to purchase was a particular Squier Standard P-Bass Special. The only problem was it had been discontinued two or three years earlier. But, with some diligence and tenacity
Outside of the new colors and models, one thing they definitely upgraded was the tuners. I had a pretty damn good Affinity Jazz a couple of years ago, but the one thing that kept bugging me was the crap-tastic closed-box tuners. They were squeaky and very prone to falling out of tune. (thank Bob it was just a traveling/practice bass!)
When the new colors/models came out, the first thing I asked TB'ers who'd seen them up close was, "What kind of tuners are they using?" It was confirmed they sport the same open-gear tuners most other Squiers carry. I'm willing to bet they're the same as the VM's tuners, possibly even the CV's.
I'm just confused about something and this is my complete lack of education in business talking.
Why not just lower the prices of the MIAs just a LITTLE bit to make it a bit more affordable for those who DO want it? And they're competing with the used market as well; there are MIAs that go for $900 or less.
Why not just lower the prices of the MIAs just a LITTLE bit to make it a bit more affordable for those who DO want it? And they're competing with the used market as well; there are MIAs that go for $900 or less.
I work for the third largest fashion retailer in the world, a company much larger and more profitable than Fender, and they are expanding their budget offerings across all the brands they own. They are closing premium shops and replacing them with discount shops because that is what the economy wants. We don't make everything back in volume, but we are definitely cutting our losses this way.
Fender will have a high-end market for the foreseeable future because of their iconic cultural status, but I think your logic is flawed that they need to concentrate on high-end gear to be profitable. When/if the economy bounces back, you may have a point, but Fender is also scaling back on the high end. In the meantime, budget operations and factory-direct guys are constantly getting more of the market because the are making good gear that poor people can afford. If they big guys don't want that pie, it's because they are stupid, not because it is market savvy. My guess is, they do want it.
I was hoping to pick up a Squier VM Mustang Bass at some point during the coming year. Looks like they've chopped it. Too bad.
Because the profit margin on them is already very narrow & they need to increase profits to entice shareholders?
They're still on the USA site, too, but you haven't been able to buy one for quite some time. Maybe there are some new ones in the pipeline somewhere. Or, FMIC is directing the Mustang fans to the Fender-branded one for much more $$. I'm actually gassing for a Mustang, but don't want either the Squier Mikey Way or Fender Pawn Shop versions. I'd really like a MIJ Mustang, but those aren't easy to find either.
Every store in the US that I've checked shows that they're not available anymore, or they don't even have a listing for them.
I hope they're not done.
There should be some good new stuff coming out soon, but it just won't be the same.
I just found out today one of the local stores here in Montreal (Diplomatie Music) can order new MiJ or CiJ Fender stuff if it still is in production. Not sure what that means, exactly, but they did have a Jazzmaster that looked outta this world, so it must be true...
