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What's up with stores and Fender?

#21
Popular brands like Fender have been the worst options to pick since the pandemic spurred all this buying. Buying at retail has also been iffy too due to supply issues which creates this perfect storm of unavailability that we've all seen get discussed ad nauseam.

Which is why I've avoided the big brands and patiently waited for used deals. Landed some nice gear as a result with the latest being a Peavey Mace VT head which I might also use on bass.
 
#25
In Cincinnati, there's a place on the north side of town that has a Sam Ash (big music gear retail store) and a Guitar Center basically back to back in the same strip mall. If I go up that way and pop into one, I typically drive around and go into the other just for the heck of it. They both had PATHETIC stock. Only the most uninteresting, low end instruments around, from all the brands. There was only ONE bass at the one store that was over $800, and only about two at the other. Each store only had about 10 total basses, and they were all super cheap stuff. I even asked a guy at the one store who I know, and he said things have been very freaking bad.
 
#27
This is happening in every industry that gets parts or builds things in other countries.. the supply lines got shut down for a long time.. look at the price of lumber today too... If a company made their products in America with only American made parts that were sourced in America they could control production. It would be insanely expensive.. as long as parts come from other countries across the world supply issues will be a problem. At least until they can catch up.
On the other hand the preowned market is really good right now.
 
#30
Sean150 said:
The likely cause is the large number of people who took up guitar while stuck at home.
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The used market is flooded right now. Normally that would make it a buyers market. But with many newbie sellers sitting on instruments they wouldn’t mind parting with - but are still not in a huge rush to sell and take a big loss on - the current used prices are hanging close to new. So that’s having a big effect on retail inventory planning as well.

This is something I can relate to. I have a few basses I wouldn’t mind selling. But for what I’d need to let them go for in order to move them fairly quickly I decided I’d might as well just hang onto them since they’re already paid for and I’m not desperate for cash

tpaul said:
The used market is going to be very hot for a while.
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Rather than hot, I think it’s more likely to be overstocked and stagnating for awhile yet. There’s a lot of inventory in private hands that many owners aren’t feeling particularly pressured to sell. So the asking prices aren’t going to drop that quickly. I’m guessing the odds are good that a significant percentage of these pandemic buys will wind up in closets or under beds rather than go for fire sale prices.

arbiterusa said:
It’s not a bad thing; prices will go up quite a bit across the board for musical instruments, and anyone who’s been in that biz can tell you that’s needed to happen since the late 1980s. At least this way, some of your favorite American manufacturers might survive.
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^This. A thousand times this.

If you want something good to survive, be willing to pay what it’s worth for someone to provide it. It’s something far too many people lose sight of. They’re the “man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing” as Lord Darlington put it. And these people are the direct cause of far more business failures than foreign competition ever was.
 
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#31
Strange,fully stoked fender wise around here(not in the states).Fresh fenders :)
Not on sale though.
Usually when the shipment arrives it goes "on sale" after few weeks and you get a decent price after those in a hurry grab a few.

question is why would I need new gear when I can get used cheaper and all set up perfectly.
 
#35
steve_rolfeca said:
I've been looking for various new basses and guitars lately, and although life is returning to normal in a lot of places, no-one seems to have any stock.

Sweetwater and Fender are a perfect example. Just look at these numbers:

Between $300 and $749.99, Fender has 42 models listed on Sweetwater. When I checked today, just two of those models (four actual basses in total) were available:
  • Black Player Precision (3 to choose from).
  • A B-Stock Surf Green Special Edition Mustang.
I can understand low-volume items getting low priority under the circumstances. That explains why there no fretless basses, no acoustics, no lefties, no Jaguars, no Bass VI's, no 5-strings.

But not even one low-end Jazz Bass? No natural, sunburst, metallic or natural finishes?

It's like a graveyard out there!

Things aren't much better for the 46 models between $750 and $1499.99. Just 7 are in stock if you ignore colour differences: Only one Vintera, no regular Precision basses (just PJ's), no new Performers or Players, no Mustangs, Jaguars, or Bass VI's, almost no signature models, no natural finishes or fretless, etc.:
  • Deluxe Active J bass V in sunburst/maple (4 in stock).
  • Deluxe Active PJ Special in sunburst/maple (4 in stock).
  • Geddy Lee in black (4 in stock).
  • 60th Anniversary Roadworn 60's Jazz in Oly White (4 in stock), sunburst (3 in stock), or Firemist Silver.
  • Vintera 70's Jazz in Inca Silver (3 in stock).
  • Duff McKagan PJ in Pearl White (3 in stock).
  • Used American performer Jazz in Satin Surf Green/Maple.
Of course, Fender would love us all to up our spending, which is why there are 67 models on Sweetwater between $1500 and $3,000. However, things are pretty depressing up there as well. Lefties with money to burn finally hit it big, as they even get a handful of models with more than one to choose from. However, that leaves the rest of us to fight over just 3 models and 4 actual basses, one of which is a demo:
  • Lefty American Professional II Jazz in Dark Night/rosewood.
  • Lefty American Professional II Jazz in sunburst/rosewood (4 in stock).
  • Lefty American Professional II Jazz in Olympic White/rosewood (2 in stock).
  • Lefty Professional II Precision in Olympic White/rosewood (3 in stock).
  • Lefty Professional II Precision in Black/maple.
  • Demo American Ultra Jazz in ultraburst w/Rosewood.
  • American Original 50's Precision in Aztec Gold.
  • American Original 70's Jazz in Vintage White/maple (2 in stock).
What's most remarkable about these lists, is what isn't on there: No Custom Shop, no lefties under $1500, no fretless basses, almost no signature models or natural finishes, and just one lonely 5-string in stock.
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I'm having the same problem. If they don't have it in stock in the store, then they can't get it for you. It's all back-ordered. I had to wait months to get my Pro II P-Bass. I want to order another Bass and they won't be in stock until November and the new Affinity line doesn't come out until August. I don't know if it's Covid slowing it down or what?
 
#36
This has been rehashed before. Supply shortages are still a thing. Especially for manufactured metal parts. Ask any electrician and they'll tell you they're paying through the nose for junction boxes.
 
#37
It’s not just music gear, car dealerships have very little inventory now also. It seems like pretty much any manufactured goods have been effected over the last year. Maybe things will return to normal, or maybe not, who really knows.
 
#38
MattZilla said:
And yet, the cookie aisles in every grocery store are fully stocked on every varietal of Chips Ahoy and Oreo known to have been designed.

I just found out today that there’s even a Chewy version of Chips Ahoy!
Click to expand...

I wont say you are behind the times, but the options in the cookie section are satisfying despite the rumors.

 
#39
halcyo said:
In Cincinnati, there's a place on the north side of town that has a Sam Ash (big music gear retail store) and a Guitar Center basically back to back in the same strip mall. If I go up that way and pop into one, I typically drive around and go into the other just for the heck of it. They both had PATHETIC stock. Only the most uninteresting, low end instruments around, from all the brands. There was only ONE bass at the one store that was over $800, and only about two at the other. Each store only had about 10 total basses, and they were all super cheap stuff. I even asked a guy at the one store who I know, and he said things have been very freaking bad.
Click to expand...

It’s been similar around Philly, where we have a few each of Sam Ash and GC. The stock has been very low, especially for basses, but when I hit some of the stores last week they had much more inventory than they did a couple of months ago, for both basses and guitars. So I do think it’s starting to turn around, but it’s still not even remotely close to pre-pandemic levels.

Oddly enough, despite the general lack of basses, one of the Sam Ash stores had a new Rickenbacker five-string a couple of months ago.
 
#40
steve_rolfeca said:
No Custom Shop
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I realize this is a larger commentary on the ecosystem of stock, but I think you just have to browse. Wildwood has a pile of CS in stock.

I really think all the lower level stock has been bought up and not replenished. Now the entire low end of used instruments has shifted up a level in cost as a result, and mid to upper levels are moving up as well. This is not a trend.

New stock will balance out eventually but the massive increase in costs is here to stay.
 

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