Custom Shop Pricing

dindude

Yup, nothing coming through less than £3.2k even the most “basic” Custom Shop. I believe they still have long lead times and there’s no shortage of business cards on the NAMM stock of dealers wanting to “win” those guitars - they’ll keep cranking the price up until the market responds with a downturn - market forces and all that.

I could see it coming and bought my Custom Shop about 18 months ago for £2.5K, about as much as I’d want to spend on any guitar. TBH, the days of me buying anything USA made are probably behind me for a while as prices go up and my stomach for it goes down, but I’ve got a few good examples in the bank already.

Remember this is the time of the £1k Indonesian guitar, the £2k Japanese guitar as well, so it’s not just Fender CS.

Lodious

You won't get your money back on a vintage if it turns out to be a 'Doncaster'. I love the idea of vintage, but I'd be too worried about authentication.

RandallFlagg

I like it when the custom shop releases something a bit different like the limited editions runs they do, often for Namm shows. I have a 2018 '56 wide fade sunburst relic thinline strat with a bound top. It's a really good sounding and looking Strat, pretty rare and unique.

guitars4you

Lodious said:

You won't get your money back on a vintage if it turns out to be a 'Doncaster'. I love the idea of vintage, but I'd be too worried about authentication.

What a quote - never thought of it before as that - Just one word is all it needs

I do agree with you about the authentification

guitars4you

richardhomer said:

The price of the new stuff is getting silly. I assume Fender’s judgement is selling fewer - at higher margins - is good business. They’re probably right. 

That is effectively the plan - I was told 2/3 years ago that they can't grow the market any further  - So if you can't increase sales then increase the profit margin - Other 'prestigious' brands like watches can achieve the 'dream product' tag

Sales are good - CS as a brand in its own right is similar to the USA sales of PRS  - 6 months lead time on new C/Shop orders - Over 2 years for most Masterbuilt 

bgmartinsbridge

On a positive, all those overpriced, average looking, basic/ bad spec custom shop and Masterbuilts that have been sat on ebay for over a year are now starting to get to reasonable prices :-)

Lodious

guitars4you said:

Lodious said:

You won't get your money back on a vintage if it turns out to be a 'Doncaster'. I love the idea of vintage, but I'd be too worried about authentication.

What a quote - never thought of it before as that - Just one word is all it needs

I do agree with you about the authentification

I can't take the credit, it was another fb'er who came up with it ;-)

Tex Mexico

I know a guy who knows a guy (so pinch of salt required) who told me that there was a concern at FMIC that the increasing availability of their premium instruments at lower prices was devaluing the brand perception amongst their most elite customers, for whom the distinction between master- and team-built didn't on its own offer enough added value to justify the price bump.

This is why they've been nailed for price-fixing, and the damage control is to ratchet the prices even higher to raise the floor enough that the new discounts Fender CS dealers can offer are still too high to be anything like accessible.

Remember the CS slogan is "when you're ready". This is explicitly designed to flatter their customers by implying that their relative wealth somehow makes them a better class of guitarist. That's harder to sustain when Joe Shmoe can buy a new team-built on his forklift driver's wage.

Snobbery? These are £5k+ guitars.

guitars4you

Lodious said:

guitars4you said:

Lodious said:

You won't get your money back on a vintage if it turns out to be a 'Doncaster'. I love the idea of vintage, but I'd be too worried about authentication.

What a quote - never thought of it before as that - Just one word is all it needs

I do agree with you about the authentification

I can't take the credit, it was another fb'er who came up with it ;-)

I have never heard it before, but will know doubt never forget it now

guitars4you

Tex Mexico said:

I know a guy who knows a guy (so pinch of salt required) who told me that there was a concern at FMIC that the increasing availability of their premium instruments at lower prices was devaluing the brand perception amongst their most elite customers, for whom the distinction between master- and team-built didn't on its own offer enough added value to justify the price bump.

This is why they've been nailed for price-fixing, and the damage control is to ratchet the prices even higher to raise the floor enough that the new discounts Fender CS dealers can offer are still too high to be anything like accessible.

Remember the fine for 'price fixing' was only applicable to the EU region - It does not apply to the rest of the world

The largest guitar market is the USA and that accounts for 50% of their market place - In the USA, they can control pricing and other dealer stocking + promotional criteria - I believe the same applies in Japan, which along with Canada and parts of the EU (Germany + UK is the next largest market place them)

But I agree that there is talk within the Fender camp that such a brand name can afford to attract more of a 'premium' image, especially with regards to select models within the range - Hence CS is only available via a smaller selection of dealers and it wasn't that long ago in the UK, that they reduced the number of outlets they wished to carry the product range - So yes it is part of their profile to ensure it remains a 'premium' brand