Looks like Fender is taking a page out of Carvin's Book

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

With control, TPG Growth and Servco make Fender more consumer friendly | peHUBpeHUB

Nine months since taking control of Fender Musical Instruments, TPG Growth and Servco Pacific are finally talking about the changes occurring at the company whose instruments helped define modern music.

Customers, for the first time, will be able to order and buy guitars at the Fender website beginning in late November, according to William McGlashan, the founder and managing partner of TPG Growth. This includes “custom-configurable” guitars, like the famed Telecaster and Stratocaster that can be made to a user’s unique specifications. Such orders will likely take about two to three months for delivery. “That’s the current operating plan. It could be much faster than that,” McGlashan said.

Currently, consumers who try to buy a guitar off Fender.com are directed to online dealers, such as Amazon or Sam Ash, or local dealers.

The change, which may seem insignificant, reveals what is going on at Fender. The company has inspired a passionate following from the best of Rock ‘n’ Roll, including Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck, but has made little attempt to figure out who its customers are. That’s changing, McGlashan said.

Fender now informs consumers of product updates or developments, McGlashan said. The company has also built a community channel on the Fender website that features videos from artists such as Bruno Mars, the Smashing Pumpkins or Avril Lavigne, who use its instruments. (Lavigne has her own guitar, the Avril Lavigne Telecaster.)

Fender.com provides a forum for users to ask questions or raise issues. There’s even a Fender University which offers free online lessons from the Berklee College of Music.

“We want to build the Fender brand and business to match its potential,” McGlashan said. “The company is known for its exceptional instruments and equipment, but we have high aspirations for what the Fender brand can be, engaging music fans on many more levels and points of contact.”.

 

[Jonathan20022]

You're shitting me.

This is great, so they're taking the Carvin route now? I really REALLY hope this works out, as I would definitely order a nice American Telecaster from them if this works out the way I think it will.

 

[Syriel]

Ohh semi-custom Fenders? Call me interested.

 

[sell2792]

Sounds very promising, I look forward to seeing how it's going to work.

 

[Adam Of Angels]

Sounds awesome to me, let's just see how it fleshes out.

 

[jordanky]

This could be a very lucrative endeavor for the Fender camp as long as there isn't a crazy markup just because they're offering this program in the first place.

 

[MaxOfMetal]

So, will they be undercutting dealers?

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

Don't know. May found out during or sometime before November.

 

[7deadlysins666]

I'm intrigued, but then again you could just get a full custom G&L for either the same price or cheaper...and I would much rather have a G&L personally.

 

[BucketheadRules]

Wow... I wonder what sort of price bracket semi-customs will be in.

 

[asfeir]

Well, this could be interesting. I hope it will not be a very limited semi-custom thing.

 

[Hollowway]

So, will they be undercutting dealers?

Yeah, that's the first thing I thought of, too. I can't imagine they are just going to duplicate the Carvin route, or this will piss off a lot of dealers. Unless they do something with pricing so it's not more expensive to buy from a dealer. I remember a few years ago when BRJ started selling direct and that irritated a lot of his dealers because he was eliminating the "need" to be a dealer, and effectively eliminated his dealers.

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

Yeah, that's the first thing I thought of, too. I can't imagine they are just going to duplicate the Carvin route, or this will piss off a lot of dealers. .

Or they can just cut out the middle man.

Don't know if they'll go this route. Guess we have to wait and see.

 

[snowblind56]

The only way I'd be interested is if they pretty much duplicated the way you order a Jackson Custom Select.

 

[lawizeg]

Awesome! This makes them much more likely as a future purchase, if not for me, for my boyfriend.

 

[Dawn of the Shred]

Nice!

 

[MaxOfMetal]

I think a lot more info is needed before calling this a win or not. Fender isn't stupid, they're not going to undercut themselves by offering cheap[er] semi-customs than thier higher end standard models.

 

[atimoc]

I'm guessing they won't be particularly cheap because of the aforementioned dealer issues.

That said, I'd definitely be interested if Fender is able to provide some features that aren't usually available in production models, e.g. contoured Tele bodies and matching headstocks.

 

[mcd]

subscribed!

 

[snowblind56]

I'm guessing they won't be particularly cheap because of the aforementioned dealer issues.

That said, I'd definitely be interested if Fender is able to provide some features that aren't usually available in production models, e.g. contoured Tele bodies and matching headstocks.

I'd be thrilled to get a radius that is 12" or bigger and true Jumbo Frets.