Fender makes 2 of the most iconic guitars, 2 of the most iconic basses plus some of the most recorded amps in the history of music
I have been a long time advocate of ‘any other guitar and any other amp than Fender’ largely because of their marketing practices.
Over the years, they’ve bought up several companies only to kill the products and when the internet sales boom started, they told their faithful dealers “Oh you don’t sell enough so we will only allow you to sell Squier and the big boys get to sell Fender guitars, basses & amps”. Because of this, many of those dealers that Fender used to build their empire had to go out of business. Lives were wrecked because they lost everything

People will say, well that’s just business, that’s the way that the cookie crumbles, that’s life so get over it….

While that is true, put yourself in the shoes of those that lost everything. See it from their point of view – they lost everything and went of business because of Fender’s actions.

And then there are all of the various iterations of the Strat, Tele and bass guitars that is the newest latest greatest and there is virtually no difference
Then there is a Jimi model, and the Clapton model, and the Merle Haggard model and the Chris Stapleton version of the Princeton, on and on and on….

I feel sorry for the Fender employees but Fender corporate are reaping what they’ve sown over the years and Fender corporate might get to feel what all of those small Mom & Pop dealers who built Fender’s legacy felt when Fender ruined their lives