Fender must be a glutton for punishment

[GnLguy]

As if things couldn’t get worse, in their evident total lack of wisdom, Fender has now sent a cease & desist letter to PRS…..

As Uncle Si used to say on Duck Dynasty – Its on like Donkey Kong!!!

How videos have we seen by notable players that they are done with Fender and now Fender decided to kick the shin of the 3rd largest electric guitar maker – and to quote Forrest Gump “Stupid is as stupid does”

John Suhr allegedly made a statement if Fender was doing its job of building good guitars that Shar Guitars wouldn’t exist .

How many “new and improved” Strat & Tele models has Fender brought out, and not an ounce of difference between the new & old.
There is a video of a Tom Delonge Signature Strat that someone stripped the paint – a $1200 guitar …..one would think that it would be a 1 or 2 piece body for that money…
But No!!! 7 pieces of wood glued together!!! That is not quality!
The Robin Trower Signature Strat was $3600…. It had a larger headstock and 3 different Fender single coil pickups. A person could buy premium parts & build a better guitar for under $800

Report of newer Fender amps going belly up are common

I think Fender has now shot themselves in both feet because people are turning on Fender en masse and it doesn’t sound like they have any legal standings

[Dieter]

Fender appears to be slowly coming to terms with the massive global outcry, including the devastating consequences for its reputation and future business prospects.
Accordingly, an official statement was released in Germany that represents a significant retreat from the threatened measures.
The statement naturally emphasizes the need to protect their designs, but they will not demand the destruction of inventory for replicas that are not recognizable as exact copies. However, the criteria for this are described in very vague and “open to interpretation” terms.
Fender’s measures will not be implemented immediately, but will be carried out over a longer period of time and in the (already initiated) dialogue with the affected dealers, while complying with legal regulations.

Conclusion: Fender is backing down—the resistance shown has already paid off.

Dieter

[Richard G]

Unfortunately with the background of an ever increasing market for far-eastern ‘knock-offs’, the big four, Fender, Gibson, Martin and Taylor are understandably getting nervous about protecting their brand and more importantly, their ever-decreasing market share.

Only a short while ago Japanese and Chinese products were seen as sub-standard but with modern manufacturing methods and far cheaper labour cost, that is no longer the rule of thumb. This is a global problem not just with Guitar manufacturers.

The problem gets even worse in a free market when the copies get better than the originals. In a world of Trademarks and Copyright laws company directors go into a frenzied huddle and dream up ways to protect their brand and flirt with ways they can stop others cashing in. The latest manoeuvres by Fender are a classic example.

The guitar unfortunately is no longer the ‘go to’ instrument to learn. Guitar manufacturers continually claim super turnover figures but I suspect the real truth is somewhat different.
With many musical instrument retailers going under and manufacturing costs spiralling, the next five years is going to be interesting and not just with Fender.

Richard

[Author]

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