The New York Times recently profiled Fender and its struggles amid the economic downturn and its failed IPO attempt earlier this year. It's an interesting read and sheds some light on how hard the economic downturn has been on not just Fender but all music instrument makers. I do, however, take issue with this statement: Like many other American manufacturers, Fender is … [Read more...]
Fender Cabronita Telecaster
When John Mayer released his album Battle Studies, he played a televised album release show at the Beacon Theatre in New York. On the track "Perfectly Lonely", Mayer played a Telecaster that I had never seen before. I later found out that it was a Fender Custom Shop La Cabronita Especial. At the time, no regular production model of the guitar was available. Fender heard the … [Read more...]
Fender Custom Shop Adds New Guitars to 2012 Limited Edition Collection
I received the following press release about new additions to Fender's 2012 Custom Shop Limited Edition Collection: Additions push the “Dream Factory’s” boundaries to superior levels of innovation SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (July 17, 2012) — The Fender Custom Shop is proud to introduce five striking models to its 2012 limited collection; four guitars and one bass. The new additions … [Read more...]
Fender Pulls IPO
This past week, Fender canceled their planned IPO. USA Today is reporting the reason as uncertain market conditions: Fender CEO Larry Thomas said current market conditions and Europe's ongoing economic woes wouldn't support an IPO that values the company appropriately. I'm glad to see them pull this back, for now. I wouldn't be surprised to see them try this again in the … [Read more...]
A Strat is Born
The folks have Fender have produced a video about the process of building a Stratocaster, titled A Strat is Born: "A Strat is Born" takes you on a high-speed ride through the creation of a Fender Stratocaster guitar at Fender's U.S. manufacturing facility in Corona, Calif., showing you every step from bare wood to onstage and set to a pulse-pounding soundtrack by Wayne … [Read more...]