Hey guys, was wondering. There are, Made In Mexico Fender, Japan, and U.S.A. What's the diff? Why do they have such big gap of prices? To me Fender, is STILL FENDER. Do they mean, like places they import from? Tax more bla bla? I'm sure that material wise and workmanship is still ok right? Afterall, its FENDER.
Question regarding Fender guitars.
- Thread starter VaiSteve
- Start date
VaiSteve said:
Labour costs are the main differences. A Fender worker in the USA is paid US rates while a worker in Mexico is paid Mexican rates which is a lot cheaper. A Japanese Fender worker is paid fairly well as Japan has one of the highest costs of living.
Just imagine for example if Fenders were to be made here, the worker has to be paid market rates in Singapore plus CPF to reflect the cost of living here. If Fenders were made in Indonesia, that worker would be paid what the market rate for a salaried worker in Indonesia whch would be earning, which is considerably lower given the lower costs of living.
Of course that are also other factors like cost of materials, transportation, infrastructure, logistics, equipment, workers skill, foreign exchange/currency rates etc that add to both the fixed and variable costs of setting up a plant.
Basically, it all boils down to economics and sometimes politics, such as trade agreements etc. Very messy and complicated.
Just pay and play! :lol:
thor666
New member
quality and marketing differences. there have been comparisions made and etc... basically most online people have made the observation that MIJ ones usually need to change pickups... MIM tend to be lower quality (not necessarily so thou there are exceptions) and MIA tend to be most coveted (however the Highway 1 has more comparisions to MIM than MIA.)
yes.. generally. but people have different expectations. that's the main problem.
and ya... u're sooo hankering for a fender. heh.
yes.. generally. but people have different expectations. that's the main problem.
and ya... u're sooo hankering for a fender. heh.
Canon
New member
If we look at what makes an electric guitar we are really looking at quality of woods used, finish, electrics and other hardware. all of these are interchangeable with aftermarket parts, so they can be upgraded or customized to the satisfaction of the owner. Fenders are particularly easy to work with in this way. It is only when buying a new guitar that you need to consider the quality of the components and the care with which they are assembled. And if resale is important to you, then where it is made dictates it's resale value. So in the end it depends on what you are looking for. Even within Fenders catalogue, you can choose multiple options which define the different models such as Texas special pickups Vs Vintage Noiseless etc. maple Vs Rosewood boards. So no point saying one model or manufacturing source is better or worse. It all depends on your need and what you want to accept as a standard.
cheers.
cheers.
subversion
Moderator
there's now Fender Korea, namely the Special Edition models. read about the 3 available models currently @ swee lee:
*Telecaster TC-90
*Blackout Telecaster
*Custom Showmaster HH
refer to my Gear News 2004 thread for the latest update. cheers! 8)
*Telecaster TC-90
*Blackout Telecaster
*Custom Showmaster HH
refer to my Gear News 2004 thread for the latest update. cheers! 8)
