Mentaltossflycoon
Well-known member
Fenzhender
Fender, the orange guy of guitarbrands?
- Thread starter Einzeln
- Start date
tegendemuur
Well-known member
Not that guy, but if one were to start looking to buy a guitar, which brands would actually come recommended in the uncomfortably numbing haze that are Gibson, Fender and Chinese budget brands create... That's 90 percent of all I see when casually browsing gear stores, when not specifically looking for a guitar.
Guardians of the analog
Papi Fuego
I honestly wouldn't be surprised if that's coming. I know fender has always licensed their bodies and necks to allparts and warmoth and some others, but in the past 5 or so years you can buy pretty much every neck/body from them. I always thought that it makes it hard to spot a partscaster used since there are a lot of dishonest people selling parts guitars of fender parts as legitimate models.
But, I've wished fender just sold parts individually for a while now since I can't find what I want without modding it to hell. The prices they charge to assemble a partscaster for me is ridiculous and I can just do it myself better
In 1998 I bought a fantastic Tele. And I remember that it was in 1998 because it had 1998 inlaid at the 12th fret as it was a 1998 Collectors Tele. I didn't give a rat's ass about that - it was just a great Tele with the features I like. It was made in a two-tone sunburst on a 50s style ash body, very light weight. Had a beautiful soft-V all maple '50s style neck but with a 9.5" radius and med-jumbo frets. Great pickups. Pretty much just a really well sorted '50s Tele with a flatter fingerboard radius a bigger frets. Yes it had gold hardware - yuck - but I had all the bits in nickel to put on it.
Can I find a Tele from Fender like that now? Not unless I go Custom Shop. And most CS Teles I have played don't sound as good as that Tele - which of course I should never have sold...
Can I find a Tele from Fender like that now? Not unless I go Custom Shop. And most CS Teles I have played don't sound as good as that Tele - which of course I should never have sold...
vigilante398
Authorized Vendor
Man I've always called them Chender, but Fenzhender (or even Shenzhender) is way better.
Literally the only Fender products I own are a couple Mexican replacement necks I bought for partscaster builds. I have a couple other things that say Fender on the headstock, but one is Warmoth and the other was $80 from China (and honestly every bit as good as my $300 Fender neck).
jessenator
Well-known member
If it's not true I'll be glad, but I've heard that some of the C&D letters have either threats of request, or outright demands, for customer purchase records so they can presumably go after the individual who bought the "illegal" product, send them a threatening legal notice to turn in the guitar or they call the Pinkertons to go collect. (okay the last bit might sound a tad hyperbolic, but who knows anymore…)
Also, this immediately came to mind. Man, I miss this show.
Also, this immediately came to mind. Man, I miss this show.
Aleph Null
Well-known member
Yes, but it used to be that businesses made money selling a good product to people who wanted it. Now companies just maximize shareholder value.Wait just a minute... Are you trying to tell me that businesses are in it.... for... for... the money?
"Conscientious capitalism" is when you're aware of how hypocritical you're being, but do it anyway.
Warmoth has been paying
jessenator
Well-known member
The clankers have made this hard to find/verify. I'm interested in a source for my own troubled mind
vigilante398
Authorized Vendor
It's not so much that it's public domain, it's that Leo didn't apply for a trademark of the body shape when it was first created, and by the time Fender got around to submitting the application the body style had already been copied so much that USPTO determined the body shape was too generic/common to grant trademark protection.The clankers have made this hard to find/verify. I'm interested in a source for my own troubled mind
My understanding is that the EU decision was based on the recognition of the stratocaster design as a work of art and therefore given the typical protection of other art works.
Source: FindLaw
falco_femoralis
Well-known member
Watch Phil from Know your Gear, he goes into the details of everything.The clankers have made this hard to find/verify. I'm interested in a source for my own troubled mind
In the US, the strat body is public domain, but the headstock is not. Warmoth has a licensing agreement with Fender to sell their headstock shape, but there is no restriction on the body.
In Germany, they have recently ruled that the Strat body shape is protected and not to be copied by other companies. The ruling happened by default when Fender brought a suit against a Chinese company and the other party failed to show up to defend their case. Now, the law firm that Fender used is stating this case is precedence to go after every other company that sells non Fender branded strat shape guitars.
If one or more of those companies defended themselves in court I'm sure it wouldn't end well for Fender. Their precedence argument is weak and the rest of their argument is based around their claims that the Strat body being a form of art, which it isn't.
This 100%. I have laid hands on $2k+ Fenders that were just absolutely garbage to play. Just crap QC. As much as I love Strats only my EJ has escaped my need to mod. I want what I want and I don’t want to pay an upcharge for the Fender name and have to settle for a meh guitar.But, I've wished fender just sold parts individually for a while now since I can't find what I want without modding it to hell. The prices they charge to assemble a partscaster for me is ridiculous and I can just do it myself better
From what I have seen and has been mentioned, they are calling this a copyright infringement as opposed to a trademark. Get the feeling that Fender is going to have their sights set on any company that steers a consumer away from purchasing from Fender directly. Maybe I’m just cynical and yet…..
jessenator
Well-known member
I think I saw part of that video. I had no prior knowledge of his work, so didn't know what to make of it.
Guardians of the analog
Papi Fuego
sticky1138
Well-known member
My two most recent guitars are partscasters and I will never go back.
The bodies are from a small builder, custom routed to my specs with an unusual bridge configuration not offered by Fender (Jaguar tremolo on a Mustang body), and they are identical in shape/compatible with all parts from the original Mustang. Nitro finish from another one-man shop. Pickups from a boutique builder that sound better than anything on a stock Fender. Custom pickguard shape from another small business, etc.
It's can be a lot of extra work, but you support small businesses and get a one-of-a-kind guitar built to your exact specs. They ended up costing $1000-1200 each, which is less than you would pay for a new Fender of comparable or lower quality. I imagine if you are building something more common, like a Strat or Tele, you can buy more off-the-shelf parts and it's even cheaper.
The bodies are from a small builder, custom routed to my specs with an unusual bridge configuration not offered by Fender (Jaguar tremolo on a Mustang body), and they are identical in shape/compatible with all parts from the original Mustang. Nitro finish from another one-man shop. Pickups from a boutique builder that sound better than anything on a stock Fender. Custom pickguard shape from another small business, etc.
It's can be a lot of extra work, but you support small businesses and get a one-of-a-kind guitar built to your exact specs. They ended up costing $1000-1200 each, which is less than you would pay for a new Fender of comparable or lower quality. I imagine if you are building something more common, like a Strat or Tele, you can buy more off-the-shelf parts and it's even cheaper.
Guardians of the analog
Papi Fuego
Guardians of the analog
Papi Fuego
And to be fair...let's not forget my favorite brand has been on that clown shit as well
Guardians of the analog
Papi Fuego
LsL got hit 
and the Internet had feelings about it
and the Internet had feelings about it 
