New Fender dealer rules. - stolen from richardsguitars facebook (Sorry!)

koneguitarist

TheGuitarWeasel said:

I owned a music shop for a good number of years, and absolutely nothing would surprise me about the arrogance and high handedness of both the major brand UK distributors like Fender, and the bloody awful major wholesalers/distributors like Stentor, JSH etc etc. 

Same here, Arbiters was the worst by far!

digitalscream

english_bob said:

Richard isn't a Fender dealer and hasn't been since Regent Guitars closed (2007? 2008?), so this won't be his direct experience.

Exactly. This was just a bait post on Facebook - I called him on it, and his answer was along the lines of "What, the only thing you're objecting to is some silly little detail like a sock?". Basically, total bullshit presented as second-hand information so he can hide behind the "Somebody else said it" line.

OilCityPickups

koneguitarist said:

TheGuitarWeasel said:

I owned a music shop for a good number of years, and absolutely nothing would surprise me about the arrogance and high handedness of both the major brand UK distributors like Fender, and the bloody awful major wholesalers/distributors like Stentor, JSH etc etc. 

Same here, Arbiters was the worst by far!

Strings and Things were okay to passable ... but you actually had to experience the attitude of some to believe it. Never dealt with Arbiters ... but the wallies who distributed  ESP at the time ... in the late eighties/early nineties (their name escapes me) were priceless. We carried a fair bit of ESP ... their top of the line models, and they would send what they felt like ... not what you ordered! Plain finishes if you ordered 'graphics' and visa versa! 'Arse' and 'both hands'  springs to mind.

Jez6345789

It matter not if its true just its easy to believe it's true. All the big brands are kicking the little guys out to keep distribution costs lower. It's easier to service 50 big box stores than 300 indie stores. Also it' probably comes down to 80/20 rule that 80% of their volume is with 20% of the stores. My distribution company is just the same 80/25 but I would not be without the little guys. Also you would of thought Fender would now be championing the little guy after get stuffed with that strategy and guitar centre in the U.S. Ultimately what goes on seems pretty illeagal under EU law in terms of restraint of trade coercion, monopolistic practices etc. it's just to small for people too worry about and dealers too down trodden to put up a fight. All round bad business

seany65

Hertz32 said:

Fender go into a dealership

place a sock over the head of other manufacturers guitars

if that guitar could pass for a fender with a sock on it, they are no longer a fender dealer.

So that's where all my 'odd' socks go to! Fender have been stealing them to get ready for this buggering about!

impmann

If it isn't true, then I hope Fender set their corporate lawyers on them. Spreading lies that could potentially harm another's business isn't big or clever...
What a childish thing to do.

english_bob

Jez6345789 said:

It matter not if its true just its easy to believe it's true.

In which case I'd say it matters very much if it's true or not. Plausible defamatory rumours will undoubtedly do more damage than obvious bullshit. Are Fender and their distributors scrupulously fair to their retailers? I doubt it. But I'd  much rather see them criticized for the bad stuff they've actually done than for made up rubbish.

Bogwhoppit

Handsome_Chris said:

"I bet you can't name a city that doesn't have the letter A in it?"

Gothenburgh, Visby, Nyköping, Nykøbing, Borlänge, Lund, Umeå, Luleå, Piteå, Jönköping, Norrköping, Linköping, Söderköping, Norrtälje, Södertälje, Köping, Jokkmokk, Gävle, Oxelösund, Smögen, Åbo, Oulu, Siikajoki, Kemi, Kiiminki, Västervik, Brevik, Monelid, Borås, Täby, Norberg, Västerås, Sälen, Sveg, Svingen, Röros, Minsk, Vilnius, Skopje, Oslo, Odense, Dublin, Moscow, Freetown, Libreville, New Dehli, Beijing, Lübeck, Bremen, Liechtenstein...

thisisguitar

Well if any Fender CS owners are interested, I've managed to secure a limited supply of brand new, heavy relic socks in Olympic White…

http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2011/358/d/8/holey_socks_by_lilyalien-d4k1omk.jpg

thisisguitar

Here's the affectionately named Yappy Ybarra relic'ing one…

https://stilettosonthetundra.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/molly_sock1.jpg

BenSirAmos

Bogwhoppit said:

Handsome_Chris said:

"I bet you can't name a city that doesn't have the letter A in it?"

Gothenburgh, Visby, Nyköping, Nykøbing, Borlänge, Lund, Umeå, Luleå, Piteå, Jönköping, Norrköping, Linköping, Söderköping, Norrtälje, Södertälje, Köping, Jokkmokk, Gävle, Oxelösund, Smögen, Åbo, Oulu, Siikajoki, Kemi, Kiiminki, Västervik, Brevik, Monelid, Borås, Täby, Norberg, Västerås, Sälen, Sveg, Svingen, Röros, Minsk, Vilnius, Skopje, Oslo, Odense, Dublin, Moscow, Freetown, Libreville, New Dehli, Beijing, Lübeck, Bremen, Liechtenstein...

Everybody talk about pop musik

Clarky

haaaa... put a sock over a Charvel and see if it looks the same as a Strat...

from 10 feet away it will... but get really close and look at the build quality and you'll see there are differences...

Rox

Bogwhoppit said:

Handsome_Chris said:

"I bet you can't name a city that doesn't have the letter A in it?"

Gothenburgh, Visby, Nyköping, Nykøbing, Borlänge, Lund, Umeå, Luleå, Piteå, Jönköping, Norrköping, Linköping, Söderköping, Norrtälje, Södertälje, Köping, Jokkmokk, Gävle, Oxelösund, Smögen, Åbo, Oulu, Siikajoki, Kemi, Kiiminki, Västervik, Brevik, Monelid, Borås, Täby, Norberg, Västerås, Sälen, Sveg, Svingen, Röros, Minsk, Vilnius, Skopje, Oslo, Odense, Dublin, Moscow, Freetown, Libreville, New Dehli, Beijing, Lübeck, Bremen, Liechtenstein...

I'd have just said London.

shaunyshaun1234

Rox said:

Bogwhoppit said:

Handsome_Chris said:

"I bet you can't name a city that doesn't have the letter A in it?"

Gothenburgh, Visby, Nyköping, Nykøbing, Borlänge, Lund, Umeå, Luleå, Piteå, Jönköping, Norrköping, Linköping, Söderköping, Norrtälje, Södertälje, Köping, Jokkmokk, Gävle, Oxelösund, Smögen, Åbo, Oulu, Siikajoki, Kemi, Kiiminki, Västervik, Brevik, Monelid, Borås, Täby, Norberg, Västerås, Sälen, Sveg, Svingen, Röros, Minsk, Vilnius, Skopje, Oslo, Odense, Dublin, Moscow, Freetown, Libreville, New Dehli, Beijing, Lübeck, Bremen, Liechtenstein...

I'd have just said London.

Don't forget Birmingum!

impmann

Or Bristol

Or Exeter

bingefeller

Cork. Dublin.  Newry.  Lisburn.  

TonyR

Or Leeds!

stickyfiddle

NORWICH!

Alnico

Liverpool !

Handsome_Chris

Hertz32 said:

"Have you heard about Fender?! They are going around their dealerships putting a sock over the headstocks of guitars in their dealerships!!! If the guitar can be mistake for a Fender with the sock over the headstock then the dealer can no longer sell that guitar - or face losing their dealership.

Tis true!" - Richard

What the hell? Thats nuts, especially as they didn't actually copyright the body in the same way Gibson did with the LP.

@Hertz32, it's lucky for you that they've taken the word gullible out of the dictionary.  Apparently it's not politically correct.