Fender is planning on selling direct to customers and bypassing dealers:
Direct-to-consumer sales are expected to be a topic of intense discussion as buyers meet with Fender representatives. Some shop owners are so concerned that they plan to buy less merchandise from the manufacturer, said retailers, many of whom did not want to be named for fear that speaking publicly could damage relations with Fender.
Some are considering not re-upping as Fender dealers.
Guitars are one of those items that you really need to touch and feel to appreciate. I don’t think ordering online really works for buying a high-end guitar like a Strat or Tele. Fender is doing some damage here.
Yes, but even Guitar Center doesn’t always have what you want; there are lots of models that they don’t carry.
Example: I recently bought a new American Deluxe Strat. I wanted to try before I bought, but no dealer anywhere had what I wanted. The local Guitar Centers (there are 3 within 30 miles of my house) did not have what I was looking for (not the right color or fretboard), and they didn’t want me playing with a $1700 guitar that I wasn’t going to buy there. None of the local small shops had it either. So, I rolled the dice and bought it online, via one of the sellers that lets you pick an exact serial number with lots of photos, the exact weight, etc. End result was fantastic, and my resistance is broken down – it’s likely that I will be more willing to buy online for future purchases.
As long as Fender does what it says and doesn’t undercut the brick and mortar dealers, then I think the physical retailers won’t be hurt – all guitarists know how hard it is to say no when you’re holding that guitar in your hands. But if we have more options for avoiding the often-obnoxious environment in GC (e.g., the people who treat it as their personal practice space), and the often ill-informed staff…I’m at least partially in favor of that too.
You really think a dealer actually dropping the relationship isn’t hurting themselves even more?
I think Fender is a big enough name, a legend really, that people will buy their guitars without “test driving” them in a store. You can buy Fenders on Amazon right now. Didn’t kill off brick-and-mortar guitar stores AFAIK.
But no thanks. I’ll keep my ’71 Fender Jazz Bass.
This is a fantastic modern move by Fender and I’ll expect we will see a bunch of other brands go the same way.
There’s too much overhead in the current system that is unnecessary these days, it’s good they’re trying to break free of that.
Given the huge retail mark-up, I look forward to Fender-direct passing on massive savings to buyers. NOT. No service, no try-out and massive profits to manufacturer, cutting out their best promoters. What could go wrong?