[quote name='Truckstop' timestamp='1413710835' post='2580995']
Over-priced and over-rated dogshit. The only reason anyone would ever buy one over another brand is purely because they want a Fender in their hands.
Even the US ones don't provide much over competing brands of a lower price point.
All the CEO has to do is keep Fenders in the public eye and the jobs done. No need to worry about actually making instruments that sound, look and play better than other brands.
People buy Cadillacs because they're cool cars. Not because they're better than BMW, Audi, Lexus or Mercedes. Nothing wrong with it of course; I'm just saying that these days in brand identity that gets the sales; not the product itself!
Truckstop
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I've got two Fender guitars. One's a Richie Kotzen Telecaster and it's absolutely outstanding in every way. I bought it because I like well made, beautiful instruments that sound and look fantastic and play nicely. I've never been particularly swayed by the brand, I've paid over £2k for a Yamaha (more than once) that casual observers think are cheap Asian instruments.
The Kotzen Tele is manufactured by FugiGen Gakki in Japan (MIJ rather than CIJ) so it's not Fender manufactured and it's about the best guitar I've ever played or owned and is even better than then USA Peavey Wolfgang carved flame top I had. I hope they don't start manufacturing this model in house. My other Fender is a 1987 USA Standard Stratocaster, E Serial number and one of the first of the new model and that's a good guitar, not outstanding but I've had it since new so it's got a lot of sentimental value but if the right FugiGen MIJ Strat comes up, it'll be on eBay.
Not everything with the F word on the headstock is dog sh*t.