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Post by dnic on Jun 17, 2016 18:28:33 GMT -6
I was down in the LA area this past weekend for my sons graduation from his Masters program in Forensic Science. Brag, brag, proud dad. While down in that area we went to Corona to the Fender factory. Some facts that might interest you folks.
They make about 340 guitars a day
The Custom shop makes about 40
They make Jackson and Charvell guitars there, about 8 a day
They make all there own metal parts on site with machines from the 60s and 70s
The biggest surprise for me was that they don't intonate their guitars at finial assembly, or any other time, they just don't do it. They have a gauge that they set the saddle offsets to. When asked why they didn't take the time to do it the reply was, we couldn't build 340 a day if we took the time to set intonation. Blew my mind, but what blew it more was that the custom shop doesn't even set it on those really pricey guitars. There was a reliced Jazz master that was 12,000$.
The Jackson, Charvell guys do set intonation, think those guitars go for around 8k
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Post by antares on Jun 18, 2016 3:56:07 GMT -6
We could easily make Fenders at the aerospace related factory where I am daily employed, but compared to aerospace work the profit margin in such a competitive market would make it pointless. It's entirely conceivable that Fender could engineer it down to such fine limits and I figure that with a simple check on intonation, it would need another let's say ten staff to cover the work. The biggest surprise to me is that they practise "horizontal integration" by manufacturing their own metal components on site when they could so easily build in a greater profit margin by farming work out. Where I work, they sub everything out these days and the natural wastage of dwindling skilled staff means that we are gradually being de-skilled. Happily, I only have seven years to go...
Congratulations to your son Dane.
e&oe...
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Post by dnic on Jun 18, 2016 8:42:48 GMT -6
Only the American Fenders get the site made hardware. Even the mim's get import parts.
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Post by GuitarAttack Forum on Jun 19, 2016 19:10:32 GMT -6
Dane -- Thanks for the information. I can attest to the fact that the new Fenders do not have their intonation set! While some are better than others, I guess the bosses at the factory don't think the extra time required for dialing-in the new guitars is worth it.
I guess if your guitar buying experience is clicking a "Buy It Now" on Amazon, it probably doesn't. I've written a lot about this phenomenon; looks like at least one manufacturer is embracing it.
Also, like you said, the MIM Strats and Teles have much cheaper bridges than they did even four or five years ago. A MIM Strat from the 90s is much different than the ones you buy today. Their necks were made in the USA Factory.
John
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Post by antares on Jun 20, 2016 4:27:16 GMT -6
I knew that about the MIM operation using US parts, but I didn't know the situation had changed. That's a shortcoming in the wonderful world wide internet phenomenum- people like me would happily continue to claim something contrary to the truth and so misinformation spreads as quotes are disseminated freely.
e&oe...
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Post by GuitarAttack Forum on Jun 26, 2016 19:58:37 GMT -6
I read an article about the once vaunted Packard automobile brand and it reminded me of some big, former American guitar brands. Here is a good quote:
All the things that went wrong with Packard—a move downmarket, chasing volume instead of brand image, strange styling, intense cost-cutting, defects, recalls, pissed-off dealers, model lineup bloat, the dreaded scourge of "badge engineering," a desperate merger with a tarnished carmaker just to compete with bigger companies—are still happening today.
Hmmmm
John
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Post by dnic on Jun 27, 2016 7:22:15 GMT -6
Great quote John and spot on with today's guitar makers
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