Anyone notice the recent Fender price increases?

yep biggest jump I've ever seen on Fenders.

I bought my Blues DeVille back in 1996 for $750...the current model is $1000. It's a decent amp, but that's a big chunk of change.

Interesting strategy to raise your prices when the economy is tanking.

BRILLIANT!!

Actually, raising prices has worked to some brands' benefit in the past - sales only went up. People sometimes want exclusive/probably better manufactured - and that they associate with higher prices, not lower ones.

Not saying this was their motivation, but just pooh-poohing it as daft, may be short-sighted.

They are more than double that now. Same guitar.

Could be inflation, too. It adds up.

BTW prices may fall in a recession, but your income falls faster, usually - the old problem.

ORIGINAL: Roflcopter

Interesting strategy to raise your prices when the economy is tanking.

BRILLIANT!!

Actually, raising prices has worked to some brands' benefit in the past - sales only went up. People sometimes want exclusive/probably better manufactured - and that they associate with higher prices, not lower ones.

Not saying this was their motivation, but just pooh-poohing it as daft, may be short-sighted.

This is not new behavior for Fender. I worked in a medium-sized mom and pop music store in L.A. during the '70's. We carried both Gibson and Fender guitars. One day the Fender rep walks into the store and says he's taking all of the Fender instruments out of the store and that we would no longer be a certified Fender franchise. They wanted to give only a few (read: the biggest stores)stores in the L.A. area the Fender franchise because they wanted their instruments to sell for more money. If only the big boys, like the then fledgling Guitar Center had Fenders, they could sell them for more money and discount them less. Fender felt this was good for keeping their image as being somewhat exclusive.

Which made us all sick since Leo Fender wanted to provide the average working Joe with an affordable axe.

So, yes, Fender may be raising prices to increase that "exclusivity" yet again. It makes me sick, even though I've been a Fender player for many years. And it really makes me sick because of the current economy. So only the wealthy can afford Fenders now? Pah!

Best regards,
Bill

Freaking Blues Junior is $600 now. Deluxe Reverb is $1,200. Yikes!

Lucky for me I got my American Fat Strat Texas Special for 895.00 around 4 years ago. I just picked up a new Taylor 816CE and paid 2493.00 and this guitar has a retail of 3995.00. I know that the local stores are selling PRS guitars at slashed prices also. So if Fender is doing what some of you say screw Fender. I notice that Gibson has been pulling the franchise from local mom & pop here also. I didn't know Fender got on board. I don't get why Fender and Gibson are raising prices and other manufacturers are lowering. Gibson’s prices were always ridiculous to begin with.
There are plenty of other choices at great savings. These are the days of getting a great deal or modding your current guitar.

I bought a Blues Deluxe RI 1 year ago for $400 new. New list is $699.

Ouch. That'll suck when it's time to buy a new guitar.

On the upside, it might be enough to stop me from buying my 10th guitar (that I really don't need). I like shiny things...

I work at a local music store as my day job. Prices have gone up on almost everything since about last October-November, in small increments though. Fender's $300 jump was literally overnight.

Guild (Owned by Fender) had a big jump as well.

The old line, "I'm losing on piece price but I'll make it up in volume" seems to not be working for them.

ORIGINAL: bapu

£155... now £272...

My $ can beat up your £.

And my $ can beat up your $.


Really - guitars seem to be priced dollar for dollar in both our countries, so if we both bought a $1200 Fender, yours would cost about $200 more.

Comparing prices is difficult, you can't use the current bank / tourist exchange rate as a reference. The Purchasing Parity Index is more realistic, which takes things like average income standard of living etc into account. Using that, a USA Standard Strat (at 1130 Pounds including 15% VAT) works out to be around $1689 compared to the same guitar in the USA which is now $1759 not including tax (which could be up to 9.25% here in California) making it $1921.

So it seems that a USA Strat. is significantly cheaper in the UK than it is three blocks down the road from the factory.

If I can buy one as a tourist 'VAT free' and somehow manage to get it through Customs without paying duty I could get it for 961 Pounds in the UK, which (using the tourist exchange rate) would be about 1250 dollars. About what I would have paid here in the USA a few months ago.

What gets me is, the retailers here increased the prices of their already existing stock e.g. many of the guitars in the 'Sweetwater Gallery' reflect the new prices, but many of these instruments (by serial number) show that they were in stock and purchased before the price increase.