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Location: Vernon CT | I don't see this being a good thing. It's all about money for corporate America. The Co.(Bain Capitol) that owns my Co. 3yrs ago has stripped us clean, cut sales from 6 billion to less the 2 billion. Cut jobs ( after 29 yrs last day is 12/3).
Bain just bought Guitar ctr/Musician friend/Music and Arts ctr. Other co's they own are Staples,
K.B toys. Both these co's were reduced in size,
and I can see the writing on the wall for G.C.
The point is, don't be suprised if the same thing is done to Kaman Music by Fender. |
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Posts: 1374
| Happy Birthday Al!!
guess I'd better get my repairs and refinishes up to CT pretty quick.
Glenn |
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Posts: 12755
Location: Boise, Idaho | I hadn't thought about that, Glenn. I may have to rethink my long range plans for repairs. I don't think there's enough time for a short range plan, though, so may have to just wait and see what happens to the service department after January 1. I've owned shares in a few companies that got taken over and it sure didn't help my portfolio. Usually the winners in those deals are the guys with the golden parachutes. |
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Posts: 665
Location: Tychy, Poland | Hmm. If Fender won't interfere with Ovation too much (for example move factory, change personell etc.) i don't think there will be major changes. I think one thing that could be in minus, is that i think Fender people won't be so visionaire and they might stop development of Adamas line.
Since i don't have any guitar i could send to them for repair (Probably if i'd send them my "Trainwreck" they'd use only tuning keys and piezo and put it into whole new body) i'm not so scared in short term.
But - to be honest - i was planning on buying some brand new Ovation next year (If dollar will keep it's low position vs Euro and zloty), and i wouldn't like to see Fender Music on the label.
Maybe i'll look for some NOS Custom Legend 30th anniv reissue? ;-)
BTW.
Happy Birthday AL! |
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Posts: 241
Location: Le Havre (France) | Joyeux anniversaire Al !!! |
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Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | Actually, you have a good point LBJ. When Tacoma was taken over, they blew out a lot of old stock, so keep an eye out. |
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Posts: 122
Location: Tucson, AZ | Originally posted by Phil Wong:
I hope this won't affect our annual trip to the Mothership. ...FWIW Fender is NOT as ameniable to visits as Kaman apparantly was.
...Oh, they DO occassionally have them (I attended one on 2002), but it's clearly NOT something they enjoy doing...even with the PR-guy doing all the talking. |
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Posts: 15664
Location: SoCal | All we really know at this time is that Fender bought KMC.
Everything else is pure speculation. |
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Location: Slightly northwest of Trader Jim | Remember Harley Davidson? :eek: |
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Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | This isn't a guitar company buying a another guitar company, it's a major distributor buying another major distributor. In tems of market share KMC were one of the biggest. Fender wholesale, even though they are only a little over a year old weren't far behind. This will put Fender Wholesale in an incredibly strong position as one of the biggest, if not the biggest musical instrument distributors in the USA and possibly the world. I suspect that Hamer and Ovation, which are merely products in KMC's vast portfolio will not see any changes in the short term. Who knows what will happen in the future, however with the exception of Guild, who as a company were pretty much dead in the water when Fender aquired the name, they seem to be letting their other brands (and they have lots, Gretsch, Jackson, SWR etc) just get on with it. |
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Posts: 3111
Location: Nashville TN. | Originally posted by moody, p.i.:
All we really know at this time is that Fender bought KMC.
Everything else is pure speculation. I know what they did with Guild.
Ovation not a West Coast company.
I hope it doesn't become one. |
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Posts: 1922
Location: Canton (Detroit), MI | But Guild was pretty much "dead" anyway. Ovation is a profitable concern. It would cost more money than it would be worth to move Ovation to WA and Hamer to CA when there is a perfectly good factory in CT cranking out saleable product apparently at most of capacity.
I don't see big changes coming from the consumer's standpoint within a year or two. Within the company.....well.....who knows? It seems that whoever buys a company has to stick their name on the building and flex their corporate ego.
Roger |
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Posts: 136
Location: Parkersburg, WV | Any word on Takamine?
Patsbro |
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Posts: 4619
Location: SoCal | Well, might be a change in "artist relations" :rolleyes: |
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Location: Chicago | Will I still get my guitar sent back to me after repairs?
How will warranties be honored? |
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Posts: 338
Location: Omaha | Well, as human being do, we're all wondering how this will affect each one of us personally; and I wonder if it will mean the end of left-handed Ovations. They still haven't added their LX (new bodies) in a lefty model, this makes me think there will not be ANY lefties made very soon down the road...this is what happened with Guild after the Fender purchase.
Guild used to be fairly lefty friendly,now they offer a total of ONE (Chinese) lefty Guild, a dreadnaught. I should have ordered a lefty Bluesbird around 5-6 years ago when I was thinking about it!
And, once again, my timing is terrible; I just sold my 'pre-Fender' lefty Legend L777-5! |
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Posts: 1300
Location: Madison, Wisconsin | Mauvais? |
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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | As someone said, it's all speculation.
I have been thinking today of what to say, maybe words of encouragement, but can't think of anything except this one possible thread killer..
Has anyone, ever, anywhere, heard of an acquisition, of any size, that in the long run turned out to be a good thing for the people in general, of the company bought?
I can think of many that started out with good intentions. I can think of a few where the company (with different people) prospered at least for the short term, but in the long term, I have seen MANY just fade away or dissolve.
Once in awhile, the "staple" makes it full circle. Someone mentioned Harley Davidson, and in the guitar world there Traveler was bought by Fender and is now Traveler again and doing better than ever.
Again, it's all speculation and I wish all of our friends in CT the best. |
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Location: Upper Left USA | We need a new instrument Maker in the Northwest.
And you know you can do it! |
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Location: SoCal | Michael,
But we need dry wood...most of the year, you're humidity is 100%
:eek: :eek: :p :eek: :eek: |
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Location: Budd Lake, NJ | Willard, I've been thinking the same thing--CWK2, where be you? Are you bound and gagged someplace, struggling for release, working against your bonds, hoping that an onslaught of bereted Fishsticks and French Fries will rescue you? Or perhaps you know all and can't tell? The silence is deafening....
--Karen |
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Posts: 1300
Location: Madison, Wisconsin | My guess is he's unable to comment due to contractual agreements but it would be nice to know he's still alive and as you say, not bound and gagged. |
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Location: Nova Scotia, Canada | As much as I like (old) Fender stuff, I'm just not feeling the love at all right now. |
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Location: big island | he's making cameo appearances on the takamine forum today... |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | I got a phone call this morning and found out then, just like all of you. Trust me on this, I'm the last person that the KMC people will be telling stuff to.
I think what this all means is that there may be Adamacasters in the future. Maybe Ballacasters, Customlegencasters. Work with it, it might grow on you...... |
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Kaman sold to Fender
