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Location: Phoenix AZ | Englishplayer - 2013-06-08 10:09 AM
With $3500 to spend on a guitar, would anyone go with a Fender Custom shop guitar? Anyone?
If it's made in the Guild factory and it's anywhere near as good as the recent Guild custom shop guitars - YES !!! |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | If it is made at the Guild factory, wouldn't you just want a Guild?
(if it was made at the Ovation Factory, I would want an Ovation)
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BTW-- Kia makes nice dependable cars, but a luxury Kia is still a KIA.
So... If I were to spend $3500 on a guitar, it surely would Not be a Fender.
Also If I were spending a few hundred on a wood-box it would not be a Fender.
Morgan Monroe, Yamaha, Epiphone, Ibanez, Breedlove, Martin... even Taylor.
And I am talking about Great guitars for way less money.
There are sooo many good wood-box guitars why would anyone even consider a Fender. 
(And for less than $3K I could get a Koa LAV, or an Adamas)
Edited by Old Man Arthur 2013-06-08 5:18 PM
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Location: Phoenix AZ | The irony that strikes me is that for years around the OFC we have dumped on those Taylor-Martin-etc. guys who just buy for the NAME. Like how can the name alone make it a good guitar or a good deal. Now we do the opposite - we dump on this new Fender just because of the NAME on the headstock. I don't get it - maybe we're still too mad that Fender killed off Ovation to take them seriously. |
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| Myself, I never dumped on Martin/Taylor; in fact, I own one of each. The Fender name in acoustics has translated to poorly received cheap guitars in the past. It's got some bad baggage. So now, with only a terrible track record, I'd never dump 3500 into one of these no matter where it was made. How much does the value of a fender acoustic dump 10 seconds after I buy it? For that matter, I haven't played a Guild in a long time, but that wasn't worth $3500 either. I own 2 ovations, but I would never spend $3500 on one. The 2 I have sound just fine and the combined total was about $1600 for both new. I recently played a Collings om that was about 3500. Do they really want to compete with that?
If they want to begin slapping Fender on an acoustic label and charge $3500, then they better get some into the hands of performing artists and begin a marketing campaign. This should have been done with American Ovation for the previous 10 years, but we've beaten that horse to death. For all I know, it's a great guitar. If I were in business I would never slap a fender label at $3500 and try to compete in that market. I'd love to see the business model for this and the strategy that would make this a success.
I say good luck to them. For a while now I've only purchased guitars made in the USA and wine from California. So, I'd like to see them successful and keep the workers working. I just can't imagine this is the best way to do it. Of course, I reserve the right to be incorrect. |
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| My above post comes off much too negative. Good luck to the folks at the factory. Perhaps, I could use a touch of optimism in my outlook on the Fender endeavor. |
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Location: sitting at my computer | Standingovation - ...we dump on this new Fender just because of the NAME on the headstock. I don't get it - maybe we're still too mad that Fender killed off Ovation to take them seriously. No offense intended but Fender certainly hasn't ever been a brand we'd praise for noteworthy acoustics (pun intended). I think there's a big difference between the sheep mentality of buying a particular brand guitar just because it's the 'in vogue' name ... and that of personally avoiding a brand due its established reputation for mediocre acoustic guitars. Seems more like prudent skepticism to me. Anyway, I'm obviously NOT in their target market 'cause although $3500 may be chump change to some, it ain't to me! IF I had that much to drop on a GAS spendin' spree I'm pretty sure I'd be comin' home with at least two more awesome, used, USA made Os and still have beach party funds left over!  |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Standingovation - 2013-06-08 5:03 PM
I don't get it - maybe we're still too mad that Fender killed off Ovation to take them seriously.
I know that I am... 
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Location: sitting at my computer | uh oh, Arthur ya went 'n bought more red Krylon didn't ya?!  Looks like ya used a stencil this time tho. Likin' them stickers! I got that same LIG one! |
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Location: Michigan | i looked at the fender website and went into acoustic guitars and i see that they have 9 or 10 high end guitars listed at $ 3000.00 to $ 5500.00. i have never ever seen a fender acoustic in any store that had a list price over $700.00. where are the guitar stores who stock any of these or are they all just online purchases from the custom shop.GWB |
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| Yep, they're making Fenders, Guilds, and Adamas and custom Ovations at the old New Hartford factory. And at least servicing Hamers. Basically just a great shop with great craftsman still, whatever name they put on the product. The folks there are just happy to be open at this point. I guess having multiple product lines helps keep the place open. Not to morph this into a Guild thread, but the Guild website has an interesting video on the Custom shop in New Hartford. Obviously a promo thing, but a nice look inside. You can see they're doing some hollow or semi-hollow electrics as well. I'm sure some of you have seen this but here's the link: http://www.guildguitars.com/custom-shop/ |
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Location: Tennessee | Englishplayer - 2013-06-08 6:26 PM I own 2 ovations, but I would never spend $3500 on one. The 2 I have sound just fine and the combined total was about $1600 for both new. I have spent over $3500 for an Ovation (Adamas) TWICE and clearly the guitars are an order of magnitude better than the $1000 Ovations I've bought. They are worth the money if you want a great guitar and not one that is just fine. I have a general rule that it's bad form to crap all over something that you've never directly experienced. If you haven't actually played one, I'd respectfully request the Fender naysayers get their hands on one before making bigoted judgments. The Fender Kingman (New Hartford) I played was really nice, played extrememly well, and sounded fabulous. Well worth the money they're getting for it. One's on my list to come in as soon as something else departs.
Edited by stonebobbo 2013-06-18 12:41 PM
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Location: Jet City | Again, my only acoustic for more than 2 decades was a Fender with a Strat style headstock. I was an electric player mostly, and it suited me well.
No matter if they've caught on or not, Fender's put some nice acoustics over the years. Even some of the imports were decent, like the higher end F series. I had an F75 with a solid top, built in Japan that was a really nice little guitar for the paltry sum paid.
There's some really cool looking custom stuff coming out of there. I think those ol' Kingman's look awesome, very retro and cool. If the boys (and gals) at the Mothership are building them, I bet they sound good too. |
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Location: Michigan | FENDER KINGMAN USA CUSTOM SHOP FLAME MAPLE ACOUSTIC/ELECTRIC LMT EDITION simply stunning sound.
pez : where did you get to play one of these? in a music store or someone you know has one?
i have yet to see any fender high end acoustic's in a music store.GWB |
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Location: Upper Left USA | +-------------------*--------------+ Denial Anger Helplessness Acceptance I'm getting closer... |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | One more time...
A Fender guitar made at the Ovation Factory is NOT an Ovation.
Neither is a Guild made at New Hartford.
I like Ovations because I Like OVATIONS.
Don't care what Fender is Making, or where they make it.
They may be Nice guitars but they are not Ovations.
I have never really caught the Fender bug... I had a friend could wail on a Strat and make it sing.
I have known people who Built Fender guitars in the USA... Before they moved that Factory to Mexico.
But if there were two similar guitars of similar quality, and one was a Fender...
I would have bought the other guitar... That was before Fender screwed Ovation
Fender had previously screwed other companies and their employees already.
And I am only speaking of Electric Guitars... Cuz Fender never was famous for acoustic guitars.
Even my Strat-loving buddy said NOT to buy a Fender Acoustic... to buy that Yamaha instead.
If Fender hadn't bought Ovation and closed 95% of USA Ovation Production,
We wouldn't even be talking about their stupid wood-boxes!
BTW-- I don't care much about Brand Names either...
If some other company starts making Roundback Lyrachord Guitars with great playing necks and nice electronics at an affordable price, I will try, and maybe buy their guitars. But right now I have 13 USA Ovations and a Korean Viper in the mail... In the future I will just be buying USED OVATIONS. |
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Location: Michigan | that is what i like about you oma you tell it like it is.GWB |
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is this where fender is going at the old ovation factory
