07 pricing - How they lost me

[brent]

Is the neck pocket of a PC-1 different than a San Dimas Standard? If not, then it's pretty funny that it requires a Master Builder to walk across the room and snag a neck blank out of the PC-1 pile

My current one has a standard pocket

Fender used to put the Master Builder directly in contact with the customer, one of the perks, I wonder if Charvel will be doing the same?

[shreddermon]

A few weeks ago should have been last years pricing.

It shouldn't have come up, the new pricing has only been effective since Feb 1, I've been kicking myself I didn't get mine in earlier.

Believe me, not true. I was trying to get the order in "under the wire" before the price increase became effective. Didn't work. The 2007 pricing was effective well before the price list was released, and my order was covered by it. I questioned how my quote was arrived at, and got more details. When the new price list was released (after my order was finalized), it pretty much lined right up.

Is the neck pocket of a PC-1 different than a San Dimas Standard? If not, then it's pretty funny that it requires a Master Builder to walk across the room and snag a neck blank out of the PC-1 pile

That might work, Tim, except for the fact that PC-1s are 24 fretters. The Charvels aren't.

[scotty]

The difference in price is $1750.00

I own 2 re-issues (non-custom Shops, pointys) with graphics and I did pay more than that price for either of them.

[slayer]

Hell, I am in the market for a short scale 1 hum Star, but I teel ya, I won`t pay even a 20% increase on one. They would have lost me with any increase over 5%. To nail customers with a 20% increase in one big bang speaks of some arrogance on FMIC`s part Jack.

[PittJitsu]

Am I getting this right? they charge for the strat head shape on a Charvel which was a strat head in its inception, and now is owned by fender anyway? MMM?

[~K~]

So this thread will last how long.....

15 days and counting

[~K~]

Am I getting this right? they charge for the strat head shape on a Charvel which was a strat head in its inception, and now is owned by fender anyway? MMM?

Yeah but the way most corporation work is they are treated as their own companies even down to finances. JCMI has to pay FMIC a fee for every strathead.. it's standard business practice that even my company uses ..

[Bengal]

They really are different companies. So paying the fee doesn't surprise me at all...

I toured the factory last year. I was with a guy that was indorsed by Fender, went to Charvel, then went back to Fender. He wanted a Fender with the San Dimas neck profile. They couldn't do it. It was asked if they could just get a Charvel neck and put a Fender logo on it. They wouldn't do that either. Different corporations and all. So he went to Charvel for a short time but returned back to Fender. Can't take the Fender out of a guy I guess...

[skorb]

Yeah but the way most corporation work is they are treated as their own companies even down to finances. JCMI has to pay FMIC a fee for every strathead.. it's standard business practice that even my company uses ..

Kevin, you are correct to a point but with intellectual property like a trademark, this is much less defined.

does FMIC keep JCMI operations (revenue, expenses, profit) separate from their other operations for financial reporting purposes, likely they do. but it is still a huge stretch for a holding company to charge a wholly owned subsidiary for licensing rights like this on intellectual property.

frankly, I doubt that FMIC is actually charging JCMI any "licensing fee" thing for the strat headstock shape. of course JCMI is charging an upcharge for the strat hs to the Jackson/Charvel customer, we know that. but that is just because they can, or were ordered to by FMIC.

I think that upcharge is all pure profit to JCMI, and I don't believe for a second that JCMI is paying a licensing fee on each strat head to FMIC. you don't buy a company and combine operations like they have in order to continue to have that kind of excess paperwork and duplication of processes.

[Twisteramps]

Threads like this make me glad I can assemble a guitar from parts and farm out stuff like paint (to GMW) and then have a neck taken to any place that has a plek machine for the fretwork. That much money for a freakin' bolt on neck guitar is pretty amazing. I'm not saying I agree with it for a neck through, but at least it's harder to source a neck through guitar than a bolt on.

Pete

[rjohnstone]

The headstock shape "up-charge fee" is pure gravy. It's a bullshit fee.
Mighty Mite and a few other companies make licensed Fender necks with the strat shape and and charge less than $300 for the whole frikkin neck.

[~K~]

It isn't bllshit it is the way business is done..

http://www.mksinst.com

That's the company I work for. Note all the seperate divisions. If we use parts from another division we have to pay that division. If i make parts for a seprate division I charge my labor to that division .. It is just the way it is when you start buying up other companies ...

[PittJitsu]

bought my 25th anniversary for $1,800 and Its a fine guitar. I am one of the few that actually like the new ones at least if not better then my 2 originals. With that said, anything over $3500 for a bolt on neck with no inlays, binding etc, is insane IMO. I am a craftsmen by trade, and I charge by the hr, but ultimately there is a limit to what your time is worth, from there on, its up to hype and suckers to feed your overpricing.

[hippietim]

It isn't bllshit it is the way business is done..

http://www.mksinst.com

That's the company I work for. Note all the seperate divisions. If we use parts from another division we have to pay that division. If i make parts for a seprate division I charge my labor to that division .. It is just the way it is when you start buying up other companies ...

What you say makes sense. But in the case of the Strathead it's not a cost of goods/labor issue. A better comparison would be if that other division in your company started making the parts without you and having to pay your division a fee to make the parts themselves.

[ADR]

Why upcharge,Charvel is owned by Fender,you would thing the upcharge would be for the pointed headstock,more involved,2 piece neck,angle etc. The Strat headstock seems easier to make to me,less labor.Maybe its for the stupid sticker :"licensed by Fender" they are charging for?