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Thread: Leftover Fenders

  1. #1
    Forum Member ch willie's Avatar
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    Leftover Fenders

    The phasing out of Fender's American Professional series has me wondering:

    What happens to the guitars dealers have that don't sell? I assume Fender stipulates that dealers have to offer at least some of the new series and that dealers might have a hefty stock of the old line.

    And then, the same day that news broke that the AmPro was on its way out, the big online shops dropped every model not listed on fender.com. I don't think customers had time to buy out these stores between the announcement of that news and when i searched the shops for AmPros. Sweetwater posts pics of the actual guitar for sale. So one day they had them in stock, the next not. Does Fender take back their stock? You won't see them selling any AmPros after Fender drops the line completely.
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  2. #2
    Forum Member S. Cane's Avatar
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    Re: Leftover Fenders

    They’re discontinuing that series?

  3. #3
    Forum Member ch willie's Avatar
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    Re: Leftover Fenders

    Yes.

    American Professionals today:

    Righties: Some models in the series are still available, a smattering compared to the number of models and color choices available a few months ago.

    Lefties, a Jazzmaster and maybe a Precision, maybe a Strat, no Telecasters, no Jazz Basses The Strat and Precision are questionable because you can still find them around. Fender only lists the Jazzmaster as being available. Same with the Precision.
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    Forum Member OldStrummer's Avatar
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    Re: Leftover Fenders

    We'll probably see then as NOS items a couple of years from now, with super-inflated prices.
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    Forum Member S. Cane's Avatar
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    Re: Leftover Fenders

    Or maybe (more likely) they’ll only rename the series and do slight mods to the neck profile and pickups.

    Most of the owners’ reviews I’ve read made me think that people liked the old American Standards better.

  6. #6
    Forum Member ch willie's Avatar
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    Re: Leftover Fenders

    Quote Originally Posted by Sérgio View Post
    Or maybe (more likely) they’ll only rename the series and do slight mods to the neck profile and pickups.

    Most of the owners’ reviews I’ve read made me think that people liked the old American Standards better.
    I know nothing about the AmPro guitars, but I like the changes the series made on their basses. I have an AmStd Jazz Bass, and it's a great bass. The Precision is just a bit better with the bridge, tuners, and pickups, imho.

    It's always difficult to say one is better or worse since it's a subjective thing to a large degree. I like my 2008 AmStd infinitely better than I liked my 96 AmStd. I could never get the right tones out of it. Sold it to a guy in about 2005, and he's used it as his main guitar ever since. Still sends me pics of him gigging with it. What was no good to me is tops to him. And I'm not going to say he's wrong. The 2008 AmStd probably has more in common with the AmPro than it does with that 96 AmStd. I'd have to conclude that they're made equally as good, just very different.
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    Forum Member S. Cane's Avatar
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    Re: Leftover Fenders

    Quote Originally Posted by ch willie View Post
    I know nothing about the AmPro guitars, but I like the changes the series made on their basses. I have an AmStd Jazz Bass, and it's a great bass. The Precision is just a bit better with the bridge, tuners, and pickups, imho.

    It's always difficult to say one is better or worse since it's a subjective thing to a large degree. I like my 2008 AmStd infinitely better than I liked my 96 AmStd. I could never get the right tones out of it. Sold it to a guy in about 2005, and he's used it as his main guitar ever since. Still sends me pics of him gigging with it. What was no good to me is tops to him. And I'm not going to say he's wrong. The 2008 AmStd probably has more in common with the AmPro than it does with that 96 AmStd. I'd have to conclude that they're made equally as good, just very different.

    It’s all a matter of taste but I’ve read many threads about guys not liking the neck or the pups in AmPros... Strats mostly.

    I’m any case, Fender does it all the time. We’ll probably have a “new series” called “American something” that will be the same old modern classic 2-point tremolo, 22 fret Strat that has been the flagship standard since the 80s.

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    Re: Leftover Fenders

    There won't be that many "leftovers" this time - Fender has probably been producing the revised models for at least a month if not two months now, plus Fender inventories are somewhat lower this year do to COVID shutdowns in California back in the spring. Per several threads I've found on other forums the revised models are due out in October - but we don't know yet when in October they will be officially released. Looking back at Fender's recent transitions - American Professionals were in production in September 2016, replacing American Standards, so they were in stores and warehouses ahead of their early December introduction date. They did the same thing with the American Deluxes going out of production and being replaced by the American Elites in the fall of 2015, American Ultras replacing American Elites in the production queue last August ahead of their introduction last November, etc. They do this so that there isn't a huge backlog of inventory that has to be sold off before the new models come out.

    Information on the revised models is still embargoed, but what has been leaked is that the name will not change and that the changes will be more than just new colors - the expectation is new pickups since Fender always revises/changes the pickups when they revise models. Some are guessing maybe a return to medium jumbo frets, and the speculation is that the neck shape will remain the same since they aren't changing the name.

  9. #9
    Forum Member ch willie's Avatar
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    Re: Leftover Fenders

    Thanks for the info. I was taken by surprise when I got interested in an AmPro Jazz. I want a lefty AmPro Jazz neck to exchange with the neck on my P. I'm picky about this: it has to be an AmPro. I have never been able to find a lefty AmPro neck sold as a part, and now, the AmPro Jazz basses are verrry scarce.
    If we'd known we were going to be the Beatles, we'd have tried harder.--George Harrison

  10. #10
    Forum Member ch willie's Avatar
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    Re: Leftover Fenders

    While shops are still selling off American Pro Jazzmasters and a couple of Strats, Fender has stopped listing any American lefties. And Sweetwater has only a couple of AmPro Jazzmasters. All of the Originals, the American reissues, are gone.

    So I guess that in addition to the AmPro revamp, other models are going to be revamped as well. I'm hoping that's good news for lefties and that Fender will offer at least one lefty model that has been unavailable in the past.
    If we'd known we were going to be the Beatles, we'd have tried harder.--George Harrison

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