Fender apparently decided that the Mexican workers were making too much money, so they shifted production of the cheapest Fender Stratocaster to Indonesia. Indonesia seems to be the place to be now, with PRS SE, Epiphone, Squier, and other budget guitars are made.
Fender says it’s not a $600 Squier with a Fender logo on the headstock. Of course it isn’t – a $600 Squier would have much better pickups. My favorite quote by Fender is that they chose ceramic pickups because they were going for a hotter sound. Nice try. I want to know if they’re the same pickups as inside my Affinity Strat…
I am a massive fan of Fender and Squier guitars – I love my Strats and my Tele a lot. Nothing sounds like them. I’m not a Fender hater. But you can smell the corporate BS all the way down in Florida. Is $600 really a “low” price for a Fender Strat? I mean, I guess, but not by much.
I want to be able to buy one of these necks on Stratosphere for $200. I’d definitely do it. The neck should be pretty good. And pickups are an easy swap. Lots of companies make loaded Strat pickguards for those who want an easy swap. Put great pickups in it and it’ll probably be pretty good.
There’s one more thing. I know why fave companies are making budget guitars in Indonesia, but can I tell you something that’s bothering me? In Indonesia, two men in college were caught kissing each other with no clothes on, and the punishment is that they’ll be beaten by authorities in front of the public. It’s a horrible crime to be gay in Indonesia. If that doesn’t bother you, go back to 1955 where you belong. If your hate is based on the Bible, remember that only God can judge others – not you, and Jesus didn’t discriminate.
Maybe I don’t want to buy an Indonesian neck on Stratosphere. It’d be nice to see every American company decide to tell Indonesia that they need to change their laws or they’ll pull out and build elsewhere. Never happen – companies these days are headed in the opposite direction. But I can dream…
