Let me first say, the innovation and newer options on these are killer, and I love the idea of them, and what they are. Here's my gripe. They're all made in China (probably the same factory as the Squiers). They're all made of the same components as the upper-end Squier models. They're all the same quality build as the upper-end Squier models Yet they have a "Fender" logo, and a Mexi-ish price point. I don't mind guitars being made in China, because a lot of the time, the quality is top-notch, and you can't beat it for the price. I DO mind that they're charging "Fender" prices when they're glorified Squiers w/ a different logo. Squier - Fender China - Fender Mexico - Fender USA. I dunno...just not happy. If it's the same build quality as a Squier, call it a Squier. If not, build it better and use better components, and call it a Fender.
I tried out the modern player Jaguar yesterday and it was made pretty nicely and played decently. What I did not like was the finish - or lack there of, very flat and uninspiring.
You can thank all the internet people who say: "I don't care where it's made as long as I like the guitar". So Fender concludes they can keep all the labor savings to themselves. The right response to these guitars is: "It's too much money for a chinese guitar". Over the last few years Fender has regularly raised prices so now a high-line squire costs what a MIM Standard used to, a MIM Signature cost what a MIA used to cost, and upper model MIAs cost what custom shops used to.
