Fender dilemma

[bborzell]

I've had a Tacoma mandolin sitting at the Fender repair facility in Tennessee since January. I bought it new in 2000 and it had served me well. Unfortunately, the finish started to deteriorate and after talking to Fender (who bought out Tacoma), they agreed to refinish the instrument.

Yesterday, I got a call from Fender Customer Service informing me that the Tennessee facility has been ordered closed by the parent company and my mandolin was one of the last 40 instruments that did not get completed.

Fender does not make a mandolin in the same price range as mine so a mando swap is not in the cards. We agreed on a value of my instrument of $800 so after perusing the Fender site (as well as Guild and Gretch). I only come up with two items that I have a remote interest in somewhere near that price range. One is a Fender amp and the other is an American Special Telecaster.

On the amp front, I have a Roland Cube 60 and a Genz Benz Shenandoah 80 acoustic amp. I am not familiar enough with the fender amps to determine which might serve to augment or replace the Roland. I guess it's possible that one of the Fender acoustic amps might be an improvement over my Genz Benz, but my gut tells me that this is not likely to be the case.

As for guitars, I bought a Godin Kingpin just before I got the call from Fender otherwise I might have considered the comparable Gretsch . I'm only considering the Tele because I don't have a solid body electric guitar, (though I do have a solid body electric mando).

Any thoughts on any of the Fender amps near $800 or so for Jazz and particularly considering that I am sitting on a Roland Cube 60 already?

I guess the Telecaster question is pretty much on me since I was never considering going out and getting one in the first place.

[caravan]

It depends on which model the amp is. Fender has a good reputation for making decent amps (although too loud for some folks). I think the American Tele is a fair exchange... they seem to hold their value well.

[woyvel]

Did they say $800 retail or are you working with a dealer cost plus mark-up? If they're saying retail they're probably ripping you off.

[bborzell]

Fender is offering to give me credit for the price I paid for the Tacoma mandolin ($800) toward anything I want to buy at street prices such as Musician's Friend, etc. They would deal with me directly.

Since the new American Special Telecaster goes for about that price, it would be a swap. They would keep the mando and sent me the Tele.

[Drifter]

It seems that you really liked that Mandolin. Can't you talk Fender into paying a refinish done by somebody else? A 800$ Fender product in exchange seems to be horsetrading, especially because you don't really need that Tele or new amp.

If you go for the amp, get something special that brings some new tone into your life, like a 57 Champ. Not a Jazz amp for sure, but if played at low volume, the Tweed series have a very nice Jazz tone.

If you go for the Tele and are willing to add a few $$, the Browns Canyon Telebration model might be intriguing. Made of Old Growth Redwood, it should make a fine Jazz guitar. That way you will at least get something special in exchange for your beloved Mandolin.

[cmajor9]

Are you somewhere where you can get to a shop and try out some Fenders - both guitars and amps? The Princeton Reverb and Deluxe Reverb are two amps with a "classic" Fender sound that can certainly be good for jazz, and also for blues, rock, country, etc. This forum has many Telecaster fans, but you might also want to try a Stratocaster, which is in some ways more versatile (and there was just a thread in the last few days about playing jazz on a Strat).

[bborzell]

Thanks for all these thoughts. While I did like the Tacoma mandolin, the reality is that I had listed it for sale and only upon close inspection did I realize the finish flaws that had begun to appear. Had that not been the case, the mandolin would now be living in Kentucky. If Fender would agree to pay for a refinish by a third party the probability is pretty high that I would turn around and sell it anyway and so the question becomes what would I do with the money.

It appears that my wife is not in one of those, "Another instrument? I thought you were going to sell one and not simply trade for something else" moments, which presents some degree of opportunity. When I told her that Stevie Ray Vaughn learned to play on a Telecaster, she actually smiled.