<!--
There's actually another reason why I don't buy a Chender. I
don't feel like spending the money on it.. *yet*. But I
probably eventually will.

On sites like TradeTang.com, just go to the guitar section
and look up Stratocasters. They're all there, logo and all.
Many have free shipping and the price is just 300 bucks
DELIVERED. Yep.

Why buy a Chender? Because I honestly believe there are very
few Fender guitars that are actually made in the US anymore
- even for the ones with a US serial on the headstock.

I'll explain.

There is no such thing as a 100% USA-made Fender guitar
anymore. It doesn't exist and hasn't for decades. There will
always been something about the guitar that is not American.
How can you verify if *anything* on a US-made guitar was in
fact made in America? You can't. You take it on blind faith
that it is.

I personally believe that "American" Stratocasters only have
had the absolute bare minimum amount of work required to
label them as such. For example, it would not surprise me if
the only thing USA-made on an American Stratocaster was the
neck and nothing else. The body, electronics, plastics and
everything else is foreign-made.

It could also be true that all mass-produced USA
Stratocasters are made in China, shipped here with blank
headstocks, and the only thing Fender employees do is apply
a label, then it's called "American" because one guy spent a
total of 30 seconds putting on a label that cost less than
10 cents to make.

When you see tours of the Fender factory online, consider
this: What guitars are you *actually* seeing? You're
probably only seeing them build "Custom Shop" models and
nothing else. Those models have a very low production number
and are the "most American" (they're still not 100% American
made). But as for the regular-run American Standard models?
You don't have any real verification a supposedly US-made
guitar from Fender is US-made. None at all.

For all anyone knows, only 10% or less of all "American"
Standard models are actually American-made, and the other
90% are all outsourced, so if the Feds ever inspect the
plant, Fender can say "Yep! We build 'em here! Here they
are!" and show the 10% of the builds while not revealing the
other 90% that were all outsourced.

Also, have you ever noticed how scary-similar Mexico models
are to American models? Have you ever thought that maybe
Fender *purposely* engineers in minor flaws to Mexico models
and that in reality most American Standard models are
probably mostly made in Mexico, then shipped to Corona where
the bare minimum of "work" is done to make them "American"
and then sold?

Here's my suggestion to anyone thinking of buying a
Chender:

Step 1. Learn basic luthiery skills

Learn how to make a guitar, as in learn how to do frets
right, apply paint right, adjust a truss rod correctly,
etc.

Step 2. Buy a real American Strat but only keep it for 30
days.

This will cost you $1,200 - but you'll get it back. Go to
Guitar Center or Sam Ash, pick out an American Strat and buy
it. Both stores offer a 30-day money-back guarantee. You'll
use it. The only reason you buy this guitar is for research
purposes. Get the guitar, carefully take it apart, grab your
camera and take photos of every single angle. Take pics of
everything. Inside, under the pick guard, everywhere. Also
note the feel of the guitar with the satin urethane finish
neck, note how the tuners feel and so on. Study that axe.
After about 2 weeks, bring it back for a refund once you
have all the information you need. 

Step 3. Learn how to make a Chender a perfect copy of a new
American Standard Stratocaster, and build it.

Not a hard thing to do once you have the basic luthiery
skills and have a real "American" Strat to base your copy
off of.

Step 4. Start selling "American" Strats on Craigslist

I've said before never to buy a used American Strat, and
you'll understand why from what I'm about to tell you.

After converting your $300 Chender into a perfect copy of a
new American Strat, sell it on Craigslist for $1,000. 

Guys have been doing this for YEARS and have been making
really good money doing it.

DON'T sell on eBay or Amazon. Craigslist only. Do it right,
know how to cover your tracks and you could make thousands
of dollars real quick.

Also, DON'T try to pass off real-deal 1960s or 1970s Strats,
because you will get caught. Stick to new-model-only because
you know how to match that up.

Are you pissed off from what you just read? Maybe you are.
And if you own an "American" Strat right now, maybe you're
feeling you've been had...

...and that's because you have been. Your "American" guitar
isn't American and never was. You got had because you wanted
that stupid-ass logo. SUCKER! Deal with it.

Those who know, such as I do, understand never to buy
American because it simply isn't and hasn't been for a very,
very long time.

Buy Squier. Save your money. If you want a Fender, do like I
said, go get a logo, sand off and refinish your Squier
headstock and slap the logo on.
-->
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<title>There is only one reason I don&#8217;t buy Chinese Fender copy guitars - menga.net</title><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"><link rel="stylesheet" href="https://menga.net/wp-content/themes/2017/style.css" type="text/css"><link rel="shortcut icon" href="/favicon.ico"><link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="menga" href="https://menga.net/feed">
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<div class="azlinkt"><b>***Secret FSR Fender guitars?</b> Yes, they exist, and they're <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.amazon.com/s/?field-keywords=Fender+FSR&tag=ricmen-20">right here</a></div>

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<article>
<h1>There is only one reason I don't buy Chinese Fender copy guitars</h1>
<p align="center"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="275" height="412" title="Chinese copy Stratocaster" alt="Chinese copy Stratocaster" src="https://menga.net/wp-content/uploads/140321112146.jpg"></p>
<p>Pictured is what's listed as a "Factory Custom Shop Guitar 61 Heavy Relic Guitar Aged Vintage Guitar Faded 3 Tone Sun Set". Yes, <em>guitar</em> is mentioned three times in a row.</p>
<p><span id="more-92027"></span></p>
<p>What you see is a China-copy Fender, jokingly known as "Chender" '61 Relic Stratocaster, and I could buy it right now if I wanted. The price? $372.60 without shipping. With shipping, probably around $425 or so.</p>
<p>To note, yes the headstock is correct shape. It looks wrong in the photo because you're seeing guitar stand grips. Believe me, the shape is correct. </p>
<p>Even though I'm not in the market for a Strat, I briefly thought about buying something like this. I wouldn't buy this exact guitar because there are a few things glaringly wrong. The rear pick guard plate is solid white and not mint green like the front pick guard color is. The bridge if you look closely was not mounted correctly, which probably means it will never be able to be intonated properly. The bridge is also "not aged enough" to fit the '61 look. The fret inlays are white and not parchment. And there are a few other things you'll probably be able to detect that aren't correct just by looking at it long enough...</p>
<p>...but the point is that this guitar is over $3,000 less than a <a href="https://menga.org/s/fender-custom-shop-relic-stratocaster">Fender Custom Shop version of the real thing</a>. And for some, that alone is worth dealing with the "wrong" things about the Chender. </p>
<h3>Why haven't I bought a Chender?</h3>
<p>Short answer: Squier.</p>
<p>Long answer:</p>
<p>Were I in the market for a Strat, I wouldn't even bother with the Chender since Squier has Classic Vibe and Vintage Modified series. If I wanted a sunburst Strat with the rosewood fingerboard, I'd go get a <a href="https://menga.org/s/squier-classic-vibe-stratocaster-sunburst">Squier Classic Vibe Stratocaster in that finish</a> and wouldn't think twice about it. The price is less and I <em>know</em> the construction of the guitar is better. I also get a warranty and can return it easily if I don't like the guitar for whatever reason.</p>
<p>If I wanted a Fender Strat copy real cheap, I'll tell you exactly what I'd do. I'd buy the Squier I just mentioned above, sand off the finish and logo on the front of the headstock, refinish, buy a Fender repro decal acquired from eBay or a China trade site, slap it on and call it a day. And if I wanted that oh-so stupid "relic" look, that's not a difficult thing to do. Some say it is. It isn't.</p>
<p>The only reason anyone buys a Chender is either because it has a Fender logo on it, or like the guitar pictured above, the headstock is blank so a Fender logo can be slapped on later.</p>
<p>If I were all about the logo, I would have owned at least 3 Chender Strats by now. But I've never owned one, and don't plan to.</p>
<p>There's another reason I don't own any Chenders. I've never seen a Chender version of a Jazzmaster or Jaguar. If you want Strats and Teles, sure, there are Chenders of that which go on for days. But for Jazzes and Jags? Nope. </p>
<p>And even if there <em>were</em> Chender versions of those guitars, I still wouldn't buy them anyway because Squier without question makes the best low-cost versions of those axes.</p>
<h3>What other guitar players think doesn't matter</h3>
<p>When you buy a Chender, all you're doing is trying to impress other guitar players, and that's stupid. You know the guitar is a fake, but you want other players to think it's real.</p>
<p>On the flip side of that, if you buy a full-priced 100% real American guitar with the thought of, "Yeah. My guitar friends will respect me now!", that <strong>also</strong> means you're an idiot, because you're attempting to impress other players just like you would be with the Chender. The only difference is that you spent a lot more.</p>
<p>You never, repeat, <em>never</em> buy a guitar to impress other musicians. All that seeking to impress other musicians does is flush your money straight down the toilet, whether you spent a little or a lot.</p>
<p>When you buy a guitar, you buy for you <em>and only you</em>. If you want to get noticed more, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/s/?field-keywords=LED+strip&tag=ricmen-20">put some cheap lights on your guitar</a>. I guarantee people will pay more attention to you compared to the moron with the famous-only-to-guitar-players logo on his guitar's headstock. People don't care about logos on headstocks. But they do like lights that blink because it's entertaining.</p>
<p class="orig-pub-date">Published 2014 Mar 21</p>
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