New Squier Vintage Modified Models
Fender’s Squier brand keeps coming up with new takes on classic vintage Fender models at affordable prices. And, now Squier has announced several new models to its Vintage Modified series that includes putting a Squier take on five classic Fender guitar designs — Telecaster Deluxe, Telecaster Custom, Jazzmaster, Jaguar and Mustang.
The Squier Vintage Modified Telecaster® Deluxe guitar is equipped with all-new Fender-designed Wide-Range humbucking pickups. These pickups deliver full tone and lends even more vintage-style authenticity to this new model. Other features include a C-shaped maple neck with vintage-tint gloss finish, 12”-radius maple fingerboard with 21 medium jumbo frets and black dot position inlays, three-way toggle pickup switching, four black skirted amp knobs (two volume, two tone), string-through-body bridge with six stamped saddles, and vintage-style chrome tuners.
BUY ONE! – Squier Vintage Modified Telecaster Deluxe 
The Squier Vintage Modified Telecaster Custom guitar pairs a Wide Range humbucking neck pickup with a Duncan Designed TE-101B single-coil bridge pickup. It also includes a C-shaped maple neck with vintage-tint gloss finish, 9.5”-radius maple fingerboard with 21 medium jumbo frets and black dot position inlays, three-way toggle pickup switching, four black skirted amp knobs (two volume, two tone), string-through-body bridge with three chrome barrel saddles, and vintage-style chrome tuners.
BUY ONE – Squier Vintage Modified Telecaster Custom
An authentically styled Vintage Modified Jazzmaster® joins the VM family with present-day touches including Duncan Designed pickups and a modern fingerboard radius. Squier’s new Vintage Modified Jazzmaster guitar has the model’s most distinctive hallmarks, too – such as the dual-circuit switching and controls, floating-vibrato bridge and colorful classic finishes.
BUY ONE – Squier Vintage Modified Jazzmaster
The Vintage Modified Jaguar® also sports Duncan Designed pickups and a modern fingerboard radius, and features the Jaguar’s short 24” scale, dual-circuit switching and controls, floating-vibrato bridge and vintage colors. Features include a maple neck with vintage-tint gloss finish, 9.5”-radius rosewood fingerboard with 22 medium jumbo frets and parchment dot inlays, tortoiseshell (Three-Color Sunburst and Olympic White) and white-black-white pickguards (Candy Apple Red and Surf Green models), Jaguar single-coil pickups, circuit selector and tone circuit switches, pickup on/off switches, skirted black control knobs (lead circuit) and black disc knobs (rhythm circuit), vintage-style bridge and non-locking floating vibrato with vintage-style tremolo arm, vintage-style chrome tuners and chrome hardware.
BUY ONE – Squier Vintage Modified Jaguar
The Vintage Modified Mustang® guitar also features a distinctive 24” scale, dual pickup switches and floating bridge with dynamic vibrato tailpiece; it’s a classic modded with present-day touches including Duncan Designed pickups and a 9.5” fingerboard radius. Features include a maple neck with vintage-tint gloss finish, rosewood fingerboard with 22 medium jumbo frets and parchment dot inlays, Mustang single-coil pickups with aged white (Vintage White and Sonic Blue models) and black (Fiesta Red model) covers, on/off-phase (in/out) slider switch for each pickup, master black skirted volume and tone knobs, tortoiseshell (Vintage White and Sonic Blue models) and white pearloid (Fiesta Red model) pickguards, floating bridge with dynamic vibrato tailpiece and vintage-style tremolo arm, and vintage-style white-tipped tuners.
BUY ONE – Squier Vintage Modified Mustang
Not Going Public After All
Fender Musical Instrument Corp (FMIC) filed with the SEC in March to carry out an initial public stock offering (IPO). Four months later all was set to take place today, Friday, July 20, 2012, but on the eve of the IPO being launched they decided against moving forward.
All this week news was filtering out about the expected $13 to $15 a share stock price and the quantity of share included in the IPO was pegged at 10.7 million shares. The company planned to sell 7.1 million shares of it’s own shares, while private equity firm Weston Presidio planned to sell 3.5 million shares. Weston Presidio owns 43 percent of Fender currently. But then Thursday evening, FMIC CEO Larry Thomas called the whole thing off and announced, “Current market conditions and concerns about economic conditions in Europe do not support completing an initial public offering at what we believe to be an appropriate valuation at this time.”
According to a filing this month with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Fender planned to have a total of about 26.4 million shares outstanding after going public, which would have valued the company at around $395 million. J.P. Morgan, William Blair, Baird, Stifel Nicolaus Weisel and Wells Fargo Securities were to underwrite the offering.
In general, the entire IPO market has been effected not only by the World Economy but most recently by the troublesome Facebook IPO and the backlash against problems that arose during and immediately after Facebook went public. Several companies have withdrawn their IPO filings in recent months, as volatile markets make it difficult to pitch and price the debuts.
Fender, which had net sales of $700.6 million in the fiscal year ended Jan. 1, planned to list on the Nasdaq under the symbol “FNDR.”
Fender’s 1st Quarter Results
One of the benefits of Fender (FMIC) planning to go public is that they now have to publish their quarterly results. This is new and for years guitar players have wondered just how many guitars Fender is selling. We will have to wait for Fender’s first Annual Report to get a glimpse of actual unit sales but for the first time we have Fender’s 1st Quarter Results for 2012.
According to an updated regulatory filing today. Fender Musical Instruments Corp.’s first quarter net sales rose slightly and its net income declined on higher operating expenses. Fender saw its net sales rise 2.2% to $174 million in the first quarter, and its net income decline 73% to $1.9 million in the first quarter.
The filing indicates that the primary drag on its bottom line came from higher labor costs, as well as increased advertising and promotional expenses. Higher labor costs came from an increase in employees and salaries; in addition, stock options issued in the second and third quarters of 2011 resulted in an increase in stock-based compensation expenses. Higher advertising and promotional expenses were primarily related to costs associated with the Musikmesse tradeshow in Germany, which was held in the company’s first quarter this year; in 2011, it was held in the second quarter.
Fender hasn’t set a specific date or price yet for its IPO. The planned IPO comes during a nascent recovery in domestic guitar sales, which have ticked higher since plummeting between 2006 and 2009, according to the Music Trades, a magazine that covers the musical-instrument industry.
Cool New! FSR Classic ’72 Tele Deluxe
Fender is having some fun with the ever popular Classic Series ’72 Telecaster Deluxe. Normally, these are available in the standard black, sunburst and walnut. But now Fender releases three new WoW colors for a limited run. Talk about sparkle! These three new finish options really show off the 70′s vibe. Strap one on your back and hop on your red, white and blue sparkle Chopper and you won’t part with yours either.
Not every place is going to carry these items and Fender is limiting their production. I have no idea how many they’re making, but if recent examples are any clue they’ll make between 500 and 1000 and see if there is enough interest for another batch.
Check out the model at The Music Zoo website, at $699 these beauts are the same price as the standard color models. Here’s a link, but don’t look if you might be afflicted with GAS (gear acquisition syndrome): FSR Classic ’72 Tele Deluxe at The Music Zoo,
And, here’s TDPRI friend, Allen Abbassi doing the obligatory demo on YouTube. Enjoy!
