Fender made in USA components, how many of these are made in the Mex factory?

[Craig Williams]

Just wondering if anyone know what components of a US made Tele / Strat are made in Mexico now? I heard the tuners are all made in Mexico. Stands to reason mass produced stuff like bridges, pick ups, nut's, controls etc are also made there. Very hard to find any information on the internet so I guess a very closely guarded secret

 

[John C]

Just wondering if anyone know what components of a US made Tele / Strat are made in Mexico now? I heard the tuners are all made in Mexico. Stands to reason mass produced stuff like bridges, pick ups, nut's, controls etc are also made there. Very hard to find any information on the internet so I guess a very closely guarded secret

The tuners are made by Ping in Taiwan for most models (for example I believe the American Originals use Gotoh vintage tuners) as are some of the bridges - I know the bridges on American Performer Strats are made by Ping, and that bridge is/was also used on some of the MIM models. Switches, pots, etc. are also made by outside suppliers regardless of where the instrument is built - but I'm not sure who Fender is using these days and where they are made, but very few of those components are made in the USA to begin with.

 

[2HBStrat]

The tuners are made by Ping in Taiwan for most models (for example I believe the American Originals use Gotoh vintage tuners) as are some of the bridges - I know the bridges on American Performer Strats are made by Ping, and that bridge is/was also used on some of the MIM models. Switches, pots, etc. are also made by outside suppliers regardless of where the instrument is built - but I'm not sure who Fender is using these days and where they are made, but very few of those components are made in the USA to begin with.

That's why made in America Fenders no longer say "Made in America" but "Corona, California."

 

[Killing Floor]

Aren’t all the Fender brand nitro finishes done at Ensenada? Due to regs?

 

[Craig Williams]

The tuners are made by Ping in Taiwan for most models (for example I believe the American Originals use Gotoh vintage tuners) as are some of the bridges - I know the bridges on American Performer Strats are made by Ping, and that bridge is/was also used on some of the MIM models. Switches, pots, etc. are also made by outside suppliers regardless of where the instrument is built - but I'm not sure who Fender is using these days and where they are made, but very few of those components are made in the USA to begin with.

I was wondering as I normally a MIA guy but today I am buying a Fender MIM Deluxe Strat, and looks like nearly all components, pick ups the same as a US guitar.....and it has an Ash body to boot. I wonder what the difference is apart from the label unless they dumb them down somehow. Earlier Mex Strats I had were very similar build and quality to American Standards but the metalwork / tuners etc were god awful. If they are both sharing the same components apart from the carving of the body and neck, which I am sure are done on similar machines...where is the difference? Surely not Mexican labor because from time immortal Fenders in the US factory have been built by Mexicans. You only need to look at the names on the necks and neck pockets of old vintage Fenders

 

[John C]

That's why made in America Fenders no longer say "Made in America" but "Corona, California."

No, that is not why they say "Corona, California" - they switched because California enacted stricter product labeling laws and requires the USA content to be 95%, but if USA components are not available you can go down to 90% USA content. That includes the raw materials like wood that isn't grown in the USA, and California also changed the "formula" used to apply labor to the raw materials.

Now American Standards were sitting at 85% USA content when that law went into effect in 2016; American Professionals are likely still somewhere between 80-85% USA content, but since the laws changed they now say "Corona, California". And it's not just Fender; it's almost all the major manufacturers in California had to drop "Made in USA": EBMM has this goofy "California Heritage since 1974" decal instead of the former "Made in San Luis Obispo"; G&L Fullerton Deluxes just say "Fullerton Deluxe" and CLF Research (and one assumes also the Custom Order models) only say "Fullerton, California".

 

[Bourbon Burst]

I have a Fender PRRI and I can't find where they are made. Like the OP said, why do they make it so hard to find that out?

 

[Craig Williams]

I wonder how they gauge the made in xxxx content. By net weight of overall mass or? If so if body and neck are wood from the US and must constitute 80% of the item. Anyone know?

 

[TwangerWannabe]

Just wondering if anyone know what components of a US made Tele / Strat are made in Mexico now? I heard the tuners are all made in Mexico. Stands to reason mass produced stuff like bridges, pick ups, nut's, controls etc are also made there. Very hard to find any information on the internet so I guess a very closely guarded secret

Regardless of where it's made, be it Mexico or the U.S., it's probably made by Mexicans.

 

[Rufustelestrats]

Aren’t all the Fender brand nitro finishes done at Ensenada? Due to regs?

Truth be told Fender Corona has one of the most advanced paint systems in the world. It collects and separates the VOC and solid paint waste and it separates it out for use in a co-generation plant that produces clean electricity.

 

[msalama]

has one of the most advanced paint systems

Do they shoot nitro as well, or is it all poly etcetera?

 

[IrishBread69]

machines...where is the difference? Surely not Mexican labor because from time immortal Fenders in the US factory have been built by Mexicans. You only need to look at the names on the necks and neck pockets of old vintage Fenders

You would be surprised at how much the labour actually costs. The workers doing the same work at each factory likely have significantly different wages. It's an even greater effect in the Asian factories.

Considering the UK minimum wage per hour is currently £9.50/$12.53 US and the minimum Mexican rate per day(!) is around £6.50. there's a huge gulf.

 

[John C]

I wonder how they gauge the made in xxxx content. By net weight of overall mass or? If so if body and neck are wood from the US and must constitute 80% of the item. Anyone know?

From what I understand - and I'm not a production person or a product attorney - it's the cost by where the component comes from and in what state it comes to the manufacturer in before it is processed. So tuners that come from an overseas manufacturer count 100% of their cost toward non-USA content. Raw wood would be costed at the purchase price of the wood from overseas, but then the wood is processed by USA labor. There is some kind of formula for these calculations, and it's my understanding that the 2016 California law changed how the value of the "processed components" (bodies and necks for example) is calculated, which may have resulted in the labor counting less and the raw wood counting more after the 2016 law changed.

 

[bgmacaw]

No, that is not why they say "Corona, California" - they switched because California enacted stricter product labeling laws and requires the USA content to be 95%, but if USA components are not available you can go down to 90% USA content. That includes the raw materials like wood that isn't grown in the USA, and California also changed the "formula" used to apply labor to the raw materials.

Now American Standards were sitting at 85% USA content when that law went into effect in 2016; American Professionals are likely still somewhere between 80-85% USA content, but since the laws changed they now say "Corona, California". And it's not just Fender; it's almost all the major manufacturers in California had to drop "Made in USA": EBMM has this goofy "California Heritage since 1974" decal instead of the former "Made in San Luis Obispo"; G&L Fullerton Deluxes just say "Fullerton Deluxe" and CLF Research (and one assumes also the Custom Order models) only say "Fullerton, California".

 

[Killing Floor]

Truth be told Fender Corona has one of the most advanced paint systems in the world. It collects and separates the VOC and solid paint waste and it separates it out for use in a co-generation plant that produces clean electricity.

Not a pro or con question. Just was asking because in my work I have to be aware of CARB regs. That's cool.

 

[That Cal Webway]

To augment this, here's the link to the similar thread at TGP:

Fender made in USA components, how many of these are made in the Mex factory?

Just wondering if anyone know what components of a US made Tele / Strat are made in Mexico now? I heard the tuners are all made in Mexico. Stands to reason mass produced stuff like bridges, pick ups, nut's, controls etc are also made there. Very hard to find any information on the internet so I...

www.thegearpage.net

 

[Blues Twanger]

Is it a good guitar? If yes, then it's a good guitar.

 

[warrent]

Do they shoot nitro as well, or is it all poly etcetera?

They shoot nitro. Here's the FCS setup

 

[msalama]

OK, thanks!

 

[warrent]

Just wondering if anyone know what components of a US made Tele / Strat are made in Mexico now?

If your really curious go look at the Darrenriley.com website. Most of the parts listed for sale include the Fender packaging with country of origin listed on the back.