Astonishing work. Thank you for producing and sharing with the world. I fell in love with the Telecaster shape b/c of Prince's non-telecaster copy cat guitar that he would have pictured on his 45 and extended EPS.
Thank you Mary for this amazing tour! It was nice to see younger sisters of my Dark Night Strat being born ;) How I wish I were there someday. And your voice is so silky and clear, you could talk about digging a sand on a desert and it wouldn't be boring :)
The scene at the end where he said he loves his job, was fantastic. This video was so well made, Fender should use this video in their marketing. Makes me want to start playing guitar.
@@christianlacheze3323 Yes, nothing about the ruinous pickguard I got that had screws so far off the mark we had to chisel out 3/16" to clear the bridge plate. Another guy got one that looked like a kid's shop class cut it.
The best description of the Fender Stratocaster that I’ve ever heard was from the late great Jeff Beck (RIP). Jeff was the subject of one of those TV specials “Jeff Beck Talks Music”. When the interviewer asked Jeff why the Strat was his “weapon of choice”, Jeff said that the guitar gave him “endless colour”. Jeff then gave a pretty comprehensive demonstration of all of the styles of guitar that he could wring out of the instrument. I then realised why Jeff was/is held in such high esteem by his peers and fans alike. Jeff Beck - Master of The Stratocaster, May You Rest In Peace sir.
I am a huge fan of Jeff Beck, and was genuinely grieving for days after he passed. That one sentence of his sums up the appeal of the Stratocaster for mere mortal players, let alone the great master.
As a Bass player, the Fender Precision Bass is a timeless classic, still used today by countless artists it will never go out of style.I have had my Made In Mexico Fender Prcision Bass for 4 years and it still plays great.
1. Glad it wasn't a 1 hour + video. 2. Great video/editing. 3. My gawd, I could listen to your voice (singing & speaking), all day long!! Thank you for being you!
As my baby ages, its origin story becomes increasingly mysterious to me. Built when I was three, we met when it was ten and I was thirteen and we are daily companions. Now sixty-six years old, my 1958 Stratocaster is a wonder, made of apparently perfect wood holding its shape to perfection throughout most of Fender’s history. It seems to get stronger.
Can’t believe some of those machines are from 1950!! And still in use. Great video. Fascinating. I’ll never look at my strats and teles the same way. Thanks so much.
I find it really cool that my Corona made Stratocaster was made in that same factory , using the same machinery 25 years ago . Its the best guitar ive ever owned and it sounds incredible and plays like butter .
If Mary ever gets tired of being a musician, she could have a great career as a voice over artist and narrator. She really has the most posh accent and lovely voice
Never owned a Fender but I have played both a strat and a tele of which I used a tele to record the lead guitar bits on our bands 3rd album. I actually preferred the tele because it felt more naturally comfortable to me. The strat neck felt clunky like I was holding a round chunk of wood which is more than likely due to that particular models neck radius, I think it was a 'U-Shape' neck and the tele was more a traditional 'C-Shape' or faster 'D-Shape' I'm not sure. The engineer told me both Fenders were custom built for the owner of the studio of which our band recorded in. Great guitars with fantastic tone.
I did a tour of the Fender plant in Corona, CA 10 years ago with David Brown and it was just amazing. The plant is amazing-clean, well lit and massive. There is so much more to see than what is in this video. Everyone there was upbeat and pleasant-all lovers of things Fender. I did a tour of Gibson in Memphis, TN 2 weeks later and the old factory was dark and dirty. Very low tech. The tour leader obviously did not play guitar. People were depressed it seemed. Fender is ultra modern with CNC yet all goes to hands on building. Fender tour also included the Custom shop. On the tour they said you could put "dibs" on a guitar or bass if you wanted to take it home. A great experience.
Same here, did also the tour with David about 10 years ago. At the end of the tour he pulled out a very nice Tele special in white wirh flamey neck, which I liked very much, but I was unsure how to get it through customs when heading home. Seems he was at GL for some time. Glad he’s doing good. 👍
When the video started I was like “I’ve seen so many factory tours”. But you actually managed to tell your own story with this video and there are lots of things in there I haven’t seen yet. Like the computer aided wood matching in the beginning!
The magic is at the 17:30-ish mark when he starts talking about that guitar and how cool it is. You can just tell when a guitar is special and someone's love for guitars is infectious.
Can't help but want one of these after hearing Mary speak about it. Her wisdom and passion about guitars 🎸❤ is spot on and I could listen to her beautiful voice whether she's singing or talking all day. I enjoyed this video and hope you stay blessed Mary Spender.
I am not a guitarist but this tour was fabulous. It really showed me how the process shows the care each instrument get its sound and looks. Thank you for taking me on your. God Bless, be safe and be well. 🎸🎸🙏❤️
Thank you, Mary, for a.simply awesome tour of Fender. So thorough, yet concise, with perfect length of commentary and content. This was way better than any Discovery Channel documentary to me. So much appreciate what you do. Thank you again!!!
I loved this! I worked in manufacturing most of my life, used CNC machines similar to the ones cutting the bodies and necks. My first job was in a machine shop in 1977 on Fender avenue in Fullerton Ca. I was told that Leo Fender owned all the buildings on that street. Also in the early 2000's the company I worked for moved to Corona Ca. within about a few miles of the Fender factory. I have built a few Appalachian style banjos, tried to play several instruments, but my joke is that I play the stereo best. It was great to see the factory tour, thanks!
Mary, yet another amazing video by a wonderfully talented, knowledgeable, guitar player. Your interview skills and persona are second to none. Thanks again for teaching me so much. I appreciate you.
I got so excited when I saw this vid in my recommended. I borrowed a Strat from a friend for 3 months and before i had a chance to even give it back, I already bought my own strat and it’s been my favorite thing ever since.
I enjoyed this video never was able to afford a fender my entire life and surprisingly I just received an all original 68 mustang in Daphne blue for Christmas.
Great video! This is the best guitar video I've watched this year so far and I don't think anything would beat this video. Everyone who loves Fender guitars and basses would love this video.
I always love watching factory tours and yours are one of the best, well edited, clear voiceover and a soothing vibe overall. It's also pretty special to me as a viewer this time around as there's an albeit small chance you saw my '54 in the process of being made. I had my eyes on the Custom Shop '55 for a while now and then the '54 got announced and presented a much more attractive spec and price. Fender tours always carry a much more approachable and friendly nature to what you'd get with a Gibson tour (the recent ones shot by Anderton's was definitely less cold than previous ones however)
Great video of a great guitar, about 50 years ago i went to my brothers stagparty and was admiring the guitars of the live band ,when a friend of my brother said that guitar is a Fender the best guitars i n the world ,i promised myself i would have one some day when i could afford one ,i now own more than one, having a Fender is like owning a Ferrari ,a legend ,really enjoyed the video😅
Dear Mary, thank you and thank you again for this show. It was the best thing I've seen in a long time, and I hope to have a fender some day. I love the detail work,, different stages and how each part is specially made by special people who work with just that process to get it all right. It made me commit to doing my work with more concern.🖤💜💙💛🧡❤
I met Dave when we took the factory tour the year they first started doing the tour I think it was 2012 It was amazing. He is so knowledgeable and gave a great tour.
WOW . . . there needs to be more exposure for this Fender Factory in Corona. Way more ! We see all of the other factories too much. And I have seen the Fender Amp factory. But the Fender guitar factory for an instrument that has played, and continues to play, such a large part of my musical life is emotional and magical. The same magic that is in music itself. I see an individual component that is partially completed and I get a flash of "I know this, this shape is a part of me, it is in my genetic make up, it feels like home". Then I place it as being a part of my Tele. The musical conveyance that is a part of me. And it so nice to see that Fender is a positive friendly bright work space that takes the care and does it right. (Not the toxicity that we see and hear from other large manufacturers for example.) Thank you Mary. Now fly right back there over the ocean again and do some shows on more detail of specific stations and areas ! .:) Is early next week for four shows enough time ?
Very interesting. When I was a guitarist I always played Fender. I still have my 1965 Jaguar that I bought new when Surf music was all the rage. Since I switched to playing the pedal steel guitar many years ago I haven’t played guitar as much. Enjoyed this video very much. Thank You.
@stephentodd4895 Hiya Stephen..I saw and read ur comment, about the Strat. and found ur background interesting.. what kind of music did you play ?? Probably shouldn't have said " did " , so I'll replace it with the word, do lol. Do you play country ?? When you swapped over from guitar to steel , what type of music were you playing then ??? Sorry bud , I wasn't even thinking. Here I am bombarding you with all these questions , and ur probably thinking ( and rightfully so lol ) , who is this guy, and what's his bleeping problem ??? Well, I actually have just one more question, then I'm done. What kind of steel do you play now...??? MSA...Gibson...Emmons...any of these ?? I apologize for hitting you with all of this, my friend. I play country music myself, but while I love an old Strat , personally I prefer a Tele... no biggie ofc, it's just a matter of preference is all.. anyway, if you choose not to reply, I wouldn't blame ya..!!! Lol.. hagd and many blessings to all... 😊😊
Nothing like a custom shop Strat. The feel, finish and sound are something to behold. Great vid Mary.. So glad you did it. Hope to see you perform live someday. From east Kentucky USA. Take care.
I’ve been on the tour 3 times. Always an amazing experience, they have it down. They also have an amp section as well. The finish part is really special, alit more work than I thought.
Why is the fretboard scarf-cut curved upwards instead of straight at 6:22? All American made ones have that except for MiM and Japan. I have an AM Pro ii Strat that has it and the strings touch it causing tuning stability issues. I don't even have that many wraps around the tuning peg.
I got 2 Statocasters HSS. One was made in Mexico with a floyd rose tremolo, which was incredibly well made. The oder one is American made Ultra Stratocaster. Honestly, when I got this one, that time was the first time I saw an instrument made to perfection.
I always pictured elves working their magic in the Custom Shop. Getting to spec my Strat was one of the most fun things I've ever done. Most fun was getting it and having it exceed my expectations.
I think David did the factory tour for me and my wife about 10 years ago. Really nice guy. Saw him again in the GL factory tour 2019 video by Andertons. I am excited he’s doing well 👍🏆
I have that shirt he's wearing ... He been in my closet? My very first guitar was a 1954 Stratocaster that my just divorced dad gave me for Christmas in 1963. Prior to that, I was playing my older brother's brand new 1960 Jazzmaster through his 1960 PRO amp. I would later lose my Stratocaster out the back of his 1961 Ford station wagon when we played in Palatka, Florida, dropped off our drummer on the westside of Jacksonville, forgot to put up the back window then stopped to pay toll on the old Fuller Warren crossing the St Johns. It went sliding out the back when my brother gassed that wagon. It fell out onto the Jacksonville expressway and some kind person stopped and hauled Stratocaster into the darkness. That was July of 1965. My brother would lose his Jazzmaster and Pro amp and fairly new reverb tank when he moved to Tallahassee in 1966 and had to pawn it all to live on. Hey, Mary! One of these Master Builders needs to be building me a '54!! Like my original Stratocaster hero used to sing, "Well, That'll Be The Day"! 🙂
Absolutely brilliant information on the Stratocaster, 3 single coil pickups are nice and a Floyd rose tremolo for effects thank you for sharing with us
I’m glad to have two guitars built right there in corona. Got them in the 00s back when they were still affordable. Amazing part of California history and my two favorite guitar I own
This is a great video! I would love that job as well. The end product is to someone, a tool, art, and is capable of putting thousands of people on their feet in a venue! Think about that!
What a great video! Your production value is applied with impeccable taste. I can so relate to many parts of this .I've worked in the tool and die trade most of my life and appreciate the time you gave that segment, right down to the punch presses in action. And that part at the end where he's talking about being greatful to have such a Job, I almost teared up. You must have made him feel very comfortable to open up like that.
3 Mod Shop Strats for me. Like you said, it's really great for left-handed players like myself that cannot find what they want from standard retailers. A wonderful video/tour, Mary!
At the 2:00 mark you see someone rounding the edges of the fretboard with a razorblade. So for those of you who ever wondered how these "master craftsman" do it... there ya go!! Nice share, Mary! Thank you!! Cheers!!
So much respect for the master craftsmen who create these beauties...no matter the product. Enjoyed this and Martin tours..tho the Martin history was a 👍missing with strat vid. Beautiful specimens
