Rant - HONESTY DOESN'T GET YOU PAID 

This is exactly why we love you Henning! I highly appreciate your honesty.. Company’s should appreciate every constructive criticism to improve the product and not to blame the one who is reviewing it.

Keep being honest, some of us appreciate it.

Hi Hennig, the problem is that everyone wants "honesty" but usually can't handle the truth when it's bad news. I work in quality assurance for industrial electronic products. When there are problems, you're always the a-hole. It doesn't matter whether it's the development department, the production department, the incoming goods department, the shipping department or the customer who has made a mistake, as soon as you speak up, you personally are the problem. It's my job to do this and I get paid for it, but no matter how you do it, it's always wrong. I don't have a solution either but it's probably not possible for me (or you) to "overlook" or ignore such problems. But that's why I love your channel! Thank you.

Money aside, there should be more people holding companies accountable. Keep up the excellent work! Cheers from Bitburg!

I appreciate your honesty. You are the most authentic person on this platform.

Your honesty and transparency, knowledge and last but not least your humor is why I keep coming back to your channel. keep up the good work!

Honesty always pays. Maximum respect for your commitment and work! in transmitting sound principles.

I come to your channel first. It always shows honesty. Your ethics are beyond reproach. I do not understand the stupidity of others who criticize you. Please tell the vendors who call you that your readers consider your reports top of the heap. The extortion of vendors must be brought out into the light. You are the first channel that I will support when I get a job.

I subscribed to your channel and watch your videos because of your honesty and I purchase items on your input and you haven’t failed me yet I appreciate that

Well, I'd rather be honest and 'lose' out, than lie and win. I feel you're of a similar belief. Good on you. Also, I only stumbled upon this channel a few months back, as I wondered if I was a qualified enough guitarist to be understood here. I'm so glad I stuck around. Bought a Harley Benton Super Strat after your showing of it, and have not looked back. You built that trust. Thank you.

Never surrender your integrity, it is only yours to lose not for anyone else to take away. You are one of my go to channels for that reason. The good will out, eventually, these companies will realise that channels that are trusted by their viewers are the ones that attract the long term sales. Sad, but this is what happens when non-musicians get involved in music and corporations become too big to care anymore.

I for one truly appreciate your honest reviews and your integrity - have helped me build my board and saved me a few thousand if not more.

I hope you are strong enough to stay honest! My self lost a big business because oh honesty..........but it was worth it.........I still can look in the morrow and say I did the right thing. Stay strong!

We all appreciate your honesty and is the reason we come here and watch. Also to see what crazy shirt you happen to be wearing of course...

This is my favorite guitar gear channel. Your approach of honesty and humor is refreshing.

One thing I can say for sure is that there is no one on RU-vid whose opinion I trust more. Henning, you go through important details of products that actually help me learn things, help me understand if I need those features, and help me find what I need to make my music. I will rather buy a product that is shown to not be perfect (e.g. missing some features), but could be good enough for me, than a product that "everyone" says is great. Nothing is perfect.

This channel is literally my guide to buying guitars that I don't have a chance to try, so I have to buy them online without trying them first (otherwise, I would never buy them online). Keep doing a great work ! 👍👍

Man, I'm subbed to you for exactly that reason. _(and the superior wardrope ofc)_ Honest and to the point, pointing out stuff that really helps getting a feel for the product - but thats not what the marketing guys want. They want cheap advertisements, that catch more people because the reviewer _seems_ authentic and honest, not because he actually _is_ cause thats actually what they fear the most. Somebody who knows shit and who is not afraid of using his knowledge to find and point shit out. I can fully see that this approach might not let your channel numbers yeet into the million subs and trillion views, but it made your channel your own little space on this internetz where we can expect an honest and genuine approach to things. You _are_ a character that one remembers, not just another smiling and waving stock photo youtuber to shove random products into the face of those with too much money to spend and/or an unhealthy relationship to their wallet. You're no paid shill, you're a professional gear reviewer and fashionista. Try to not let it go too much into your head that others might have more 'success' because they left any form of work ethics behind. It's an uphill battle but in the end, you can go to bed knowing you didn't just rip off a bunch of random guys who trusted you. Be proud of that! It's more rare than people think!

So...Henning...this was more of heart-felt talk and barely a rant at all (I remember you ranting FAR harder about important things like stickers around the tone knob on the Hb35+ instead of little bits of paper...😇). I think that you laid it out pretty clearly between your own integrity or 'toeing the company line'. Of course it's easy for all of us to say "be honest and be damned", but it sounds to me like you've already made your choice. So now you need to make that into YOUR own thing. first off, I really enjoy your videos and your humour, and I've always felt that you gave a good review of a guitar. I think it's really good that you spell out your policy /pay / gift system and really bring it out in the open. I like that approach. Too small to make real waves, well you mentioned other people who worked like you...get yourselves organised (might not need to go as calling yourselves 'The Justice League ' but you have a strong niche here. BUYERS really appreciate hearing the truth. That truly breeds loyalty. Don't forget that you have many many loyal fans, maybe there are other things tgat they would like from you, and that you would enjoy doing with/for them. Uckioy, we live in a direct communication age...just ask us!! Brands are scrambling to try to have access to us like you do. Ask us what we would pay for from you! Maybe you'll find a whole new world that you enjoy as much or more. My 2 cents on your videos, you are such a good player tgat I can barely identify with you as a player (can't fault you for that :) AND i much prefer hearing cheap guitars through cheap(ish) amps ... expensive stuff just doesn't resonate with me(because I'll never have or want it). Anyway, i much appreciate what you do.

Keep being honest. We wouldnt want you any other way. You are known for your honesty and your reviews are more valuable to us for that. Chin up, you are being true to your morals. Those that throw criticism at you are taunting you, dont let em win x

Great video, thanks for sharing all the insight. You should let these companies know that you also act as a private consultant and that they should expect to be charged for these services because it saves them money!!

Just got a subscriber based on honesty 🎉 thank you for being paid and NOT a shill

Your a stalwart Henning. The fun and facts you deliver with stellar production technique's are of high value to any discerning viewer.

Your honesty and integrity must be more appreciated, from now on I will use your affiliate-links when buying gear, period. And, btw, you and Leslie are such a cool couple ❤😊

Keep doing what you do! I hope your channel will continue to grow. As a kid we're told to be honest and as an adult people want to lie and throw bullshit all over the place! You're honest about your reviews & that's why I watch your stuff! It's definitely helped me make good purchase decisions.

i saw that hoodie from the thumbnail and i had to click the video, well done ! ha!

I find your honesty has helped me so much since I subscribed to your channel. I do a lot of research for myself before I purchase something music related. That includes other youtubers that I feel are just as honest as you. Something you really helped me decide on was the Tone-X I saw a few reviews and was on the fence, but after watching your review and you showing more information, than the other channels I watched, I went to my Guitar store and they were sold out, I had to order one and wait. and it was everything you said it was and more. Thank you so much for your honesty.

You have ethics and you call out what is wrong. Honesty is a gift

This is why I keep coming back to your channel, your honesty is the most important thing and not just being a yes man like some others I could name.

Again, Thank you for the honesty. And yes, integrity is expensive. (i lost my job b/c of it). Keep being you.

I like your content. I am seeing other content creators making similar vlogs on this topic at the moment. It would seem that people are not buying luxury items at present. Some say it's currently a soft market. People feel uncertain about the future, holding onto their pennies for a rainy day, over-production after Lockdown leading to unsold stock. Marketing departments are under increased pressure to sell. I guess some marketing departments will focus their products primarily at those creators that help them optimise sales to the max. Other reviewers are saying what you're saying here, they seem to agree.

I appreciate your honesty and ethics. I hope more companies decide to work with you because the honesty is what matters.

Thank you for always being honest with us Henning! Also I absolutely love that hoodie! I do hope that Fender, as well as some of the manufacturers that you didn't mention by name, make amends with you so you can continue to make great videos for us as always. These big companies need to realize that we want a good product and many of us will continue to support certain companies because of the great products that they make. If you happen to find something wrong, they should appreciate you for pointing it out to them so they can continue to keep their fan base. As always, Thank you for everything that you do Henning!

Einer, der wenigen Guten, die wir in der Szene noch haben! Tausend Dank für deine Einstellung zu gewissen Firmen und Ehrlichkeit. Bitte, behalte dir das bei. :D

Change the word "INFLUENCER" to "DEALER" and.... Welcome to my World! Its soooooo lovely to hear your voice - it could be me speaking to my audience - and with regards to the haters...... It took me a long time to really understand this but if you know in your heart you are being honest and true - and you know people are listening BECAUSE they understand your best intentions - then the people who want to hate (who always have the loudest voices) are reflecting THEIR own cynicism - their negativity - their bad lives. People who are damaged, cannot see beyond their own life experiences so you have to completely detach yourself. from their problems. To be hurt by them is no more than damaged ego. So let go of your ego - their opinions cannot hurt you if you dont care - because the people who you DO care about - they are all that really matter to you. You cannot get people on side - whose problems are NOT YOU. See what I mean? Same with race, religion, gender - all hate - the recipient of hate isolates the issue to them - because they are being hurt in the moment but in reality the problem is the damage thats already been done to THEM - they are damaged and you have to say to yourself "I feel really bad for that guy/girl - They are a victim and its sad their life has made them feel this way". - But there is no more you can do for them and worrying about your own hurt isnt going to help them in any way - and unless youre a trained councilor, sadly you cant take on the Worlds problems - so keep you head down - be true to you - with the knowledge that its your integrity got you the interview with Petr :) One last thing! SO much I could talk about but will keep it to influencers..... The other day I saw TWO (one male - one female) BOTH create videos - very similar - both recommending a brand of guitar that can ONLY be bought online - direct. My heart sank. It was SO blindingly obvious that these two influencers had sold their soul for profit and once again people who I considered the "honest" ones were no more than exactly as youve described. So it shows how difficult it is these days to believe anything you see onlibe. If I cannot trrust the ones I thought I could trust..... but what I will say on a positive note...... The fact there are SO FEW people whether they be dealers - suppliers - influencers - manufactuers.- there are SO FEW who I believe have a true heart - a phylosophy that really is about the product being the best - driven by pride - not profit - that people who ARE different - shine brighter than ever before. Honestly - 29 years and I could count people who I trust on .... well it MAY run to two hands.

✊ never stop fighting little bold butterfly !!! you're the best

I remember a video you did back 2016-17 where you weren't getting paid, but were just so impressed with the guitars that you had to do a quick video to show them off. I purchased one of those Charvel's based on that video, and I love that guitar. Actually just bought a second Charvel. Keep being yourself! We count on it.

Much respect, once again. And again, sell your knowledge as advise to companies. 👌🏻

Love the videos man! I defo enjoy the honesty! Haters gonna hate, unfortunately.. don't let it get to you!

Henning, thank you for your honest words insights into the kind of work you do! This is very important and sets things into perspective. It also reminds us of the world we live in, consumer-wise, and that we have to use our brains every once in a while as well when we decide what to buy and what not. As for you, Henning, you're kind of in a dilemma that is pretty much unsolvable. As long as there is a dependency on this particular construct for reliable income, you are pretty much caught up in this conflict. A solution would be a profitable platform for independent reviews or a youtube channel that can sustain the creator solely by generating enough revenue through views. Another question that kind of pops up in my mind: What happened to, you know, buying a product and reviewing it neutrally without any company relation? I know it wouldn't work for high-end equipment that would somehow need to be financed, but what about pedals in the hundred to a couple hundred Dollar range? Keep it up, Henning! And I'll keep thinking about you when passing through on the B49 on the way to my in-laws ;-)

Keep up with your great work! When I see something you like on your channel I always know you really like it! 😊

Channels like yours help us make decisions when we want to buy a product. We seem impressed with the marketing of the brands or hype of a product but it is necessary to see everything and especially the weak points of these products. If some brands do not want to show it, it is a deception. Taking into account that this world is becoming more and more expensive, you have to be well informed. Thank you very much for what you do.

Nice. I think your approach is the most admirable one, but it also tells a pretty sad story about the music gear market.

Thanks again for doing these videos Henning!

Yes i watch a lot of RU-vidrs but when it comes to making sure im HEARING THE TRUTH ❤❤,

Always a reliable source of info. The lawn was comedy timing genius. :-) well done Leslie.

I watched your videos occasionally. Now I'm going to watch regularly.

I find it hard to believe that there is someone out there that thinks your dishonest. You earned my sub about 2 years ago because you were so brutality honest. I don't know if you can accurately know how much money you've lost because alot of us subscribed because of your honesty

Maybe honesty cost you some income but it will grant you our Love, Henning ❤ We are Legion and we stand behind you ⚔️🛡 Just keep on rocking in a free world! You're doing great! 😉

I watch your channel because you are trustworthy in your judgement about products

I honor you for videos like this one where you explain what you are doing amidst viewers, brands, written and unwritten rules etc. Still, I am dreaming of an youtuber that can afford to test any kind of gear and doesn't need any payments what allows him to say freely whatever he wants to and name the bad and the bad stuff. Isn't that what reviews once were supposed to be anyway?

I have a Boss HM-2 and a KMA Guardian of the Wurm in stereo configuration as the main component of my "tone" and I still subscribe and watch.

Dann mach' hinne, es regnet bald! My favorite part of the video! 😀 But in all honesty, fantastic talking points and very concisely explained, with respect paid to the subject!

Stay Honest and true to yourself Henning. Your integrity and no nonsense approach is why I watch your videos and respect your opinions. Keep the faith brother!

It happens to everyone. It seems that people have got used to being duped and resent being told the truth, because everything is about projecting an image. I lose students all the time because most people want to believe they'll learn English in 6 months and when they come to me all I have to offer is the cold hard truth.

Unfortunately it happened to me, I bought a pedal based on the reviews of some big channels, once I got it, it was very disappointing, I went back to the reviews and found that one channel kind of addressed the problem but as an acceptable thing, not an issue, I researched more, and eventually I found a really small channel that actually talked about it. Unfortunately those channels don't get enough credibility to compete and influence in customer decisions. Actually this made me follow you, you do have videos about pedals of that brand, but not about the one I'm talking about, and this was a heavily marketed pedal throughout youtube channels. In my case I cannot send the product back cause I order from Ecuador, so it's just not worthy the costs involved, in the end I have to find a way to make it work, but honesty is a real thing that needs to be addressed, the world is big and a lot of people have to make purchase decision based on the reviews and online research, people don't always have access to test the thing or to send back products (though this is mor an issue with worldwide shipping and return policies related).

If all the honest youtubers could band together somehow and establish clout with the community it might make these companies think twice about refusing to work with you. If me, the viewer, sees a new product being reviewed on a bunch of channels but none of the honest channels get it then I would know that likely something is up with that product. I guess that's easier said than done though. I really appreciate these insights and your honesty.

Integrity is lacking in the corporate world unfortunately. You maintain your own by what you do. Don't stop.

Well...people appreciate what you do. Hopefully, you can keep doing it

I wish our weather allowed hoodie wearing in June. Its 89° F right now where im sitting in GA, USA.

Your honesty may decrease your income in the short term, but in the long term, you will continue growing a loyal fan base that values that honesty. The income will follow. The rate of growth may be slower but it will be steady.

Henning, I am not sure how old you are but in the late 1970;s there was just about the same situation between the German Magazine, Music Fachblatt and Musik Mayer. I still have the print version and if you are interested, I can scan them for you. Basically Fachblatt done a review of a Gibson and Fender and gave it a 5, Ibanez and Aria scored 1or 2. Mayer refused to give more products for review to the Fachblatt. The back and force was a sensation at the times, you would love it . The media has changed, the core subject is the same.

Henning, marketing and selling bullshit are two different things! When i want an honest review you and Pete Thorn are my favorite channels. And company's should keep in mind that a critical review is not bashing the company and they should learn from it.

You are one of the few RU-vidrs who criticize aspects of some products for which you have been paid. I believe that no one can blame anything. Your demos try to be objective and complete, and this shows. You also analyze the details, you don't just emphasize the strong points, you also talk about the weak points. However, no matter how hard you try, it is inevitable that there will be differences in taste and opinion that can make it seem the opposite to some people. Your videos have been helpful to me when purchasing products and on many occasions I have been able to verify that what you said is true. I don't think there are many of us who have the capacity that you have to try so many products to evaluate something with good judgment. At least I can't compare with the same criteria as you, because I am not a product tester. Therefore, initially I trust your judgment. And if I buy the product and I don't like it, I return it, but that doesn't mean I think you have made a dishonest demonstration. Until now at least, in your case I have not had that impression. So I congratulate you for that.

I design machinery and occasionally get handed other people’s designs to be finalized. Sometimes you have to delicately tell them how unsafe, problematic or incomplete the designs is. They always get angry and you don’t hear from them ever again. It’s not always the company…..sometimes it’s the ego of one or a few particular people. I won’t put my name on garbage…..or be the reason someone gets hurt.

The Truth will always win in the end. Dishonesty for profit will only take you so far. KEEP ROLLING HENNING!

Honesty does get you viewers trust, and so returning viewers. But yes, it must be hard at times…

I'd rather have one dude like you who tells us exactly what you think than a hundred massive channels omitting details for a paycheck man. I know that doesn't help with your time lost but I hope you know you're respected hugely in this space.

I trust your opinions and respect you as a person.

Ich finde es wirklich extrem gut, dass du einen ethischen Standpunkt in deinen Geschäftsbeziehungen hast und das auch offen kommuniziert. Lass dich bitte von den „Payed Shill“-Kommentaren nicht unterkriegen. 🤘

Your are super honest person!

It's getting so bad, mate. The marketing dollars always win. And it's very sad. The general public has no idea and the companies do their best to cover it up. The few voices out there that are honest get drowned out. And those that do hear them are skeptical as the fake positive reviews are flooding the internet.

Sorry if you're still catching nonsense from viewers. Again, I come here because, you're fun to watch, very informative and your tunes/mixes sound awesome. Keep doing you sir!

I totally understand your point , and I am very appreciative towards your ethics, but I’d say find a middle ground where honesty doesn’t hurt your business.

Honesty is not a difficult concept. If people are "upset", so be it. Cheers

😁Mach hin' , es regnet bald.... 🤣 Good Video, as always appreciated.

You've earned my trust years ago. Don't feel bad about people commenting - their ignorance doesn't make them bad people (except the trolls of course). I try to be understanding of people - they comment like that, because they've been burned and they don't know you. Sharing stories and educating is great and you should continue, but there will always be new people who comment like that and you should find a way for it to sting you less, like, in your mind. If you understand why some people are like that, you can accept that it's not your fault and not always in your control. And that's ok. Don't feel bad - smile :) Also the oodie is awesome and it looks very comfy :)

Wow the Laney story with the knob got me thinking. My theory is that if you point something out and b*tch about it as a youtuber, you're probably an outsider compared to all other youtubers who also reviewed the same product but didn't b*tch about it. Which means seen through the eyes of the manufacturer, there's this one guy complaining about a thing while all others didn't complain. I'd be skeptical at first, too, to be fair. Simply because statistically, it looks like an outlier. But we the viewers, need that one guy like you, Henning! Me personally, I'm always glad whenever you point something out that might be relevant to me. I bought lots of gear after watching your videos, but that one thing you complained about didn't affect me. When I got the thing, I was like "Wow, Henning was right about that". I'm usually the guy at work who points out the annoying things nobody wants to talk about. It's uncomfortable in the beginning, but it has always paid out in the long run. So I can only appeal to you, Henning, stay as you are. You might loose some money here and there, but you will always have your viewer's trust.

I've always trusted Hennings reviews - thank you for your honesty ❤🔥👍

Wow I've spent nearly a decade trying to get my wife to mow even once lol

Well done, totaly believable ! (and your sweatshirts are truly shocking). A negative review on Amazon just barred me from making any further comments on future purchases. You Tube removed the Thumbs Down symbol. Thoman and some other music gear retailers have filtered out many of the bad reviews. So... lets all just smile, drink a coca cola . But seriously , this is a symton af an ever increasing Autocratic World.

100% Rock n' Roll! 🔥🔥🔥

Ducks are cool love the hoodie do you wear it when you go out? btw love the channel.

Watching that hoodie for too long gives me flashback of getting a bath as a baby...

I can't say if it's "worth it" to you in the end, in terms of being honest, but I'll say that on my end, watching your videios has definitely been of value.

Greed and ego often really struggle with honesty. imo

If Fender gave a shit people wouldn't be fired over night! Fender also stopped supporting my favorite family owned music store because they didn't sell enough Fenders. I'd buy a Dean tele style guitar, but never a Fender. Thanks for honesty!❇

You're the ducking man, HP!

Henning, you’re out here fighting the good fight bro. And sometimes the good fight is the hard fight. Look man at the end of the day, “paid shill” or not, you’re still paying your bills and we are still watching your content. The way I see it is do what you gotta do to pay your bills so long as it’s not harmful to anyone. I’m fairly certain most of us can pick up on honesty and dishonesty from content creators. Of course some of it is good acting and hard to detect. But I don’t think this is one of those channels. Hell I wouldn’t have been able to learn my boss Es-8 if it wasn’t for the HOURS of content that was created here. Thank you by the way. Look man, you’re always gonna be a “paid shill” to some people. But to most of us, you’re invaluable. You’re doing the work of the gods here. I could say one thing and one thing only. You might be a touch harsh on some products and I see how that would make it harder to get sustained work with those companies. I get that. But I also get that you’re just saying what you see. You learn equipment and put it ALL on the table. The good the bad and the ugly. Personally I appreciate the shit out of this. I understand what’s happening and I understand this is good. Not only for the customers but for the companies. We all need to hear the good bad and ugly of the products. I wouldn’t suggest changing what you do, unless you want more work. If you want more work, still be honest but less harsh maybe? Idk. I like what you do so it’s hard to say anything at all. I’m just thinking about how it’s harder to get work with your approach. I’d like you to be able to go home happy too ya know. Bro just keep up doing what you’re doing. There will become a point where you break through the noise. You will eventually become THE GUY. If you keep doing it, the only way to go is up right? About those “shill” commenters. Bro don’t let it bother you. Those people have to exist so it makes sense that the rest of us exist. “It takes all types” without haters, something would just be missing. Hell it’s “engagement” anyway right?

love the vids man, and especially your morals.

I know this is a serious rant but I am pretty sure I can trust you for the foreseeable future. So instead my brain is now thinking about a laney LA100 SM covered in yellow rubber ducks. Peace

Everyone wants to hear Honest reviews and the Company who made the product should take negatives positively and try to correct them,so that the customer is happy and will want to buy more products they make

After watching this video, may I assume you don't like slick guitars? I was looking for a review of this brand in your channel but nothing, so maybe you returned a slick guitar and made no video ?? Cheers from buenos aires. Big fan.

Reviewing something positively, that is badly designed is in the end also bad for the brand. Stay honest, should works in everybodies favor.

It is good that you take this approach based on your own integrity before publishing your opinions on products. That does come across in your reviews - you always mention things that annoy you or could be better. However there is still I think the problem with reviewers getting guitars which have been worked on to a premium standard by their luthiers, rather than just picking a guitar at random from their stock, opening the box for the first time and seeing what that stock guitar is like, as a buyer would see it. This is a problem - but I don't see any way of avoiding that when guitars are sent to reviewers as reviewers.

Internal company politics are also a pain. Some managers will hide problems because they want to look good, and the people who have found the problems get fired (a coworker) or leave because of values (me). The company ships a bad product, and the customers have to call out the company as a purveyor of crap. A responsible company doesn't run a con job.

Sounds like that 3000.00 euro guitar has more in common with a HB $90.00 economy model.

thanks for your clear and strong explanation...

24:58 yet another proof Henning doesn't like Fuzz'es 😂😂😂

FOR SHAME, FENDER! Firing 300 people while having a great financial year? There is no excuse for that!! Of my 16 guitars, only ONE is a Fender, and there WILL NOT BE ANY MORE!! My Strat is a 1999 MEXICO-made guitar which I bought new, and it’s great… after I had to substitute a few QUALITY parts, as opposed to the CRAP it came with. And I had to play 11 of them before I could find a “good” one, at one of the big guitar chains (which shall remain nameless here - they used to be good, too, but they now SUCK). After replacing the tuning machines with QUALITY tuning machines, replacing the stock bridge pickup with a Seymour Duncan, getting the fret glue off the fingerboard… you get the idea. I bought it though, knowing I’d have to do some work (and invest MONEY in it) TO MAKE IT GOOD ENOUGH TO BE THE PROFESSIONAL IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN THE FIRST PLACE! Once upon a time, you could buy a Fender Strat and know the first one you picked up & played would be GOOD. This is obviously no longer the case. So BEWARE when you buy a Fender. You CAN’T count on it being the quality instrument the name on it once told implied. I’ve played a number of American-made Strats in the years since 1999, and it’s shocking how much their quality has gone downhill. This leaves me with a question. WHERE IS YOUR QUALITY CONTROL, FENDER? With the outrageous prices you charge for your “iffy” instruments, you still do BAD things, such as FIRING people by the hundreds and sell what was ONCE a guaranteed GOOD product. Gretsch, on the other hand, in my experience, are very good to great. But they should be, given the $5,000 price tag! If you didn’t know, Gretsch is made by Fender JAPAN. If THEY can make consistently good instruments, why can’t YOU, Fender USA? Even my Indonesian-made Gretsch Streamliner, which I bought from my friendly LOCAL music store (which doesn’t even carry Gretsch - I asked the store owner to get me one from his Fender representative) is a VERY good guitar. And it arrived being EXACTLY what I specified! It wasn’t cheap, but it wasn’t outrageous, either. It plays great, sounds great, and feels like an American Gretsch that was made in the early 1960’s. Instead of making insane profits on bad guitars, why not make them GOOD? Did you forget how? I wonder. However, I DON’T wonder if Fender’s days are numbered. They are.