PSA: Fender WRHBs with CuNiFe are back

[Embenny]

...but there's a pretty real risk these won't stay in production very long, right? Who knows where Fender is getting their CuNiFe but if no one used it for more than 40 years because it was tough to get a hold of, who knows how long the supply will last this time around.

So I guess I should buy a pair. Right?

No one [in the tiny guitar pickup industry] used it for more than 40 years because it was tough to [commission outdated magnet production without economies of scale].

CuNiFe isn't a rare mineral discovered in an asteroid impact zone, it's an alloy of three common metals that are far cheaper in terms of raw material than most grades of AlNiCo. Alnico V is something like 24% cobalt, which is way more expensive than copper, and the rest of the metals in each type are similar in price. The difference is that alnico is produced for all sorts of uses to this day, so it's very cheap to get it made in the size needed for guitar pickups because of economies of scale.

The thing that is expensive about CuNiFe is tooling up a production line for magnets that have a single niche market, and since nobody else is using CuNiFe, the sole determinant of that is how many of these pickups Fender sells and whether it's profitable for them to have future production runs made for them.

If it's not profitable, there will be a window where those Teles and aftermarket pickups are discontinued, and probably some discounts/sales to get rid of the remaining stock, so I wouldn't start panic buying.

Honestly, Fender probably had to commission something like 1 million of those magnets to get a manufacturer to produce them (enough to make close to 100k pickups), and the only reason they're charging so much is to recoup their investment quickly by capitalizing on their perceived rarity.

I wouldn't be surprised if they turned a profit on the endeavour after selling 1000 of the 100,000 pickups they can wind with the giant stockpile of magnets they had made. There's no world in which they got a manufacturer to tool up and make the alloy, and only produce 1000 screws or something. This is FMIC, not Telenator.

[BoringPostcards]

...but there's a pretty real risk these won't stay in production very long, right? Who knows where Fender is getting their CuNiFe but if no one used it for more than 40 years because it was tough to get a hold of, who knows how long the supply will last this time around.

So I guess I should buy a pair. Right?

No one [in the tiny guitar pickup industry] used it for more than 40 years because it was tough to [commission outdated magnet production without economies of scale].

CuNiFe isn't a rare mineral discovered in an asteroid impact zone, it's an alloy of three common metals that are far cheaper in terms of raw material than most grades of AlNiCo. Alnico V is something like 24% cobalt, which is way more expensive than copper, and the rest of the metals in each type are similar in price. The difference is that alnico is produced for all sorts of uses to this day, so it's very cheap to get it made in the size needed for guitar pickups because of economies of scale.

The thing that is expensive about CuNiFe is tooling up a production line for magnets that have a single niche market, and since nobody else is using CuNiFe, the sole determinant of that is how many of these pickups Fender sells and whether it's profitable for them to have future production runs made for them.

If it's not profitable, there will be a window where those Teles and aftermarket pickups are discontinued, and probably some discounts/sales to get rid of the remaining stock, so I wouldn't start panic buying.

Honestly, Fender probably had to commission something like 1 million of those magnets to get a manufacturer to produce them (enough to make close to 100k pickups), and the only reason they're charging so much is to recoup their investment quickly by capitalizing on their perceived rarity.

I wouldn't be surprised if they turned a profit on the endeavour after selling 1000 of the 100,000 pickups they can wind with the giant stockpile of magnets they had made. There's no world in which they got a manufacturer to tool up and make the alloy, and only produce 1000 screws or something. This is FMIC, not Telenator.

I know, it isn't rare. It's just more difficult to thread without breaking, and knowing Fender, they didn't go all out on the supply run, thus eventually discontinuing them.
Knowing gear junkies, discontinued models, which are trendy in any way, get amplified in price.
Discontinued MIJ Jags aren't rare at all, but I see folks selling them for nearly 2K in some places. Hyped up Telecasters/Pickups? Best believe the used market won't be easy.
I was speaking more about the actual Tele Custom model, not just the pickups.

I want the actual accurate Tele Custom or Deluxe reissue, not to make a Jazzblaster (although I love them too).

[mastermorya]

Here's a demo I made of the CuNiFe reissue I put in the neck position in my 72 MIM Player Tele Custom:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ak_3nB5 ... ture=youtu.

And here's Lord Fuzzman's comparison of the CuNiFe reissue, vintage originals, and the Creamery RWHB: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wq6kJpf4bSM