Tariffs pushed Fender to raise prices — and it is not done adjusting
A new S&P Global analysis shows how much of Fender's cost increase is landing on retail shelves, and why dealers are staying cautious into 2026 anyway.
Sep 25, 2025
Credit: Fender (trademark; logo public domain per Wikimedia Commons — too simple for copyright)
Fender raised prices across its entire lineup by 5% in July, according to an S&P Global report on how the company is absorbing new U.S. tariffs — with roughly 40% of Fender's purchasing tied to China, and about half of that ultimately entering the U.S. market. The company's EVP, Justin Norvell, had traveled to Washington earlier in the year to lobby for tariff relief alongside other industry leaders, a trip that evidently didn't change the outcome.
The report also points to a split market: sell-in to major retailers like Guitar Center, Sweetwater, and Amazon has held up better than expected, but overall sales volume is down, with buyers increasingly turning to the used market or simply waiting. S&P Global's outlook for 2026 expects dealers to stay conservative on inventory given a "weak macroeconomic backdrop," even as new product launches help offset some of the softness.
Why it matters
Price increases at Fender tend to set a ceiling other manufacturers watch closely — if the biggest name in the room is holding at a 5% bump and still calling the outlook cautious, that's a useful read on where the rest of the market is probably headed too.
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