Yes, Arbiter at this time is not only the main dealer for fender CBS but the only dealer, Arbiter is not a shop it’s a brand so they themselves distributed in the uk so wax the perfect choice for CBS as at this time Arbiter are a big name and are delivering products to shops all over the uk, they would get the batches and then send out to shops to sell obviously making a profit in distribution. Arbiter dispatched all JV squier and fenders to uk shops so Arbiters interest is sales, if fender lose sales month by month then batches get smaller, smaller batches is les profit for Arbiter and CBS in the uk.
See “Arbiter fuzz face” this is why fender jumped on them and bought the “fuzz face” it’s how the relationship started. I can imagine a deal was struck immediately so fender could sell the fuzz face pedal
Remember at this point there is no internet so you can’t just contact fender as a shop, shipping is basic and only big shipments are sent to the uk, there is no “fender dealers” or recently “fender direct” so as a result Arbiter collected the batches at the docks and distributed to uk shops.
This is why Arbiter was and is a part of CBS but not apart of fender directly as CBS is a group.
Like Volkswagen is the group but they sell a number of car makes, Bentley, Lamborghini and so on.
Tokai was a direct threat to Arbiter and CBS.
I think that I’m this time there is not a lot of commercial shops so Arbiter can’t say it’s directly hurting them but as a result is hurting a shop “blue suede music” that would mean a business not a brand or a group is hurt.
Put it this way. No one would care so much if the big guns like CBS or Arbiter lost profit so music shops or the biggest at the time would have to show they are directly hurt as their profit is only in customer sales not a group like CBS.
Boom Arbiter and CBS had ground to act immediately but we all know fender did this but fender couldn’t, CBS couldn’t but to prove damages Arbiter could with the help of shops in the uk selling direct to the customer.
