Fender's lack of bass evolution

[john_g]

Didnt read any replies cuz thats how I roll but, they have tried to introduce new stuff and it doesnt sell well. They get rid of those. Small amount of people then complain on the internet why they stopped making those and dont think that if they sold well, they would still be around. Instruments like guitars arent something that need to be constantly improved upon, and even "improvements" are very small.

 

[fhm555]

View attachment 4084444

these are all right-handed, fretless hammers, of course. but there are lots of options if you're really picky.

I used to tell people putting non required lights on tractor trailer rigs was like tying a bow on a hammer handle, they look OK but don't do a thing to improve performance.

 

[Yellow Bang66]

Anyone else notice Fender's lack luster efforts to come up with new designs? The "new" models are just P and J re-treads or re-configurations. When's the last time they introduced a new through neck model?

"IF it aint broke..." Yes, its frustrating Fender isnt that creative when it comes to New designs, But they are the Industry Standard they leave the innovation to the others in their wake( ibanez, schecter,etc.) but isn't that their legacy after Leo left or sold the company and went on to other endeavors! Fender is happy to do small up grades to the main stays! They are the high watermark the standard all other makers are shooting for! they have adopted somethings that could be adapted to their flagship models. Lets face it our Market share is very small & mostly ignored We dont crazy buy like our Manic guitarist counter parts, Companies rarely market to us,or focus on us with innovations & "new" products! Im sure they would change(glacially) if there was an evolution on our instrument! If they were concerned when Leo moved on to New companies Fender would have fought it or copied those designs, for fear of losing their long held market share! Fender would've sued EBMM& G&L or adapted their designs into more familiar models! I dont look at Fender for the latest & greatest in the instrument! I 'd take notice if they Changed & added or evolved one of their models! Fender has left that to their Bass competitors! "let them spend and R&D innovations. be careful what you wish for! we could be dealing with robot tuners on our basses right now!

 

[MasterMonkeyMan]

I too thought the Dimension looked quite good. Poof!

 

[Holdsg]

not much mention of the Mustang. classic and modern versions now in the lineup. With the short-scale craze lately, certainly there has been enough volume to sustain that model into the future.

 

[Diver]

Isn't it why they now own brands like Jackson? If Fender was only making Fender, they probably would keep marginal models in portfolio and scale operations for that niche market, but it is safer to take risks away from the established money maker: the Fender brand.
Someone also mentioned above that most people are not like TBers and their consequent bass collections but usually only own one bass for most of their life, which I would add, pushes them even more towards picking staple models like Js or Ps.

 

[g-dude]

Plenty of young people jam on Gibson's and Fender's - Harley Davidson is toast

Except that most of them don't...these days the yoots are more likely to want to learn how to DJ/produce/etc. Actual musical instrument popularity isn't what it used to be.

 

[brianrost]

Fender has tried a lot of interesting updates to their classics.

I owned an 80s P Elite that had improvements to the pickup, the electronics and the bridge. Other than being heavy (ash body) it was fantastic. Current resale value is about 25% less than the reduced-feature P "Standard" of the period which was half the price when new. Just because people won't buy something doesn't mean it isn't great.

The Precision Plus of the 90s brought back that great bridge and it had other tricks up it's sleeve, but also sold poorly. Every single one I've played was killer.

Something doesn't sell, it goes away, that's how business works. It is what it is.

 

[g-dude]

There's no need to improve perfection (Precision bass). That's why for example Bic Mac stays the same.

So you probably don't know this being from another country, but the Big Mac is actually a ripoff of another burger called the "Big Boy". There's a "chain" of restaurants, where they have different names in different parts of the US that are all part of the Big Boy family.

 

[g-dude]

That depends on how you define innovation. The Gibson SG has remained unchanged since literally the 1960s. They're the same color and wood since then. They've changed the hardware a little but it still looks the same.

Fender on the other hand has kept things exciting. Their color palette knows no boundaries. They're constantly changing various features of their line. Don't have the money for an American made guitar? Fine. There are 3 other options to choose from. MIM, MIJ, and Squier.

There is no comparison between Fender and Gibson.

When I was looking for a new bass I really, really, wanted to get a Gibson. Gibson had nothing in my price range. Every once in a while they'll drop a sub $1,000 bass into their lineup, but they had nothing at the time. Epiphone did have a couple of EB0 type basses, but nothing of any kind of real quality.

Fender on the other hand had a plethora of basses to choose from. Colors aplenty. Roadworn. Lightweight. Active/passive. Body shapes. Various hardwares. They have a lot to choose from. That's Innovation.

That's not innovation. That's variation. None of that is "groundbreaking" or unique.

Innovation isn't incrementalism. Innovation is creating discontinuity in the gradual evolution of a product.

 

[SJan3]

Anyone else notice Fender's lack luster efforts to come up with new designs? The "new" models are just P and J re-treads or re-configurations. When's the last time they introduced a new through neck model?

No one would buy it. They tried other models but Precision and jazz basses are the standard and demand is for them.
Do acoustic violins look any different than hundreds of years ago? How about grand pianos?? I think you simply need to explore other makers if you want something different. When people want a Fender, they want a P or J bass.

 

[g-dude]

Drums don't evolve much (I think). Nor pianos, violins, trumpets.

They have all evolved massively over their lifespan. In fact, watch the Fred Armisen special on Netflix and look at how drum kits have changed over the course of the 20th century.

 

[g-dude]

not much mention of the Mustang. classic and modern versions now in the lineup. With the short-scale craze lately, certainly there has been enough volume to sustain that model into the future.

I don't know what it is about the Mustangs, but it's hard to get excited about them enough to own one.

I think it's the pickups, which does get solved with the PJ Mustang, but even then...there's just something missing.

 

[Kro]

When's the last time they introduced a new through neck model?

When's the last time somebody wanted a neck through Fender?

 

[legalbass]

When's the last time somebody wanted a neck through Fender?

Right around the last time someone wanted to substitute Italian dressing for McDonald's special sauce on the Big Mac, is my guess.

 

[MonetBass]

Isn't it why they now own brands like Jackson? If Fender was only making Fender, they probably would keep marginal models in portfolio and scale operations for that niche market, but it is safer to take risks away from the established money maker: the Fender brand.
Someone also mentioned above that most people are not like TBers and their consequent bass collections but usually only own one bass for most of their life, which I would add, pushes them even more towards picking staple models like Js or Ps.

This is exactly how Fender diversified their products without stepping on their own legacy. In addition to Jackson, they own Charvel, Gretsch, EVH Guitars, Guild, Sunn, SWR, Tacoma, Kaman, and most recently acquired Bigsby.

 

[lokikallas]

 

[BioDriver]

So you probably don't know this being from another country, but the Big Mac is actually a ripoff of another burger called the "Big Boy". There's a "chain" of restaurants, where they have different names in different parts of the US that are all part of the Big Boy family.

View attachment 4085565

Look, me and the McDonald's people got this little misunderstanding. See, they're McDonald's... I'm McDowell's. They got the Golden Arches, mine is the Golden Arcs. They got the Big Mac, I got the Big Mick. We both got two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles and onions, but their buns have sesame seeds. My buns have no seeds.

 

[g-dude]

No one would buy it. They tried other models but Precision and jazz basses are the standard and demand is for them.
Do acoustic violins look any different than hundreds of years ago? How about grand pianos?? I think you simply need to explore other makers if you want something different. When people want a Fender, they want a P or J bass.

Violins evolved over a period of hundreds of years.

 

[JimmyM]

Has the weekly "When will Fender stop trying to be different and stick with only P's and J's" started up, too? Usually when one of these types of threads start, the other isn't far behind.

Listen, if you want something different out of Fender, you only have about a thousand other places to go. Why does Fender have to be all things to everyone? They're pretty darn successful, probably THE most successful brand out there, and if anyone who complained about what Fender's doing ran the company, they'd be bankrupt within a year.

 

[JimmyM]

This is exactly how Fender diversified their products without stepping on their own legacy. In addition to Jackson, they own Charvel, Gretsch, EVH Guitars, Guild, Sunn, SWR, Tacoma, Kaman, and most recently acquired Bigsby.

They no longer own Kaman. A few years ago, they sold Kaman to JAM in Canada.