Most of the guitars in this series have been done before and have followings, which makes the bass in this series make even less sense. I would have loved a Toronado bass, they could have reworked the Dimension pickups or the humbuckers from the reverse Jaguar bass they did a while back. Would have been something different and new, and fit the series better.
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Squier Paranormal Series
- Thread starter BassmanM
- Start date
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- Tags
- jazz bass namm paranormal squier
Fender is trapped in a swirling cesspool of their own designs, from which they never seem to be able to escape. Some of why they're trapped is obvious in this thread - they take 2 or 3 of their previous designs, and mash them up a bit, and people think it's radical. Really, 2 designs (from the same company 60 years ago) put together, and it's too much?
My input is "Way to think just barely outside the box."
In case there is any doubt, yes, I'm being sarcastic. I think they should take a shot at something that doesn't look like a Fender from the 60's. GM has had a series of Corvettes over the same time period, where all of them look like Corvettes, all of them are "of their time", all of them are classic looks, and they all look a little different. They recently made the leap to a mid engine model. Yes, there have been times when certain people didn't like the new look, but in the end, all of the models sold just fine. My guess is, if Fender had done likewise, there would be fewer people making "almost Fender, but a little better" guitars and basses - Fender might own more of the high end market.
My input is "Way to think just barely outside the box."
In case there is any doubt, yes, I'm being sarcastic. I think they should take a shot at something that doesn't look like a Fender from the 60's. GM has had a series of Corvettes over the same time period, where all of them look like Corvettes, all of them are "of their time", all of them are classic looks, and they all look a little different. They recently made the leap to a mid engine model. Yes, there have been times when certain people didn't like the new look, but in the end, all of the models sold just fine. My guess is, if Fender had done likewise, there would be fewer people making "almost Fender, but a little better" guitars and basses - Fender might own more of the high end market.
When they do, they don't seem to sell enough to stay around more than a year or 2.
Yep.
The Aerodynes may be the exception. Great basses that are an aesthetic departure from the classic P or J. They've hung in there, but are still just a niche market for Fender.
Well, it looks a bit strange and that cut photo not showing the headstock does not help. Maybe a full photo would make it more appealing
I kinda dig this, but Squiers are overpriced IMO and imagine this will on that higher end of the pricing.
Ironically after my rant the other day about Fender in the NAMM thread, this seems to be a good looking mash of the stuff I'm not a big fan off on a bass.. yet.. it looks nice.
It's just a Jazz bass version of the Squier 51 guitar.
The Squier 51 had a reputation as a great mod platform, and people were very upset when it was discontinued.
The Squier 51 had a reputation as a great mod platform, and people were very upset when it was discontinued.
Now, a bass version of this:
would be pretty cool.
would be pretty cool.
I don't understand it, myself - I've loved everyone of the "new" things Fender's done, including the Big Block P, the Dimensions, the reverse Jaguar, and the Cabronita. Fender customers seem to only want P's, J's, single coil P's, Jaguars, and Mustangs. That's not a lot of incentive for Fender to invest in new bass stuff when their customers are stuck in the 50s and 60s esthetic. One of their *most* successful new products has *got* to be the Roadworn series, or its next of kin, the Classic Series. They bring out the Elite, and everyone on TB complains that it's not like the old Deluxe, then they bring out the Ultra and everyone complains that it's not like the Elite. Fender bass customers tend to have pretty conservative tastes it seems. Heaven forfend they change the Jazz pickguard shape. When someone wants something other than a P, J, or PJ kind of tone, they tend to shop elsewhere.
I really wish they'd bring the Modern Player Dimension back, the passive one with the triple bucker. I played one in a pawn shop and missed my opportunity to buy it, but it was really nice and had lots of great tones. Even if they just brought that pickup and pot set back for an "Alternate Universe" run, or the Cabronita P with the Fidelitron. Maybe a new reverse Jag-style that is easier to play in the upper register, with the fidelitron or the Dimension pickup - or hell, both.
I'd also love to see the Meteora on a bass design.
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That would like be the Jaguar SS they discontinued.
I kind of like it. It would be interesting if they did it with 2 SC P-bass pickups.
I don't like any of them. Mixing features from different established designs just confuses things. I also don't see anything "innovative" about this; it's just taking a body from Column A and controls from Column B.
The problem most of the old established guitar companies have is that the public doesn't seem to want them to do anything really different. Improvements to classic designs usually fail because nobody buys them. New models like the Fender Dimension or Gibson EB (the recent long-scale double-cutaway model) don't sell well either. These "paranormal" models seem like they're trying to be the same and different at the same time -- trying to find a middle ground between innovation and the same-old same-old that the public seems to prefer -- but they don't really succeed, at least not for me.
The problem most of the old established guitar companies have is that the public doesn't seem to want them to do anything really different. Improvements to classic designs usually fail because nobody buys them. New models like the Fender Dimension or Gibson EB (the recent long-scale double-cutaway model) don't sell well either. These "paranormal" models seem like they're trying to be the same and different at the same time -- trying to find a middle ground between innovation and the same-old same-old that the public seems to prefer -- but they don't really succeed, at least not for me.
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