Where Will Fender Go Next?

[the explode man]

The thing Im worried about is a repeat of that whole Musicman string spacing scenario.

That people have been complaining that Fender is stuck in the past, but will abandon them when it steps up to the plate

What's the story here? WIth the string spacing?

 

[JimmyM]

What's the story here? WIth the string spacing?

Sterling Ball, in a response to those looking for wider string spacing out of Stingray 5's, said that if he could get 50 people to put deposits on them, he would make some Stingray 5's with wider string spacing. About 5 people took him up on it.

 

[two fingers]

Oh yes, just look out at any street corner and you'll see older guys pounding stereotypes into youngsters. As if youngsters care what the old folks think anyway!

"...OLD GUYS" "...old guys" "...old guys" "...old guys".

And it doesn't take a genius to see that you are throwing that phrase around as a pejorative. which is no more acceptable than any racist or sexist pejorative you may choose. Please stop it.

Oh lighten up there sugar boobies (unless your boobies are literally made of sugar, then I guess you and I are right back to square one). It doesn't take a genius to see that this is a light-hearted discussion and that I don't hate old people. (When did we become such PANSIES????? Now, THAT was meant as a pejorative, so you have my permission to be offended starting right now. Ready........ go.)

OK, now that you are officially ticked off, let me explain my point (again). Nobody gives a crap what an old guy on the street corner in Hampton VA thinks. It doesn't happen there. It happens in the INDUSTRY and trickles down. These days we're really talking about Nashville. (Anyone who doesn't think that musical trends are mostly coming out of Nashville these days is fooling themselves.) So, the OLD GUYS who run the music business in Nashville are trying to keep things the way they always have been. So, all the new kids showing up in town are pretty much FORCED to go out and get something that either IS a Fender P bass, or looks JUST LIKE a Fender bass built by a boutique builder (or at least a high-end builder). I'm not pulling this out of my butt! I have TALKED to them. They show up to town with a Fodera 6 string thinking that everybody they run into will love it. Next thing you know, they are playing a 4 string P bass. And their $5000+ bass sits at the house. They come from Julliard, North Texas, Berklee, Bloomington, etc. with all kinds of boutique basses. POOF! Within weeks, it's a 4 string P bass. (And secretly they hate them. But don't tell anyone. Let's just keep this between us so as not to disturb the machine. K?)

So, my point had NOTHING to do with LOCAL old guys pounding away at bass players, and EVERYTHING to do with the INDUSTRY pounding away at them.

And my point STILL is, you HAD your day. Now let the kids have their day. And let Fender CATER to those kids with WHATEVER crazy designs they want! And quit pissing and moaning every time Fender decides to try something NEW rather than offering you OLD GUYS a freaking TELE bass with a mudbucker at the bridge in SHERWOOD GREEN! If you WANT one of those, put one together with parts or have the custom shop MAKE you one. And let them MARKET new ideas to the MASSES.

Don't let my all-caps words get your panties in a wad there Princess. I'm not mad. Why should you be?

Here. Here's a smiley to make it all better -->

Group hug? No? How about a slap on the butt like they do in Football/Baseball. No? Man, you're hard to please.

 

[Relayer71]

Well I'm glad to see Fender putting out a new bass model that isn't a rehash of something they've already done. I really like the new Dimension bass, would have liked a longer top horn on it but I even like the pickguard on it.

I think I'm going to start putting some pennies aside for an American Deluxe HH IV.

I like the shorter top horn, gives it a distinctive look. Well, as distinctive as that model can be, it's disappointing that they didn't come up with something further away from a traditional design. Nothing crazy like a Bongo but, the Dimension just still screams "CLASSIC" and not modern.

And it seems they're going for a more high end, boutique-y vibe? If so, I'm not impressed. Maybe they should get into exotic woods or highly figured tops and some fancy inlays which you don't normally associate with Fender. And they could have used a new headstock design. These Dimensions just play it too safe, aesthetically speaking, if they sound amazing then that matters more.

 

[Relayer71]

I find it funny that every couple of years there's a Fender quality increases meme that seems to rebirth. people are saying it right now. They said it again in 09/10. I remember back in the mid-nineties that people were talking about Fender's newly improved quality....and back around 1990 too. Heck, Back to the early post CBS rebirth of FMIC, people had a feeling that Fender "was really stepping up the quality".

This is so true (I've been a Fender Tele (guitar) player since the 80s).

Thing is Fender will come up with something new (again) and it won't matter, everyone just wants a Jazz/P Bass/Strat/Tele.

 

[jeffbrown]

Completely OT, but twofingers, I like your style. Too many people choose to be offended rather than change the channel these days. Coddled from birth, infused with righteous indignation and unending sense of entitlement, to say nothing of a cloying attraction to everything PC, they've come close to wrecking any good and lively discussion.

I love me my (OT) Active Jazz V. Have a nice day

 

[Baird6869]

I don't know why Fender doesn't jump on the 3rd party active electronics bandwagon. A MIA Fender with an Aguilar or similar preamp would be cool.

 

[D.M.N.]

Most of the "kids" (twenty somethings really) who I know playing bass are playing passive Fenders by choice (if not, then passive Rics or passive T-Birds).

Also, I would argue that many of those kids you know would secretly LOVE to be playing a 6 string MTD (or whatever boutique thing you care to bring up) but feel as though their credibility would be hurt by doing so. (And in many towns they are correct.)

As a 20 year old (last day, still counts), I have to agree with Dan here. I only know two people my age who use an active bass, and they're a Sting-Ray and a 4-string Warwick, not some new cutting edge whatchamawhozits. Overwhelmingly, most of the bass players my age I know prefer passive basses, mostly Fender, but also Rickenbacker and Ibanez or Gibson. And when we're looking for different, out their instruments, it's often not a 6-string MTD or the like, it's usually an entirely different type of instrument (but maybe that's just my perception within my friend group). Oddly enough, back home, older bass players would ask me why I didn't have a 5 or 6 string, why would I stick with a plain old Fender, the opposite of what you're describing Twofingers. And even more so than what INSTRUMENT you're playing, what older musicians would constantly get on my bass playing friends and myself about was why we didn't slap, because obviously it's the end all be all. From my perspective, there's been a shift away from the almost technophilic trend of the 90s and early 2000s, with active electronics, ERBs, rack processors and amps, back towards more "simplistic", "vintage" equipment. That's not to say some kids out there wouldn't love to get their hands on a MTD or the like, but I don't think it's due to them being afraid of losing credibility or being frowned upon by older players, more likely it's a cost issue. I would like to get a nice custom piece one day, but it's prohibitively expensive, and I love my Fenders, so I'll stick with them. God forbid the youth enjoys and uses the same instruments that their influences used. If kids are looking for new instruments, they're probably not even looking at a Electric Bass. They're looking for synths, or possibly even effects to change up the sounds, not a new Bass in and of itself.

So, my point had NOTHING to do with LOCAL old guys pounding away at bass players, and EVERYTHING to do with the INDUSTRY pounding away at them.

And my point STILL is, you HAD your day. Now let the kids have their day. And let Fender CATER to those kids with WHATEVER crazy designs they want! And quit pissing and moaning every time Fender decides to try something NEW rather than offering you OLD GUYS a freaking TELE bass with a mudbucker at the bridge in SHERWOOD GREEN! If you WANT one of those, put one together with parts or have the custom shop MAKE you one. And let them MARKET new ideas to the MASSES.

Idk, I don't see the "industry" telling me I have to play a Fender. Most sound guys I've worked with couldn't give two ****s about what bass I'm playing, they're way more upset over the amps I use. And what industry? Most kids I know don't even acknowledge much of an industry. We're not listening to major label releases, we're listening to independent labels, artists doing it for themselves. I listen to predominately older music, and I chose Fender as my main bass because I saw other people in old photos and recordings playing them. They weren't PUSHED upon me by some conspiring industry. That's how most people go about picking out their instruments. There are enough instruments out their to pick up whatever the heck you want to play. I think you're giving way to much credit to the influence of this "industry". Most kids I know don't want CRAZY designs, we want solid instruments that do what we need them to do, of which Fender has a great offering. Now, don't get me wrong, I love that Fender is trying something new, it's awesome, but for myself, and I'd venture many younger players, we're not gonna rush out to pick up the new Dimension. Fender will always be the solid back bone of bass, producing Ps & Js. Personally, I'd like to see them slim down the Ps & Js variants, and give me more damn custom colours. It's not just "old dudes" that want reissues and vintage specs and colours. So while I agree with you that people should lay off Fender and let them experiment, I think your reasoning about the demands of the youth is pretty far off.

 

[JimmyM]

I can play any bass I want and I can afford any bass I want, even an MTD. While I do have a few others, the ones that get almost all my calls for the past 10 years are Fenders. I find it more than just a little insulting that anti-Fender people think people only buy Fenders because of peer pressure and lack of finances and would really rather play something else.

 

[fishtx]

Almost forgot - I would also like to see a '68 Telecaster Bass reissue available in the original blond finish:

and a 5-string version...

 

[Hapa]

Welp, here's where I piss off a few. Fender needs to move on. Sure, they should keep making a P bass, J basses, and even some old style amps. But then they should start making whatever they think will sell, and to heck with those who would ask them to stay in the past. Here's the thing. Those who are stuck in the past don't even like new Fender basses anyway. They won't even BUY a new Fender. So why give a crap what they think???? You aren't selling to them anyway!

So, no, I do not think Fender should come out with 75 more reissue basses and guitars. We don't need 15 Tele basses, 25 more P basses.... in every single stinking color you can think of. We don't need another roadworn anything. Buy an old one or take sandpaper to your new one. Fender should keep a few tried and true designs and move on. Trying to satisfy people who wouldn't dare buy a "new old" Fender anyway is stupid from a business standpoint. And this whole debate is moot if they go out of business.

Most kids don't want another '62 Strat, or stack knob J, or another P bass. They want something made for their music, their style, and their generation. Give them what they want. If the old guys don't come along for the ride, let them shop at pawn shops or stick to the one or two tried and true models that Fender keeps around (all the while pissing and moaning that Fender doesn't offer them in every conceivable color and with every single tiny detail they like about some vintage bass somebody slapped together from parts in a garage band they were in back in '64).

First rule of business. Stay in business. And trying to live for another century on the same old platform won't keep them in business. And if you closed-minded old guys don't ALLOW them to move on, then YOU are sentencing them to death. (But you'll blame capitalism or some other factor for doing them in).

I see kids from Nashville traveling with new country acts all the time. They are wearing Converse Chucks, skinny jeans, V neck T-shirts, scarves around their necks, and still playing a freakin P-bass. When I ask them about it, they pretty much tell me they play a P bass because they HAVE to play a P bass. They have other basses at home that never come on the road. But they don't DARE show up with something other than a 4 string P. Why? Because somewhere along the way, some OLD GUYS in Nashville decided that the Fender P bass is the official bass of live music. I saw a band recently that had a deal with Gibson. The kid brought his brand new Gibson bass on stage. He wasn't up there five minutes before I heard somebody behind the board asking where his P bass was and asking what "that piece of crap" was. Give me a break. Let the kids play what they want. And you old guys should BACK OFF of them.

Let Fender stay in business. And they WON'T stay in business forever building nothing but rehashed versions of basses and rigs that you old guys sit around dreaming about and drooling over.

Before you jump, I'm 42 and own two Fender basses (just bought another last week that should be here Wednesday). And I also own a vintage Fender tube amp. (However, the Dimension HHV is on my radar and I will probably snag one around Christmas.) But those are MY tastes. You won't catch me pissing and moaning if Fender tries to break out of jail and do some different things to make the kids happy. They made Hot Pink HSS Strats in the 80s and that was a GREAT plan. They should get out of their rut and try something for THIS generation as well.

Sure, a 6 string Jazz..... why not? Plenty of OTHER companies make them using the same old Fender design, why not FENDER? Sure, a digital platform guitar/bass rig that imitates the sound of 47 gagillion other amps with the touch of a button, weighs about two ounces, and is made of pure Boston Red Sox BLUE PLASTIC! (By the way, the fact that ANY amp is still covered in black tolex.... a seemingly fragile substance that tears if you look at it wrong...... is completely ridiculous given the technology we have today.)

You had your day. Let the kids have theirs. And let Fender MOVE ON! There will be plenty of 4 string P basses floating around if you need ONE MORE.

(breathe) I feel better. Anyone else?

Glad I got that off my chest.

FLAME ON!

+1

I think that in the next 10 years Fender will continue to remain on top by slowly not caring again about quality on imports. Eventually having a need to buy american again. All companies are killing the top end by making the imports at nearly the same quality. Too many options in the low end. The entire industry was better when a cheap guitar inspired you to want the "real" version. I think they will offer the classics (Strat, Tele, P, J) in Squier in limited colors, no reissues other than at NAMM in batches and Fender not Squier. Amps will get lean again. I see little reason for Fender to get into high end bass stuff. In 40 years they have never been a bass amp company. That being said they have opportunity to make a big splash. I doubt they will do it, it is not the best way for them to invest. That being said they do have a lot of debt, recently acquired by a private equity company... The Fender model is old and proven the strat/tele, P/ J will be available in a blister pack sold out of vending machines, music stores wont exist. We will buy expensive remakes of 90's guitars. American made will cost 3k and up just like Gibsons now.

 

[LAST_C]

I think Fender has a hard time selling basses not named Precision or Jazz. Same goes with their guitars. Just Strats and Teles. if they come up with a "modern" design, people won't buy it. I have a Fender MB5 and people looks at me like it's a cheapo with a Fender decal.

I think that's why we see time and time again A "New" P or Jazz. And that's why, in my opinion, they bought Jackson and other brands so they could offer something different.

 

[jnuts1]

as a dude that has played a ton of gigs with a ton of different bands & sound men & producers & engineers I can say they ALL want a fender around my neck. Two fingers I agree with you whole heartily on everything except the old guys part. its young guys too!
this is how these conversations go when I show up at a gig. & this is without playing a note.
"you play a markbass amp? well you must be cheap & love crappy gear, why don't you get a real full stack?" "what is a smith bass? an MTD? I've never heard of one & I've been playing bass for decades" "you should really play a fender out of an ampeg, it's the best, you just don't know what your talking about"

 

[Brendan]

I reckon they should start looking into a new headstock shape. For basses, they're stuck with the strat and tele style headstocks, and that's pretty much it. They're fine headstocks, and don't need replacing on the classic models, but I also think that if Fender wants to push ahead, try and break some new ground, expand the brand they need something a little more modern to be able to put on their basses.

The Dimensions have been mentioned, and while I think they're great steps forward, in terms of advancing Fender's overall style, the traditional headstocks doesn't quite fit, in my opinion. Just something a little more modern, a little less bulb-ish, a little cleaner/sharper looking for more modern style basses.

A good analogy would be something like Celinder Update headstock. Not a massive deviation, but the small tweaks make it look a lot better on a more modern styled instrument. Something like that for the Dimension basses and beyond would be rad.

 

[Robert B]

My apologies to all for contributing to the derailment of this thread. I've deleted my comments not relating to the topic and will work on my self control in future forum interactions.

 

[Hapa]

Why would Fender change the headstock? Its patented. It must be the most identifiable headstock in the business. Poppycock.

 

[Brendan]

Why would Fender change the headstock? Its patented. It must be the most identifiable headstock in the business. Poppycock.

I didn't say abandon the classic. I said create a new one to add to the stable.

 

[Bongolation]

Why would Fender change the headstock? Its patented.

No, it's not.

 

[RED J]

Fact is, they've tried other headstocks. Bombed.

 

[Robert B]

My apologies to all for contributing to the derailment of this thread. I've deleted my comments not relating to the topic and will work on my self control in future forum interactions.