# What is your reaction to this?(New Fender Content)



## Don Vito (May 10, 2012)

Personally, I like it...I like it a lot. Potential 2012 buy/GAS.

Love the meaty tone and reverse headstock. Would look great in some J Rock band or something haha. (I'm surprised ESP didn't do this first)


----------



## GenghisCoyne (May 10, 2012)

not what im into but pretty cool to see fender doing some "silly shit" like that


----------



## TemjinStrife (May 10, 2012)

No way I'm paying $800 for that.


----------



## Don Vito (May 10, 2012)

TemjinStrife said:


> No way I'm paying $800 for that.


GAS terminated


----------



## BillNephew (May 10, 2012)

The pawnshop series stuff will probably end up used for around $450 in a year or two. Regardless, some pretty cool strange stuff they're putting out.


----------



## GhostsofAcid (May 10, 2012)

Kinda has the Loomis sig color scheme going on. I like it, not really my taste in basses though. At least when Fender do experimental stuff it doesn't end up as painful as Gibson's more "out there" models.


----------



## Levi79 (May 10, 2012)




----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands (May 10, 2012)




----------



## pushpull7 (May 10, 2012)

I like it. I won't buy one, but I like it. I like the pawn shop series looks.


----------



## LordCashew (May 10, 2012)

Uhhh...






"Fenderbird," anyone?


----------



## Ocara-Jacob (May 10, 2012)

I'll call it that.


----------



## pushpull7 (May 11, 2012)

I wonder if that switch would be in the way for slappers?


----------



## DavidLopezJr (May 12, 2012)

I'm just glad Fender is trying to innovate from a traditional guitar company standpoint.


----------



## TemjinStrife (May 12, 2012)

DavidLopezJr said:


> I'm just glad Fender is trying to innovate from a traditional guitar company standpoint.



I wouldn't call turning one of their designs upside down "innovating."

After all, Hendrix did it in 1969.


----------



## Ryan-ZenGtr- (May 12, 2012)

Fender have really lost their way, eh?

Why do we see so much innovation from independent luthiers around these parts and so little from the companies with obligations to shareholders?

You'd think it would be the other way round. Fender must have an R&D department.



I saw two interesting guitars recently from the big 2; A Gibson Moderne reissue and a Fender Heartfield.


----------



## Murmel (May 12, 2012)

^
They're already outselling every single guitar compary with their old models. Why change something that clearly works? The strat and Les Paul are still 2 of my favourite shapes of all time. They're also studio standards because they cover such a large spectrum of sounds.

Ont: I'd play it. But I'd only play it in a punk or rock band.


----------



## Bevo (May 12, 2012)

It kinda looks like it is upside down.

Not for me thanks.


----------



## Djdnxgdj3983jrjd8udb3bcns (May 12, 2012)

The moderne is somewhat fugly imo. Reverse jag to me looks pretty decent, although that may be due to the vague resemblance shared with the thunderbird, a shape that has always appealed to me.


----------



## AxeHappy (May 15, 2012)

Murmel said:


> ^
> They're already outselling every single guitar compary with their old models. Why change something that clearly works? The strat and Les Paul are still 2 of my favourite shapes of all time. They're also studio standards because they cover such a large spectrum of sounds.



I'm actually about 100% sure Ibanez has replaced Gibson as the #2 competitor to Fender. But largely because the GIO line is part of the Ibanez line compared to the Epiphone which doesn't count towards Gibson sales.


----------



## Mordacain (May 15, 2012)

Ryan-ZenGtr- said:


> Fender have really lost their way, eh?
> 
> Why do we see so much innovation from independent luthiers around these parts and so little from the companies with obligations to shareholders?
> 
> You'd think it would be the other way round. Fender must have an R&D department.



I disagree, I think Fender knows their market quite well. Fender continues to make modest changes to their bread and butter guitars that the majority of the public (not just guitarists) are familiar with.

The Pawn Shop series as a whole I think are pretty cool guitars. I wouldn't necessarily call them "innovative" either but they're interesting and I could definitely find a use for the 51 or Mustang









One other thing to note about the pawnshop series is that $800 buys a Made in Japan product. Compare that to your average Ibanez Prestige's street price and it does not look inflated in the slightest. In fact, they are cheaper than some of the top tier MIM offerings by Fender.

The thing about innovation is that there is an associated risk. The innovations we've seen custom luthiers come out with recently are low-risk, as they are built by hand and paid for in advance. For a major manufacturer to innovate, there has to be a significant market demand for a particular trend as it requires retooling their workshop, in some case retraining or hiring new staff and that cost has to be absorbed by the manufacturer up-front.


----------



## Powermetalbass (May 15, 2012)

It's fender....meh! enough said!


----------



## TemjinStrife (May 15, 2012)

Mordacain said:


>



The hilarious part is that used to be a Squier model that debuted at $250; they didn't sell well so they blew them out for $100, and they became an underground sensation.

Trying to cash in on the '51 love with an $800 model is tough to swallow.

Here's my $100 plank of twangy, punchy awesomeness:


----------



## Mordacain (May 15, 2012)

TemjinStrife said:


> The hilarious part is that used to be a Squier model that debuted at $250; they didn't sell well so they blew them out for $100, and they became an underground sensation.
> 
> Trying to cash in on the '51 love with an $800 model is tough to swallow.
> 
> Here's my $100 plank of twangy, punchy awesomeness:



I see your point, but its not really tough for me since the Squier 51's are selling now for anywhere between $175-$300. I've played both and there is just no comparison. Personally, I'd have to replace the pickups in a Squier 51, get a refret (or fret dress if the frets were ok), replace the bridge, electronics and perform a good setup. After sinking all of that time and money, it still wouldn't have the same quality of woods and assembly.

Its no different for me in comparing a low-end MIK Ibanez vs a MIJ Prestige Ibanez. Personally, I was kinda bummed I missed getting one of the Squiers when they were blown out in the first place.


----------



## TemjinStrife (May 15, 2012)

Dude, I've played the Fender '51s. They're nice, but not eight times nicer than my '51. Not even three times as nice.


----------



## Mordacain (May 16, 2012)

TemjinStrife said:


> Dude, I've played the Fender '51s. They're nice, but not eight times nicer than my '51. Not even three times as nice.



We'll have to agree to disagree there. Its a moot point now since the Squier 51 is not produced anymore.

Regardless, the Pawn Shop series are MIJ instruments that are a bargain when compared with other MIJ instruments' new street price.


----------



## Don Vito (May 16, 2012)

TemjinStrife said:


>



Swwet guitar!

I've never seen one of those


----------



## Ryan-ZenGtr- (May 16, 2012)

The guitars I mentioned earlier were in the hands of friends, so I got to check them out. 

The Moderne, it's a headturner but for the wrong reasons. Pretty innovative for the time(1957 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!), representative of a forward thinking company. Hideous failure though...

The Heartfield was Fender's shredder guitar introduced in 1989 and were produced up to 1993 (approximately). 

*^^internet quote^^*.

Seemed like a fun instrument.

Anyway, my general feeling is that most experienced players would only buy a genuine older Fender rather than a new one. It must be tough for them being 60 years behind the times.

It's a shame they can't produce something exciting for guitarists that are used to "sports" guitars...

I've got some 90's Tele's but generally not a Fender fan as they don't produce anything that works for me. If they made it, I'd try it.

+1 vote for a more adventurous Fender.


----------



## Murmel (May 16, 2012)

Ryan-ZenGtr- said:


> I've got some 90's Tele's but generally not a Fender fan as they don't produce anything that works for me. If they made it, I'd try it.
> 
> +1 vote for a more adventurous Fender.



Fender are already doing what they do best; making good sounding guitars that suit most genres. If it's a particular sound you're after, then you could easily modify a strat with different pickups and hardware. Granted, it won't sound like a Les Paul, but you can make it sound nothing like a strat if you so wish.

If you're after, let's say, a metal guitar, then there are already so many options out there. I don't see why Fender should get into making them too (just using metal as an example here). Stock telecasters sound tight as hell with high gain, though.

And If a company doesn't have anything that appeals to you as a musician I don't really see why one would even care if they do nothing but release old designs or not.
Personally, I'm glad that Fender are still making the good ol' strats and teles. Because let's face it, it's harder to find anything strat or tele-like from another company than it is to find something like an Ibanez RG.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands (May 16, 2012)

+1 on Fender staying with their classics.

Why do I disagree with them trying to be "adventurous?"

Because this.


----------



## Don Vito (May 16, 2012)

What. The. Fuck. 

is that......


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands (May 16, 2012)

kennedyblake said:


> What. The. Fuck.
> 
> is that......



Fender Katana - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


----------



## HaMMerHeD (May 16, 2012)

Like all things fender...


----------



## engage757 (May 17, 2012)

Gotta do something with all those lefty Jag bodies that won't sell.


----------



## Don Vito (May 17, 2012)




----------



## TemjinStrife (May 17, 2012)

engage757 said:


> Gotta do something with all those lefty Jag bodies that won't sell.



Nah, they're making these new. Look at the forearm contours!


----------

