Guitar Advertising Is Getting WORSE
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- Опубликовано: 9 фев 2025
- Advertising and marketing is pretty interesting. It's a way to get people to think about certain things and not think about others. Fender have just released their new line of American Ultra II guitars with a tag line that I feel raises more questions than it answers and ultimately detracts from the product launch. I thought I'd talk about it
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Innovation is Tradition. War Is Peace. Freedom Is Slavery. Ignorance Is Strength. Buy Buy Buy.
Based
What a splendid pie
Bro has 4000 guitars behind him
also "abortion is healthcare" and "silence is violence"
bro worships Satsuki Kiryuuin
Yeah, nothing screams innovation like the words "classic", "vintage" and "aged"
Hahaha! I nearly spat out my drink!
"Reliced"
To be fair guitars do not have much to improve on. Especially with acoustic guitars what are you going to do? Some designs don't change because they are already near perfection. All you can do is tweak it a little (like active pickups etc.) but the general thing stays the same.
@@EbonyPope There is tons of innovation to be had in materials. The electric guitar has been trapped in the pseudo-science of tonewoods for decades, because it was effective marketing for boomers (and Gen X to some extent). Now that it's fading away we can have serious innovation in making guitars at affordable price points that are more resilient to atmospheric changes, lighter, more consistently resonant across the frequency spectrum, more durable, and more modular.
@@intenzityd3181 That is old news. Also all these alternative materials only have limited application. Most people no matter what they play still prefer guitars made of wood. There is nothing truly new only variations of what we already have. And that's fine. I'm not criticizing them for that. The wheel is super old yet we don't discard it and the progress we are making miniscule. I mean yes some new rubber mixture here and there but in essence they are perfected. They do not fundamentally change. Same goes for instruments. We have them figured out and truly new things would only happen if you invented a whole new instrument. But that is not likely to happen.
2 dudes work in fenders R&D department. One is responsible for next years colours, the other for the names. And they work part time.
Fender guitars and innovation - no.
Leo Fender and innovation - yes.
He may have made some mistakes, but he also paved the way forward
That's why he created 3 successful guitar companies which are all still active.
All fender's done for the last 20+ years is use slightly less common pickups in a couple models, then discontinue them and bring roughly the same thing back a few years later
@@AnnoyingOrange420 It's a shame, really. Leave the classic specs for the heritage reissues for folks like me, but actually do modern stuff for those that want it. The heel contour is the most impressive thing with the new lineup
To an extent. If people really wanted the innovation though, G&L would've overtaken Fender sales years ago.
@@Scott__C Not many have heard of G&L, that's the problem. They never got the recognition like Charvel or Jackson did
10:42 Well I have seen multiple gibson’s headstock folded in the past
Keep quiet bud,they are innovative af😂
Oh my god, I'm dying
Repeating the same old joke is certainly not innovative.
@@castleanthrax1833but still funny😂😂😂
@@castleanthrax1833 well, it's funny cause it's true 🤣
I got this in my email inbox and just laughed. "Innovation never rests! We have now caught up with the 90's!"
'90s? Never heard of 'em!' Bart Simpson.
To be fair guitars do not have much to improve on. Especially with acoustic guitars what are you going to do? Some designs don't change because they are already near perfection. All you can do is tweak it a little (like active pickups etc.) but the general thing stays the same.
@@EbonyPope ergonomic,light weight,comfortable mojo,stable turning and ocative,there numerous things
Yep, I got the same email from Fender, hillarious! The word innovation, above a picture of a guitar that was first brought out 70 years ago. I love their guitars, but pretty stupid advertising.
The real latest innovation happened at G&L anyways.
Had once someone came to me and say "Nice Strat but why not a Fender?"...I played my G&L Legacy 😐
@g.koch.😂 I must have had the same "know nothing" beer loving, bar patron come up to me and say the same t thing as I was playing my really really nice G&L swamp ash strat 😂
It was so nice but I traded it for a black face Fender deluxe. Any way, people are funny.
To be fair guitars do not have much to improve on. Especially with acoustic guitars what are you going to do? Some designs don't change because they are already near perfection. All you can do is tweak it a little (like active pickups etc.) but the general thing stays the same.
@@g.koch. Even though it’s created by Leo himself, your G&L is still a Strat knockoff.
@@gunkanjima3408 totally, but that was not his point. Could have been a John Cruz, Suhr, Danocaster, Castedosa or any other high price boutique brand and he would still say that, while my Squier Obey Strat with a mexico Fender neck would probably get compliments being superior from him. The etablished brand logo is what counts for many people regardless the quality or price.
Congratulations on the 100k you’ve worked hard to make a successful and informative channel thank you
It's like a fast food chain marketing a hamburger, how many different ways can you sell the same thing...
and that's why I like places like Fike Guys, just sell good product, virtually 0 advertisment or marketing, good product does the talk!
4:19 KDH likes Wendy's, unsubscribed
A handbag for each outfit!
Fender, and gaslighting consumers about innovation.
Name a more iconic duo.
Gibson and jacking prices
lying is not gaslighting. stop using that word every time someone lies
Gibson and poor QC
@@Jackiesbeenhere so true
@@AUTI5T1X also fender isn't gaslighting, gaslighting isn't even a real thing. It's just a term made up by kids on social who are starving for attention and think life only happens to them.
One of the biggest problems with dinosaurs like Fender is that when they buy out better, younger, more innovative guitar makers, they send them backward and make them more like Fenders (see: devolution).
...and then that makes room for new better younger moor innovative guitar makers to then buy out. Fender is a dinosaur that eats it's young
Excellent point K.! Fender's slogan should just be "Clapton, Gilmore, Hendrix, Stevie Ray..." I want a Fender because they don't change, not because they change.
You think fender would keep making them if they weren't selling?????
Not the sharpest tool in the box, are you.
The fact you think you just made a salient point is worrying.
"Any man who must say, 'I am the king,' is no true king" comes to mind.
Of the night time world?
Banger reference, Game Of Thrones for anyone left wondering.
@@DMSProduktions Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones.
@@GregStraub42 NEVER heard of it.
@@DMSProduktions ok
Funnily enough I am currently working on my dissertation thesis for university in regards to this. It's fascinating how guitar players predominantly will no recognise these lack of features and would rather buy the hype over genuinely interesting features when other instrument makers across the space (For example: Roland) are constantly iterating on their classic sounds by including them within new designs.
Who cares? If it ain't broke, don't fix it. I've played about any kind of "innovative" guitar you can think of. 8 string, multiscale, headless, etc. My favorite/main guitar is a bolt on charvel san dimas with HH pickups and a floyd rose. Not very innovative but I'd play it over just about any guitar you could possibly hand me. I'm sure there are plenty of players like me who don't care about the latest and greatest tech and are happy with our boring old shit.
Great reply . Fully agree .
Just wanna play guitar . The laptop can feck off
I'd agree with the other replies. I prefer a simpler rig. I want a guitar that feels comfortable and uncomplicated and a decent amp to plug it into. My favourite guitar of what I have is a Fender MIM strat i've had for 20 years. That doesn't make me a shill for Fender or blind to innovation. I have a bandmate who's huge into midi everything, that's cool but it's not my thing.
@@jodybriggs1075have you tried the EVH guitars !? They are best new fender product in 20+ years!?
I remember when they were called plain old American Deluxes! Haven't changed much since then...
When a company spams RUclipsrs with product. I instantly write it off as junk
I wouldn’t write it off immediately as junk, but you can tell that’s something is up. It’s really transparent when they do their sales campaign. They do this since 5-6 years at least and it’s very tiring and it’s not just Fender, but almost all the big brands.
@@benedekgabor. Shilling junkkkkkk
Better help with a side of a lord or lady shilling endless guitar junk. Few and far between are products worth looking at.
I don't think Fender strats are junk, rather that most companies are now owned by big capital, feeding the 1%.
Oh my, I was not prepared for the pretzel neck! Can't wait to see the video on this !
no stainless frets where's the innovation?
it's not traditional enough, can't have that
If they go the same way that they did with the Ultra, they'll probably release an Ultra Luxe II which will have the stainless steel frets.
@@simonjhudson7378The all-new Fender™ Ultra Modern Vintage American Professional Standard II™ Series
They'll "innovate" that in 2040.
Stainless steel frets were innovative 20 years ago. Not so much today.
Last electric guitar I *wanted* was a Yamaha Revstar with P90s. Sometimes others come and go but it will stay. It is my most played electric and some are a LOT more $.
I have owned a nice natural ash 2000 USA pro Strat, it didn't stick, traded for a Martin D35. Never liked the tone or feel of the strat. Grew up on Gibson's shorter scale on acoustics, muscle memory is all wrong with a strat. Proportions just feel awkward to me.
In August, a friend and I was visiting a bigger guitar store in Germany because my friend was searching for a good Stratocaster. He has a lot of guitars, but he wanted a really good Stratocaster... We tryed a lot of Stratocasters, but it was disappointing, because of the quality and sound...at least he found one that is really good, but this one was over 5300€... That's a lot of money, but he just wanted to have the one Stratocaster that is perfect for him. I have some Stratocaster pro (the first version) at home and I modified these, because I was not happy with some aspects. Innovation is for me, better quality of the materials, new systems, new wiring, new look....
I was not happy with this two point trem system and I built a new one out of titanium, new saddles, also a bigger block, new strings and spring claw and an additional resonance block. Now it sounds really good and it stays in tune with a floating trem system. To try out different things to develop a system is the first step to be innovative. Fender is really not innovative in comparison to some other guitar brands. There are so many options to let a good guitar even sound better...
@hjmism It was not really staying in tune and I use it a lot. As thicker strings were used the situation became worse and the tension of the springs had to be increased, requiring more force to be applied to the trem arm. It was not comfortable to use. Now the problems are solved. Also if the thin e string breaks, it stays in tune.
I have a bunch of old Fender Frontline magazines from the early 2000s. I just happened to be flicking through one or two a few days ago and made a similar mental note to this. Every year they display strat after strat after strat and tele after tele after tele like they were brand new models because one had a 57 neck the year before and it has 62 neck the next year. They just swap the basic specs around on a carousel and slap a new name on the line. Obviously this is lost on no one, but it seems to be the only play most guitar companies have. Me personally, I haven't bought a new 'high end' guitar in decades. The 2nd hand market is fit to burst, but they keep upping their price every year and failing to justify why. I don't know how Gibson are convincing anyone to part with 3K for a new Les paul.
I watched the interview with the Fender chap on Andertons. What struck me was that the Ultra did not have stainless steel frets; that was for the Ultra something a bit more expensive (Max, double Ultra, Ultra boss????).
Plus Ultra
It was the Ultra Luxe series.
Pretty stupid when your "Ultra" model isnt the highest spec guitar.
The Ultra 2 is the 2015 LP Std of Fender. One big thing that puts me off are the channels singing the praises of the new model on the same day. I hate marketing and I’ve got a degree in it 😹
It's very basic marketing, sell the benefits not the features. A colleague of mine used to say "Sell the sizzle, not the sausage". Thanks for the video.
Congratulations on the 100k!
Fenders marketing at the minute is just ridiculous
meanwhile i’m at a point where advertisement of any kind causes the exact opposite of what the advertiser wants me to do. a reason for this could be the massive amount of commercials here on YT…..
Congrats on 100k man, I'm happy to be a part of this community, your videos are always great and informal
You’re spot on KDH. As ever dude. Keep on keeping on man ❤
Congratulations on reaching 100K. Fully deserved. Well done. 🍻
A few years ago the word innovation came up a lot and I realized it has come to mean, "Here's a thing that's like the old thing but looks slightly different so you MUST buy it." Almost all technology is like this today.
As a professional copywriter and ex pro touring musician, this was interesting. Copy really is the centre of marketing.
This is a typical example of what happens when you hire people who have studied some Management & marketing. Those people are full of nonsense theoretical crap yet full of confidence. They know they need to create a phrase. KDH shows a common sense approach here, which they do not have. I had several experiences with such people in my career. For example, a senior programmer managed everything in one programming team, but then the owner decided that we needed a "professional" manager. In the end, the manager was all that stayed. Such a lack of realism and practical thinking. And Dunning-Kruger in its purest form. Now, there's a CEO from a shoe company in Marshall. It is always better to get people from a given field who can do marketing (or at least a guitarist, in this case) than those "marketing specialists." When I did my mechanical engineering degree, we had to pass also a Management & marketing course. It was such pain in the a**, just for one semester. If I imagine that someone gets a degree for several years of this theoretical bullsh1t. Maybe only gender studies produce more useless graduates.
Parker guitars were the last major innovator that I can think of.
You're forgetting Strandberg
@@GuvnaOnSpotify Steinberger did the headless thing a long time ago. EndurNeck profile is about the only innovative thing Strandberg can boast. Six bolts instead of four on some models? Is there something else I missed? Looking at their website I really don't see anything earthshaking for innovation. Parker was more of a revolution for innovation at the time. DBZ has the Z Glide neck which is innovative. Seems like it's really difficult to innovate on the guitar, not that it can't happen but it seems to be very difficult. Most guitar players aren't that interested in innovation in guitars.
Innovation: Release the same thing as before, attach an artists name to it in just a “new” color with less features, sometimes poorer quality, call it a “signature model”, and charge 3 times as much.
There is a goofy gap between the fretboard and the body on the ultra 2. There are also sharp edges on the pickup switch. Both due to the thinner pickguard.
Marketing isn't just the copy. It's fitting the product to the market segment who will buy it, and then (usually) trying to maximise penetration in that market.
The strat is a classic guitar, and I believe that its brand identity (and probably that for Fender in general) is about this timelessness. That's why the strat evolves in such a narrow box - crazy stuff like folding necks almost certainly doesn't appeal to the market segment that Fender is aiming for. Other brands serve those markets. When Fender diversifies its market, it does that with sub brands - as you mentioned.
I've got (amongst other things) a strat deluxe (forerunner to the Ultra), and an Ibanez AZ Prestige. They are both fantastic guitars and I love them both. The AZ may be more or less strat shaped, and have a more or less strat neck, but it's not a strat. It doesn't feel like one, and it doesn't sound like one.
I think the Ultra II are an innovation, *within the bounds of what a Fender strat is.*
Marketing interests me too. Back in 1987 I was a marketing manager within an operating company of a global organisation. I was BA (hons)M.Inst.M Dip.M. I graduated in social science in 1980. Hence my interest in marketing. I am particular interested in what folk like Andertons get up to etc. Anyway.
washing powders have been getting whiter since the 1950’s. And strats are seemingly getting better too …. Ffs how good can they get? Custom shop good. Fender the Henry Ford of guitars. Just as Leo intended. 😂
The real innovation would be Fender Custom Shop guitars with Squier Affinity series prices. lmao
Well done on 100k subscribers! Well deserved, your channel does a lot of things other channels don't!
Thanks for this video. You nailed it. Call me naive, but as I've seen the teaser, I immediately thought of a vintage style Evertune bridge and/or stainless steel frets and/or a 25.5-27,5 multiscale Meteora (would nicely fit this odd design, I think). Even this wouldn't have been real innovations but big leaps forward for Fender. You are absolutely right: Real innovation doesn't need the term. We sense it, as we see it.
I would honestly assumed that the finance and commercial manager guys figured that, hey we need a price hike of 11%, because salaries and materials have gone up etc etc. But instead of just increasing the ultra price by 11% and getting the outrage over that, howabout we make a new product, which is almost identical to the old line, just put some luminlays on there, no one have any idea how much it actually adds of cost to a guitar over normal inlays anyway, and then we use it to sell more products, good? Ok, marketing go figure out some way to make luminlays sound like a entirely new product line.
Other lines of business might do it differently, like shinkflation: we need to increase price by 11% or howabout we just reduce our cost by 11% by making the package of food smaller.. And then we sell it as a new enhances flavor, even if it is the exact same product.
I think the first few sentences of your post perfectly sum up the likely scenario that went on at Fender.
Labor prices have to be going down except in the USA. Companies in Indonesia and China don't pay much.
Why doesn't Fender just release new designs like the Paranormal series by Squier as limited runs? That would be exciting while also keeping their core models.
Innovation invites comparison. Excellent analysis. It's not just how we approach merchants and advertising- It's how we judge our own development as players. We innovate (learn something new) and compare to our past selves.
Give you the hot tip, quartersawn necks have been around since the inception of stringed instruments. The old necks will also be quartersawn, like everyone elses on the market, all they have done is make note of it (take note they dont claim this "feature" is new)
I have seen NOTHING from Fender or Gibson that I would feel good about handing over my money to them in over 25+ years. I keep refretting the old ones I already have.
They aren't the innovation department. Like you said, their sub-brands do that. I see the Ultra's as Fender trying to add features like Jacksons' compound radius, smooth neck and additional carves in the most mild way possible because they know if they go too far they'll just end up with a Charvel. Gibson is in the same boat. If you want a modern single cut just buy an EC-1000 or a Schecter Solo-II.
Musicians Friend was a big music gear supplier , along the lines of what Sweetwater is, now. The former’s monthly + catalogues in the mail were outstanding - all kinds of inventory, all bargain prices, more if you could afford it.
Sweetwater’s catalogues are seasonal, instead their sales team representatives develop a semi-personal relationship on your records of buying. And their catalogues are ludicrously inflated objects of obviously relatively cheap production esp in relation to their astronomical prices. Such is the extreme tactical push for high profit items that replaces my old friend, Musicians Friend.
Congrats on 100k! 🎸🤘🏻
Congrats on 100k!🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Fender's biggest innovation era was in the late 80's and 90's. The American Standard, Plus and Ultra line were incredibly popular. They were just a Fender with all the popular upgrades players were doing.
Humbuckers, upgraded pickups, upgraded hardware with an objective increase in performance and great looks.
I'm afraid you can't really do much more with a Stratocaster.
I don't really care. My favorite Fender model is the Journeyman from the custom shop and the AVRI 1&2.
I'm perfectly happy with the innovation of a rosewood fingerboard and a 5 way switch.
You can do more, but it turns into something that's either a San Dimas, Dinky or Jackson Soloist.
I got a 95 standard USA it's beyond imagination !
I've been a Fender fan since I started playing in the '80s, I honestly love the way their guitars and basses play and sound. But seeing them claim to be innovative, when Strandberg exists, is beyond laughable. And all of those upgrades are nice, but that's just what they should have been ... optional upgrades to the existing models. They probably would have made more money that way, instead of cramming them all into 'new' models. Also, their ridiculously ubiquitous RUclips marketing is just annoying. Congrats on 100K subs.
Seems like Fender innovation has propelled their designs almost as far as the mid 1990s. Well done, well done.
Yeah, as soon as I got the email with the tagline, I IMMEDIATELY thought of Charvel and what they already offer at less cost. Same headstocks too!
The only reason I would have HIGHLY considered these was for the Meteora because I LOVE that shape so much. The Player Plus colors just DO NOT do it for me. But if they had an option for that blue on the Meteora with the anodized pickguards and a maple board (but it would've been ebony and I would've been fine with that too), AND the open coil humbuckers, I would have not thought TWICE about snagging one asap. Oh well, maybe someday.
Congrats on the 100k. That's a cool new vintage play button :D
Very interesting, I would add that innovation isn't the same for everyone. For the big brands slow moving clearly it means something different. You said yourself they took a while to get on board with illumi/side dots.
There is some hope in the fact that the kids of today's icons aren't playing Fenders and Gibsons, maybe they won't grow into Les Paul collecting dentists
play authentic ist the best marketing slogan ever😉 but new vintage colors is also very good😊
I’ve never liked the social engineering aspect of marketing/advertising. It’s gotten worse since the advent of social media and the social engineering that it brings.
Social Engineering means they want protected data from you, e.g.: bank password or credit card numbers. Perhaps you mean influence?
Congratulations on the 100k subs 🎉
The funny 😁🤣 is companies have been sued for lies and WON DUE TO CREATIVE LICENSE ?!???! 😞 So buyer beware... IMO CNC Machining has leveled the playing field... So Indonesian guitars, Chinese guitars, Vietnamese guitars, Far Cheaper just possibly a few mods still way ahead financially. Cheers 🍻🥃🥃🎸🎵🎶🎶🎶
Ive ordered an Ultra II jazz bass V in avalanche. I agree I dont think there is ground breaking stuff here over the Ultra before it or even the Elite series before that. I just really wanted an active 5 string US Fender Jazz and I will be sure to play the thing and make sure im happy with my purchase. Cheers for your content. The marketing campaign perhaps isnt the best
Now you need a spotlight in the background to always not-so-subtly light up that 100K plaque!
Why?
I have a squire strat that I've gigged for two years, I painted it myself in the shed during lock down, got it for Christmas 20 years ago. 2k for a strat can go swivel
For decades I've been told my guitar strings were "carefully balanced for a superior feel". Nope, me neither. By the way HUGE congrats for the 100k. I will absolutely admit that when I first became aware of you via the Chapman vid I feared you were another naysayer troller just dishing the dirt for the clicks. You have more than proved me wrong on many, many occasions with your balanced, fair and very well researched vids. Looking forward to congratulating you on a million in the (not so distant) future!
I think that what Fender is doing in the guitar arena is about as much innovation as you can expect from a legacy brand. They at least are using modern specs like compound radius, Luminlay side dots, locking tuners, interesting wiring configs (including the S1 switch), noiseless pickups, etc. That is FAR more than another legacy brand that begins with a G is doing. I expect Fender to extend the existing models they have to the extent they can. Gibson has tried more modern features in the past, and their Luddite fandom absolutely rejected those changes.
While I would agree that this is not the height of innovation - but their business model, which hinges on heritage and nostalgia, is not going to be producing a headless guitar with a Richlite fretboard and modern body design. That is not what they do, and it is kind of ridiculous to expect they will.
I will say this - at least Fender has embraced the world of digital modeling and other innovations in the music gear realm. That is far more than you can say about other legacy brands.
Digital modelling is doing it's thing to kill the guitar scene forever.
@@fgoindarkg LOL
Congrats on the 100k. KDH never rests.
Great video bro. I really enjoyed it.
Keep doing what you do
Cheers from NZ 😎🎸🤘
As soon as I saw this release I knew we’d get this video from you.
Ah yes, the company that’s been doing the same exact designs for the last 80 years. Famously innovative
The biggest thing with Fender's new releases is the color options you can get. Fender has stiff competition with the used market vs new, so they have to have some differences besides color to justify new sales. I got my wife a Deluxe Jazz Bass used a year ago. It's from 2006, 3 color burst, abalone inlays, rosewood board, active pickups, in very minty condition, for 1100$. It compares to the Ultras but the price of new is 2x... Fender probably knows this, but they have to try and market their new stuff as new/different from what you got in past to try and sell new.
The code to guitar building excellence was cracked a while back. All that is left for the business behemoths is marketing and like Hollywood, bad is good.
A '50s car with cupholder would be innovative, indeed....
A '50s electric car even more... 🤨
Are you ever going to do the Ibanez project video series? I’ve been excited to see that one for a while.
It feels absolutely bizarre seeing stuff like this and being at a point in my life where I know the people who work on fender’s marketing campaigns.
I also messaged them and said this tagline made no sense like the day it dropped.
I used to look at guitars CONSTANTLY. after getting a wall of them, a few different sounds on each one, i haven't bothered to see what any guitar brand has released in years.
Well the guitars had an aesthetic makeover and pickups appear to sound better than other noisless now. I’m a vintage reissue kind of guy never paid attention to elite or ultra till now. I must confess they got my attention some of its features the colors etc. Been wanting a modern s style for a while, something different enough to my CS 63 reissue. There must be guys like me and I know there are cheaper or more expensive alternatives but I think the publicity is valid. You guys are reading too much into this. Saw Dua Lipa guitarist using an ultra strat and many friends own them so I would be inclined to think that this line is still going to be successful!
Congrats on you 100k tough, like your videos 😉
Solid vid 👍 interesting you showed the Player Vs Player 2 comparison. I played both in a store today and liked the original Player better.
Yes....... As usual your perspective is quite interesting unique and correct..... Long time subscriber I never comment... Just wanted to say well done sir I appreciate your work..... Greetings from Oakland California.....an ex expat from UK and Belgium..... Thanks man..... Love your band dude.
Other than the Jazz Master-58 and Jaguar-60 models, their guitars and basses innovation has been stagnant.
Tons of happy Fender Customers out there !
congrats on 100k bro!
I'll agree with the "innovation" tagline when Fender releases a tele with Evertune, locking tuners and Fishman OpenCore pickups 🤠
and with stainless steel frets, with a truss rod that you can adjust from an opening of a fretboard.
The most innovative thing about the ultra II is that fender decided to make a guitar that other companies have been making 20 years ago.
I do like the specs on the Ultra II series but would still change a couple of things such as the pickups and the bridge. The soft touch Strat knobs (with a rubber ring around the middle) are a way cool and an improvement over the traditional all plastic ones. It might not qualify as innovative since brands like Ibanez have done that for a long time, but if you want a traditional looking strat with better feeling knobs, you now have it.
My favourite joke is picking up cheap/mid range guitars with sculpted heels and saying "fender will charge you an extra thousand bucks for that"
There's a Fender marketing executive thinking "Shit! We meant evolution!"
What pisses me off about guitar marketing is they'll ad an 'upgrade' that you or I could add for ten Euros, and raise the price by a few hundred (at least).
Fender Ultra?
More like Fender Needy.
Reminds me of Tywin Lannister's "A man who must say, "I am the King", is no true King."
An equally sized point, how do they expect to sell the original ultra when they stack it up against the new one, it's daft advertising
I wanted a high quality and innovative strat that gives me vintage tones as well as unique modern tones - so I bought an Ibanez AZ2204NW that makes no compromises, built in Japan, 9 pickup configurations, and less $ (and has stainless steel frets).
Real viable innovation: license Rick Toone new tremolo design, titanium truss rod for lighter neck, some compact headstock design. Those last 2 would really benefit Telecaster that has worse balance due to the lack of upper horn.
Congrats on 100k!!
There isn't much genuine innovation in guitar industry nowadays. But that's not a bad thing. Don't try to fix something that is not broken.
Yes, but you can still keep the industry from getting sterile. There are probably a bunch of tiny little things that could be changed about a guitar that on their own wouldn't change much, but when all put together make a huge difference.
And, like Coke 2 / New Coke, you can go back to the original formula, and people will buy more of it than ever.
@dc9662 I too wish to drink liquid crack
I think it’s because the marketing teams don’t realise what the product design teams realise: most guitar players don’t want innovation
In context, there are actually a number of new features vs ultra 1 series. These are significantly more modern featured compared to the AVRI and American Pro series
I'm old enough to remember when Fender only made one type of Stratocaster and frankly, it was enough for most players. But I feel like Fender isn't doing enough, I'd like to see a Stratocaster on par with say, Kiesel or similar guitars. Yes, they have the Mod Shop but it's not innovative, it's just a cheaper custom shop. Oh and I subbed, someone needs to keep making this kind of content. Cheers!
Just check out how innovative our classic Fender sound is.
Guitarists know full innovation isn't what 99% of guitarists want. The only innovative things are say the Floyd Rose guitar (the one with the picking ramp thing), elements of Strandberg like headless and odd neck profile and some multi scale stuff. Guitars designed in the 50s are still the most popular.
My examples being ones that are still niche but became accepted. Foldaway ones like in the vid, or acoustics with speakers, or composite guitars with screens or whatever don't really do that
Congrats to 100k dude.
The first thing Fender should innovate is moving their volume knob away from the strings so your hand doesn't hit the volume constantly. I have a Strat and I love it to death, but I had the volume knob moved near the lower horn so it would be out of the way. I can't believe manufacturers still insist on placing the damn volume knob right next to the strings.
There are also a lot of player who like it in that exact position because it makes it easy to manipulate the volume while playing.