Fender American Original Jaguars and Jazzmasters

[Despot]

kill

Triggered

[tealsixtysix]

a new American Fender with an actually functional radius and frets that come stock on 90% of guitars these days. Only gripe is the color's. Give us CFM!

This. CFM, OTM (on the Jaguar), IBM, SGM, FSM, and of course (if Fender can actually get it right for once), the ever-elusive TGM.

[Mechanical Birds]

They don't even have Amber Switch tips!
What a world!
Burn the factories down!


Seriously guys, if Fender didn't change things around now and then we'd still be stuck with the Snakehead Telecaster. We wouldn't even have trussrods.
I can't complain about a new American Fender with an actually functional radius and frets that come stock on 90% of guitars these days. Only gripe is the color's. Give us CFM!

I've yet to literally ever see someone be like "man I love a nice light rosewood."

Just seems like kind of a universal thing that people want dark fretboards if they aren't getting something with maple.

[tealsixtysix]

I've yet to literally ever see someone be like "man I love a nice light rosewood."

Just seems like kind of a universal thing that people want dark fretboards if they aren't getting something with maple.

The problem, of course, is that this is the rosewood that is available at non-exorbitant prices now.

I secretly wish Fender would just dye them.

[leokula]

Also, does the 7.25 radius and vintage frets really make people avoid these guitars like the plague?

In offsetguitars world of weird tastes and vintage fetishism 7.25 is sick, but outside in the real world it's universally hated. I hear luthiers here and there say how even 9.5 is too round.

What are the richest hipsters going to buy when they want to look cool but want a modern feeling guitar? There you go. Lots of people buying jazzmasters and jaguars today only care about the looks.

Like I said in other threads, I don't think Fender is stupid. They're not making guitars for offsetguitars, they are making it based on their sales figures.

[Jaguar018]

I know by now, that on a forum dedicated to the minutiae of Fender offset guitars, that whenever Fender releases or cancels a product, then all the people will complain about (and occasionally praise) the product in question.

What I am starting to realize is that a lot of us don't really have 'a dog in the fight' if you will. For all the people on here that already own a bushel of guitars and have no plans on getting a new one-- how important is it that we weigh in here? That's not to say that our opinions are useless, but generally speaking I already know how 95% of these threads are going to play out.

All practical realities of capitalism and evil corporate shareholders aside, the golden answer to all of OSG's ills is: Fender should give buyers Custom Shop made in the USA choice options (color, woods, neck radius, blocks, dots, binding, etc.) at MIM prices.

Even if that happened tomorrow I'm sure someone on OSG would still be pissed.

[Embenny]

I know by now, that on a forum dedicated to the minutiae of Fender offset guitars, that whenever Fender releases or cancels a product, then all the people will complain about (and occasionally praise) the product in question.

What I am starting to realize is that a lot of us don't really have 'a dog in the fight' if you will. For all the people on here that already own a bushel of guitars and have no plans on getting a new one-- how important is it that we weigh in here? That's not to say that our opinions are useless, but generally speaking I already know how 95% of these threads are going to play out.

All practical realities of capitalism and evil corporate shareholders aside, the golden answer to all of OSG's ills is: Fender should give buyers Custom Shop made in the USA choice options (color, woods, neck radius, blocks, dots, binding, etc.) at MIM prices.

Even if that happened tomorrow I'm sure someone on OSG would still be pissed.

It's true. The thinskins are lauded as one of the greatest lines. They basically just made Thinskins with 6105 frets and no matching headstock a standard product line.

As you said, I don't have a horse in this race. My last 6 guitar purchases have been vintage or partscasters or a Squier I modded. These aren't for me.

I do think it's a little close to the American Professional line, though. For the jag, isn't it just a rhythm circuit and a pickup swap away from being identical? The AmPro and AV65 were very different in feel and tone, but if you don't keep the original pickups, the difference between the new American jags is just a rhythm circuit.

[Jaguar018]

I do think it's a little close to the American Professional line, though. For the jag, isn't it just a rhythm circuit and a pickup swap away from being identical? The AmPro and AV65 were very different in feel and tone, but if you don't keep the original pickups, the difference between the new American jags is just a rhythm circuit.

Minutiae.

[scottT]

I remember around here when getting Fender to do pearl dots and binding felt like asking for the moon. Now it's taken for granted.

[tubeswell]

Hey, they had a winning team with the AVRI... so better kill that

Oh the insanity of rebranding.

Even the name 'Original' is too optimistic

[tealsixtysix]

All practical realities of capitalism and evil corporate shareholders aside, the golden answer to all of OSG's ills is: Fender should give buyers Custom Shop made in the USA choice options (color, woods, neck radius, blocks, dots, binding, etc.) at MIM prices.

But then we'd hear, "Fender never innovates! It's just the same stupid stuff recycled again and again!"

[bacca51]

It's a disappointment to see the AVRI line go, but I do really like the American Original JM in Olympic white. It seems creamier than the former and I always hated that color with a matching headstock. Do wish they did matching some head stocks and some cooler custom colors tho. I feel like that would make them desirable like the Thin Skins.

[Jaguar018]

But then we'd hear, "Fender never innovates! It's just the same stupid stuff recycled again and again!"

Even if that happened tomorrow I'm sure someone on OSG would still be pissed.

You are correct. The "Fender never innovates" thing is just as randomly subjective as everyone wanting their favorite color. Does innovation mean new body design? New body materials? New technology?

Fender has done all of those things at one point or another, but my (subjective) understanding is that they have yet to catch lightning in a bottle. Look at Gibson and their robo-tuners. Sure, it's innovative, but then it quickly gets obsolete. Do you want robo-tuners from 2008? Are there fans of the robo-tuners? Yes. But Gibson has been trying to shove them down the guitar-buying populace's throats for years and I don't think it has really paid off for them. I could be wrong.

[Embenny]

But then we'd hear, "Fender never innovates! It's just the same stupid stuff recycled again and again!"

Even if that happened tomorrow I'm sure someone on OSG would still be pissed.

You are correct. The "Fender never innovates" thing is just as randomly subjective as everyone wanting their favorite color. Does innovation mean new body design? New body materials? New technology?

Fender has done all of those things at one point or another, but my (subjective) understanding is that they have yet to catch lightning in a bottle. Look at Gibson and their robo-tuners. Sure, it's innovative, but then it quickly gets obsolete. Do you want robo-tuners from 2008? Are there fans of the robo-tuners? Yes. But Gibson has been trying to shove them down the guitar-buying populace's throats for years and I don't think it has really paid off for them. I could be wrong.

The new Meteora was an attempt to innovate in terms of a new silhouette for the first time since the Pawn Shop Marauder and Offset Special and OSG is mostly in an uproar about it. The AmPros were meant to innovate in terms of modern playing feel, and OSG was deeply divided on it. The AmOrigs/AmO's (is that gonna be the abbreviation?) are meant to bridge the gap between traditional and modern specs, and OSG is mostly drinking haterade.

The one thing with these new American Originals that bugs me is the lack of colour options, especially since the Telecaster from the same line has LPB.

I've imported a domestic-market MIJ (way back in the day) and built a partscaster (last month) just to have LPB Offsets. I'd definitely have been interested in any of Fender's various American lines over the years had they made that colour available. They have the spray booth, they have the paint sitting there and keep using it on strats and telecasters...hell, I once even bought a Classic Vibe 50's strat just because it was LPB and that was good enough for me.

I don't get it. I think it's the most gorgeous colour on Offsets, and it's popular enough to offer up and down the Squier and Fender lines on various models, but the limited edition 50th anniversary Jaguar is the only MIM or MIA LPB Offset I've ever seen since CBS sold the company.

I'm no marketing guru, but blue ranks as the majority of people's favourite colour in general as well:



I meant to start this post as a defense of Fender throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what sticks, but it degenerated into my personal gripe about colour choices.

Oops.

[zastruga]

I'm no marketing guru, but blue ranks as the majority of people's favourite colour in general as well:



I meant to start this post as a defense of Fender throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what sticks, but it degenerated into my personal gripe about colour choices.

Oops.

<tangent>

I don't have much to add to your larger point, since I tend to agree that Fender actually does a pretty good job of both pushing new and old ideas (well, excluding the new Piss-Poor Photoshop Job Series), but the most interesting thing to me here is the 'favorite color' graph. Look how BIG the purple section is! Significantly more than red, and every single guitar on Earth comes in red. Yet, I don't think Fender has ever made a production model in purple other than a couple of signatures. I'd love some purples! (And more sparkles, damn it!)

</tangent>