Post
by rank » Wed Jan 02, 2019 4:03 am
I really liked their Parallel Universe idea but I wished I loved the guitars more. The idea of cross pollination. Taking established guitars & swapping ideas amongst them. For example, the Tele Deluxe with the Jazzmaster trem. I'd like to see Fender further extrapolate that idea with some of their perceived misses over the years. Things like the Maverick & the Bass V were mostly considered poor designs but could be "fixed" & rolled out in that Parallel Universe line. I would say their would be a market, perhaps not a huge one, but a solid one. I thought their new PJ Mustang bass was an example of that ethos. The Toronado or the XII would be good contenders as well. Sure, they will get criticism if they don't have a vintage correct counterpart on the market, the Starcaster comes to mind, but that didn't hamper sales for it. I'd buy a Starcaster with a Jazzmaster trem in a second!
I think this forum could serve as a huge inspiration to Fender for ideas. I remember seeing a build of a Bass VI body that was built into a Jazzmaster that was great, there have been several XII builds, there are a ton of Mustang's with Jazzmaster trems builds & Rhoney had that beautiful Starcaster with a Jazzmaster trem on it. If Fender will build that Strat/Jaguar hybrid they would clearly be open to other designs.
They seem to take the safest route first, which I get, but it may harm them from the start. Case in point, the new Meteora. In & of itself, it is not a bad idea but it features the same old tried & true Telecaster bridge & pickup configuration. I have to think this was a major turn off for some people that might have actually had an interest in trying the guitar out & if people don't show interest immediately these days, the idea will be scrapped. They could use their website to have people build their own specs. Add a hum bucker or a Mustang trem or a Jaguar plate or three Strat pickups...any number of options. I'm sure there are finical aspects that I am not taking into account but I can't imagine it would be that hard to tweak those options. In this age of social media, they're missing a great opportunity to throw a few deigns out & have the public vote on which one to build or have people preorder them to ensure interest. I think there is a world of untapped ideas they could explore.
We are merely moving shadows.