What Will Fender/Squier Do Next?

Discussion of newer designs, copies and reissue offset-waist instruments.
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chandra
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What Will Fender/Squier Do Next?

Post by chandra » Wed May 09, 2018 6:11 am

The Offset VM line has been out for 6 years now, and continue to do well. But the line is looking a little stale, with no new colours recently, and no adjustment of pickups/premium models offered (Comp. stripes, different pickups). Looking at Fender's line of old, there's a bunch of other exciting offsets and short scales that they could reissue.

So where does Fender and Squier go next? They reissued the Duo Sonic a couple years ago. Maybe a limited run of the Musicmaster? A reissue of the Bronco (I wish)? There's even models like the Performer or the Bullet that would do a lot better today compared to decades past. Now that there's a defined and successful market for quirky Fenders, maybe we'll be seeing some of these pop up sometime soon!

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dylanafghjkl
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Re: What Will Fender/Squier Do Next?

Post by dylanafghjkl » Wed May 09, 2018 8:34 am

Ideally:
  • Lots of squier signature models like the jarmans and the j mascis, maybe a johnny marr squier.
  • Squier XII
  • Lots of interesting offsets in custom colours, sherwood green especially
  • More "vintage correct" stuff in MIM price range
Realistically:
  • Continued phase out of signature models, maybe more offsets in the squier bullet price range.
  • More jazzmasters that are basically strats and teles with jazzmaster shaped bodies.
  • After the impending failure of the "parallel universe" series which are some decent ideas done terribly, a few years of super conservative designs.
  • Sunburst, white, candy apple red
  • Only vintage correct instruments are in custom shop price range, anyone considering one just buys a vintage guitar
    ...
  • Fender survives for years on selling MIM instruments exclusively before in the year 2030, filing for chapter 11 bankruptcy
  • Elon Musk type buys fender
  • Fender x Tesla collaboration
  • Fails miserably, especially since no one actually plays guitar anymore and all music is made entirely on computers
  • Elon Musk type sells fender to Behringer in the year 2050
  • "Fender" exclusively makes synthesisers
  • They don't sell very well because by this point technology has advanced so far that musicians just will music into existence
  • 2062, outside of the music products industry there's a massive nuclear war
  • Massive amounts of radiation in California
  • Leo Fender comes back as a zombie
  • Turns out there was a typo in the sale contract of Fender to CBS so Leo still technically owns Fender
  • Zombie Leo gets back to designing guitars
  • Finally finishes Marauder I and II and they're super cool
It's gonna be a long road ahead of us but it's all gonna work out in the end

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601210
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Re: What Will Fender/Squier Do Next?

Post by 601210 » Wed May 09, 2018 8:54 am

dylanafghjkl wrote:
Wed May 09, 2018 8:34 am
[*]More jazzmasters that are basically strats and teles with jazzmaster shaped bodies.
100% percent this, to be honest.

They're pretty much out of vintage instruments that *weren't* total failures. There's nothing much left to do but to move forward and "modernize", and unfortunately that generally means stripping away everything that makes Jazzmasters and Jaguars what they are and turning them into funny-shaped strats.

I'd sacrifice a small child for a Squier Starcaster, though.

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Re: What Will Fender/Squier Do Next?

Post by aliendawg » Wed May 09, 2018 9:43 am

A Squier Starcaster is well overdue indeed!
"With the resurgence of offsets it seems like we're also seeing a resurgence of people who don't know what to do with them" - 601210

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higgsblossom
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Re: What Will Fender/Squier Do Next?

Post by higgsblossom » Wed May 09, 2018 10:53 am

Modernization would mean to build a Fender digital offset that would resemble a Line6 Variax but offer all the Fender possibilities in one single guitar. That would actually be something that would, if it’s done with the necessary sincerity, be interesting to me.

On the other hand... why modernize if there already is a guitar that is still ahead of its time? The Jaguar is still a pretty modern beast.
"500€? That's the price of a J Mascis Jazzmaster!"

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Re: What Will Fender/Squier Do Next?

Post by edwardskim » Wed May 09, 2018 12:20 pm

This is what I would do:

- Release three new colors for the VM Jag Line
Sherwood Green Metallic
Lake Placid Blue
Inca Silver

All an extra $100 or something and in a reasonable limited quantity

- Add a MIM line revamping the Classic Player Line for Jaguars — eliminating the HH Oly White Model completely to make room

$899-$999 for a MIM Classic Player with :
Mustang Bridge
65 AVRI Pups
Maybe one or two new colors besides Oly White and Sunburst

- Squier J Mascis Jazzmaster release in a limited # of Purple like the MIJ version and a Sunburst. Same electronics and hardware and neck shape etc

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Mechanical Birds
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Re: What Will Fender/Squier Do Next?

Post by Mechanical Birds » Wed May 09, 2018 3:00 pm

Classic vibe Jazzmasters and jaguars with b&b necks but even then they’d do something like not give us matching headstocks. Make classic vibe mustangs with competition paint jobs.

Squier marr Jag would be incredible and people have been asking for one forever

These would make my dreams come true. For Christ sake even some new colors, preferably some Metallica, for the VM line would be dope.

How have they not done a xii yet?

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Re: What Will Fender/Squier Do Next?

Post by mackerelmint » Wed May 09, 2018 3:42 pm

CVs and new colors would be a dream come true, but I'm not holding my breath.
This is an excellent rectangle

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Re: What Will Fender/Squier Do Next?

Post by vistavision » Wed May 09, 2018 4:02 pm

dylanafghjkl wrote:
Wed May 09, 2018 8:34 am
[*]After the impending failure of the "parallel universe" series which are some decent ideas done terribly, a few years of super conservative designs.
I'm not a staunch defender of the Parallel Universe Series or anything but it's a limited series. One model ships to participating Fender dealers every month for 12 months, and then it's done. It's like a weird, blink-and-you'll-miss-it Pawn Shop series, but crappy.
I'm sure some Fender dealer in '64 looked at the new Duo-Sonic II and thought, "That's not a Duo-Sonic. That's a Mustang".

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Re: What Will Fender/Squier Do Next?

Post by dylanafghjkl » Thu May 10, 2018 1:40 am

vistavision wrote:
Wed May 09, 2018 4:02 pm
dylanafghjkl wrote:
Wed May 09, 2018 8:34 am
[*]After the impending failure of the "parallel universe" series which are some decent ideas done terribly, a few years of super conservative designs.
I'm not a staunch defender of the Parallel Universe Series or anything but it's a limited series. One model ships to participating Fender dealers every month for 12 months, and then it's done. It's like a weird, blink-and-you'll-miss-it Pawn Shop series, but crappy.
I was a huge fan of the pawnshop series but I'm just guessing after they do this they're going to go extra boring with designs with the attitude of "we tried something 'new' and it didn't work, that must mean people want conservative designs". I hope they don't but I'm worried they will.

Oh also to add to my Santa list, another run of thinline jags wouldn't go unappreciated and as everyone else said squier starcasters would be cool. I'm not holding my breath on those because it didn't look like the modern player starcasters sold very well

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Re: What Will Fender/Squier Do Next?

Post by MattK » Thu May 10, 2018 2:09 am

higgsblossom wrote:
Wed May 09, 2018 10:53 am
a Fender digital offset that would resemble a Line6 Variax but offer all the Fender possibilities in one single guitar.
Nice, they could call it the Jaguar X and give some kind of self-tuning system.

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Re: What Will Fender/Squier Do Next?

Post by Stephen_42 » Thu May 10, 2018 2:48 am

What would I like them to do:

- Bring back the Jagstang (still holding out hope that the photo doing the rounds ~a year ago was a prototype and not a tease!)

- Sensible modernisation options, e.g. design a new bridge to rival Mastery. Non-vintage pickup options (e.g. WRHB, p-rails), but without ditching all the vintage styling. F-holes! Compound radius necks. Telemaster at MIM or Squier price point.

- More out there modernisation options: Instead of just dropping the rhythm circuit, maybe on-board effects? Pickup mounted behind the bridge? 7-strings?

- Usual gripe: more colours! Why not just have sunburst / something else as standard, then do one custom colour option for all Squier models made in a given month /6 months / year?

What I think they'll do:
- My predictions almost never come true, so let's say 'just more strats and teles' and hope my record stays as good as ever...

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Re: What Will Fender/Squier Do Next?

Post by Pacafeliz » Thu May 10, 2018 3:03 am

The Jarman guitar was a hit. They'd be stupid if they didn't bring out more of those, in new colors...
i love delay SO much ...that i procrastinate all the time.

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Re: What Will Fender/Squier Do Next?

Post by Stephen_42 » Thu May 10, 2018 3:55 am

^that. Really wish I'd bought a Jarman when I had he chance

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Re: What Will Fender/Squier Do Next?

Post by thatfenderguy » Thu May 10, 2018 5:44 am

I would love to see a Vintage Modified Starcaster. Maybe a reissue of the Toronado, as well. I know a lot of people are wanting a XII. I don’t much care for that model, but for collectors sake, I would have to buy one... also a Vintage Modified Marauder or just a Marauder. The custom shop has made a few marauder type guitars over the years.

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