Fender "Road Worn" guitars for 2009

[schoolside]

Hello Kitty? Yes, great marketing. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go polish my Richard Petty "King Richard" flying V with some STP.

[jingle_jangle]

When you are running a company the size of Fender you have to grow sales. They can't afford to ignore a revenue source because it might not appeal to everyone. Fender has had huge hits with its products over the years and supports thousands of people around the world. They need a continuing stream of innovation and new products. Guitars are as much a fashion accessory as a musical instrument, if current fashion dictates "road worn", more power to them.

Spoken like a true, dyed-in-the-wool, programmed-from-birth, Amurkin consumer, Dwight!

Seriously, and in a friendly aside to snide (above):

Thought processes like this get us into circular patterns of behavior, because they do what Mad Ave sees as an ideal: they are a knee jerk response to "gotta have it" syndrome, and ignore the issue of using your critical faculties when deciding to acquire yet another asset to add to our list of belongings.

Fender's definition of "innovation" has been twisted and distorted over the years since the CBS acquisition, to feature "line spread". The only really new idea to come out, that's stuck, is the whole "relic" thing, which is undeniably good for the Company in terms of bottom line, but of dubious intrinsic value.

Everything wears out with use and even merely existence...it's called "entropy", and is a fact of life. Accelerating entropy (and worse, faking it) is only accepted in guitars and amps. Would I buy a house built to look decrepit? How 'bout a car? Would I pay extra to have a new '09 Aston Martin pre-beat for me? How about some newly-minted bullet holes in the tail of a warbird replica? How much extra should be charged for that streak of crankcase oil down the side?

Danged weird, effnya ask me.

Schoolside, I like the STP idea for gloss, but that stuff attracts lint, man!

[whojamfan]

We are all geared to be consumers in our collective cultures. There are price points and models for every type of player out there. If a 200 dollar guitar does everything you want it too, as well as excites you everytime you pick it up, great. It's all about inspiration, not the fashion show the industry tries to shove down your throats. More people than not don't have 2 grand plus to drop on a instrument, and the lower priced variety of unconventional shapes, or versions of the "staple" models, allow the working or soon to be working musician to get a decent quality instrument without having to sell a kidney.

Most of us here can appreciate the quality of the instruments we own, as is stated in nearly every thread on this forum. I have to look back at a time when all I cared about was having something to play so I could play out! There are many fine low end guitars out there, certainly more than I had available to me, and it's easier than ever for people to get in to playing guitar.Does it make them sheep if they buy something they think is cool? Not in my book. My crippled neice loves that little Fender Hello Kitty guitar, and I told her if she practiced a little on a 3/4 size nylon I gave her, I would pick one up for her. Shame on Fender for putting a smile on a little girls face, and inspire her to express herself through music.

I'm glad RIC doesn't have a lower end, standards are maintained, and they hold their value. I also understand that aside from being largely unavailable(now changing)they are priced out of range of the beginning or working musician. For what they are, they are a good value, even with the new price increase. They are something to shoot for, and starting out on other things makes the dream of owning one a feeseable reality.

There really isn't any diabolical or warped reason for wanting a used looking instrument, it just floats some peoples boats. Of course we all want our Ricks to remain pristine, as that is the way they look best, but fans of others aren't so inclined. Just my opinion.

[teeder]

This is ridiculous. I love the look and feel of vintage Fenders. I don't have hundreds of thousands of dollars to drop on real ones (contrary to popular belief). If I buy a new one and try to relic it myself, it'll come out looking like sh*t.

I'm not casting aspersions on the people who cover their guitars in diapers while they play them (sorry Tony ). Why is there such a backlash here?

+1!!!!

[jingle_jangle]

The "backlash", as you put it, isn't for the guitars themselves. It's for the manipulators, at least where I'm concerned.

Fender's decision to do a lower-price point (marketing term) relic line could be just the thing to keep their profits steady during these tough times. No hatred here; I do, however, have a lack of respect for marketing people, as I've worked within and without these departments for nigh on three decades, and their philosophy is usually anathema to creative effort. I see cynicism, I see people being manipulated, and I respond.

To me, relics smack of emotional manipulation. As I said, it's Mad Ave doing what they do best--making sausage out of smoke and emotional baggage. In the wurst-case scenario , they call it "limited edition", or "celebrity replica", or both, and jack the price way up to give it a precious sheen. It's false history, like the "Blade Runner" replicants' memories, or Walt Disney's Main Street.

[freshmattyp]

Everything wears out with use and even merely existence...it's called "entropy", and is a fact of life. Accelerating entropy (and worse, faking it) is only accepted in guitars and amps. Would I buy a house built to look decrepit? How 'bout a car? Would I pay extra to have a new '09 Aston Martin pre-beat for me? How about some newly-minted bullet holes in the tail of a warbird replica? How much extra should be charged for that streak of crankcase oil down the side?

What about "Shabby Chic", Rat Rods, Distressed Furniture and clothing? This idea is not new. I had, along with everyone else a "distressed leather" bomber jacket in the 80's. Stonewashed denim anyone? Rail if you must, Paul, but at least accept that the concept itself isn't new.

I can deal with the fact that people don't like or get relics. That's fine. What I don't understand are the value judgments and motivations that get assigned to people who own one or think they look cool. That I don't get, and never will.

[schoolside]

I see the market for the road worn series as high school to collage age students that want a great playing guitar for around $850 and like the vintage look without the high vintage price. Fender is also very skilled when it comes to re-issues in particular. I have a '52 tele RI, a '62 strat RI, a Deluxe Reverb RI and a Princeton RI in my collection. I got them because I like the way they look, feel and sound and they didn't break the bank!

[jingle_jangle]

Yup, yup, yup. Does it feel like i'm "railing"? It may come as a surprise that I'm not too worked up about this, emotionally. It's the way things are, and I can of course accept it, but I feel like I'm more likely to bore than offend at this point.

OK, clothing...a category that I left out. Another unsuccessful attempt at processing fake history and offering it as a product.

Read my posts above carefully, Matty. I'm not "assigning value judgements or motivations" to people who purchase them, but rather to the geniuses who sell them to us--the marketing people. You couldn't convince me that they're unaware of creating a demand for a product whose intrinsic value is less than its declared value. It's an old trick, cynical and dishonest.

I do "get" relics, on a level beyond them "looking cool". And a few of my good friends own them and play them. So, nothing personal here.

If you wuz a guitar marketing guy, we could have a good discussion, you can bet. And perhaps you could educate me and I you.

[whojamfan]

Darn! Had a good 3 paragraphs done and realized it was off topic and too political. Oh well

[kiramdear]

Darn! Had a good 3 paragraphs done and realized it was off topic and too political. Oh well

You too, Mike? That happens to me all the time. oh well, self-censorship is a gift that only your true friends will know you've given.

[freshmattyp]

Sorry Paul, I didn't mean to suggest that was you. Quite to the contrary, You have been very specific in keeping the discussion about the company, not the purchaser.

I'm an IT guy, I don't know nuthin' 'bout no marketin'.

[ozover50]

I'm an IT guy, I don't know nuthin' 'bout no marketin'.

Really, Matt??? I'm an IT guy and I don't know nuthin, so you're way ahead of me!!

[marc61]

I gotta tell you, I tried one of the Precision road worn basses yesterday and was very impressed. Light with good sustain. Nice P Bass punch...the "worn" part looks fake, but it is anyway..

I just might go for one..