New Fender Standard Series Basses!

[80Hz]

It's all brand and marketing strategy, and less, as has now been discussed extensively, about product quality.

 

I think of Fender's product stratification as more akin to Fords and Vauxhalls in the 80s-90's. Basically the same cars but with different seat coverings, the addition or subtraction of various bits of plastic. So you had a bit extra cash, you got the GL or the GT over the base model or whatever and went off happy that you'd got a "bit extra" that maybe looked a bit better, felt a bit more comfortable, the 1.8L got you to 30 MPH a moment before the 1.6L. Alloy wheels == premium string tree.

 

Ibanez is another great example of this strategy.

 

There's no "falling for it", it's just what does the brand mean to you and what are you prepared to pay? I look at Squier as good value, punching above their weight, a fun brand that isn't afraid to experiment. With Fender, a bit more traditional and "authentic", good but not boutique quality, like buying into a lineage.

 

Full disclosure - I have two jazz basses.

 

[Cato]

Give it 40 years and people will be talking about early Indonesian Fenders the same way they talk about Japanese Squiers.....

Edited February 12 by Cato

[shoulderpet]

On 24/01/2025 at 15:14, bassace97 said:

 

Just spotted these among the NAMM '25 releases.  Looks like a great move by Fender, and possibly a great modding platform, at £549.

This is a fantastic move by Fender, the player series were getting silly price wise (£700+ for an entry level Fender is just silly) so to see these for around the £550 mark is good.

[shoulderpet]

16 hours ago, merello said:

They should dump the Squier brand now.

Not everyone has the cash to drop on a Fender so why not give people options depending on what they can afford?  

[Terry M.]

46 minutes ago, shoulderpet said:

This is a fantastic move by Fender, the player series were getting silly price wise (£700+ for an entry level Fender is just silly) so to see these for around the £550 mark is good.

Even though they're essentially Affinity level Squiers?

[Stub Mandrel]

6 hours ago, Terry M. said:

I always assumed the snobbery pointed "down" rather than "upwards" 

 

Hence 'inverse' snobbery.

[Stub Mandrel]

4 hours ago, Terry M. said:

Ha ha I'll wear the D cap with pride if it means ALL my basses are different from each other 😅

 

Ha! BOTH my Jazz basses are different from each other. One is a 2002 pre-Affinity Squier Standard by the way and it's nice.

[Stub Mandrel]

4 hours ago, gjones said:

 

Car brands have taken Fender's lead in having a budget brand and a luxury brand i.e. Toyota has Lexus, Honda has Infiniti, Hyundai have Genesis. 

 

Make the same guitar, put a 'premium' logo on it and sell it for much more than you budget brand instruments.

 

You'd think that people wouldn't fall for it, but they do.

 

I thought Fender's luxury brand was G&L 🙂

[Terry M.]

15 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

 

Ha! BOTH my Jazz basses are different from each other. One is a 2002 pre-Affinity Squier Standard by the way and it's nice.

And the other one is?

[Stub Mandrel]

4 hours ago, Terry M. said:

And the other one is?

Flea Jazz.

[shoulderpet]

5 hours ago, Terry M. said:

Even though they're essentially Affinity level Squiers?

Are they? Do we know that for sure? If so how? Not saying you are wrong or right I am just genuinely interested to know.

[Terry M.]

2 minutes ago, shoulderpet said:

Are they? Do we know that for sure? If so how? Not saying you are wrong or right I am just genuinely interested to know.

Made in the same factory in Indonesia. Poplar bodies,ceramic pickups...

 

Don't expect Fender to advertise that. 

Edited February 12 by Terry M.

[Terry M.]

5 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

 

Hence 'inverse' snobbery.

Yes I'm aware you meant snobbery pointing upwards rather than down. I'm familiar with the term "inverse" 👍

[Terry M.]

11 minutes ago, shoulderpet said:

Are they? Do we know that for sure? If so how? Not saying you are wrong or right I am just genuinely interested to know.

This entire thread will show I'm far from alone with this belief.

[Geek99]

31 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

Flea Jazz.

I’ve played it. Very taken 

[shoulderpet]

1 hour ago, Terry M. said:

Made in the same factory in Indonesia. Poplar bodies,ceramic pickups...

 

Don't expect Fender to advertise that. 

I would be interested to see someone do a side by side comparison to see if any difference between them at all but you may well be right.

 

On the other hand it could just be that the the way things are going it is getting too expensive to make instruments in Mexico, ceramic pickups have been a common theme with the lower end Fenders as has poplar bodies.

 

In fact come to think of it the Player series basses (with the exception of the player Mustang) that I have played have all felt like affinity basses quality wise.

Edited February 12 by shoulderpet

[NancyJohnson]

Fender and Gibson.  The masters of reinvention.

 

New year, same old shit.

[Terry M.]

3 minutes ago, NancyJohnson said:

Fender and Gibson.  The masters of reinvention.

 

New year, same old shit.

Unfortunately you are too right. It's the charging more money for the same things that I really disagree with also.

[Geek99]

Looked at from the other side of the coin, if you don’t mind paying a smidge more for the name you’re actually getting an acceptable bass with enough financial headroom to turn it into what you want, and I don’t buy the argument that a U.S. jazz ultra is three times better to justify the £££ uplift 

[Crusoe]

10 minutes ago, NancyJohnson said:

Fender and Gibson.  The masters of reinvention.

 

New year, same old shit.

Genuine question, when was the last time Gibson brought out a new style of guitar? Fender have brought out the Meteora recently and the Acoustasonic (albeit it's based on their traditional electric guitar shapes).

[Geek99]

I actually think some recent fender items have been quite brave 

[kwmlondon]

1 minute ago, Geek99 said:

Looked at from the other side of the coin, if you don’t mind paying a smidge more for the name you’re actually getting an acceptable bass with enough financial headroom to turn it into what you want, and I don’t buy the argument that a U.S. jazz ultra is three times better to justify the £££ uplift 

It's always been diminishing returns though. A £250 bass will be a LOT better than a £125 one. The £500 bass will be a fair bit better than the £250 one but once you get past £1000 the improvements will be smaller. I'm being deliberately sweeping here though - there will be individual instruments that go against this and offer amazing value at a high or low price but I stand by the general point.

 

There seems to be a sweet-spot about £500-750 ish where you can find a lot of manufacturers giving very good value. When I've spent more than that I'm very aware that it's very much because I WANT something rather than being logical about it. There's usually a perfectly good alternative a lot cheaper that does MOST of what the expensive thing does!

[Geek99]

Agreed but it’s not three times better, and I object to paying three times as much. The average punter is going to look at these basses, vaguely recognise the shape, maybe read the headstock and take a another slurp of beer 

 

above 700 it boils down to “I want” no one else than a fellow bass player is even going to notice and that is where vanity starts 

Edited February 14 by Geek99

[neepheid]

5 minutes ago, Geek99 said:

Agreed but it’s not three times better, and I object to paying three times as much. The average punter is going to look at these basses, vaguely recognise the shape, maybe read the headstock and take a another slurp of beer 

 

above 700 it boils down to “I want” no one else than a fellow bass player is even going to notice and that is where vanity starts 

 

Dinna deal in absolutes.  Sometimes there's no choice.  I wanted a G&L L-1000.  They don't do a Tribute L-1000, so I had to buy USA.  Doesn't make me vain!  If there had been a Tribute L-1000, you can bet I'd have bought that - I'm Scottish FFS!

[Crusoe]

3 minutes ago, Geek99 said:

Agreed but it’s not three times better, and I object to paying three times as much. The average punter is going to look at these basses, vaguely recognise the shape, maybe read the headstock and take a another slurp of beer 

 

above 700 it boils down to “I want” no one else than a fellow bass player is even going to notice and that is where vanity starts 

Is a Rolex going to be better at telling the time than the £70 smart watch I wear? My watch might actually be better at it, as it synchronises with GPS satellites etc. A £250 bass that has been properly set up will play better than a ten grand one with a badly cut nut and strings set so high you could drive a bus under them (yes I know that instruments that expensive shouldn't be badly set u, but it happens).