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New Fender American Performer series?

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  • MattFGBIMattFGBI Frets: 1602
    Hey @MattFGBI , don't suppose you know what the routing on the Mustang is like do you? Swimming pool would be nice. 
    They are SS routed, not swimming pool. 
    This is not an official response. 

    contactemea@fender.com 


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  • Gerz6558Gerz6558 Frets: 761
    dindude said:
    I’ve been spending a bit of time with the American Professional JM and have to agree it’s a belting guitar, seems to be very overlooked because of the off-set mafia. Don’t get me wrong, I owned a AVRI Jaguar up until recently and I really do “get” offsets for all their quirks, but they are guitars you have to “tune” into.
    The Pro JM has a voice of its own, yes leans towards a Strat, but wider and more scooped sounding, but still punch, and has that trem. It’s a great voice, that is more Fendery than any Fender I’ve ever had, and if it had been around like this in the 60’s people would have carved some great music on it and it would have its own classic sound associations. But alas, any modern interpretation is just “not like the real thing”. I feel sorry for fender here. I say try the guitars for what they are, not what they aren’t, you never know you may find something you call you own.

    Just makes me smile that offsets had their second sun when alternative bands picked them up and put them through so many fx they may have well used a strimmer as a guitar, it was a big F-U to the conventional Strat/Tele/Les Paul brigade, yet the mondern day offset-er is usually the most conservative of the bunch when it comes to changes.
    I hear what you're saying, but I really don't think it's about offset lovers poking holes in the new line up this time.

    The trem is a key contributer of its look, sound and feel. Replacing it for a strat trem and still calling it a jazzmaster is comical, especially when it's the only flavour of the jazzmaster in this range.

    I go back to what I said before, if Fender tampered with the fundamentals of the strat format for this range there would be widespread moans and groans.

    Having said all of this, it's good that there are enough alternatives outside of this range these days where I can try and convince myself I never saw it  =)
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  • MattFGBI said:
    Hey @MattFGBI , don't suppose you know what the routing on the Mustang is like do you? Swimming pool would be nice. 
    They are SS routed, not swimming pool. 
    Ah fair enough. Thanks for letting me know. 
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  • I actually really like the look of the jazzmaster. Yes, I'm not a purist, but it's a slightly different set up that might draw some people in. The strats also look good too. 

    What I don't understand however is the pricing. It's ridiculous. A jump from around £450/£500 for the player series then nearly £1k for the performer is a huge mistake. 

    Fender, mainly through squier, do a good job of covering multiple options at different price increments in the sub £500 category. What's the professional series, an extra £150? 

    The performers should be £700-£800, especially if they're replacing the specials. 

    Total fail. 
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  • I actually really like the look of the jazzmaster. Yes, I'm not a purist, but it's a slightly different set up that might draw some people in. The strats also look good too. 

    What I don't understand however is the pricing. It's ridiculous. A jump from around £450/£500 for the player series then nearly £1k for the performer is a huge mistake. 

    Fender, mainly through squier, do a good job of covering multiple options at different price increments in the sub £500 category. What's the professional series, an extra £150? 

    The performers should be £700-£800, especially if they're replacing the specials. 

    Total fail. 
    I assume they're not done with the range updates - I'd expect to see a new version of the Mexi Classic/Classic Player series next. Those already sit in the 600-800 price range, and have been pretty much unchanged in the lineup for 10+ years, so I wouldn't be surprised to see those get updated soon. 
    The Assumptions - UAE party band for all your rock & soul desires
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  • crunchmancrunchman Frets: 11410
    I actually really like the look of the jazzmaster. Yes, I'm not a purist, but it's a slightly different set up that might draw some people in. The strats also look good too. 

    What I don't understand however is the pricing. It's ridiculous. A jump from around £450/£500 for the player series then nearly £1k for the performer is a huge mistake. 

    Fender, mainly through squier, do a good job of covering multiple options at different price increments in the sub £500 category. What's the professional series, an extra £150? 

    The performers should be £700-£800, especially if they're replacing the specials. 

    Total fail. 
    I assume they're not done with the range updates - I'd expect to see a new version of the Mexi Classic/Classic Player series next. Those already sit in the 600-800 price range, and have been pretty much unchanged in the lineup for 10+ years, so I wouldn't be surprised to see those get updated soon. 

    As long as they don't mess up the Classic Series.  They might be the best guitars Fender make outside of the Custom Shop, with the possible exception of the American Original Series.
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  • These are the same price as the Mexican Lacquer series, I would rather go for one of those. 
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  • crunchmancrunchman Frets: 11410
    edited December 2018
    These are the same price as the Mexican Lacquer series, I would rather go for one of those. 


    The Lacquer Series is basically the Classic Series with a nitro finish, and a very limited selection of colours.

    With Fender having so many different series, you would think that they could manage a useful variation like a 32" medium scale P bass, but do they?  No

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  • crunchman said:
    These are the same price as the Mexican Lacquer series, I would rather go for one of those. 


    The Lacquer Series is basically the Classic Series with a nitro finish, and a very limited selection of colours.

    With Fender having so many different series, you would think that they could manage a useful variation like a 32" medium scale P bass, but do they?  No

    Good shout. they've done shorter scale versions of strats, teles and some basses, and it's an obvious area to play with a bit more. I personally would absolutely love a 25.5 scale duo sonic. 

    There's a couple of historical reissues I think they should go for too. The slab body P basses from the late 60s would be very popular as a re-issue, then there's things like the 72 Thinline tele deluxe with the big headstock, or a MIM 70s hardtail strat. 
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  • I was in Coda a couple of weeks ago where I spotted a pre-release American Performer Tele in Vintage Yellow with a humbucker in the neck. Played it for a while and was pleasantly surprised. Surprised enough to buy it. Used it in the studio through a PRRI and it did everything expected. The pickup at the neck is a real find; not overpowering the bridge pickup in any way which makes a change and the coil split actually works plus I actually used the tone control which I don't normally do. Frets are spot on. The only change I made is to put on a set of Callaham saddles as I find them more accurate than the stock ones but that's just my preference. I'll report back after this weekend when it'll be put through it's paces on a gig through a Fender Hardwired '64 Deluxe Reverb.
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  • BabonesBabones Frets: 1204

    The performers should be £700-£800, especially if they're replacing the specials. 


    Quick google online shows £949 as the cheapest for Strats/Teles.

    £925 on Denmark Street though (Strats/Teles in Wunjo). So who knows, maybe next year they'll be £8xx. That Penny finish is quite sparkly in person.
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  • timmysofttimmysoft Frets: 1962
    At last, Fender get rid of the hideous JM bridge and put a proper trem on. Good work Fender, i'd probably own one now!
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  • timmysoft said:
    At last, Fender get rid of the hideous JM bridge and put a proper trem on. Good work Fender, i'd probably own one now!

    It's not a Jazzmaster anymore. 
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  • gringopiggringopig Frets: 2648
    edited July 2020
    .
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  • grungebobgrungebob Frets: 3299
    timmysoft said:
    At last, Fender get rid of the hideous JM bridge and put a proper trem on. Good work Fender, i'd probably own one now!

    It's not a Jazzmaster anymore. 
    It is, says so on the headstock. 
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  • Gerz6558Gerz6558 Frets: 761
    edited December 2018
    timmysoft said:
    At last, Fender get rid of the hideous JM bridge and put a proper trem on. Good work Fender, i'd probably own one now!
    Oh dear. The Fender marketing seems to have claimed it's first victim 
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  • Gerz6558Gerz6558 Frets: 761
    timmysoft said:
    At last, Fender get rid of the hideous JM bridge and put a proper trem on. Good work Fender, i'd probably own one now!

    It's not a Jazzmaster anymore. 
    And unless I've missed it I am curious to hear what those new pickups sound like.

    If they have taken inspiration from the professional range they will have done their best to make sure it doesn't sound anything like a Jazzmaster either. 
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  • SNAKEBITESNAKEBITE Frets: 1075

    The "new" trem makes it look just like my jagmaster!

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  • timmysoft said:
    At last, Fender get rid of the hideous JM bridge and put a proper trem on. Good work Fender, i'd probably own one now!

    It's not a Jazzmaster anymore. 


    Yeah, I'm no purist, but the one thing you that makes a JM a JM or a Jag a Jag is the trem and the associated string length behind the bridge (is that two things? Anyway...). The behind the bridge strings give that characteristic offset 'whine' when the amp is just breaking up - you can spot it a mile off on a record. I guess it's extra overtones?

    I have changed the bridge on every offset I've owned, so that's always an essential upgrade. I think pickups are a matter of personal taste and I can live with thinner coil 'Strat-like' alternatives. There's a fair bit of variation in vintage JM pickups anyway. I have a MIJ Jazzmaster that's about 15 years old and it had the strat-type pickups in from new - sounded great. I got the chance of a set of Lollar JM pickups for a bargain price and they're in there now. Nice upgrade, but not essential.

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  • dindudedindude Frets: 8534
    timmysoft said:
    At last, Fender get rid of the hideous JM bridge and put a proper trem on. Good work Fender, i'd probably own one now!

    It's not a Jazzmaster anymore. 


    Yeah, I'm no purist, but the one thing you that makes a JM a JM or a Jag a Jag is the trem and the associated string length behind the bridge (is that two things? Anyway...). The behind the bridge strings give that characteristic offset 'whine' when the amp is just breaking up - you can spot it a mile off on a record. I guess it's extra overtones?

    I have changed the bridge on every offset I've owned, so that's always an essential upgrade. I think pickups are a matter of personal taste and I can live with thinner coil 'Strat-like' alternatives. There's a fair bit of variation in vintage JM pickups anyway. I have a MIJ Jazzmaster that's about 15 years old and it had the strat-type pickups in from new - sounded great. I got the chance of a set of Lollar JM pickups for a bargain price and they're in there now. Nice upgrade, but not essential.

    Absolutely spot on with my thoughts, I’m not a purist but that Trem is essential. 
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