Everything you say is all true. I just built an HH project Strat, so I get it. But keep in mind that Fender also owns Jackson and Charvel which cater to the market you mention.

A Jackson example:


A Charvel example:

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Laughing out loud with fear and hope, I have a desperate plan ...

A Fender hollowbody might be cool.

They did one for a while

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Rated "M" for meaty.

What about the Katana?

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If (and it's a big if) they could improve on the functionality of either the Strat or the Tele I'd support a new design.

But just introducing a new model because it has a different body shape, no way. That's just bullcrap marketing aimed at ADHD consumers who are bored.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. If the new model is no better functionally than the old model, don't bother.

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"Life is like eating jalapenos. What you do today may burn your arse tomorrow"

The query of this thread title has been long pondered. Here is a refined OPINION.

In their own way, the Les Paul, Tele, Strat, ES-335, 6120, ES-175, L-5, Jazzmaster, SG, Firebird, Flying V and Jaguar were all but perfect in their conception, by their original makers, and refined as the great Cremonese crafsmen did their immortal stringed instruments.

When wanna-bes started faking the immortal guitars or "improving" upon them, it was all, as they say in the Mexican Marines, "bool-sheet."

Gibson and Fender have done new guitars, but somehow it seems as futile as if Stradivari, Guarneri or Amati tried building tubas or drums, rather than all their life, making and refiniing perfection in their violins, violas and cellos.

Maybe, if the guitar is to be truly improved upon or new, wildly successful models introduced, it just may "have" to be by somebody like Line 6 (the modeling guitar) and Taylor (single-bolt neck, exotic woods and bracing).

JUST AN OPINION.

On the other hand, if Fender was to intro something absolutely new and which was unlike the 4 giants, AND captured the imagination of pickers and the market, more power to them.

+1

First of all, it doesn't make any economic sense to have product ranges ovelapping from different brands within the same company.
This, in my opinion, lead to the superb Guild electrics to be discontinued.
Since there was the heavy metal comment, Jackson and Charvel do a fine job at cattering for those needs. Or, I'd rather say, looks and feel, since there are HM sigs from Fender - YJM, John 5, Jim Root (now the Strat too), Dave Murray, Ritchie Blackmore, Billy Corgan (ok, Billy is not HM, but that guitar can cut heads)...

Second, we as players are a rather traditionalist bunch and every time am established company has tried new paths there was instant rejection. Speaking only about Fender, the 12 strings never really caught, despite being a great guitar (12 strings electric that would be Rickenbacker); the Starcaster was rejected by the market (again, another great guitar); where's the Esprit?; it took the Teles Customs 2 generations of musicians to be accepted (humbuckers and 4 controls? gee, that's Gibson); and so on, and so on...
The only presences I kinda regret not finding in Fender's offering would be a (semi)hollowbody in the Gibson ES/Guild Starfire kinda vein, and a true jazz archtop.
But hey, the Tele thinlines are to reckoned with and a JA-90 is very high on my wish list.
So are the Acoustasonics - both of them now, the Strat AND the new Tele.

And finally, the advances these days are being made on the other half of tone - amps, recording, etc. And here is were we go by giant leaps, it's positively amazing.

A short scale Jazz bass to replace the SX I have would be nice.

But as far as new models, I am very content with the Fenders I have and for my needs and abilities have no intention of replacing them with something else.

Well I never said to mess with the Strat or the Tele as we all know they are perfect with many models to choose from. I personally dont care for Jazzmasters or Jaguars but people do.

For all the flack the CBS era takes I think they delivered the best offshoot with the Thinline Tele which is an amazing guitar in my opinion.

I see guys would like to see a hollow body which I am all for and I would love something new with humbuckers that can really bring it. The Wolfgang which I own many of though not a Fender one is an amazing guitar as are the Jacksons and Charvels. But this is not Fenders work.

Now les we forget Mike Eldred had a lot to do with making those Jackson/Charvels that are so desirable these days and I believe we have the perfect guy for the job if we can get him away from having to make relics.

Believe me if it came out that Fender was going to introduce two new models at next years Namm this place and the whole guitar community would be buzzing with excitement. I just feel there is a huge market out there (teens to guys in there twenties) that have no interest in Strats and Teles as they say they cant perform the music they want. Now I dont make these things up I read them on forums that are neutral like Harmony Central and the Gear Page. They dont down them they just say Fenders cant do the job. I can understand where they are coming from and from a business view point I think Fender should try and grab some of this market. I would feel sure of myself that the majority of Strat user5s are 30 and up.

By the way as I asked this already and did not see an answer, who is running Fender these days.

The company is a privately held corporation, with the controlling majority of its stock owned by a group of its own company officers and managers. William (Bill) Mendello is Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer and James Broenen is Chief Financial Officer.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fender

Personally I don't really care if they "reinvent the wheel"so much. Though I would prefer that to the current relic fad.

The point ,I guess, is that there really isn't anything I want from a guitar that I can't get from an existing model. I get probably 90% of what I want from a guitar from my favorite Strat. It is by far and away my go to axe. I have an Ibanez which quite easily fills my metal leanings. but if I didn't have it, I would not hesitate at all to pick up a Charvel San Dimas. Those are under the Fender umbrella, and take a back seat to nothing in that genre.

Les Pauls are Les Pauls. In my mind they are a bit of a one trick pony, but that is not to denigrate them at all, because they really do what they do in a way that nothing else does. I don't want to see Fender try copy that, that's someone else's bag.

If i need more twang than my Strat has, instead of quack, then there are an abundance of great tele's, so that need is filled by the existing line.

Need some jazz box or rockabilly gusto? I don't think you can beat several of the offerings from the Gretsch brand, also now under Fender's umbrella.

So I can't really think of much else I would need, maybe a 12 string? or a Fender acoustic that I might actually like?? though for me it seems Fender has never made a serious effort to compete in that market.

Where i see room for growth is maybe in the realm of modeling, like the recently discontinued VG Strat. Not sure if it failed because of quality, or maybe the world not being ready for it, or if there really isn't that big a need for it(this is my personal theory, cool concept, but really most people are pretty happy with the normal Strat.)

So really, i just think people already get pretty much what they want with existing product lines.

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I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

i might be stabbed for this statement, but in my mind's eye a guitar like the variax will be the future... just imagine, no limits... a sitar and a tele just a click away

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'when the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace' - James Marshall Hendrix

Get the torches and pitch forks!!!! J/K

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"I started out with nothing, and still have most of it"

Nah, it's more fun to learn to play a sitar, or to put down your strat and play a tele. More fun I tells ya! There's something about having it in your hands that makes you feel and play differently. A variax might be your future, if your goal is to be able to make a myriad of different sounds with one instrument. More power to you. My future is to write better and better songs on my Jazzmaster, and keep learning to play the thing.

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"...Compared to the flowers and the birds and the trees, I am an Apeman."

straycat113 wrote:
... but Shred and Heavy Metal have a huge following of young guys and you cant really play that music on a Fender Guitar with Yngwie being an exception and probably the only one. Why not target that audience with something ... a revamped model that is not shaped like a Strat and has humbuckers would be a killer shred machine .... I am just wondering why these markets are not covered. So EBMM can turn out 7 models in 18 years and Fender nothing, I just dont get it ...

I can't say I agree w/ you 100% w/ this statement....example the Jim Root Telecaster (Slipknot). Albeit, he's not Yngwie. But you can thrash on aStrat or a Tele. There are quite a few "Shredders and Heavy Metal" guitarists that use the current line up of Fenders I think is my point.


But....I do agree that they could make some "affordable reissues", maybe a Musiclander, or something crazy. Yeah something different would be nice.