This stunned me.



I played a Tele through four years of high school jazz band back in the 70's. I've played Fender guitars and amps for over 35 years. I have 8 Fender guitar guitars and 4 Fender tube amps (no big deal......I'm older.....been a loyal Fender ethusiast for a long time).

Makes me feel bad to see the Fender logo connected to this design.

Not cool (I think). I can appreciate being a rebel and an artist but the face graphic and verbiage together seem pretty sad.

I guess my late/middle age is showing.

Really made me feel bad.

John

+1 & BS: it's not your middle age showing, it's the continued Adolescent mind set of Fender Design teams insistent pursuance of a market. Looking for kids and there lemonade stand income. Notice that when it comes to the Adult middle income market they still make the same old stuff we have been buying for years. Its the same old Reissue This and that year after year. Its like GM making 55chivies for 55 years. Its like they have turned into a TOY FACTORY for kids.

----Danny,

+2. It's a lame design and sends a bad message: accept apathy.

i think even in my teenage years, i'd just feel plain stupid playing something that cheesy. Why would they bother trying to appeal to what I would hope to be a tiny market of people who would actually think they'd not be the target of ridicule for playing that ridiculous looking thing?

maybe the world ended already and this is some alternate reality. Between this and the shenanigans over at the whitehouse i'm trying to figure out when I fell down the rabbit hole.

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YMMV

Chont's Mustang Presets

I got to agree too.

When I think Fender, I think of it as an iconic, American company. This just sort of goes against that image of what I envision Fender...

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(former user jimbo612)

That is #$@*&!% amazing. I love the design.

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If an individual--a person--did that to his guitar, I would think, "What a doofus, he ruined the looks of that guitar..." but I would defend his right to doofussery (?) and his right to ruin his own guitar under his freedom of speech and expression.

But when a company makes something so dripping in jackassery and doofussery, it makes me think less of the company. I love Fender, from the great (classic guitars and amps) to the cheesy (Hello Kitty guitars, which I actually like)--but this is just stupid looking--not even cheesy/kitschy/campy in a good way.

I'm not a political or patriotic guy, but I think this is a message/design that would be better left to the consumer to implement on his own...in fact, for a large corporation to produce such an item goes against everything that was on the face of that guitar.

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Good Vibes To Y'all!



Screamin' Armadillos
Texas Roadhouse Music
Guitar/Slide Guitar/Harp/Vocals

I believe Leo Fender would be rolling in his grave at the mere sight of that guitar, knowing it came from the company he founded.

That guitar is pretty disgraceful coming from a company with such a rich musical history.

I guess there are no bounderies in marketing. Fender should focus on producing beautiful, musically sound instruments, with a high degree of quality control, and leave the politics to to the individual. I don't care what Fender thinks politically, and I don't want to know their editorial opinions.

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I hear it, I heard it , I heard it on the "X".

Neither Leo nor Lester are resting peacefully tonight...

http://www.fender.com/community/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=59264

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Good Vibes To Y'all!



Screamin' Armadillos
Texas Roadhouse Music
Guitar/Slide Guitar/Harp/Vocals

I think your right!

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I hear it, I heard it , I heard it on the "X".

If it said "This guitar is stupid" I would like it better.

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My ability to spell is in direct proportion to the amount of coffee I've had.

I like the guitar. The graphic is merely art, allbeit art doesnt have to be in good taste. Art can be just as offensive. But the graphic has meaning, something the artist wanted to portray through an image.

Im not even going to go into it, but you would have to look further into the image to see his interpretation on what lies in the future in his eyes when you look at todays climate..

Would I buy that guitar? no. I'd probably consider it on a tshirt print however.

The mind, like a book- is best used when it is open

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Seems to be another stupid anything goes in the U.S. Its a disgrace

Blertles:

The issue is'nt art for art's sake, the issue is that FMIC adopted the art to represent their company.

I'm all for freedom of expression. I don't think there is an artist or musician that would endorse censorship.

The U.S. has enough problems to deal with, it does'nt need to have an American company using artwork using the country's flag and it's biggest icon, (the statue of liberty) to be accompanied by type that states the "Future is Stupid" to represent their company.

You are right. The mind, like a book, is best used when it is open.

Like you said, you would probably wear a t-shirt with the art work on it. I would like to see the original painting in an art gallery, not on my favorite guitar company's products.

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I hear it, I heard it , I heard it on the "X".

True, it is merely art. Art rarely offends me (even the more controversial stuff that I won't derail the thread by mentioning). I see beauty in all kinds of art, some of which is not aesthetically pleasing ("pretty"). I'm not even offended by this guitar, politically or otherwise.

However, this is an individualistic expression that most people that share the viewpoint or sentiment of the design (or who may be positively "moved" by it) would probably take offense that a large multinational conglomerate created it.

I don't agree with Tom Morello's political views, but would he play such an instrument? No, because it's pre-fab rebellion...he makes his own rebellion, thank you very much.


Once again, I respect the original artist's right to express his viewpoint or share his vision...I also see why he feels that his fate/future/life is bleak (and I agree with part of the message--the world is falling apart and degrading quickly, and symbols that used to stand for something are often treated in a vacuous manner or used to oppress others...how's that for art interpretation?).

But that's an ugly guitar with no redeeming aesthetic value, IMO...and a political message such as that should be painted by (or commissioned to be painted by) the player of the axe themselves, not pre-printed.

A wise man once said, "The revolution will not be televised..." Isn't buying such an guitar instead of making it yourself a sign of "the man" condescendingly saying, "Ok, here's an instrument of rebellion...run along now!"

The genuis of Leo and Les and Ted McCarty and all the others pioneers of design is that they gave people a blank canvas and said, "Go do what you will with this...even if it's not what I like or what I intended you to use it for, it's yours to use..."

Subsequently, some used the canvas to further what was already there, some became revolutionaries, some regressed, some led, some followed, some crashed and burned while others flew higher than we ever imagined...but to saddle yourself with something that says only one thing ("Look at me, I'm a rebel...") isn't rebellious or cool, it's being a poseur.


An open book (or mind) is only useful when you take the time to close it and ruminate on what was taken in...otherwise, everything thrown at it will fall out on to the floor.

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Good Vibes To Y'all!



Screamin' Armadillos
Texas Roadhouse Music
Guitar/Slide Guitar/Harp/Vocals