want, and do they sound amazing in those configurations? So far, so good.
[ WM ] The Player Series instruments range from $ 649.99 to $ 774.99, which is pretty darned affordable considering the color and feature set options. I also love the fact that they’ re made in Mexico aka‘ MIM’. What are some of the benefits of manufacturing this line in Mexico?
[ Max ] We have our own plant in Ensenada, and they do an amazing job making instruments. The Mexican Standard Series has been manufactured there for years and years, and like I said, we hadn’ t upgraded this series for ten years, so this is the natural evolution of that line moving into the Player Series.
Ensenada is really close by. We go there all the time, and we engage and collaborate directly with the folks there. They’ re all a major part of the team. Its Fender’ s own factory, just like the one in Corona. So, between the two, we feel really strongly about the quality, craftsmanship, and expertise. The Player Series is a great testament to that.
[ WM ] For musicians looking to buy their first Fender, or maybe even their first guitar, what do you want people to know about the brand as well as these instruments?
[ Max ] I’ d say the most important thing is that we are setting a baseline for what it means to get into the Fender brand. Not Squier, Fender. What is that supposed to mean? There’ s a lot of history with Fender – over sixty plus years. There are a lot of cats in our industry who have been around a long time who know what Fender means.
We’ re especially focused on all the new musicians coming into the market, the next generation of players and creatives who may have a different or uninfluenced view of what Fender means. They’ re going to introduce themselves to the brand or be introduced to the brand in a whole new way. Maybe without knowing who Eric Clapton is, unlike someone who grew up listening to the Yard Birds and Cream, you know? So, it is important that we make an instrument and communicate what the instrument means today, not just what it meant in the past.
There is that aspect of what we want to deliver, of what it means for an instrument to be a Fender. What it delivers to your music, your expression, your creativity as an up and coming or aspiring player who wants to finally get their first real Fender.
Then there’ s the players who have been around for a long time and have been fans of the brand, had many instruments, to whom we want to say,“ Hey, we’ re going to continue to push the envelope, were not just sitting on our laurels. We’ re going to continue to improve, and there are still things we can do to continue to make these instruments even better.” This is a testament to that. All of the things that we’ ve done are things that customers have asked for over the years. It was great to see all the people at the show pick up the guitar and go,“ Wow!” They were surprised this was a replacement for Standard because it felt like something at a much higher level than ever before.
That spoke to what we’ re trying to do in both aspects of the market. We really want the outcome to say that you can be in your dorm room, be in your garage band, be on stage with this. Or, whether it’ s your first one, second one, or the one you take on fly dates so you don’ t have to worry about that custom shop guitar, you can rely on it, depend on it, and enjoy the experience.
Then hopefully if you’ re one of those up and coming players, just as in our past history, you will become insistent on the brand because we care so much about you and your outcome that you will want to stay with the brand. Because we listen to you, take care of you, and make the instrument that helps you make the best music
- ultimately that’ s what we’ re trying to do.
[ WM ] Is there anything else that you’ d like to add?
[ Max ] I think it’ s really important that we recognize something that Fender has taken initiative on. There’ s this opportunity in the market right now. People understand that the guitar market is healthy and growing. It’ s up year over year, and the guitar is having a resurgence both in the industry, and as a lead instrument or main‘ driver’ of music. We’ re seeing a whole new Grunge movement happening. Like I said with some of the atmospheric stuff, we’ re seeing guitar starting to replace keyboards in some areas. There’ s a lot of versatility happening with the guitar in the market.
A whole new generation of players who are seeing the instrument a little differently than what we’ ve traditionally seen over the past thirty plus years and I think that’ s exciting. Its changing how we view the instrument, how we view guitar players, and how we view the creative process. That keeps it fresh for everybody and makes what we’ re doing kind of new again. It feels like a new guitar renaissance is happening and that’ s really exciting.
It will be interesting to watch that unfold and we will continue to support that and stay connected. I think one of the big advantages we have is how well artists feel they can communicate with us, to our artists relations department, and directly to the products team. We spend time dialoging with them and learning about what they’ re doing and how they’ re doing it, so that we’ re right there with them taking this journey, providing what they need in order to be successful.
So that is what I would add. The market is healthy, the industry is changing, and I think all of it is positive and good. I think it’ s going to be really exciting what these people do with these instruments in the future!
August 2018 WorshipMusician. com
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