Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC) today officially announced the expansion of its artist signature electric guitar and bass offerings at Summer NAMM 2018 in Nashville, Tenn. Catering to seasoned players across genres, new additions include: the Flea Jazz Bass® Active, Albert Hammond Jr. Stratocaster®, Jimi Hendrix Stratocaster, and Johnny Marr Jaguar® in Lake Placid Blue. These artist-inspired models come off the heels of this month’s introduction of the Player Series, an all-new, accessibly priced line of electric guitars and basses for aspiring players who represent the future of guitar.
Launching in Summer and Fall 2018 is an expansion of Fender’s artist signature line with two new models—Flea Jazz Bass Active (which we previewed at the Fender Sydney dealer event last week), Albert Hammond Jr. Stratocaster. In addition to these two new models, the Johnny Marr Jaguar, originally released in 2012, is being released in a new color—Lake Placid Blue.
“The artist signature electric guitar and bass models we’re unveiling at Summer NAMM are both dynamic and eclectic in style and musical taste—spotlighting top players, from Albert Hammond Jr. and Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers to Johnny Marr,” said Justin Norvell, SVP Fender Products. “Our second artist signature active bass with Flea was designed to complement the Shell Pink Flea Jazz Bass—a reproduction of his beloved recording bass we recreated with him in 2016. This new active model is a complete 180 from the super vintage-style of the other; it’s hyper-modern and ready for the stage. Albert Hammond Jr. helped bring the Stratocaster back to the fore in the early 2000s. He has a keen melodic sense and rhythmic playing style that we wanted to honor—as a member of a huge, stadium-level band in the past 20 years—The Strokes—and as a solo artist, who puts out great records.”
“We’re also adding new a new colour to one of our most successful artist signature models, the Johnny Marr Jaguar. “Johnny’s a fan and collector of guitars in ‘60s era vintage colors and we’re always making him one-offs of his signature model in those unique colorways—like Lake Placid Blue; and when he plays them live, the phone starts to ring with fans asking for them.”
These highly collectible Artist Signature models include:
Flea Jazz Bass Active – $2,999 (Launching October 2018) sports a satin finish with matching headstock. The custom-shaped Jazz Bass body and a hot Fender humbucking pickup with an Aguilar OBP-1 18-volt preamp allows this bass to crank out massive output, perfect for pounding a stadium with the power of funk. The brainchild of Flea and Fender Custom Shop Master Builder Jason Smith, also a Flea/Red Hot Chili Peppers fan and bass player himself—this is the bass Flea plays live in concert.
Albert Hammond Jr. Stratocaster—$1,499 (Launching October 2018) is a 1985 reissue of a ‘72 Strat® with a unique touch. It features replicated Hammond Jr. customized pickups switching: pickup switch position four activates the neck and bridge pickups in tandem, while positions one and three are reversed from the traditional layout. Hammond Jr.’s signature graces the back of the large ‘70s-style headstock, while other ‘70s-inspired features include bullet truss rod nut, 3-bolt “F”-stamped neck plate with period-correct Micro-Tilt™ adjustment and a ‘70s-era logo.
Johnny Marr Jaguar—$3,849 (Launching Summer 2018) is based on Marr’s modified 1965 Jaguar. Originally launched in 2012, the Johnny Marr Jaguar—one of Fender’s more successful signature models—is getting a limited run in a new ‘60s vintage-era color: Lake Placid Blue, which coincides with the release of his new album, Call The Comet. Dual custom-wound Bare Knuckle® Johnny Marr single-coil pickups crank out incisive tone that’s just the thing for slashing through a sonically dense mix. Also featured are a four-position blade pickup, thicker tone and higher output, dual upper-horn slide switches, and a 7.25”-radius rosewood fingerboard with 22 vintage-style frets.
Also new to Fender’s electrics lineup in Summer 2018 is the Player Series. Respecting Fender’s heritage while maintaining an innovative spirit, the Player Series blends authentic Fender tone, sound and style with a modern edge that’s versatile enough to handle any style of music. The Player Series is the long-awaited successor to the Fender Standard Series and sets a new benchmark for quality and performance, with upgraded and cool updated features, including: new pickups for legendary vintage tones heard on some of the world’s most influential records; updated body radii for improved comfort and feel; 22-fret necks for extended range; upgraded bridges for improved performance and easier setup; as well as new colors, the classic logo and “F”-stamped neck plate for a more authentic Fender look. These guitars are the best the brand has built in the $1,149—$1,349 price range, with the often imitated, but never duplicated iconic Fender sound, feel, and classic look that’s helped shape popular music for more than 70 years. With 94 SKUs across 21 models and hero colours including Sage Green, Polar White, Tide Pool, Butter Cream, and Sonic Red, artists and players can express themselves in limitless ways.
Fender’s new electric guitar and bass offerings will be available at local dealers and on www.Fender.com.