NAMM 2010 Fender news part one
| Posted in Music Technology
A 50th Anniversary Fender Jazz Bass is among the products announced by Fender this afternoon as the rush to release news for the 2010 NAMM show in California gets underway. The 50th Anniversary Jazz Bass is one of a wealth of instruments being launched by the guitar giant. While full details of all the launches won’t be released until the show begins on January 14th, DV247 has been treated to a sneak peek at what’s on the way.
Boasting a matching headstock, a rosewood fretboard and coming in Candy Apple Red, the Jazz Bass is described by Fender as ‘a truly distinctive instrument boasting design touches from several periods in Jazz Bass history’.
But however much attention it draws at the show it will likely be matched by the American Special series, which promises “everything you want in an affordable US made guitar”. The series includes the American Special Strat in two-colour sunburst or Candy Apple Red with an Alder Body (with gloss urethane finish), a 9.5″ radius maple neck, jumbo frets, and Texas Special pickups plus a vintage-style synchronised tremolo.
Also included is the American Special Strat HSS in three-colour sunburst or black with Texas Special mid/neck pickups and an atomic humbucking bridge pickup, plus the American Special Telecaster which adds vintage style brass saddle strings with a thru-body Tele bridge.
Elsewhere, Slipknot and Stone Sour guitarist Jim Root is about to become the owner of his own signature Strat. The Jim Root Stratocaster will come in flat white with a rosewood fingerboard or flat black with an ebony fingerboard, and features a compound radius neck (12″-14″) with no fretboard dots, active EMG pickups, black hardware and jumbo frets.
Described as ‘groundbreaking’ meanwhile is the Acoustasonic Telecaster, which is set to pair a traditional Tele design with Fishman Aura technology, creating realistic acoustic tones. If it’s as effective as Fender is promising, then the possibilities presented by the latest addition to the Acoustasonic range will be impressive – we’ll let you know as soon as we get our hands on one. In the meantime, the inclusion of a Rosewood bridge, a chambered body and a twisted Tele nick pickup is exciting in itself. The guitar will ship in either three-colour sunburst or Olympic White.
Nor is that it for Telecaster fans – a new series of Roadworn Teles will be unveiled in California ranging from the ’72 Tele Deluxe, in black or Olympic White, to the ’72 Tele Custom, in Olympic White or three-colour sunburst. The Classic Vibe Telecaster Custom will boast a three-colour sunburst finish over a double-bound Alder body with a mint green pickguard, plus a custom set of AlNiCo V single-coil pickups. Those are also shared by the Classic Vibe Telecaster Thinline, a semi-hollow Tele with an f-hole and white pearloid pickguard.
Finally, the Bullet Strat with Tremelo HSS rounds off a huge amount of Fender electric guitars, with three colours available – black, Brown Sunburst and Arctic White. The Strat is described by the manufacturer as “simple, affordable and practical” and features a one humbucking / two single-coil pickup configuration plus five-way switching, synchronous tremolo, and a maple neck with rosewood fingerboard.
But what about the acoustic models? Fender has been busy again, with four new models being announced at NAMM 2010. Leading them is the Dick Dale Limited Edition Malibu, commemorating the 45th anniversary of the release of seminal album Surfer’s Choice in suitably flamboyant style. The model boasts a three inch body depth, an onboard preamp, a reverse headstock and a special paint job designed by Dick himself. Only slightly less loud is Dick Dale’s new Signature Malibu, which includes dual matching pickguards, a three inch body depth, a Fishman pickup system with onboard tuner and that customary Dale reverse headstock.
Proving that 2010 is the year of the Dale, meanwhile, is the Jimmy Dale Signature Kingman, which was part-designed by Dick Dale’s son. The guitar offers an all-solid mahogany body, dual pickguards, a Fishman preamp and a three inch body depth.
Last but not least, is the Sonoron ’67 Limited, which has been designed to “pay homage to the groovy exotic woods of the 1960s”, with exotic wood used for its back, sides and headcap, but plenty of modern trappings as well such as a C shaped neck, scalloped X-bracing and an onboard preamp and tuner.
If all of that has just whetted your appetite for more, then don’t worry – Fender still has much to offer. Read part two of this blog to find out what.
About Barney Jameson
A contributor, editor and in some cases creator of more music and pro audio magazines than he cares to remember, Barney Jameson is a veteran of writing about gear, and a pretty keen singer songwriter to boot.
Having started his musical education reading old copies of the Melody Maker while riding the tube to University in the mid-nineties, Barney once sang in a band called Sugarstone, troubling record company chequebooks not quite enough to make it a career option. Instead, he achieved his goal of starting a music magazine of his own when he founded Playmusic in the early noughties. Later on, having exploited VIP access to as many festivals as possible, he wrote about the pro audio industry throughout Europe and the Middle East, travelling to far-flung destinations such as Dubai, Doha and Muscat (nice mountains).
As the latest addition to the DV247 team, Barney has big plans. But when he’s not plotting online domination of the musical instrument world, he keeps himself busy writing songs on a battered old acoustic guitar and playing them to audiences in his home town.
Tags: fender, guitars released at NAMM, NAMM 2010