What's so special about Fenders?

[d3drocks]

nothing. there is nothing special about them. i will never buy a fender. Ibanez, Dean, or Line6 only. (maybe jackson, for their Vs)

[mickeymix]

Fenders ARE special, so are Jacksons, Deans, Ibanez, Line 6, Gretsch, Parkers, Gibsons, Music Mans, G & L's, Charvels, Martins, Taylors and the whole lot!.......



different strokes eh.... whatever floats your boat and inspires you is special.... that's the beauty of it all......buy what ya like, love 'em ALL!

[atalwar]

There gotta be somethin' special about them as we got to the third page on the thread.

here are my 2 1/2 (rounded to 3) cents.

to me personally it all bout the sound that the thing makes. be it fender, ibanez, prs or any other brand. Has fender been able to provide a similar signature tone for its respective models over decades. Yes they have been and so have Gibson and many other brands.

Are they technically superior? are they piece of art?, i don't really care as i ain't flying a spacecraft any sooner nor am i buying em for a museum.

If you need a strat sound you can hunt and test other brand Copies that you like or you can just go for a known brand knowing it would deliver atleast more or less the tone you looking for.And if thousands have gone for that tone, then that in itself is a specialty.

A lot of sweet vintage stuff is not sweet due to superior technology but more or less the lack of it. imperfections can add a lot to tonal character sonically and many of these characteristics change over time. If in Today's far more technically superior age, they still have been able to keep the same old simple standards and consistent tone that is a specaility too.

we all love guitars and gear and so does a painter loves his brand of brushes, or a sculptor his set of chisels etc but eventually what matters in the end is what gets you to express yourself the way you wish to and make best out of it and you, it very well could be a $100 instrument or it could be $10k item.

The instrument does not necessarily need to be a piece of art itself to produce art or your masterpiece.

I don't own a fender yet, but i probably will soon and then a PRS soapbar if need be and perhaps a parker nitefly too just in case....

[MikeAlan]

Fun, controversial thread. Those commenting on our individual touch & it's effect on tone & how sometimes simple is best, make very good points. Michael Hedges didn't need much to make amazing music. Ditto, Leo Kottke & so many more. I'll go in another direction.

What makes a great guitar anyway? The looks, playability, overall comfort, price, sound(s), effects of some sort, what else? We weigh each in our own way & that's our guide to what makes any of these pieces of wood "special".

I love Fenders, though I don't own 1 anymore. I'd buy back my 1st guitar, a Fender Strat, in a heartbeat! The neck was amazing.

In the original post, you say it's time to move on. I've never played or researched a Parker, so don't know what puts them on the bleeding edge. When I think revolutionary, I think of Ned Steinberger's TransTrem. My P-series is an odd-looking, headless wonder shaped like a cigar box of sorts. Not a pretty piece! Thanks to his use of composites, I know it'll be in tune whenever I grab it! It was made over 20 years ago & it's needed no mods of any kind. For me, it plays like a dream, which is why I call it, Old Faithful". Oh, sounds great too!

Line 6 Variax. That's moving on. I dig mine: strange look with no pickups, variety of tones that can be modified, fast for "open tuning" changes, plays nice, no pickup hum when playing near a PC, nice price.

Floyd Rose's line of guitars make for quick-change of a broken guitar string. Not so important to me, but am sure it is to those who gig often, love a Floyd trem, & really tug on that high E.

How about Emmett Chapman!?! The Stick is amazingly innovative: 8, 10, 12-string monsters for real tap or touch-style playing. The "NS" is on my wishlist.

Fernandez fretless guitar with the sustainer pickup ... that's going off into new territory for most of us, I'm guessing.

I could go on. Coming full circle, was it Fender who brought us the B-Bender? There was some ingenuity there!

[Coul10]

Hey Guys,

I teach a local music store and the people at Fender are the best. They try to help their customers out with full attention. I only play Strats personally. I went thru the whole 80's thing where I had a guitar made by every company. I had a master built strat built for me two years ago and I feel that nothing can touch it. They really made exactly what I asked for. Not too many guitar companies will do that.

[pooterpatty]

I have two Fenders and I love them both. I own several other guitars as well, and I play them all at different times.

If I'm in the mood for chicken pickin', I grab the Tele. If I'm in a bluesy sorta mood, I gotta go with the Strat. If drop-tuned metal is the order of the day, then I gotta go with the Ibanez. And the Taylor.....well it handles pretty much everything with equal ease.

To each his own. We've all got our personal tastes in guitars - arguing about it is kinda like running in the Special Olympics - even if you win, you're still retarded

Instead of hearing how good one guitar is compared to another, I'd much rather hear what you can create on the thing. You can spend 3 grand on a guitar, but it's senseless when you see people like Seasick Steve, who is able to convey emotion just as effectively on a guitar with the pickups held in place by duct tape.

[lostylost]

>>> arguing about it is kinda like running in the Special Olympics - even if you win, you're still retarded

hahaha That's a good one

[epauley]

Hmmm…while reading this thread, I began to wonder if I was really over at the Line 6 forums! Got a bit brutal.

Anyway, I love all of my guitars – even my new PRS Custom 24 with natural finish, maple ten top and birds. Lol



That being said, it can’t sound like my Fender Strat!

Ultimately, it IS playing well with feelin’ and creativity that counts.

[lostylost]

**even** my new PRS Custom 24 with natural finish, maple ten top and birds. Lol

How could you!?? It's hideous! lmfao

I have always loved those PRS guitars. One day, one day.

[epauley]

Admittedly, I do love it. It’s build with quality and precision - and the wide thin neck plays like a dream. However, my Strat is still the workhorse. The Messa Boogie Express 5:50 brings out the best in both guitars.

[epauley]

(Is that still the price tag on top! )

I was inspired by the Minnie Pearl look....lol

Yeah, the picture was taken the day I purchased both the PRS and Messa (about 3 months ago).

Thanks for the welcome back.

[pooterpatty]

Ed that picture you posted is one of the sexiest I've seen - ever. When are you gonna take that tag off the Mesa?

[epauley]

So, is this better? lol

[mickeymix]

Being gear sluts too, we now need a pedal listing left to right or right to left if you so please ... AND if of course you would be so kind good sir!

Mmmmmmmmmmmmm GEAR!

[epauley]

From left to right: THD Quintet Tone Curve pedal, Dunlap Cry Baby Wah, Keeley Compression pedal, Visual Sound Liquid Chorus, Digitech Bad Monkey Overdrive, MXR Cabon Copy Delay and PODxt (fully loaded).

Not showing (because they’re in transit) is a new Vox Satchurator distortion pedal and PODx3 Live. The PODxt above will become a dedicated recording interface.

Also, not showing: To the right of the Messa is an Atomic 112-50 amp, which is tube amp developed for MFX units like PODs. Eventually, I will have the choice of pure analog, pure digital or mix and match effects.