Fender seems to refresh their standard/mid-range American-made line every four years:
2008-2012 - the new American Standard, with several changes over the 2007 and earlier model. Bridge, tuners, finish, end of S-1 switch
2012-2016 - American Standard with Custom Shop pickups
2017-2020 American Professional with the unpopular pickups and very popular 63 C neck profile, tall narrow frets, fluted tuner shafts.
2020-present - awkwardly named American Professional II, with the much improved and also awkwardly named VMod II pickups, Super Natural neck finish, slightly more rolled fretboard edges.
The American deluxe line followed a similar refresh timeline: Deluxe, Elite, Ultra.
Since 2024 marks the 4th year for the current model, any predictions whether it will be replaced in 2024, and if so, with what?
My predictions:
- yes it will be replaced, it will have a price increase, and many TB members will complain about how greedy they are and how the new name is “just marketing”
- the 5-bolt neck joint will remain the standard
- fluted tuner shafts will be replaced with something else
- the bridge will change, possibly Fender will start using the Ultra “badass” style bridge, or maybe the bridge on both the deluxe and standard lines will change to something new
- Dark Night finish will either be replaced with another “new black” or expanded so that you can get either rosewood or maple in the 4- and 5-string P models. Or possibly they’ll discontinue the rosewood option for Dark Night and make it maple for both.
- Miami Blue will go away
- a new red finish will be introduced, or possibly a reissue of candy cola (a “dark night candy cola” burst would be really cool, not a prediction, just wishful thinking)
- roasted maple necks will be introduced as an option
- a new pickup will be introduced, something puportedly heavily influenced by vintage pickup tones. This will fail to be satisfactory to nearly all TB Fender fans, until it’s a year or two old, and then someone will discover changing their strings made a huge difference and everyone will start buying those strings whether or not they have this pickup, but the pickup will be discontinued in 2028 to be forever lamented as “one of the best,” and then be reissued in 2030.
Whoops, maybe got a little carried away with that last one.
- the 5-string P will retain the VMod II pickup, not because people want it, but because Fender doesn’t like the idea of 5-string P basses in general so they won’t bother changing any more than they have to to just be consistent with the rest of the lineup. (q.v. the retention of the same P V pickup from 2008-2016, skipping over the CS62).
Also, since it’s 2024, there will be a 70th anniversary badging on the Strat models, and maybe a 1954 P bass reissue.
Anyone else have any predictions for Fender for 2024?
2008-2012 - the new American Standard, with several changes over the 2007 and earlier model. Bridge, tuners, finish, end of S-1 switch
2012-2016 - American Standard with Custom Shop pickups
2017-2020 American Professional with the unpopular pickups and very popular 63 C neck profile, tall narrow frets, fluted tuner shafts.
2020-present - awkwardly named American Professional II, with the much improved and also awkwardly named VMod II pickups, Super Natural neck finish, slightly more rolled fretboard edges.
The American deluxe line followed a similar refresh timeline: Deluxe, Elite, Ultra.
Since 2024 marks the 4th year for the current model, any predictions whether it will be replaced in 2024, and if so, with what?
My predictions:
- yes it will be replaced, it will have a price increase, and many TB members will complain about how greedy they are and how the new name is “just marketing”
- the 5-bolt neck joint will remain the standard
- fluted tuner shafts will be replaced with something else
- the bridge will change, possibly Fender will start using the Ultra “badass” style bridge, or maybe the bridge on both the deluxe and standard lines will change to something new
- Dark Night finish will either be replaced with another “new black” or expanded so that you can get either rosewood or maple in the 4- and 5-string P models. Or possibly they’ll discontinue the rosewood option for Dark Night and make it maple for both.
- Miami Blue will go away
- a new red finish will be introduced, or possibly a reissue of candy cola (a “dark night candy cola” burst would be really cool, not a prediction, just wishful thinking)
- roasted maple necks will be introduced as an option
- a new pickup will be introduced, something puportedly heavily influenced by vintage pickup tones. This will fail to be satisfactory to nearly all TB Fender fans, until it’s a year or two old, and then someone will discover changing their strings made a huge difference and everyone will start buying those strings whether or not they have this pickup, but the pickup will be discontinued in 2028 to be forever lamented as “one of the best,” and then be reissued in 2030.
Whoops, maybe got a little carried away with that last one.
- the 5-string P will retain the VMod II pickup, not because people want it, but because Fender doesn’t like the idea of 5-string P basses in general so they won’t bother changing any more than they have to to just be consistent with the rest of the lineup. (q.v. the retention of the same P V pickup from 2008-2016, skipping over the CS62).
Also, since it’s 2024, there will be a 70th anniversary badging on the Strat models, and maybe a 1954 P bass reissue.
Anyone else have any predictions for Fender for 2024?
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