Fender Roadshow, Melbourne last night.

[Dave_O]

A quick bullet-point rundown of the night... Caught up briefly with fellow TDPRIer MacDog, saw Greg Koch (great player, seriously funny guy), saw a couple of Teles, a few Jags, a few Strats, heard the EC CS amps (Twinolux, Deluxe-o-lux, Vibro-Champ), a Supersonic Twin (pricey here, but not bad IMO) a Machete (still wonder-"Why?"), the EVH 5150 (WTF??), the Mustang Floor board thingy, a great sounding Gretsch drumkit and some other bits and bobs.
Got me thinking, though... Now there's that whole generation who can spring for a R9 or a MasterBuilt Custom shop Strat and a RI Tweed or an Eric Clapton "Twin-o-Lux", for probably one or maybe two months salary, when "back in the day", that sort of rig would have cost closer to 6 months wages (my first big-buck amp- Ampeg SVT and 8x10 in 1978 cost me over $2000AUD, when I was on around $90 a week). You'd only sign the hire purchase agreement for that if you were seriously having a crack, and gigging 3 or 4 nights a week.
Don't get me wrong, these EC amps sounded great- especially with Mr Koch squeezing his own schwingly brand of magic out of the speakers. But for something that will HAVE to retail for a fair chunk more than the '57 Twin RI that it's based on (RRP $3,989.00AUD- then add the CS pixie dust and the extra $$$ attached to having EC's scratch on it somewhere) it's not that special. Realistically, there's not a chance in Hell I'd pay that much for an amp today, especially when you consider what's currently available.
Not. Ever. Seriously.

And the guitars? The "Fender Select" range. Some folks will love them, I suppose.

And the 50th Anniversary Jaguars?

Hmmm... How many different paintjobs and pickguards can you put on a Jag and call it a different model? But I'm probably not their target market, am I?

I might be wrong, but I think Fender is using the Big G's business model- which they lifted wholesale from Harley Davidson. The "Lifestyle" company. Selling the image and not the product. IMO, that's what pulled HD out of the hole it found itself in post AMF. The product was pretty "meh", and it was way too expensive to actually redesign the product. But by packaging up the whole baby-boomer nostalgia for the rebel-rousing days of youth, they managed to sell a squillion units of a product that (if you looked at it simply as a "motorcycle") was rubbish. But as a symbol of the rebellious and wild, crazy, swingin' 60s- it was potent. Perhaps both Fender and Gibson (like HD before them) have realised that if someone's after a guitar- or an actual motorcycle- they'll go elsewhere. Especially if that person is a pro or semi-pro who uses the product in the pursuit of their chosen artistic path or their career. But then there's a whole cashed-up section of the market that wants a little piece of the magic of their youth. Dressed up in thin-skin nitro and tweed.

There's the sizzle- and then there's the steak.

But, it was free, and I got to hear Greg Koch. So it was definitely worth the petrol to get out to North Melbourne for the gig.

[Capel]

My turn tonite..... but I'm going to the Presonus roadshow instead (been to the last 3 fender ones - Greg Koch is awesome every time!) - got a new mixer to buy!!

[macdog]

It was a good evening's entertainment for free, good venue and a chance to check out some gear. Seeing Dave_O was a nice surprise and ran into a few other guys from music stores around town.

I agree with Dave's comment about "Lifestyle", which seems to have infected so much of our culture. Buy the image, man, then you're cool. I used to be a bicycle racer and nowadays so many people seem to splash out on an expensive bike and lycra. I couldn't stand being part of that now.

But back to the Roadshow - Greg Koch was terrific, funny and a great player. I thought he'd be a bit over the top and affected, but came across as a good bloke hugely enjoying playing guitar and entertaining a couple of hundred strangers.

[PeteMac]

Hey . . . I was there too !
I was on the lookout for anyone I might know . . . but I guess you guys saw me first, eh


The thing that really caught my attention was the "Fender" branded guitars coming out of a factory in China !!!





I think I have all the Fender gear I need for a while . . .

[blargfromspace]

Did anyone else find the Australian rep intensely boring? Especially when talking?

[Dave_O]

Originally Posted by blargfromspace

Did anyone else find the Australian rep intensely boring? Especially when talking?

Probably an after effect from touring with Vanessa Amorosi. I think if I heard (let alone had to play) "Absolutely Everybody" just once more, I'd open a vein.

[Dave_O]

Originally Posted by PeteMac

The thing that really caught my attention was the "Fender" branded guitars coming out of a factory in China !!!

Hey Pete!

Forgot about that...

Not lowly "Squiers", mind you. These were badged "Fender".
The quote was:
"... from the same factory that makes the Custom Vibe Series..."

You'd be hoping that they would therefore have a similar price tag to a CV.

[macdog]

Is that an official Fender factory or some generic guitar making factory? When is a Fender not a Fender? All it takes is the famous headstock and logo?

[Omiewise65]

I think they are making the modern player series there , with the Fender logo .
Fenders with buckers made in china .

I will buy used in the future .

[Dave_O]

Originally Posted by Omiewise65

I think they are making the modern player series there , with the Fender logo .
Fenders with buckers made in china .

I will buy used in the future .

Correct!! All the Jag-inspired things, the "Kurt Cobain" signature stuff, etc.

Thanks for prodding my creaking memory!