Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC) today announced the launch of the all-new Player Plus Series. As a new generation of guitar players continues to emerge, Player Plus puts the power of guitar squarely in their hands with new versions of Fender's most iconic models. Combining precise playability with unbridled style, these seven guitars and basses are engineered to remove any obstacle to effortless playing and are finished in vibrant, head-turning colors.
Player Plus is an extension of the Player Series, which was the most widely-adopted Fender guitar series in 2020 and has sold over 400k units since its 2018 debut. Millions of new players began their learning journey during the pandemic, and for many, the Player Series provided a seamless entry into the Fender brand.
As digital platforms like TikTok have opened up new pathways for artists to find worldwide audiences, Fender has designed Player Plus for the generation leading the charge: both online and as live music begins to roar back after its hiatus. The launch of Player Plus will also serve as the debut of Fender's very own TikTok, @fender. Fender's presence on the app will include exclusive content, product demos and educational content, tailor-made for both passionate musicians and aspiring artists. To highlight Player Plus on TikTok, Fender has teamed up with guitarists currently pushing the boundaries of genre and creativity in terms of what and how they are creating music. They include Blu DeTiger, Hannah Dasher, Gabriel GarzoĢn-Montano, The Destroy Boys and the Nova Twins.
Introducing the Player Plus Series | Fender
The launch of the Player Series in 2018 helped spark a movement in the guitar industry, one where Fender has committed to showcasing the youthful, creative and evolving universe of guitar and bass. This movement has been accelerated over the past twelve months with even more new players entering the world of guitar than ever before. This new generation of players have more diverse opinions, styles, tastes and perspectives than any cohort of guitarists before them. The launch of Player Plus is Fender's continued opportunity to unite this new generation of guitar players with a campaign that bridges creation, energy and style with expression, connection and collaboration. With the new Player Plus Series, Fender aims to highlight the diverse perspectives behind the creativity and self-expression that will shape the style, culture and music of the future.
"Artists will always be at the heart of what drives us to create and innovate," said Evan Jones, Fender CMO. "For us, this means listening closely to their needs, studying the evolving music landscape and delivering tools that will help them move and inspire fans. Inspired by the continued emergence of new artists who are taking guitar into new spaces and putting their own stamp on musical traditions of the past, the Player Plus series is built for artists who want to transmit a bold aesthetic and are unapologetic in their approach to their craft. Our hope is that working artists & emerging players will be attracted to the undeniable style, feel, energy and of course Fender tone that has and will continue to inspire generations of creators."
Blu DeTiger | Player Plus Sessions | Fender
The future of music has inherently adapted due to the rise of social media platforms like TikTok, which amasses over 100M monthly active users, many of them musicians. As a result, Fender is launching its own TikTok this month to inspire not only guitarists but also other content creators on the platform. Additionally, the new lineup of models will be featured in Fender's new content series, Sessions Plus. Building on the fan-favorite Fender Sessions, Sessions Plus profiles the artists at the forefront of a boundary-pushing musical subculture and the Player Plus guitar or bass they use to bring their passions to life. The series highlights how digital platforms have created new genres and made old ones more dynamic: from Blu DeTiger taking bass playing to center stage, to Destroy Boys' new twist on time-honored punk genres.
All Player Plus models are designed with features and hardware that are approachable yet empowering to the seasoned player. The necks for the series feature 12"-radius fingerboards, with rolled edges perfect for intense playing while maintaining comfort. The New Noiseless pickups used throughout Player Plus models deliver classic Fender tones with modern clarity: delivering highs that can cut through the mix without distracting hum. These electronics are controlled with advanced switching capabilities to give players easy access to a wide variety of tonal options, while locking tuners provide professional-grade stability and make string changes easy. These features differentiate Player Plus guitars and basses from traditional or vintage-style instruments, but maintain their ability to seamlessly blend and mesh with every conceivable use occasion, genre or creative situation.
"We designed the Player Plus series to match the unique characteristics of today's players and creators," said Justin Norvell, EVP Fender Products. "When we first launched the Player Series in 2018, we set a new standard for what an entry-point Fender could be. Now, the Player Plus series offers a next-level playing experience to help a new generation share their passion and distinct perspective. The newly-voiced Noiseless pickups and rolled edges of the neck deliver the power and precision modern artists demand. With the Electric new gradient burst finishes, we've delivered a visually-striking line of performance instruments that exemplify Fender's ethos: honoring our past while looking to the future."
Player Plus guitars and basses come in a range of finishes that nod to Fender's history and culture. These include Belair Blue, Silver Smoke, Tequila Sunrise, Aged Olympic Pearl, Aged Candy Apple Red, Cosmic Jade and Opal Spark. Several of these finishes are a modern take on the gradient finishes seen on '80s-era, high-performance Fender models and differentiate Player Plus from any other series in the company's portfolio. The Player Plus series of electric guitars and basses feature seven new models available at local dealers and on Fender.com.
Models:
- Player Plus Stratocaster guitar ($999.99 USD, Ā£939.00 GBP, ā¬1,049.00 EUR, $1,999.00 AUD, Ā„137,500 JPY)
- Player Plus Stratocaster HSS guitar ($1,029.99 USD, Ā£979.00 GBP, ā¬1,099.00 EUR, $2,049.00 AUD, Ā„140,800 JPY)
- Player Plus Telecaster guitar ($999.99 USD, Ā£939.00 GBP, ā¬1,049.00 EUR, $1,999.00 AUD, Ā„137,500 JPY)
- Player Plus Nashville Telecaster guitar ($1,029.99 USD, Ā£979.00 GBP, ā¬1,099.00 EUR, $2,049.00 AUD, Ā„140,800 JPY)
- Player Plus Active Precision Bass guitar ($1,049.99 USD, Ā£1,069.00 GBP, ā¬1,199.00 EUR, $2,099.00 AUD, Ā„148,500 JPY)
- Player Plus Active Jazz Bass guitar ($1,099.99 USD, Ā£1,069.00 GBP, ā¬1,199.00 EUR, $2,199.00 AUD, Ā„159,500 JPY)
- Player Plus Active Jazz Bass V guitar ($1,149.99 USD, Ā£1,159.00 GBP, ā¬1,299.00 EUR, $2,299.00 AUD, Ā„165,000 JPY)
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After decades of 250 road dates a year, Tab Benoit has earned a reputation for high-energy performances at clubs and festivals around the world.
On his new I Hear Thunder, Benoit still proudly plays the Fender Thinline Telecaster he purchased for $400 when he was making his debut album in Texas, 1992ās Nice & Warm. After that heralded release, his eclectic guitar workāwhich often echoes between classic blues-rock rumble-and-howl, the street-sweetened funk of New Orleans, and Memphis-fueled soulāhelped Benoit win a long-term deal with Justice Records. But when the company folded in the late ā90s, his contract and catalog bounced from label to label.
Tab Benoit - "I Hear Thunder"
This bucked against Benoitās strong desire to fully control his musicāone reason he settled on the trio format early in his career. And although his 2011 album, Medicine, won three Blues Music Awardsāthe genreās equivalent of Grammysāhe stopped recording as a leader because he was bound by the stipulations of a record deal, now over, that he deemed untenable.
āI wanted to make records that reflected exactly how I sounded live and that were done as though we were playing a live concert,ā Benoit says. āSo, I formed my own label [Whiskey Bayou Records, with partner Reuben Williams] and signed artists whose music was, to me, the real deal, honest and straightforward. I couldnāt do anything on my own, but I could still continue putting out music that had a positive impact on the audience.ā
Benoitās new album, which includes Anders Osborne and George Porter Jr., was recorded in the studio at the guitaristās home near the bayou in Houma, Louisiana.
Those artists include fellow rootsers Eric McFadden, Damon Fowler, Eric Johanson, Jeff McCarty, and Dash Rip Rock. Benoit also spent plenty of time pursuing his other passion: advocating for issues affecting Louisianaās wetlands, including those around his native Houma. His 2004 album was titled Wetlands, and shortly after it was issued he founded the Voice of the Wetlands non-profit organization, and later assembled an all-star band that featured New Orleans-music MVPs Cyril Neville, Anders Osborne, George Porter Jr., Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, Johnny Vidacovich, Johnny Sansone, and Waylon Thibodeaux. This ensemble, the Voice of the Wetlands All-Stars, has released multiple CDs and toured.
Essentially, Benoit comes from the bayous, and when itās time to record, he goes back to them, and to the studio he has in Houma, which he refers to as āthe camp.ā Thatās where I Hear Thunder came to life. āGeorge and Anders came to me and said, āLetās go make some music,ā Benoit offers. āSo, we went out to the camp. They had some songsāand George and Anders and I go back so many years it was really a treat to put everything together. It only took us a couple of days to do everything we needed to do.ā
āGeorge Porter and Anders Osborne and I saw this alligator sitting around the boat where we were writing the entire time. I guess he really liked the song.ā
I Hear Thunder has become his first number one on Billboardās blues chart. Besides the fiery-yet-tight and disciplined guitar work of Benoit and Osborne, the latter also an esteemed songwriter, the album features his longtime rhythm section of bassist Corey Duplechin and drummer Terence Higgins. Bass legend Porter appears on two tracks, āLittle Queenieā and āIām a Write That Down.ā Throughout the album, Benoit sings and plays with soul and tremendous energy, plus he handled engineering, mixing, and production.
Once again, that ascribed to his aesthetic. āMy main reason for taking on those extra duties was I wanted to make sure that this recording gives the audience kind of a preview of how weāre going to sound live,ā he declares. āThatās one of the things that I truly donāt like about a lot of current recordings. I listen to them and then see those guys live and itās like, āHey, that doesn't sound like what was on the album.ā Play it once or twice and letās run with it. Donāt overdo it to the point you kill the honesty. All the guys that I loveāLightninā Hopkins, Albert Kingāthey played it once, and you better have the tape machine running because theyāre only going to give it to you that one time. Thatās the spontaneity that you want and need.
āOne of the reasons I donāt use a lot of pedals and effects is because I hate gimmicks,ā he continues. ā Iām playing for the audience the way that I feel, and my attitude is āLetās plug into the guitar and let it rip. If I make a mistake, so be it. Iām not using Auto-Tune to try and get somebodyās vocal to seem perfect. You think John Lee Hooker cared about Auto-Tune? Youāre cheating the audience when you do that stuff.ā
Tab Benoitās Gear
Benoit in 2024 with his trusty 1972 Fender Thinline Telecaster, purchased in 1992 for $400. Note that Benoit is a fingerstyle player.
Photo by Doug Hardesty
Guitar
- 1972 FenderĀ Telecaster Thinline
Amp
- Category 5 Tab Benoit 50-watt combo
Strings
- GHS Boomers (.011ā.050)
The I Hear Thunder songs that particularly resonate include the explosive title track, the soulful āWhy, Whyā and the rollicking āWatching the Gators Roll In,ā a song that directly reflected the albumās writing experience and environment. āGeorge and Anders and I saw this alligator sitting around the boat where we were writing the entire time. I guess he really liked the song. Heād be swimming along and responding. That gave it some added punch.ā As does Benoit and Osborneās consistently dynamic guitar work. āIām not one of these people who want to just run off a string of notes or do a lot of fast playing,ā Benoit says. āIt has to fit the song, the pace, and most of all, really express what Iām feeling at that particular moment. I think when the audience comes to a show and you play the songs off that album, youāve got to make it real and make it honest.ā
When asked whether he ever tires of touring, Benoit laughs and says, āAbsolutely not. At every stop now I see a great mix of people whoāve been with us since the beginning, and then their children or sometimes even their grandchildren. When people come up to you and say how much they enjoy your music, it really does make you feel great. Iāve always seen the live concerts as a way of bringing some joy and happiness to people over a period of time, of helping them forget about whatever problems or issues they might have had coming in, and just to enjoy themselves. At the same time, I get a real thrill and joy from playing for them, and itās something that I always want the bandās music to doāhelp bring some happiness and joy to everyone who hears our music.ā
YouTube It
Hear Tab Benoit practice the art of slow, soulful, simmering blues on his new I Hear Thunder song āOverdue,ā also featuring his well-worn 1972 Telecaster Thinline.
The Enigmatic nails the flexibility, for sure. To my ears, its tone foundation lives somewhere on a sliver of Venn diagram where a black-panel Fender and a 50-watt Hiwatt intersect. Itās alive, dimensional, snappy, sparkly, massive, and, at the right EQ settings, hot and excitable. But the Enigmaticās powerful EQ and gain controls, multiple virtual cab and mic pairings, rock, jazz, and custom voices, plus additional deep, bright, and presence controls enable you to travel many leagues from that fundamental tone. The customization work you can do in the app enables significant changes in the Enigmaticās tone profile and responsiveness, too. All these observations are made tracking the Enigmatic straight to a DAWāmaking the breadth of its personality even more impressive. But the Enigmatic sounds every bit as lively at the front end of an amp, and black-panel Fenders are a primo pairing for its saturation and sparkly attributes. The Enigmatic is nearly $400, which is an investment. But considering the ground I covered in just a few days with it, and the quality and variety of sounds I could conjure with the unit just sitting on my desk, the performance-to-price ratio struck me as very favorable indeed.
Supro Montauk 15-watt 1 x 10-inch Tube Combo Amplifier - Blue Rhino Hide Tolex with Silver Grille
