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 Garzón-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, £939.00 GBP, €1,049.00 EUR, $1,999.00 AUD, ¥137,500 JPY)
- Player Plus Stratocaster HSS guitar ($1,029.99 USD, £979.00 GBP, €1,099.00 EUR, $2,049.00 AUD, ¥140,800 JPY)
- Player Plus Telecaster guitar ($999.99 USD, £939.00 GBP, €1,049.00 EUR, $1,999.00 AUD, ¥137,500 JPY)
- Player Plus Nashville Telecaster guitar ($1,029.99 USD, £979.00 GBP, €1,099.00 EUR, $2,049.00 AUD, ¥140,800 JPY)
- Player Plus Active Precision Bass guitar ($1,049.99 USD, £1,069.00 GBP, €1,199.00 EUR, $2,099.00 AUD, ¥148,500 JPY)
- Player Plus Active Jazz Bass guitar ($1,099.99 USD, £1,069.00 GBP, €1,199.00 EUR, $2,199.00 AUD, ¥159,500 JPY)
- Player Plus Active Jazz Bass V guitar ($1,149.99 USD, £1,159.00 GBP, €1,299.00 EUR, $2,299.00 AUD, ¥165,000 JPY)
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Throughout 2024, Taylor Guitars is celebrating its 50th anniversary. This is not just a milestone birthday, but a tribute to the innovative spirit that has always driven the company forward.
American Dreamers
n 1974, Bob Taylor and Kurt Listug, two ambitious guitar enthusiasts from San Diego, embarked on a journey that would transform the world of acoustic guitars. They met at a guitar-making shop called the American Dream, and their passion led to the founding of Taylor Guitars.
The journey was challenging, and Bob and Kurt had a lot to learn. “Things were hard for a really long time,” Kurt recalls. “We had to learn everything. How to build guitars. How to sell guitars. How to build a business.”
Relentless Innnovation
Despite the steep learning curve, innovation was a core value from the beginning. In 1976, Bob Taylor introduced an early version of Taylor’s soon-to-be-famous slim-profile, bolt-on guitar necks. This design was a departure from the bulky neck profiles common at the time and made neck resets easier.
Musicians were impressed by the slender neck profile and low action, making Taylor’s guitars remarkably easy to play. Notable artists such as Neil Young, Prince, Dan Crary, and Leo Kottke have played Taylor guitars, contributing to their reputation.
Taylor was also the first acoustic guitar company to adopt computer-numerical-controlled (CNC) mills, introducing these machines in 1990 for precise cutting, pocketing, and shaping of complex guitar components.
The Birth of the Grand Auditorium
In 1994, Taylor introduced the Grand Auditorium, a body shape with refined dimensions between a Dreadnought and Taylor’s small-bodied Grand Concert. This versatile acoustic voice offered remarkable balance across the tonal spectrum, suitable for strumming, picking, and fingerstyle playing.
The Grand Auditorium’s medium-sized body redefined the acoustic guitar to better meet the needs of modern players. Its versatility made it a popular choice among session musicians and gigging players, becoming Taylor’s best-selling body shape.
To celebrate their 50th anniversary, Taylor is releasing a collection of limited-edition guitars that highlight the best from their line over the past five decades.
The all-purpose Grand Auditorium takes center stage in this commemorative collection.
Several models are now available at authorized Taylor dealers, including the 50th Anniversary Builder’s Edition 814ce LTD, 314ce LTD, and AD14ce-SB LTD.
Builder's Edition 814ce LTD
The 50th Anniversary Builder’s Edition 814ce LTD is an ultra-refined version of the popular Builder’s Edition 814ce (released in 2023). It retains comfort-enhancing elements from the original, such as a beveled armrest, beveled cutaway, chamfered edges, and a Curve Wing bridge. A solid sinker redwood top and solid Indian rosewood body offer a harmonious blend of rich lows, sparkling highs, bold projection, and dynamic range. Features include an abalone rosette, mother-of-pearl inlays, maple binding, maple purfling, and Gotoh 510 tuners.
Street Price: $4,999.
314ce LTD
One of the best-selling U.S.-made acoustic guitars, Taylor’s 314ce gets a premium upgrade with the 50th Anniversary 314ce LTD. Taylor’s special roasting process has been applied to the solid Sitka spruce top, offering aged-in depth and sweetness from day one, along with enhanced soundboard stability and responsiveness. Paired with solid sapele back and sides, this guitar delivers a rich and versatile sonic profile with Taylor’s signature warmth, clarity, and balance. Eye-catching aesthetic touches include a tobacco shaded edgeburst and a bold firestripe faux-tortoise pickguard.
Street Price: $2,799.
AD14ce-SB LTD
The 50th Anniversary AD14ce-SB LTD combines workhorse versatility with neo-vintage aesthetics. Featuring a Sitka spruce top and walnut body, it offers a pronounced midrange with a balanced blend of warm lows and clear highs, ideal for fingerpicking and strumming. This model harks back to Taylor’s early guitars, many of which were built in the shop where Bob and Kurt met.
Street Price: $1,999.
All three Grand Auditoriums feature V-Class bracing, a groundbreaking sonic “engine” developed by Andy Powers, Taylor’s Chief Guitar Designer (and President and CEO). Andy, who joined the team in 2011, ensures that innovation continues to be a central focus.
Each guitar in the collection includes celebratory appointments, such as a commemorative 50th Anniversary label, ebony bridge pins with gold acrylic dots, and gold tuning machines and buttons.
You can explore Taylor’s full 50th Anniversary Collection of guitars here. All models are available exclusively at authorized dealers.
Plus, check out Taylor’s 50th Anniversary Timeline to learn more about the history of innovation and some of the amazing artists who have played their guitars over the past five decades.
The Warg is a modern revamp of the Ace Tone “Fuzz Master” FM-3, designed to offer uniquely aggressive high-gain options.
"Despite its feral exterior, the Warg is refined under the hood, with several quality-of-life improvements, like silent soft true-bypass switching, top-mounted jacks, high-end German-made hardware and premium internal components."
Features:
- EQ profile switch toggling between the scooped wall of fuzz tones of the original circuit, and a flat profile with a fuller and punchier midrange
- Versatile tone control and broad gain range allows for anything from chunky riffage to searing leads
- Silent soft touch switching system via an internal relay
- Art by the talented Jordan from Pine-Box Customs
Like all Evil Eye FX pedals, the Warg features a lifetime warranty and is hand-built one-at-a-time in Philadelphia, PA.
Street price of $149.
Available now at www.evileyefx.com, or through any of our fine retailers.
Evil Eye FX is a joint venture from childhood friends and bandmates Sean and Ben, building their brand around their love of DnD and other tabletop RPGs, video games and fantasy. In 2019, the pair began modding BOSS pedals to meet the needs of their band, and quickly fell in love with the craft. In 2023, they founded Evil Eye FX with the vision of providing unique handmade pedals at working musician-accessible prices.
Check out Jackson Brooksby’s look at the history of the FM-3 and demo of the Warg.
Our columnist makes an argument against the usefulness of tap tempo footswitches. Should we really be bothering with them?
The ability to tap in a tempo on pedals is a fairly new concept, especially compared to the amount of time that stompboxes have existed in our world. I would venture to guess that this is due in part to the availability of, and need for, digital ICs. Then, being able to code them and apply them to effects circuits appropriately.
Piece of cake! … If you’re good at baking cake. This process isn’t exactly easy to implement, but these days, I feel like some players are almost expecting this modern commodity—to the point where a great delay pedal might be overlooked due to not having tap tempo.
Setting aside the history and design applications, I’ve been pondering if tap tempo even makes sense or is achievable in a band context. For this thought experiment, I’d like to run through a few scenarios, while also shedding light on a few software/hardware aspects for you to consider. To put it plainly, “Why would you need tap tempo on a pedal?” The most compelling argument I’ve thought of is the “band” aspect: being part of a band where the rhythm section has laid down the tempo and you’d like to add delay to the song. Now, if you set the knobs on your delay pedal and started playing to that tempo, your bandmates could join along with your delay line acting as the group’s metronome. However, in this scenario, you didn’t start the tempo. That’s no problem! You’ve got a footswitch on your delay that allows you to tap your foot to the beat of the drummer and you’ll be all set! But will you?
Let’s assume, for argument’s sake, that the drummer is playing to a click track at 120 bpm. Your foot starts tapping along and you press that magical tap footswitch on your favorite delay three to six times. Boom! Now you’ve set the delay line to 120 bpm. But what are the chances that you tapped 120 exactly? Is it likely that you tapped in 122 bpm? Or 121.3 bpm? Absolutely. This discrepancy may not be very noticeable for a couple bars, but every subsequent bar you play will start to become more noticeable. So what do you do? You can keep tapping in the tempo to the best of your ability every few bars. Seems cumbersome given that you still have to play the guitar parts and focus on other things that are inherently involved in a band setting.
Pulling the curtain back for a second here, let’s call the part of the pedal that handles the tap tempo “the brain.” The brain of the delay sees you pressing the tap footswitch multiple times and processes this in a couple ways (that I’m aware of). One, it measures the distance between all the consecutive taps and spits out an average. Two, it takes the last two distances in the string of taps and makes that the bpm. That’s not even going into whether the brain is floating point (121.3 bpm) or fixed point (121.32 bpm).
“You’ve got a footswitch on your delay that allows you to tap your foot to the beat of the drummer and you’ll be all set! But will you?”
Your drummer is still waiting for you to get the tempo dialed in. So what can you try next? Well, if your delay pedal has an insert jack for tap tempo, we can try to connect something like the Disaster Area SMARTClock. The tap footswitch on it won’t help here. It’ll be the same as the bpm discrepancy we discussed previously. However, there’s an encoder knob that allows you to scroll through the output tempo in bpm or millisecond increments. Yes! Not all is lost! You just have to make sure to sync it up exactly on the downbeat of the tempo—crap!
Another more intricate and exact option would be to have the drummer’s click track send a MIDI signal to your SMARTClock that then connects to your delay. At this point, I’d change my question to, “Is this level of tap tempo necessary?” Perhaps if you’re the Edge and/or the song is predicated on the delay.
If you’re adding a lead part to a song and the delay isn’t exactly “on” with the bpm, I would argue that it can stand out better, be more easily heard, and be more interesting. I would also argue that an amplitude-style tremolo makes more sense to require exact bpm. I’m thinking about the Smiths’ “How Soon is Now?”
Tap-tempo options on modulation have been fun and we’re seeing more of it nowadays, but we’ve been playing and listening to the Phase 90 for decades without needing tap. Ultimately, if having certain options inspires you and brings you joy, go for it! Enjoy! But I’d ask you, “Did you actually tap in the correct bpm?” and “Did it matter?”Orianthi joins forces with Orange Amplification for her signature combo, the Oriverb, based on the classic Rockerverb MKIII 50 NEO Combo.
"Seeing this whole amp come to life has been a dream come true," said Orianthi, "it’s a beautiful amp and it really reflects my eccentric personality!"
The platinum-selling virtuoso guitarist has gained a reputation as a multi-faceted artist, singer, songwriter and first-call collaborator. With roots planted firmly in hard rock, her latest single "First Time Blues" featuring Joe Bonamassa and "Ghost" are a combination of blues-based riffs and memorable melodies. She is currently on tour in the USA and working on a new album to be announced soon.
The Oriverb, inspired by the Rockerverb 50 MKIII Combo Neo, is voiced to embody Orianthi’s unique sound. It has a cleaner mid-range warmth that reflects her classic blues and rock tone, whilst retaining all of its desired variable distortion.. A tweaked EQ gives the Oriverb creamy, sparkly cleans and saturated screaming overdrives.
Fitted with a pair of lightweight, British-made Celestion Neo Creamback speakers and EL34 valves, the Oriverb has that definitive British flavour with incredibly versatile tone shaping abilities. The new combo also boasts a much-loved footswitchable spring reverb, built-in attenuator for maxed out textures at neighbour-friendly volumes, switchable power options and a near-transparent, valve-driven effects loop. The cabinet is crafted using the highest quality 15mm Baltic birch plywood, making it one of the lightest 2 x 12” speaker cabinets on the market and is finished in an embossed white Tolex, selected by Orianthi.
"We created this to be something very special, unique, something that when people plug into it, whatever guitar they are gonna use through this, it is going to amplify their personality," explained Orianthi, "being able to bring something to life that I feel a lot of people are really going to enjoy has been a real honour. I am so proud of this amp and I can’t wait for people to check it out."
To find out more about the new Oriverb, plus all the other Orange Amplification
products, please go to orangeamps.com.