A moat for the GOAT guitar design

Okay, so I was reading about AI and realised the audacity of Fender's strategy in claiming the S-shape (for Stratocaster) as entirely their own.

After seven decades and innumerable versions of the famous ergonomic double-horn shape, the recent moves to prevent others from using the design have put an ugly shade to the company.

Previously I thought that their decision was in response to the quality of Chinese counterfeits and my experience has been that Chenders offer a value that overshadows the original, especially since Fender guitars often lack the features they expect consumers to buy afterwards like better quality pickups and other parts.

The thing that occurs to me is that claiming the design, along with the legacy of Leo Fender in previous months, is it provides a moat for their business:

A moat is what protects a business from competition. The term comes from Warren Buffett’s image of a castle surrounded by water. The castle is the business; the moat is whatever prevents rivals from storming the walls. A moat might be a famous brand, a patent, a network effect, control over scarce resources, high switching costs for consumers, or a regulatory barrier that makes it difficult for competitors to enter the market. The deeper the moat, the easier it is for a firm to charge high prices, preserve margins, and survive imitation.

naviarhaiku648 – In the sky, the sound

The haiku shared by Naviar Records had me pondering what sort of sound would come from the sky?

So I wanted to revisit my track for the Junto this week and tighten it up, like a cherry blossom. 

Using an alternate take of the drums, I gated the guitars and added some effects. 

All I'm saying

 

Disquiet Junto 0753 5 Minute Wait

The Junto project this week is to "Write outdoors hold music for a single-lane tunnel entrance delay."

As I had been jamming along to a track that's about the five minutes recommended for this assignment, it was easy to record that part.

Then I came up with a few chords that sorta fit, and recorded bass afterwards. 

Saviorcaster

Saw this photo on Reddit and thought Fender should release a Jesus design guitar so that the market can decide.

Actually, it makes a lot of cents given the sheer volume (pun intended) of musical gear sold to churches. 

One of my favourite account signatures was on a forum while researching PAs that said "Turn it up for Jesus!" 

The Hello Kitty guitar seems to have led the way for sentimental crap like the current Pacman model from Fender. 

Elsewhere on the internet, I was surprised that Rick Beato went straight for the top and argued that the new CEO should resign from Fender. 

My feeling is that Fender has jumped from the pot and into the fire, but that few commentators have realised their existential threat developed from tackling the wave of quality Chinese-made counterfeit instruments.

Racism seems to be the only thing keeping a portion of Fender's fanboys behind the brand. 

Nick Cave on pop

No one willingly wants to be indie. The great beauty of pop music is that it is a joy machine.

Hey bro!

 

Disquiet Junto 0751 Gastropod Meter

The Junto assignment this week is "Imagine you’ve been invited to compose music for a nature documentary about slugs."

I decided it needed something squishy and found this video by Michael Verdi on Archive.org 

Michael Agzarian on giving hope

I feel as a creative … whether musicians, writers or whatever, they do instil a sense of hope in people who at times feel that everything is pretty hopeless.  

How do you like those nine-inch nails?

 

Be off-Fender-ed!

Fender have been a topic of ire here in recent months

When the company won a copyright ruling in the EU earlier this year I thought things looked grim.

The iconic guitar brand is owned by an investment firm and it seems obvious to anyone who has tried a variety of products that they sell over-priced instruments to maximise profits.

So I was shocked when I saw an apology issued by one retailer, as it showed the brand were using their dominance to limit competition. 

With the ruling against Chinese copies in Europe they were given an opportunity to further entrench their advantage to monopolise the market.

Stratocasters were patented in 1956 and Leo Fender died in 1991, so it is another example of how copyright law is harming innovation.

Can you imagine what guitars might look like if the market was not dominated with the message that designs from the mid-20th Century are the best available?

Many are celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Telecaster, yet is it really a design to put on a pedestal and say there is nothing to improve? 

(Nashville models with a Strat-style middle pickup say differently, obviously.) 

When I had that thought it prompted me to consider ideas about what else could be done, such as adding pickups for individual strings and multiple outputs.

It will be interesting to see if the Fender brand becomes toxic to consumers, because they lost my support last year for less. 

Larkin Miller on meeting music

There’s more than one “right” way to meet the music. One of my teachers used to say that if you move before the music, you’re anticipating it; if you move exactly with it you’re matching it; and if you move just slightly after, you’re responding to it. They’re all possibilities for one note and yet they all offer a completely different quality. I don’t try to own or claim the music. 

Don't let anyone