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.

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. 

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. 

Tom Morello's guitar harms the gormless

For the record let me put it up front that I think Tom Morello is one of the most imaginative guitar players alive

His decision to adopt DJing and foley sound as influences are bold creative choices, particularly as music was undergoing rapid changes in the early 1990s.

Recently I was watching Rick Beato interview Brendan O'Brien and the latter said the beginning of Rage Against The Machine's 'People of the Sun' has Morello using an Allen key to play his instrument.

 

It reminded me how awed I was watching the band play at the Big Day Out in Melbourne, where the earth actually shook.

 

And the moment when he unplugged his guitar to play a solo on the tip of the lead left me speechless.

A few months ago I watched a bunch of Morello videos where he shared his techniques and appreciated how open and encouraging he seemed to be for others to use them.

Then, about a month ago, I noticed a lot of copies of his iconic "Arm The Homeless" guitar being sold on Aliexpress.

It seemed to epitomise Morello's attitude somehow, although really I think it'd be better if people designed their own slogan and drew it on a guitar they built.

So I was surprised when Fender announced a signature model of this instrument and have been amused by the responses.

 

I mean, let's leave aside the question of buying something from a dominant brand as a statement against the "establishment" since it's clearly going to end my discussion from the outset.

The signature model trend mystifies me in some ways, partly because many people will say the secret to copying a player resides in their fingertips.

It used to be enough to have a guitar the same shape and colour as your idol, particularly if it was something distinct.

When Fender made a version of the "Soul Power" guitar it was understandable that an investment-driven company would want to promote their brand with a hero like Morello.

 

As I searched for it just now I found that it's on display in a museum!

However, the reason to copy a partscaster like the "Arm The Homeless" guitar is much less clear, particularly given it has little relationship to the Fender brand.

Even more surprising is how it seems to bring into question Morello's own personal brand. 

So his justification in the Fender promotional video that making an approved copy available is surprising since it is prohibitively expensive and about ten times the cost of the model from China, which is even more curious as the flag of that nation is part of the design.

It contrasts with the answer he gave when people asked why RATM were on a major record label:

“Would Noam Chomsky object to his works being sold at Barnes & Noble? No, because that’s where people buy their books. We’re not interested in preaching to just the converted. It’s great to play abandoned squats run by anarchists, but it’s also great to be able to reach people with a revolutionary message, people from Granada Hills to Stuttgart.”

Fender offender

I've been looking at guitars a lot lately and was surprised when this message popped up.

There's clearly a story here, although one imagines that none of those involved want to discuss it. 

It made me want to try a Nameless guitar, however their website seems to have vanished.

While I had been looking at buying a Fender, the message gave me pause to think about their dominance in the market.

So I decided to support a different brand and went looking for an Australian guitar.