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Fender launches the American Professional Classic series, the new entry point to its USA-made lineup
Fender has unveiled the all-new American Professional Classic series, shifting the hierarchy of its USA-made product lineup.
The new range replaces the American Performer range, entering above the Mexico-made Player II line and below the American Professional II series, which launched in 2020. Thus, the American Professional Classic series sits as the new entry point to the brand’s American-made instruments.
The American Professional Classic series – which comprises nine instruments (six guitars and three basses) – is pitched to offer “reliability, versatility and performance at the highest level”, with the tagline: “Tested. Trusted. Night After Night.”
The result is a line of guitars which is deeply rooted in the tried-and-tested Fender blueprints, but with spec sheets geared towards the modern player, including a number of forward-thinking appointments, not least all-new Coastline pickups.
These new pickups are ever-so-slightly overwound, and based on the firm’s Pure Vintage models, for enhanced clarity, punch and dynamic expression, and for “Fender’s signature warmth and bite across every register”. Essentially, it’s classic Fender tone, but hotter.
Other key appointments include enhanced neck profiles – Modern C-shaped with rolled fingerboard edges for speed and playing comfort – as well as upgraded hardware, including vintage bridges and precision ClassicGear tuning heads for “rock-solid” tuning stability.
The line also comes in a curated selection of classic fender finishes, reimagined for modern players with fresh and vibrant options.
Specifically, there’s a classic triple-single-coil-loaded Stratocaster, HSS Strat, Telecaster, Hotshot Telecaster – a successor to the triple-pickup Nashville Telecaster – as well as a Jazzmaster and Jaguar. In the bass department, there’s a Precision Bass, Jazz Bass and a Mustang Bass.
“The American Professional Classic is all about delivering a great playing experience,” says Max Gutnik, Chief Product Officer at FMIC.
“We focused on every detail: from the all-new Coastline pickups, which offer clear, punchy tone across every register, to the Modern-‘C’ neck with rolled fingerboard edges that feels comfortably broken-in from day one.
“We combined vintage-inspired finishes and hardware with thoughtful upgrades like staggered ClassicGear
tuners, Mustang saddles on the offsets, and slotted Telecaster barrel saddles. The result is a guitar that’s easy to play, sounds incredible and adapts to any style or stage.”
Fender have tapped Baltimore hardcore outfit Turnstile to front the campaign. Check out the guitars in action during Turnstile live shows in the video below:
“When you’re in a different place constantly, sometimes the most familiar thing is the guitar that you bring every single night,” says Turnstile’s Pat McCrory.
“We look for something that sounds the same every time, sounds exactly how you want it, but also has versatility because spaces change. Sometimes you play outside, sometimes it sounds different, sometimes you play inside or there’s noise lighting. Having some durability but flexibility is very important.”
Pricing for the American Professional Classic series is as follows:
- American Professional Classic Stratocaster – £1,499 / $1,499
- American Professional Classic Stratocaster HSS – £1,549 / $1,549
- American Professional Classic Telecaster – £1,499 / $1,499
- American Professional Classic Hotshot Telecaster – £1,549 / $1,549
- American Professional Classic Jazzmaster – £1,599 / $1,599
- American Professional Classic Jaguar – £1,599 / $1,599
- American Professional Classic Precision Bass – £1,549 / $1,599
- American Professional Classic Jazz Bass – £1,549 / $1,599
- American Professional Classic Mustang Bass – £1,499 / $1,599
Learn more about the American Professional Classic series at Fender.
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Frank Zappa’s prized “Baby Snakes” SG is headed to auction – and could fetch $500,000
Frank Zappa’s legendary “Baby Snakes” SG – a heavily modded Gibson SG copy used extensively by the prog hero both onstage and in the studio – is headed to auction, and could fetch up to $500,000, according to some estimates.
Zappa first acquired the guitar from 19-year-old luthiery student Bart Nagel in July 1974, backstage at a show in Phoenix, Arizona. Prior to the sale, Nagel had replaced its neck for a three-piece mahogany neck, topped with a 23-fret ebony fingerboard with custom inlays.
After purchasing the guitar, Zappa gave it to luthier Rex Bogue for a series of mods to its electronics, like a custom onboard preamp with an 18dB boost and phase switching for a wider array of available tones.
According to Heritage Auctions, the auctioneer in charge of the lot, the guitar was used both onstage and in the studio, with one notable appearance being Frank Zappa’s Mike Douglas Show performance in 1976.
Bidding for the guitar will start at $300,000 on 5 December, and auctioneers are expecting the six-string to sell for a whopping half a million dollars.
“Hitting the market for the very first time, the ‘Baby Snakes’ SG is a true artifact of musical genius,” says Aaron Piscopo, Heritage’s Director of Vintage Guitars & Musical Instruments. “This guitar embodies the boundless intelligence, innovation, and creativity that defined Zappa’s career.”
“Deeply modified to suit Zappa’s avant-garde sonic explorations, the ‘Baby Snakes’ guitar was more than an instrument – it was a vehicle for innovation, experimentation, and artistic rebellion,” adds Heritage Auctions.
“With its ornate aesthetics, 23-fret neck, onboard preamp, and signature tone-shaping electronics, this is the guitar that helped define Zappa’s post-Mothers live sound.”
Learn more about Frank Zappa’s “Baby Snakes” SG at Heritage Auctions.
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“People have a hard time understanding how unsurprising Bohemian Rhapsody was to us”: Brian May recalls people’s reactions to hearing Queen’s magnum opus for the first time
Bohemian Rhapsody exists in a world of its own. The 1975 track is bursting with piano-led confessions of murder, operatic might and one of the most iconic guitar solos of all time – but, if you ask Queen, there’s nothing particularly ground-breaking about it.
In a new interview with Classic Rock, guitarist Brian May reveals that, in the studio, Bohemian Rhapsody was just another standard Queen cut. “People have such a hard time understanding how unsurprising Bohemian Rhapsody was to us,” May says. “If you look as the first album, you’ve got My Fairy King, which is very complex and goes all over the place.”
Fans and peers alike were stunned by the intricacies of Bohemian Rhapsody; apparently producer Roy Thomas Baker laughed in shock when the eccentric Freddie Mercury explained his plan to include an operatic break in the track. But, with a strong back catalogue of absurdities, May wasn’t shocked by Mercury’s ambition.
In May’s opinion, March Of The Black Queen, which dropped a year earlier than Bohemian Rhapsody in 1974, is “way more complicated” than their stand-out hit. “[It was] on the second album, and it is enormously complicated. “So, Bohemian Rhapsody wasn’t a surprise to us” he explains. “It was just: ‘we’ll do another one of these things.’”
Drummer Roger Taylor was equally as comfortable with Bohemian Rhapsody’s unconventional structuring. “As we were constructing the opera bit, we were getting more and more wild,” he recalls. “‘Stick a bit more on, stick another bit in, it’ll all be fine when it gets to the heavy section.’ And it was.”
Despite the operatic sections being written by Mercury, who “knew nothing about opera”, the track was just another way of exploring the band’s musical potential. “We were planting our flag in the ground: ‘This is really us – it’s a bit mad but it’s got everything in it,’” Taylor explains.
While the pair admit they don’t know exactly what the track is about, with May noting “we never really asked each other about our lyrics”, the track continues to be a fan favourite. For that reason, it continues to be a staple for live shows – despite the fact May struggles to play it.
“It’s the most unnatural riff to play you could possibly imagine,” he admitted last year in a chat with Total Guitar. “It’s not a riff that a guitarist would naturally play… and that’s a double-edged sword.”
“It’s difficult for the guitar to get a hold of it, but once you have got hold of it, it’s very unusual,” he continues. “And to be honest, I still don’t find it easy! I can play it at home okay, but in the heat of the battle, when we’re playing it live, and there’s huge adrenaline, it’s the climax of the show and that riff comes along, it’s not the easiest thing to play.”
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Richie Faulkner on the “pressure” of nailing Judas Priest’s Painkiller guitar parts live: “You can’t mess it up – you’ve got one shot at it”
It’s no small feat to be tasked with assuming lead guitar duties for Judas Priest, one of the most iconic metal bands to ever exist.
Richie Faulkner is, of course, up to the task, but as he explains in a new interview with TribLive, he still feels the pressure to nail his guitar parts live, even after having been a member of the outfit since 2011.
Pointing specifically to 1990 album Painkiller – of which the band is currently celebrating its 35th anniversary on tour – Faulkner reveals: “Whenever we play a song from the Painkiller record or when Rob mentions the Painkiller record, the roof just lifts off the room.”
The Painkiller album features, in addition to its ferocious title track, the likes of Night Crawler, Leather Rebel, A Touch of Evil and One Shot at Glory, with guitars played by KK Downing and Glenn Tipton.
Faulkner goes on: “To be back playing a celebration of that record is always uplifting from our point of view and the crowd as well.
“And the guitar playing on that record is stunning, as we all know: Painkiller, One Shot at Glory, Hell Patrol. All those tracks are relentless guitar playing, like a master, you put that on, learn that and you’ve probably got everything down in your toolbox for heavy metal guitar.
“It’s great to play live because you can’t mess it up, you’ve got one shot at it, you’ve got to get it right or close to right the first time. So it’s a bit of a challenge as a guitar player, but it’s really fun to play and the audience loves it, too.”
But while it’s important for Richie Faulkner to nail the classic guitar parts laid down by KK Downing and Glenn Tipton, he acknowledges that, on fresh Priest material, he wants to inject his own voice and style.
“It’s always been a hard thing for me to have my own voice,” he says while recounting the writing process for the band’s latest album Invincible Shield.
“I played in cover bands when I was younger, and so you make a living emulating everyone else. So you emulate everyone else, but you haven’t got your own voice. So it’s always been a challenge for me to have my own voice.
“So I always try and add a little bit more of whatever my voice is on the guitar solos. Something that if someone put the record on, they can identify it as mine. I don’t know if I ever achieved that. That’s not really for me to say. That’s for the listener to decide really, but I always try to do that, something that has my character in there somewhere, if that’s possible to do.”
In other news, Richie Faulkner recently revealed he works “three times a day” with a physio while on tour, to manage the damage caused by an aortic aneurysm and stroke he suffered onstage in 2021.
For a full list of upcoming Judas Priest tour dates, head to the band’s official website.
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The guitar influences of Kurt Cobain
Influences are incredibly important when it comes to musicians developing their own style. Some musicians can become the sum of their influences, while others will find their own voice after being inspired by the artists who came before them – Kurt Cobain is the latter. His brilliant songwriting was highlighted by the way he used his instrument. His goal was never to be flashy or impress anyone with his sweep picking – it was to accentuate the artistic statement he was trying to make, and he was unquestionably successful in his endeavor.
Nevertheless, we can learn a lot by examining the guitarists who influenced the way that Cobain played, both sonically and technically. So, in this article, we’ll take a look at some of the guitarists whose playing helped guide Kurt Cobain to be the musician we all know him as today.
Buzz Osborne
Kurt Cobain frequently acknowledged Buzz Osborne as a mentor and an influence. Their music-centric kinship was a much more personal influence on Cobain’s guitar playing than simply admiring the handiwork of Jimmy Page. Osborne was a local person with whom Cobain could actually talk about his musical ideas. Osborne was an important figure in Cobain’s music journey – a Samwise to his Frodo, if you’ll indulge that overly nerdy metaphor.
Lead Belly
In 1989, while Kurt Cobain and Mark Lanegan were busy establishing their own bands, they got together to record a series of Lead Belly cover songs for a tribute project they were going to call The Jury. Lead Belly was an early blues musician that Cobain has expressed a lot of admiration for – Bob Dylan also credited Lead Belly for getting him interested in folk music.
Cobain and Lanegan’s version of Where Did You Sleep Last Night ended up being the final track on Nirvana’s Unplugged performance and Mark Lanegan put a version on one of his solo albums. Cobain’s main acoustic used on songs like Polly and Something in the Way was a 12-string Stella, which was likely a tribute to his hero Lead Belly.
John Lennon
It’s probably fair to say that everyone has been influenced by The Beatles or a derivative in one way or another. The Beatles were such a cultural force that it’s hard to ignore them completely if you are a musician. Cobain specifically found John Lennon to be an inspiration. In a 1992 interview with The Advocate, Cobain said, “John Lennon is definitely my favorite Beatle…I just like his attitude. He’s not a great musician, but he’s a great songwriter.”
It was evident that Cobain looked to Lennon, not for his technique or tone, but for more of an overarching blueprint for how to approach the guitar, as simply a tool for writing great songs. As we know, Cobain steered well clear of flashy playing, which helped to shift focus to the songwriting. This was a similar tactic to how John Lennon operated in The Beatles.
Greg Sage
Kurt Cobain has publicly commented on his love for the band Wipers, particularly the songwriting and playing style of guitarist and vocalist, Greg Sage. Wipers were an early punk band who started back in 1977 in Portland, Oregon. Nirvana covered Wipers songs like D-7 and Return of the Rat, on early albums. Furthermore, Sage was a left handed guitarist. I’m not sure if that had anything to do with Cobain being drawn to him. It seems more likely that Cobain loved punk rock and Wipers, while not widely known, were very popular in the early Northwest punk scene.
Warren Mason
This is a name you may not recognize as he was another local person in Cobain’s early musical development. Warren Mason was a guitar teacher who gave a young Cobain guitar lessons for a few months while Cobain was in high school. Cobain’s family eventually pulled him out of the lessons due to poor performance in school. Mason passed away in 2021 but was remembered as a supportive teacher who encouraged creativity. He has said in interviews that Cobain wanted to learn to play Stairway To Heaven. Krist Novoselic also took lessons from Mason. Mason was in a couple of local bands, one was called Fat Chance, which featured Cobain’s uncle on drums. I won’t claim that Mason was a profound influence on what would come to be Cobain’s signature sound, but he was elemental in providing the basis for him learning to play guitar. Guitar instructors are far too often the unsung heroes of the music industry.
Joey Santiago & Black Francis
It’s no secret that Nirvana was heavily influenced by the Pixies, Kurt Cobain even going so far as to say in a January 1994 interview with Rolling Stone, “[With Smells Like Teen Spirit] I was trying to write the ultimate pop song. I was basically trying to rip off the Pixies. I have to admit it [smiles]. When I heard the Pixies for the first time, I connected with that band so heavily I should have been in that band—or at least in a Pixies cover band. We used their sense of dynamics, being soft and quiet and then loud and hard.”
Joey Santiago’s unconventional guitar solos seemed to resonate with Cobain as well as he would often use the space in a song where usually there would be a solo to make a statement with his note choices rather than show off some fancy shred technique he’d been working on.
The Pixies also had an influence on Nirvana’s production, citing Surfer Rosa as one of the main reasons they approached Steve Albini to produce their final studio album In Utero, in 1993.
This is by no means meant to be a comprehensive list. I tried to stick to artists that Cobain directly referenced in interviews for the purposes of this article. But Cobain was heavily influenced by such a wide array of music – he allowed himself to be inspired by everyone from Flipper and Black Flag to ABBA and Jimmy Page. If there is a lesson to be learned from exploring Cobain’s musical roots, perhaps it’s that – explore all the music you can and allow yourself to be inspired
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