NAMM 2025: It’s day one and Fender has already blindsided us several times over at this year’s NAMM show. One of the biggest surprises, though, has to be the launch of a whole new tier of sub-$600 models, the Fender Standard series, which is being produced in Indonesia.
Fender has long used its name on non-US builds, and had great faith in the facility already, with perhaps the biggest vote of confidence being the arrival of the Fender-badged Tom Delonge Starcaster.
Meanwhile, as the series name suggests, the spec of the new Standards offers few surprises itself: the line encompasses a Stratocaster, HSS Strat, Telecaster, Jazz Bass, and Precision Bass.
Each features the ubiquitous Modern ‘C’ shaped necks, Fender Standard pickups, and some of the usual suspects in terms of finishes (a Butterscotch Blonde Tele, Sunburst Strat, black basses), plus a few fetching ‘color in the lines’ curve-balls like Aqua Marine Metallic and Candy Cola.
“Built to accompany players on their formative musical adventures, the Fender Standard Series delivers the approachable playability and inspiring tone that made Fender an icon of rock & roll,” says Fender. “[Each model] truly sets the standard for the Fender experience.”
The other thing that is standard across the board – right through to the new Acoustasonics – is their price point: a uniform $599. This, alongside the ‘Standard’ tag, tells us something about the thinking behind this line at Fender.
“It’s been on the drawing board for a couple years now,” Fender’s Executive VP of Product, Justin Norvell, told Guitar World at the 2025 NAMM Show.
“Squier and Fender used to touch each other, basically – and I think Squier does have a ceiling and the Player Series has moved up [in price] – but Fender is always supposed to be accessible.
“It was called the ‘working man's guitar’ back in the day, so that's been our goal. We were like, ‘Well, how do we do this?’ We're not just plugging holes, it's a feasible instrument that could exist between Modern Classic Squiers and what a Player [series model] is.
“A Player series Strat at one point was $500/$600 – and that doesn't exist anymore. So that's how it was born: we wanted to make Fender more affordable and to a wider amount of people.”
Meanwhile, in Norvell’s 2024 interview with Guitar World he discussed the long-rising quality in Fender’s non-US factories, and the challenges of rising prices, which have meant even Fender’s Mexican offerings are starting to feel a little pricey for those early-stage players who simply want the Big F on the headstock.
As such, while the Standard line’s arrival might be surprising, it’s the logical conclusion, given the situation. It plugs the widening gap that has opened in Fender’s line-up between Squier and Fender’s Mexican builds and, crucially, enables you to buy a Fender branded guitar for well under the $1,000 mark.
The days of getting a Player model for $599 have clearly passed, but Fender has clearly determined to give the people what they want – and not at any cost. So here we are: the new Standard…
For more information on the Standards, head to Fender
