The Fender Modern Player Marauder needs to come back
This was the right guitar but at the wrong time.
Modern Player was a series of guitars from Fender made in China - but don't let the manufacturing country of origin fool you, because all the Modern Player guitars were truly great.
This Marauder model was very short-lived and only existed from 2011 to 2013. I never got the chance to play one of these things only because I could never find one back when they were new.
Two things about the MP Marauder make it very unique. It has a body made of koto wood, and the Fender Triplebucker pickup at the rear (bridge) position. The front (neck) position is a Jazzmaster pickup.
When you throw distortion at the MP Marauder, it doesn't sound that great. But for light overdrive and clean tones, that's where this guitar really sings.
Imagine a Strat with simple two-knob controls (that stay out of your way, thank you very much) that has great treble response without being "ice picky" and the addition of some midrange and bottom end for a "fuller" sound. That's the MP Marauder.
Triplebucker + Jazzmaster pickups make this possible. Everybody passed off the Triplebucker as a novelty back when this guitar was new, but they wish they had it now because this thing is a total tone monster on the clean side of things.
I think the biggest problem with this guitar was just the timing of it. When the Squier Vintage Modified series appeared with the Jazzmaster and Jaguar literally right after the MP Marauder came on the scene, it was quickly forgotten. Who would bother with the Marauder when the Jazzmaster and Jaguar were so much cooler (hence the reason I bought a Jazzmaster myself back then)?
At the time I write this in 2021, guitar players are now very well familiar with the Jazzmaster and Jaguar, as they've been around in both the Squier and Fender lineup as standard models for years...
...which is why I think it's a good time for the MP Marauder to return, be it Squier or Fender model. It would just be cool to see it again. And I think it would fare out much better since it wouldn't be competing against the Jazz or the Jag this time around.
Would I change anything about the guitar? Yes. Two things.
First, the original MP Marauder just said "Fender" on the front of the headstock and nothing else, which made it look unfinished. The next one, should it come to be, should say "Marauder" next to or under the brand logo, be it Squier or Fender.
Second, ditch the vibrato system entirely and make it a top-loader with tailpiece.
Is there an alternative?
Yes, and it's cheap, Squier Mustang HH. Two humbuckers instead of the triplebucker and Jazzmaster single-coil, but the guitar is cheap enough to where you can create a Marauder-like pickup layout (such as installing a P90 at the neck side).
Fender 75th Anniversary Stratocaster confusion
One word separates two distinctively different models.
There's the Fender 75th Anniversary Commemorative Stratocaster in a Bourbon Burst finish. If you follow Fender's lineup, you're probably thinking, "Wait, isn't the 75th anniversary Strat a silver-looking thing?" Yes, but that's the Mexico made Diamond Anniversary model. The Commemorative with the gold hardware and such is the American version...
...which you probably would have not known had I not just told you that.
One word, Commemorative, separates the two models. Well, that and technically a third model, Custom Shop 75th.
The 75th (Mexico) has an alder body and comes in a finish called Diamond Anniversary, which appears to be a slightly-less-gold version of Shoreline Gold. It also has "vintage-style" '60s pickups and color matched headstock. The neck is a Modern C.
The 75th (USA) Commemorative has an ash body and the finish is two-color Bourbon Burst, which appears to be Sienna Sunburst with darker edges. The pickups in this one are Custom Shop Fat '60s, has gold hardware everywhere, and the tremolo block is cold-rolled steel. The neck is "Deep C" with rolled fingerboard edges.
The 75th USA is a decidedly more upscale instrument and isn't just a 75th Mexico with different paint and gold hardware. The USA has different pickups, different neck, different trem block and better fretwork. You also get the pearloid tuner buttons on the USA.
It also should be noted the 75th Mexico does not come with a case. Only a gig bag. The 75th USA does come with an Inca Silver color molded hardshell case with blue interior, which is similar to the black case but in a different color both inside and out.
Is it worth getting the 75th USA Strat?
Over the 75th Mexico? Yes, absolutely. When comparing the Mexico 75th to the USA 75th, the USA is by far the better instrument.
Over an American Professional II? Well, that's a tougher decision.
Three things about the 75th USA make it arguably better than the Am Pro II. Ash body, Fat '60s pickups, and of course the Bourbon Burst finish. The Am Pro II has an alder body, V-Mod II pickups and is available in Sienna Sunburst but not the Bourbon Burst.
However, the cons of the 75th are the gold hardware (gold will rub off over time with regular play) and the pearloid tuner buttons which while looking nice just don't feel as nice when compared to standard steel buttons.
The 75th USA is, obviously, meant to be what I call a "usable collector's piece". You can of course play it, but it's supposed to be a special-occasion-only guitar. The Am Pro II on the other hand is built to be used regularly.
You spend $350 more to get the 75th USA over the Am Pro II. Where that money goes is into fretwork, gold hardware, exclusive-to-75th-USA finish, a somewhat-special hardshell case, Custom Shop pickups, different trem block and pearloid tuner buttons.
I am hoping the Bourbon Burst makes it way into being a regular finish option for the Am Pro II however. To me, that's the best part of the 75th USA guitar.
Are there any real advantages to a headless guitar?
Believe it or not, yes.
Headless guitars look goofy and always have, but they've been around for a long time, so players do buy these things. There are plenty of choices available - some of which are quite affordable.
The advantages to using a headless guitar
Lighter in weight (typically)
Most headless guitars are purposely built using smaller bodies since they don't need to counterbalance the weight of a headstock since there isn't any. As such, overall weight is usually quite light.
Absolutely no neck dive
I'm pretty sure the headless guitar is the only one where I can absolutely say it will never have neck dive. The majority of the weight is always in the body and there are no heavy tuners on the neck, so yes, one could say you are guaranteed no neck dive.
More portable
More often than not you get the same scale length on a headless as you would on a full-bodied electric, but because the body is smaller and there's no headstock, the instrument will fit in more gig bags. The lack of headstock also makes it shorter and lighter, so it's easier to carry a gig bag on your back when walking around with it.
Nobody wants to play it
This sounds like a negative, but it's a positive. Players unfamiliar with headless guitars are literally afraid of them. They see that weird looking guitar and think, "I'm not touching that thing." This is good, because you don't want other people touching your guitar, right? Right. Chances are pretty good whenever you bring the guitar anywhere there are people, they will of course want to look at it but not play it. And that's a-okay.
The disadvantages
The only real disadvantage is the tuner setup, namely for when they wear out. Tuner parts will be more expensive. And that's assuming they're even available for your particular headless guitar. However, given that tuners take a very long time to wear out, this isn't much of an issue.
Generally speaking, the best type of headless electric guitar to own is one that has no vibrato system on it at all, as in hardtail. No vibrato means no vibrato system to break and give you a few extra years out of your headless guitar as long as you maintain it properly.
Telecaster is a good example of a one-and-done guitar
Guitar minimalism has its benefits.
When I was going through my Jazzmaster phase, I embraced the guitar with all its complications. Two circuits with two sets of volume and tone controls, an always-floating vibrato system, and ridiculously high-treble pickups (with traditional 1meg volume pot, thank you very much). But then I switched over to Telecaster which is the polar opposite.
Single circuit, two knobs, no vibrato (meaning no floating anything), and a sound that I describe as much more civilized.
Is the Telecaster the ultimate minimalist guitar? No. The ultimate minimalist electric guitar is a build so simple that most won't dare to make one.
Imagine an Esquire (basically a Telecaster without the neck pickup) with no controls whatsoever, meaning the pickup is wired straight to the output jack. That's as minimalist as it gets.
But as I said, most guys who build guitars won't dare to put a guitar together like that. They will at least put in one toggle switch as an on/off for the pickup to cut the signal. I'm in agreement with that, because otherwise I'd have to use a footswitch to cut the signal, adding in needless bulk just for basic volume control.
As my guitar journey continues, I now gravitate towards guitars with two pickups and a minimal complement of controls.
My next guitar as I talked about in my last article might have 5 controls on it, meaning 4 knobs and one pickup selector. Said honestly, I'm not really a fan of that and prefer the 3-control system of one volume, one tone, one pickup selector. But if it happens to be that the next guitar is a 5-control thing, it's not unusable. I can work with it, albeit it's slightly annoying to deal with.
While true the Telecaster isn't the ultimate minimalist guitar, it does totally qualify as a one-and-done instrument.
Someone asked me on YouTube recently that if I had to pick just one electric guitar, which would I choose? Easy answer. Telecaster. That guitar allows me to get the most usable sounds with the least complications.
This doesn't mean I'm a Tele player for life, but I've done the complicated guitar thing and concentrate more on playing now. Better to do that rather than trying to muck about with a guitar that has needless stuff that just gets in the way.
The guitars I still want that I haven't owned yet
I have a to-do list of guitars I still want to own, and this is what I want.
Up to this point in my guitar playing life, I've owned most of the famous guitar shapes. Stratocaster, Telecaster, Jazzmaster, Jaguar, Les Paul, Rhoads style V (with short fin on the bottom), and even a Warlock at one point (not a B.C. Rich but still a "true" Warlock style).
What's left on my to-do list are the other Gibson shapes.
One of them is an SG, the "1961" Epiphone G-400 PRO. When I say "Gibson shape", the guitar doesn't have to be made by Gibson. I'm fine with Epiphone or other guitar company that can make a close approximation without being an outright ripoff.
The closest I ever was to an SG style guitar was the Ibanez GAX30 and AX120 that I previously owned. Decent enough guitars but the neck did not agree with my fret hand at all, so I had to part with them.
And before continuing, the #1 reason why I've not owned more Gibson shape guitars is because of the neck. Epiphone, much like Squier, just loves putting skinny flat necks on their guitars that feel totally wrong.
However, every so often, Epiphone does sneak out a thick-necked model. But you really have to hunt for them because their web site tells you next to nothing about neck thickness. The only way to find one is to go to a guitar store, pick one up, try it and see how the thickness feels.
I'm almost at the point where I may bring along a vernier caliper whenever I go to the guitar store just so I can measure neck thickness right on the spot.
Let's get on to the other shapes.
I've already mentioned the first one, the SG.
Second on the list is the Explorer. At the time I write this, there is one and only one Epiphone "1958" Korina Explorer in Ebony out there, but there will probably be more. Gorgeous. And expensive. But what a looker. Love it. It's one of the few instances where I'm totally okay with the gold hardware because it just looks so nice against the black with white guard.
Third on the list is the ES-335. I've played the smaller Les-Paul-sized ES-339, but didn't really care for it. I'd like to at least try an ES-335 "full size" just to see how it feels.
Where the ES-335 semi-hollow body is concerned, it doesn't necessary have to be an Epiphone. I can get a semi-hollow ES-335-ish looking guitar for literally under 200 bucks new, so it may very well be this will be the one I go with first since there is the most choice.
Most other guitar companies don't do SG shapes aside from Epiphone, and a proper Explorer is a tough one to get. I've never seen a proper Explorer for a decent price. But the ES-335 shape? Easy to get. And cheap.
That being said, there may be an ES-335 type guitar in the barn this year. Watch for it.