In Collaboration with Stylist Heidi Bivens, Fashion Photographer Clarke Tolton and Director Duo Rubberband, Electric Guitar Campaign Showcases Fender’s Timeless Style For Today’s Players
Press release:
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (June 25, 2019)— Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC) today announced the launch of the Vintera Series, a line of vintage-inspired electric guitar and bass models that embody a period-specific vibe, including: the Stratocaster®, Telecaster®, Jaguar®, Mustang®, Jazzmaster®, Jazz Bass®, Precision Bass® and Mustang Bass. Each model delivers the authentic look and feel of its era, as well as decade-specific tones from the `50s, `60s and `70s.
The creative includes a 30-second digital commercial that introduces the instruments and overall feel of the Vintera Series, plus three artist performance videos, releasing on a later date, featuring contemporary, eclectic musicians. Each performance harkens back to a specific decade to showcase the vintage-inspired guitars and basses as well as the sound and style of the era. In addition to the performance videos, Fender captured each artist’s influences from the era of their performance, individual music style and what compelled them to pick up their first guitar and play.
Christone “Kingfish” Ingram taps into his blues roots, bringing viewers back to the `50s with a classic Seafoam Green Stratocaster and a cover of “I Put A Spell On You” by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins. Singer-songwriter Curtis Harding brings back the soul of the `60s playing a cover of Tommy James and The Shondells’ “Crimson and Clover” on the Ice Blue Metallic `60s Jazzmaster. Reminiscent of the Woodstock Era, Mexican garage punk band Le Butcherettes, shredded on the `70s Telecaster Deluxe in Mocha for their punk rendition of "Ever Fallen In Love" by The Buzzcocks.
“The Vintera series celebrates the different vintage eras of Fender with the fundamental design of the Stratocaster, Telecaster and Precision Bass remaining largely the same, but with each decade assuming its own unique feature sets,” said Justin Norvell, EVP of Product at Fender. “Depending on your feature preferences, bands you love and the era that you grew up in, each of these decades has a different appeal in terms of sound, colors and pickups.”
To truly capture the essence of each decade within the Vintera Series, Fender partnered with a trio of creative experts to lead styling, photography, as well as directing and production design for the campaign’s creative. International fashion stylist and costume designer, Heidi Bivens, whose portfolio of work includes Jonah Hill’s directorial debut Mid 90’s and HBO’s Euphoria, meticulously curated each artist’s aesthetic to reflect fashions of the decade that inspired their performance.
Drawing inspiration from blues artists of the 1950s, psych rock and folk musicians from the 1960s and punk bands of the 1970s, as well as iconic fashion designers like Nazareno Fonticoli, Nudie Cohn and Kansai Yammamoto, Bivens let the style and sounds of the past inform her approach. From there, Bivens identified pieces that highlighted the Vintera Series in a subtle, authentic way. “The design and aesthetic of each instrument was very important to ensuring that the overall look was balanced and that every choice complemented the other, “ she said.“I especially love how Curtis Harding’s innate style shined through, and the guitar’s Ice Blue Metallic color made his look pop for that genuine `60s vibe.”
Portrait, lifestyle and fashion photographer Clarke Tolton grew up in Southern California and his earliest photographs came from shooting punk and hardcore shows around the region. His impressive roster of work for other global brands like Nike, Kate Spade, Quiksilver and RayBan, paired with his innate love of music, made Tolton an obvious partner to lead photography for the Vintera Series campaign. In addition to shooting the instruments doing what they do best, Tolton favored capturing hidden moments on set noting, “the artists really weren’t aware of my presence during their performances, which allowed me to move freely around them looking for ‘that’ standout shot.” Fender also teamed up with New York-based director duo, rubberband., who directed the motion campaign.
“Our creative brand marketing is about about elevating guitar and giving a voice to artists,” said Jeremy Taylor, VP of Global Brand Creative and Content at Fender. “The Vintera Series campaign romances the cool, vintage look and style of each decade’s best models through a contemporary lens and approach that is less polished and more youthful. We’re thrilled to work with three amazing artists and production partners who have so effortlessly helped us define and showcase what vintage style for the modern era looks and sounds like. We set out to inspire the players who care about style as much as tone, quality, craftsmanship, or specs and believe this campaign will excite players to explore the endless possibilities these guitars offer.”
Fender’s Vintera Series models feature authentic specs from decades past, such as period-correct neck shapes, new pickups with decade-specific tones and a wider breadth of vintage colors, including: Mocha, Fiesta Red, Seafoam Green, Inca Silver, Burgundy Mist and Ice Blue Metallic. For nearly every decade correct model, there’s also a counterpart “modded” version that offers fresh features not available at the time of first release.
The Vintera Series electric guitars and basses feature 15 new models available at local dealers and on www.Fender.com. For additional inspiration, watch the Vintera Series campaign and demo videos here.
Models include:
- Vintera Series `50s Stratocaster - $899.99 - 949.99
- Vintera Series `50s Stratocaster Modified - $999.99
- Vintera Series `50s Telecaster - $899.99
- Vintera Series `50s Precision Bass - $899.99
- Vintera Series `60s Stratocaster - $999.99
- Vintera Series `60s Telecaster Modified - $999.99
- Vintera Series `60s Telecaster Bigsby ® - $999.99
- Vintera Series `60s Jazzmaster - $999.99
- Vintera Series `60s Jazzmaster Modified - $1,099.99
- Vintera Series `60s Jaguar - $1,049.99
- Vintera Series `60s Jaguar Modified - $1,149.99
- Vintera Series `60s Mustang - $899.99
- Vintera Series `60s Mustang Bass - $949.99
- Vintera Series `60s Jazz Bass - $999.99
- Vintera Series `70s Stratocaster - $949.99
- Vintera Series `70s Telecaster Deluxe - $899.99
- Vintera Series `70s Telecaster Custom - $899.99
- Vintera Series `70s Telecaster Thinline - $1,049.99
- Vintera Series `70s Jazz Bass - $1,049.99
