Kusumi

Fender (Japan) has new Thinline models. Excuse me, not new per se, but new colours. These are referred to as Kusumi colours. The visual reference above suggests Kusumi to mean pastel colours, yes?

Two versions are available, one with gold hardware, the other, nickel / chrome. Being a Tele fan, despite being regurgitations, these are indeed, em... attractive 😅 Note for both versions - brass saddles.

Suona

Another Fender in the market; a thinline Strat from the limited edition Suona Series. A Tele & Jazz Bass version are also available in the same finish seen here. Let's ask ourselves if we are in the market for a thinline, would a Strat-type be the first that we would think of? Semi-hollow aficionados; would they be interested in this concept offering or would they still stick to the venerable ES-335? That marker-less fretboard - yay / nay?

Interesting to note that ash is used for this one with a spruce top. Ebony fingerboard is a plus feature to me & it bodes well with the marker-free look as a very dark version is used here. Narrow frets but tall ones should complement the compound radius but things remain challenging when it's a span between 7.25" to 9.5"... & it's a whisker shy of USD3K...

Pic: Fender

Hollow Johnson

Eric Johnson had teamed up with Fender once again for another Strat adventure, this time, it's a semi hollow. Despite featuring only an F-hole on the bass side, chambering was done at the treble side as well. This might be a good thing for the Fender camp because the Tele had been a thinline flag bearer for the manufacturer all this while & now the Strat is coming into the picture. Lest we forget, the Starcaster & Coronado were the Fender versions of what was successful at Gibson- the ES models but they weren't quite the hit in this semi-hollow campaign. The Fender benders among us are still loyal to the Strat & Tele incarnations first & foremost so this EJ version is a smart move. 

More Cabro

Not too long ago, I featured Fender's Cabronita Tele & the manufacturer had gladly issued a thinline version of this gorgeous guitar.

And as if that's not enough, a solid body bass version is also in the catalogs. GAS...

New Squier models for 2010

New Squiers (Classic Vibe series) for us eager dweebs this 2010:

The Thinline model features a mahogany body + medium jumbo frets. The neck radius here is 9.5" The Alnico V pickups here mean there's throatiness should drive be included.

The Custom model features an alder body with a rosewood fretboard, just like how the Custom was in its '60s glory. Same pair of Alnico V pickups.

It seems that 'Squier' isn't a brand name to refer to when one hunts for make-do units for get-by occasions. Long gone are the lemons which we used to fault when dealing with lower rung instruments in this price bracket.