When it comes to musical instruments and equipment, for the most part a lot of the technology from 10-20 years ago is still pretty relevant today. Take for example the guitar amplifier: all guitarists need is a cable, plug it into the amp, and they’re good to go. Nothing particularly hi-tech or fancy there.However this is something that Fender wants to change in hopes that maybe it will be able to appeal to the younger generation. In a report from Bloomberg, it seems that Fender is trying to make musical instruments more appealing by developing apps for instruments, and it also seems that the company is working on a new Bluetooth guitar amplifier for 2017 that will allow guitarists to connect their smartphones and apps to it.
One of the apps that is being developed allows guitarists to emulate the sound of famous guitarists, so by connecting the app to the amp, it will let guitarists do just that. The company is also working on other apps like a practice-room app, a tuning app, and more. According to Andy Mooney, Fender’s CEO, “The industry’s challenge—or opportunity—is getting people to commit for life. A pretty big milestone for someone adopting any form of instrument is getting them through the first song.”
Speaking about the apps, Mooney says, “When the kid plugs it in for the first time, it doesn’t sound like a screaming cat when it comes out of an amp. We want to help with a lot of the basic stuff.” Ah, don’t you just miss the days when playing music wasn’t this complicated?