“We wanted to make Fender more affordable and to a wider amount of people”: Fender launches new $599 Standard Series lineup – and it marks a major shift for one of America’s most iconic guitar brands

Fender Standard Series group shot.

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.