Fender, Cease & Desists - Fret Talk 457 roundup

This week’s podcast very quickly descended into one of those “has one of the biggest guitar makers in the industry completely lost its mind” episodes.

The main story was Fender apparently going absolutely scorched earth with cease and desist letters following their recent German court win over Strat-style guitars.

And honestly, the whole thing feels like watching a car crash in slow motion - painful and inevitable.

The conversation started with Fender’s court case in Germany against a company making Strat-style instruments. Apparently Fender won by default, and now there are rumours flying around that companies ranging from boutique builders all the way up to companies like Thomann and Harley Benton have potentially been hit with legal threats over S-style guitars (no official news, so this is speculation at this point).

Which immediately triggered the age-old guitar community argument:

At what point does a guitar shape stop belonging to one company and just become part of music culture?

Because whether Fender likes it or not, the Strat shape is basically the electric guitar silhouette.

Even people who know absolutely nothing about guitars would probably draw one if you asked them what a guitar looked like.

That’s partly why the whole thing has rubbed so many players the wrong way.

Especially because guitar companies have spent decades carefully avoiding Fender trademarks already.

We all know that S-style is shorthand for a Strat type guitar, much like a T-style is a tele or a "single cut" usually means a LP shape.

The entire industry basically developed its own legal safe-word vocabulary years ago.

One of the funniest parts of the discussion was diving back into the old “lawsuit guitar” era from the 70s, where Japanese brands like Ibanez ended up making instruments that are now weirdly collectible because they got too close to Gibson and Fender designs.

Which somehow led us onto headstocks.

Because guitarists will always eventually end up talking about headstocks.

There was genuine appreciation for Schecter managing to basically reverse the Gibson open-book headstock shape and somehow get away with it.

A sort of subtle legal trolling.

Like the guitar equivalent of copying somebody’s homework but changing enough words so the teacher can’t prove it.

The overall feeling though was that Fender’s current approach just feels… bad.

Not “another overpriced signature model” bad.

Actual morale-killing bad.

The sort of thing that makes the industry feel smaller and less creative.

Particularly when smaller builders are the ones potentially getting caught in the blast radius.

For the rest of the conversation, check out the episode over on YouTube at www.youtube.com/@frettalkpodcast

A Poddy Good Time! Fret Talk Episode 456

 Marshall, Pac-Man and the Return of the “Why Does This Exist?” Guitar Gear Debate

This week’s podcast basically became an accidental deep dive into the weird state of modern guitar gear.

We started with the new Hendrix Marshall stack, got completely distracted by a Pac-Man Telecaster, and somewhere along the way questioned whether Jimi Hendrix has now become less of a musician and more of an endlessly renewable licensing agreement.

So, pretty normal guitar discourse really.

The Purple Hendrix Marshall Is Either Amazing or Completely Ridiculous

The biggest talking point this week was the new Marshall Hendrix anniversary half stack — a hand-wired Plexi-style monster covered in this wild purple splatter finish that genuinely looks like somebody let Grimace design a vintage amp.

And honestly?

We kinda liked it, eventually...

It’s got that very specific “stoner doom band rehearsing in a lock-up” aesthetic where you can practically hear someone playing one sustained note through a fuzz pedal for 12 straight minutes.

Spec-wise, it’s exactly what you’d expect:

• 100 watts
• No master volume
• Four-input Plexi layout
• Hendrix Fuzz Face included
• Loud enough to legally qualify as weather

Which immediately sparked the eternal question:

Who is this actually for anymore?

Another Hendrix amp.

Another Hendrix fuzz.

Another Hendrix commemorative thing.

At this point it genuinely feels like guitar companies have discovered a sort of infinite Hendrix content generator.

And to be clear, Hendrix absolutely deserves celebrating forever.

But there is a point where it starts to feel less like tribute gear and more like somebody at a board meeting saying:

“The Hendrix estate isn’t going to pay itself.”

The funniest part is that if Marshall had released this exact same amp without the Hendrix branding and just called it something absurd like:

“The Doom Wizard”

…people probably still would’ve loved it.

Including us.

Because underneath all the branding, it’s still an extremely cool-looking Marshall.

The Pac-Man Telecaster Is Peak 2026 Guitar Marketing

Then came the Pac-Man Telecaster.

A sentence I never thought I would be saying...

Fender has apparently decided that what guitarists have been desperately waiting for all these years is a Telecaster covered in Pac-Man graphics.

Ghosts.

Maze artwork.

Pellets.

The whole thing.

And we spent a genuinely long amount of time trying to work out what the connection between Pac-Man and guitars actually is.

Because usually with crossover gear there’s at least some vague thematic excuse.

But this really does just feel like:

“People recognise both of these brands, so technically this is content.”

The weird part is we probably would’ve respected it more if they’d gone fully unhinged with it.

Give it a built-in 8-bit fuzz.

Make the guitar sound like an 80s arcade machine, why not throw in one of those little emulators and actually have it play Pac-Man too.

At least then the guitar would feel connected to the idea beyond simply having Pac-Man printed on it.

It was so confusing that the more we spoke about it, the madder Alex got.

If you'd like to hear the full episode, head on down to YouTube and check it out. Give us a like too, it all helps.

https://youtu.be/x7GcLd65P6o

IK Multimedia TONEX One – The Budget Modeller That We Should Have Covered Sooner...

The IK Multimedia Tonex One has been out for quite a while now and, on this channel at least, it’s flown largely under the radar. On paper though, it’s coming in at under £150 and promises some seriously good amp modelling tones… so it feels well overdue that we actually sit down with it properly and ask the question: is this one worth a second look?

Let’s get into it.

First Impressions – Simple, But Smarter Than It Looks

At its core, the Tonex One keeps things pretty straightforward. You’ve got two main ways of using it:

• Stomp mode – treat it like a traditional pedal, switching a single amp model on and off
• A/B mode – flick between two different amp setups, like a mini two-channel rig

It sounds basic, but it’s actually a really practical way to approach things—especially if you’re coming from a more traditional pedalboard setup.

And straight away, the amp tones are what stand out. Clean sounds feel full and responsive, and when you start stacking gain or adding effects, it doesn’t fall apart like some of the cheaper modellers tend to.

Fuzz… That Actually Sounds Like Fuzz?!

This is where things get interesting.

A lot of budget modellers can do overdrive reasonably well, but fuzz? That’s usually where things go a bit sideways. You end up with something that feels more like a fizzy distortion rather than that slightly unpredictable, spluttery character you actually want.

The Tonex One gets surprisingly close.

There’s a real raspy, almost dying battery-style breakup going on when you push it, which is exactly what you want from a good fuzz tone. It’s not perfect (nothing digital ever truly is), but it’s a lot closer than you’d expect at this price.

Deep Editing If You Want It (But Not If You Don’t)

On the pedal itself, things stay nice and simple—gain, EQ, volume, and a few extras tucked behind alternate controls.

But if you dive into the editor, that’s where it opens up:

• Fully adjustable EQ with movable frequency bands
• Mid control with adjustable Q (so you can really hone in on specific frequencies)
• Presence and depth controls for shaping the overall feel

If you’re into tweaking, you can get properly stuck in. If you’re not, you can ignore all of that and still get great tones.

The Secret Sauce – Compression & Utility Features

There are a few “supporting” features here that genuinely make a difference.

Compressor – This is a big one. It acts like glue, especially on cleaner tones and light breakup sounds. Tightens everything up nicely without feeling overbearing.

Noise Gate – Surprisingly solid. You can run it pre or post, and it handles high gain without that awkward “chopping” effect.

Reverbs – Originally limited, but updates have expanded this. The plate and spring in particular are very usable.

These aren’t just throwaway extras—they actually round out the unit into something you could comfortably gig with.

Modulation & Effects – Covers the Bases

Recent updates have added a bunch of modulation options:

• Chorus
• Tremolo (very Fender-esque if you dial it right)
• Flanger
• Rotary

Nothing wildly experimental, but all the essentials are there—and importantly, they sound good. You can place them pre or post as well, which adds a bit more flexibility.

Expanding It – Where Things Get Interesting

Out of the box, you’re somewhat limited in control—no MIDI, no Bluetooth, etc. That’s clearly part of how they’ve kept the price down.

But… there are workarounds.

Pair it with something like the Pirate MIDI Polar Plus, and suddenly:

You can access all 20 onboard presets

Add extra footswitch control

Effectively unlock MIDI(ish) functionality

Throw in something like an M-Vave Chocolate Plus, and you’ve got a much more flexible, gig-ready setup.

Tone Library – This Thing Is Stacked

One of the biggest strengths here is the ecosystem.

You’ve got:

• A solid selection of built-in tones
• A huge library via IK’s ToneNET (user-generated content)
• The ability to create and tweak your own setups

Whether you’re chasing a clean combo sound or something more gain-heavy, there’s a ridiculous amount of choice. It’s actually quite hard to make this thing sound bad.

So… Is It Worth It?

Honestly? This feels like a bit of a sleeper hit.

The IK Multimedia Tonex One sits in that awkward middle ground where it’s priced like a budget unit, but performs closer to something like a Line 6 HX Stomp than it probably has any right to.

It’s not perfect—you can see where corners have been cut to hit the price point (and more realistically, nerfed so it doesn't eclipse the bigger Tonex)—but what matters is the end result. And the end result is:

• Great amp tones
• Surprisingly good effects
• Enough flexibility to grow with you

If you’re looking to dip into amp modelling without spending a fortune, this is absolutely one to have on your radar.