Why 2026 is a big year for Fender
- Philip Weller
- Jan 16
- 5 min read
New products, new markets, and bold ambitions – a new era of Fender has arrived
It feels like the crackle and pop and the New Year’s fireworks had only just dissipated when Fender, one of the guitar world’s most historic and prestigious brands, began to chime in a new era.
After closing out 2025 by topping Reverb’s best-selling guitar charts, with the American Professional II Strat moving up two places from 2024 to stand atop the podium, it launched a new range of products in a new market. But that was just the tip of the iceberg; it had another big trick up its sleeve.
All this, I might have, before it had unveiled a single guitar. There’s plenty of gas left in its proverbial tank.
So, what is Fender doing in 2026 that makes the year, its 80th in operation, feel so monumental?
Anything you can do…
First up was Fender’s part surprise, part to-be-expected pivot into the home audio market, in a bid to go toe-to-toe with one of its biggest rivals from across the Atlantic. It could be argued that its move into this domain is a little slow considering Marshall launched its first home speaker, the Hanwell, in 2012.
Just one week into the year, Fender launched its debut range of speakers and headphones, with the firm eager to leverage its prestige in the amp market into our daily lives. Vox and Orange have both previously done likewise via a Bluetooth speaker ranger, and a line of headphones, respectively. But Fender also knows it needs a leg up if it is to survive in an already competitive field.
As such, Fender Audio is operated by Riffsound, a company based in Singapore, bringing forth ELIE portable speakers and MIX headphones. The former means 'Extremely Loud Infinitely Expressive' (insert that sounds like my ex-wife joke here), but there's no clever acronym for the latter, though they do arrive with a hyperbolic statement of intent to “push the boundaries of modern music-lifestyle audio.”
Looking like a bass amp or skyscraper, the ELIE 06 offers low latency Bluetooth, high-resolution 48kHz/24-bit audio, single, stereo, and multi-speaker listening modes (it can connect to other speakers for a more balls out experience), multiple connections, an 18 hour battery life, quick charging, it's certainly well equipped. It boasts max power of 60W, with a full-range driver, tweeter, and subwoofer all lurking underneath its grill. Apparently, it can also handle having an instrument or microphone plugged into it (karaoke, anyone?) but there's no mention of price as of yet.
The ELIE 12 kicks things up a notch with the same specs, but double the output, with two of everything under the grille equating to 120W of punch.
Its MIX headphones, meanwhile, are closed-back Bluetooth bad boys that, interestingly, are emboldened by a modular design, meaning you can swap out components “for a personalized look and feel.” It can handle lossless streaming for premium sound quality, with low latency and the ability to broadcast to multiple devices all baked in. Beyond that, there's Hybrid Active Noise Cancellation and Spatial Audio for “a 360° immersive experience,” and up to 100 hours of battery life (falling to 52 hours if noise cancellation mode is active). But if the battery bites the dust when you're in the middle of the desert, fear not: there's a 3.5mm AUX cable input.
It's a solid start to the Fender Audio venture, with soundbars, like Marshall, surely the next thing on its list. Everything, however, hinges on the prices here. Marshall's gear in this space isn't the cheapest, so Fender Audio has a potential open goal to smash the proverbial ball into.
The Fender DAW
As the dust on Fender Audio’s launch began to settle, Fender, which has owned PreSonus since November 2021, rolled out a major update to the DAW, Studio One. Its overseen two big updates to Studio One since the acquisition, with AI tools, improved workflow and more accessible pricing options empowering Studio One Pro 7.
Now, though, Fender has brought into firmly under the Fender banner, rebranding the software as Fender Studio, while PreSonus products, from speakers to interfaces, are also being rolled out with the Big F emblazoned upon them. So, now you can also get Fender audio interfaces, from one input, home recording devices to full studio-grade rack-mounted beasts. As such, Fender has no unified its recording ecosystem, meaning it’s the first firm of its kind to have a dedicated DAW, strengthening its positioning in the recording – both at home and in-studio – spaces.
To celebrate, Fender Studio also comes equipped with digital versions of classic Fender amps baked in, in the form of Mustang and Rumble amp models, and a slew of effects. For those that have been using Fender Studio, a free DAW for iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, and Linux, there’s a feature to move projects over, too.
Its stock of AI tools, which already included things like stem separation, has also got a shot in the arm, with the ever-creative musician in mind. Excitingly, there's an Audio-to-Note conversion tool, translating what you play into editable MIDI (it could be a real time-saver), and a Chord Assistant that recognizes what you're playing and can offer suggestions for the next chords, or help you transpose progressions.
For a deeper dive into Fender Studio, check out Guitar World’s excellent, in-depth coverage of the update, and the stories behind the decisions and features
What this all means
Well, it’s an expansion, ultimately. Fender isn’t content with being the brand associated with the Stratocaster, and it’s leaning into its wider brand family, while also rebranding them, to turn Fender into far more aspects of a musician’s life. From the speakers they use when they brush their teeth in the morning, to what interface they plug into, and what DAW they use to create – alongside, of course, the guitars, amps, and effects that define their sound – Fender is bidding to become an ever-present: A powerhouse.
It’s a bold move, but fortune, lest we forget, favours those with the largest metaphorical balls. Fender understands what the life of the modern musician looks like, whether they are making home demos for fun or are full-time musicians with lofty aspirations, and it wants to be your companion every step of the way.
It’s a hugely exciting time for Fender fans, and it could set a precedent for other firms to follow suit. But for now, it proves that Fender will always be forthright in the market.
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