Fender and Loog Shrink the Precision Bass and Telecaster for Kids, and Loog Finally Builds a Bass

Seventy-five years after Leo Fender changed popular music twice in quick succession, his two most consequential designs are getting a version sized for the smallest players in the house. On November 4, 2026, children's instrument maker Loog and Fender Musical Instruments Corporation announced two additions to the Fender x Loog collection: the Fender x Loog Precision Bass, which is the first bass Loog has ever made, and a Fender x Loog Telecaster in a new Butterscotch Blonde finish with a black pickguard.

Both instruments are built around the 75th anniversaries of the Precision Bass and the Telecaster. Both use Loog's three-string format. Both carry an MSRP of $229.99 in the official announcement. On Loog's own US store, both are listed at $229, which is what we saw when we checked on November 6, 2026.

It would be easy to file this under novelty merch. That would miss the more interesting part. A three-string, short-scale bass that tunes like the bottom three strings of a real bass is a genuinely new kind of beginner instrument. The long-standing assumption has been that low end is something you graduate to after guitar. This launch quietly challenges that.

What Was Announced

The official release from the Fender Newsroom, datelined New York, lays out the collection plainly.

Fender x Loog Precision Bass

• Loog's first-ever bass
• Three strings, compact short scale, one pickup
• Finishes: White Blonde (inspired by the original 1951 Precision Bass finish), Candy Apple Red, Sea Foam Green, and a limited edition Hello Kitty Black
• MSRP: $229.99 USD / £199 / €229 / $329 AUD / ¥39,600

Fender x Loog Telecaster

• New Butterscotch Blonde finish with black pickguard, inspired by the original 1951 model
• Three-string Loog format
• MSRP: $229.99 USD / £199 / €229 / $329 AUD / ¥39,600

Shared features, per the release: an authentic Fender headstock, Loog's three-string fretboard, a standard ¼-inch output jack for plugging into a normal amplifier, access to the Loog Guitar app with video lessons and game-like exercises, and an exclusive Fender-inspired activity book with games, trivia and creative challenges. The two instruments were developed in collaboration with Fender and manufactured by Loog.

Availability started on launch day at loogguitars.com, fender.com and select retailers worldwide. The Hello Kitty Black Precision Bass is the exception: the release says it is exclusively available through loogguitars.com and select retailers, so do not expect to find it on Fender's own store.

What the Founder Said

Loog founder and CEO Rafael Atijas gave the release its most personal line. He started on bass himself:

"Launching Loog's first bass alongside the 75th anniversary of the Precision Bass is especially meaningful. It's also full circle for me, since bass was the first instrument I played at 13," said Rafael Atijas, Founder and CEO of Loog Guitars. "And bringing the iconic Butterscotch Blonde Telecaster to life as a small, three-string guitar lets kids experience a piece of music history in a way that feels playful and authentic."

Fender's side of the quote sheet came from James Chippendale, Fender Senior Director, Lifestyle & Licensing:

"For 75 years, the Telecaster and Precision Bass have helped shape the sound of music. Our partnership with Loog brings these iconic instruments to a new generation of players," said James Chippendale. "The most meaningful collaborations bring together shared values, creativity and a clear purpose. Together with Loog, we're inspiring young musicians to discover the joy of playing, express themselves and begin a lifelong connection with music."

The Bass Is the Real Story

Loog has been making three-string guitars since its Kickstarter launch in 2011, and its Fender collaboration has already produced Stratocaster and Telecaster models. A bass is a different problem. Bass strings are heavier and the scale lengths are longer. The basic physical demand, stretching a small hand across frets spaced for a 34-inch scale, is exactly what keeps young kids away from the instrument.

Loog's answer is to cut the instrument down rather than just shrink the body. On its product page, Loog describes the bass as a "super compact 21.6" scale fully functional instrument" and says it uses standard bass strings and tuning: E, A and D, the three lowest strings of a four-string bass. MusicRadar's launch report gives the same 21.6-inch figure. For context, a standard Fender Precision Bass uses a 34-inch scale, and the instruments players usually call "short scale" basses are typically around 30 inches. A 21.6-inch bass sits well below either.

That tuning choice matters. Because the Loog bass uses the same E, A and D strings in the same order as a full-size bass, every root note, octave shape and simple line a kid learns transfers directly. A young player who learns to walk from E to A on the open strings, or to find the root of a G chord on the third fret of the E string, is learning real bass, not a toy version of it. When they move up to a four-string, they only need to add the G string on top.

The single pickup and single control mirror the original 1951 Precision Bass, which also had one pickup and a very simple control layout. In its launch coverage, MusicRadar also notes the Loog version includes a thumb rest like the original. That's a lovely detail for anyone who has seen a '51 in a museum case.

Why the 1951 Precision Bass Still Matters

It is hard to overstate what the Precision Bass did. Before it, the bass in most bands was an upright: big, hard to transport, hard to hear in a loud room and easy to play out of tune because it had no frets. Fender's 1951 design put a solid body, a bolt-on neck and frets on an electric instrument that could be played like a guitar and plugged into an amplifier. The Fender release calls it "the world's first mass-produced electric bass guitar."

The "Precision" name pointed straight at the frets. A fretted neck let a player land on pitch every time, which the fretless upright did not guarantee. The early versions looked a lot like the Telecaster from the same factory, with a slab body, a Tele-style headstock and one single-coil pickup. Fender added body contours in the mid-1950s and moved to the split-coil pickup most players picture today in 1957. Those changes shaped the instrument into the sound of countless records, from session players like Carol Kaye to James Jamerson's Motown lines.

The Loog bass looks back to the earliest version, not the later split-coil design. That is the right choice for a 75th anniversary piece, and it gives the instrument a clean, slightly retro silhouette that reads as "Fender" even from across a room.

If you want to go deeper on what came out of that design, our list of the 20 greatest bass riffs of all time is a good place for a young bassist and a parent to start listening together.

The Butterscotch Blonde Telecaster

The second instrument is a smaller announcement, but the look is the point. Butterscotch Blonde with a black pickguard is the look of the earliest Fender solidbodies. It's the finish most players picture when someone says "early-'50s Tele." The release says the new Fender x Loog Telecaster is "inspired by the original 1951 model."

Under the paint, this is Loog's established three-string Telecaster format. Loog's spec sheet on the Butterscotch Blonde listing gives a paulownia body, a maple neck and fingerboard, 19 frets, a single-coil pickup with a volume control, a string-through-body bridge with one saddle per string, a bone nut (29mm), a 20.6-inch (524mm) scale and a weight of 2.4 lb (1.1kg). The strings are the first three of a standard guitar: E (.011), B (.015) and G (.019).

That string set is why Loog's guitars work for kids. Chord shapes on the top three strings of a regular guitar transfer directly, and many basic chords really only need three notes. A child who learns a G, C or D shape on a Loog is learning fingerings they will keep using on a six-string.

On its product page, Loog describes the Butterscotch Blonde Tele as "a tiny, limited edition 3-string Tele." That matters for availability. When we checked Loog's US store on November 6, the Butterscotch Blonde Telecaster was showing as unavailable, with a "notify me" prompt instead of an add-to-cart button. All four Precision Bass finishes were still available to order at the time. Stock changes quickly around a launch, and the release also lists fender.com and select retailers. If the Tele matters to you, check more than one store.

From Broadcaster to Telecaster

The Telecaster's 75th-birthday math depends on which name you count. Fender's first production solidbody Spanish guitar shipped in 1950 as the Broadcaster. A trademark conflict with Gretsch, which used "Broadkaster" for its drums, forced a change. For a short stretch, guitars left the factory with the model name clipped off the decal, which collectors now call "Nocasters." Then the Telecaster name arrived in 1951. That year is the one Fender is celebrating, and it lines up neatly with the Precision Bass.

What made the guitar revolutionary was how ordinary it was meant to be. A slab of wood, a bolt-on maple neck and two pickups: a design built to be assembled, repaired and adjusted without a luthier's bench. That practical streak is part of why the Tele has outlived almost every trend that has come at it since. TGP's full Fender Telecaster history covers the story in detail. It's worth a read if a young player starts asking why their tiny guitar looks the way it does.

The Hello Kitty Black Precision Bass

Fender has already done Hello Kitty instruments through Fender and Squier, and Loog has a Hello Kitty Stratocaster in its Fender line. The limited Hello Kitty Black Precision Bass continues that crossover. MusicRadar's report says it carries the cartoon cat graphic and red dot inlays, and Loog's product photos show the graphic on a black body.

The important practical points are the ones in the release. It is a limited edition, and it is exclusive to loogguitars.com and select retailers. It was listed at $229 and available to order on Loog's US store on November 6. Limited runs of character-branded instruments have a habit of disappearing fast, so if this is the one a child has asked for, act sooner rather than later.

What Comes in the Box

Both instruments come with more than the instrument. According to the release and Loog's listings:

• Loog Guitar app access. Video lessons and game-like exercises. Loog's Precision Bass listing says a special section for bass players is coming in mid-November, so the bass-specific lessons were not yet live at launch.
• A Fender-inspired activity book. Games, trivia and creative challenges, described by Fender as a "hands-on, screen-free way for kids to explore Fender's legendary heritage." Fender's own product listing describes a "Leo Fender for Kids" booklet telling the story of Fender's founder and the birth of the Precision Bass.
• Extras. Loog's listings and MusicRadar's report mention items such as picks, stickers and, on the guitar side, chord flashcards.

What is not in the box is an amplifier. Both instruments have a standard ¼-inch output and are electric instruments, so they need an amp, a headphone amp or a modeler to be heard properly. Parents should budget for that. For a bass, look for an amp that is actually designed for bass or a modeler with bass voicings, because a small guitar amp can struggle with low notes.

Who This Is Really For

Loog's own product copy says its Tele-style guitar lets "kids as young as 6" start playing, and Fender's listing describes the bass as designed for players as young as 6. That is the core audience: young children whose hands cannot yet manage a full-size neck and who will lose interest if the first weeks are all sore fingers and frustration.

Loog's bass listing also makes a second pitch: it calls the instrument a good fit for "full-grown musicians looking for a travel-friendly bass." That is a reasonable idea. A 21.6-inch bass will not replace a working instrument, and three strings limit what you can play. But for sketching lines on a couch, practicing on the road or keeping something tiny in a studio corner, a properly tuned short bass with a real output has uses beyond the kids' room.

Some honest caveats for parents:

1. Three strings is a starting point, not a destination. That is Loog's whole design philosophy, and it works. Expect a child who sticks with it to want a full-size instrument eventually. 2. Bass and guitar are different jobs. If a child is drawn to rhythm, grooves and being the engine of a song, the bass is a great first instrument. If they want to play melodies and chords to sing along with, the Telecaster is the more obvious place to start. 3. The app content for bass arrives after launch. Loog says the bass section of its app is coming in mid-November. Early buyers will need to lean on the activity book and outside resources for a little while. 4. Factor in an amp. A $229 instrument is not a $229 setup.

If you are still deciding whether a small three-string instrument or a full beginner guitar is the right call, our first guitar buying guide walks through the trade-offs. Our roundup of the best online guitar lessons in 2026 covers what to pair with any first instrument.

How This Fits Fender's 75th Year

Fender has spent 2026 leaning hard into the Telecaster and Precision Bass anniversaries, and it has also been increasingly willing to license its shapes into new places. We covered the Fender x Pokémon 30th anniversary guitars last month, and the company's mainstream lines keep getting new colors, as in our look at Fender Player II's 2026 finishes. The Loog deal is the most practical of these crossovers. Instead of asking adults to collect something, it puts the headstock in front of children who might become the next generation of Fender buyers.

For Loog, the bass is a real product-line expansion. The company began as Rafael Atijas's master's thesis project at New York University, launched on Kickstarter in 2011, and now sells instruments, apps and learning tools, with partnerships that also include Gibson. The release notes that Loog instruments have been played by musicians including Jack White and members of The Rolling Stones. A bass gives the company a way to keep a family in its system when a second child wants something different from the first, or when a young guitarist starts noticing what the bass player in their favorite band is doing.

Price and Where to Buy

Prices below were checked on November 6, 2026 (ET). Prices and stock change, especially in the weeks before the holidays.

• Fender x Loog Precision Bass (White Blonde, Candy Apple Red, Sea Foam Green): $229 at Loog Guitars. Official MSRP in the release: $229.99.
• Fender x Loog Hello Kitty Black Precision Bass (limited edition): $229 at Loog Guitars. Exclusive to Loog and select retailers.
• Fender x Loog Telecaster, Butterscotch Blonde (limited edition): listed at $229 at Loog Guitars, but showing as unavailable when we checked. Official MSRP: $229.99.
• On Fender.com: the Precision Bass is listed as the Fender x Loog 75th P Bass 3-String Children's Guitar. Check Fender's page for current price and stock.

International MSRPs from the release: £199, €229, $329 AUD and ¥39,600.

The Bottom Line

The Butterscotch Blonde Telecaster is a good-looking anniversary color on a proven kids' guitar. The Fender x Loog Precision Bass is the news. It is Loog's first bass. It uses real bass strings in real bass tuning on a scale short enough for young hands. And it is a tribute to the instrument that made the electric bass a standard part of a band in the first place. At $229 on Loog's store, it is priced like the rest of the collection. For the right kid, it could be the first instrument that makes them feel like the person holding the groove together.

Seventy-five years ago, Leo Fender's big idea was that great instruments should be practical, repeatable and easy to play. A three-string bass for a six-year-old is a pretty faithful way to honor that.

Fact flags

• Scale length: Loog's product page and MusicRadar give 21.6 inches for the Precision Bass. Fender's product listing, as indexed at the time of writing, showed spec fields (such as a 20.6-inch scale and a Stratocaster body shape) that appear to match Loog's guitar specs rather than the bass. We have used Loog's 21.6-inch figure and flag the discrepancy.
• Butterscotch Blonde Telecaster stock: shown as unavailable on loogguitars.com on November 6, 2026. Loog calls it a limited edition.
• Prices: Loog US store prices ($229) checked November 6, 2026. Official MSRP is $229.99 per the Fender Newsroom release. We could not load Fender.com's product page directly to confirm its live price, so it is not stated here.
• Bass app content: Loog says the bass section of its app is coming in mid-November 2026.
• Thumb rest and Hello Kitty inlays: reported by MusicRadar. Not independently verified hands-on.
• We have not played these instruments. This is news coverage, not a review.

Sources

• Fender Newsroom: "Loog® And Fender® Celebrate 75 Years Of The Precision Bass® And Telecaster® With New Instruments For Kids," November 4, 2026.
• Loog Guitars product pages and newsroom (loogguitars.com), checked November 6, 2026.
• MusicRadar, Jonathan Horsley, November 4, 2026.
• Guitar World, Phil Weller, November 5, 2026.
• Guitar.com launch coverage, November 2026.
• Premier Guitar: "Loog and Fender Unveil Precision Bass and Telecaster for Kids," November 4, 2026.