Today, Fender, with a little help from Texan psych-rockers Khruangbin, makes a little bit of history as the company debuts two signature models on the same day for the first time ever, introducing the new Mark Speer Stratocaster and Laura Lee Jazz Bass.
Made at Fender’s Ensenada, Mexico factory, these new signature guitars are “exact replicas” of the modded originals that Speer and Lee have been playing – and modding – pretty much exclusively over the past 10 years. Sure, we have sometimes seen Lee with a Precision Bass. There are photos. But think of Khruangbin and it’s Speer on his early noughts Classic Series ‘70s Strat in Aged Natural finish, Lee on that Jazz Bass in Vintage White.
Both share a lot of DNA, and not just Fender DNA. DiMarzio pickups come as standard on both instruments. Speer’s Strat is loaded with DiMarzio Pro Track electric guitar pickups at the neck and bridge positions, complementing a traditional ‘70s Strat pickup in the middle position. Lee’s Jazz Bass has a pair of DiMarzio Ultra Jazz pickups – “Lows are deeper, highs are more percussive, and the midrange is round but not muddy,” reads the DiMarzio tone notes.
Speer spoke to the benefits of having a long-term relationship with your electric guitar.
“This guitar is the easiest way for me to get the musical idea from my head, out into the world,” says Speer. “I know this thing inside and out, the sounds it can make, and the textures I can achieve. It’s like becoming really familiar with your paintbrush.”
Speer’s Strat is redolent of ‘70s Fender style. You’ve got Aged Natural lacquer on a custom-contoured ash body – there is plenty of grain to look at. The neck plate is affixed with three bolts and stamped with an “F”. The headstock is larger. There is the bullet-style tr. ss rod nut on the headstock. There are dual string trees.
The neck profile on the Speer Strat is a Custom C, and is topped with a maple fingerboard with an old-school a 7.25” radius. There are 21 jumbo frets, the vintage-style tremolo has been augmented with Graph Tech saddles, and you’ll find white pickguard and knobs.
Lee’s Jazz Bass has got a Custom U profile neck, a rosewood fingerboard with a 9.5” radius. Her pickups are controlled by a pair of concentric knobs, nesting each pickup’s volume and tone on one dial. It might be a twist on the original Fender bass guitar recipe but it retains that vintage vibe.
These Khruangbin signature models are available now, with the Stratocaster priced at £1,349/$1,499, and the Jazz Bass priced £1,399/$1,499. For more details, head over to Fender.
