Fender has released the new H.E.R. Signature Stratocaster® in collaboration with the multiple Grammy®-Award-winning R&B singer-songwriter. She has long played Fender guitars to attain her signature sound on projects, such as her debut album H.E.R., which was certified RIAA Platinum® this year. A project more than a year in the making, the all-new H.E.R. Signature Stratocaster® has been designed to the artist’s specifications with a distinctive look and exceptional tone; it features Fender Vintage Noiseless™ pickups, a 1-ply anodized aluminum pickguard and an alder body finished in stunning Chrome Glow inspired by her favorite nail polish color. To coincide with H.E.R’s signature guitar launch, some of her biggest hit songs will be added to Fender Play®, the complete online learning app for guitar, bass and ukulele. When those songs are added to Fender Play later this year, fans around the world will be able to play their very own H.E.R. Stratocaster® while learning her songs.
“Fender was the reason I began playing guitar,” said H.E.R. “My father taught me how to play my first blues scale on a mini black-and-white Strat®, so it’s absolutely surreal I have partnered with Fender to design my own Signature Stratocaster®. As an artist, I find that my most personal thoughts make the most relatable music. By designing a Stratocaster® with a color, shape and sound that is one-hundred-percent my own, my hope is that other young women and players from all backgrounds feel inspired to pick up this guitar, tap into their thoughts and create amazing music.”
This is the latest installment of a longstanding partnership between H.E.R. and Fender. Stratocaster® guitars have been a part of several breakout moments for the artist, including a performance of “Hard Place” at the 2019 Grammy® Awards with a clear acrylic Stratocaster® and then a custom black Stratocaster® in a Big Game Pepsi® commercial in 2020 with Missy Elliot. This new Signature Strat® is designed to enable the next generation of guitar players — of which H.E.R. is a major influencer — to access her trademark look and soulful sound. As part of Fender’s continuing commitment to recognize the diversity of its longtime players and new guitarists, H.E.R. is now the first Black female artist to be honored with a Fender Artist Signature model.
The H.E.R. Signature Stratocaster® features an alder body with a traditional tonewood finished in a stunning new iridescent color. The 9.5″ radius, one-piece maple neck allows for classic Fender tone and effortless bending. The model is also cut in a mid-’60s “C” neck maple shape similar to Stratocaster® of that decade made for exceptionally comfortable playing. Fender Vintage Noiseless™ pickups project clear and articulate tone with no 60-cycle hum and a six-screw, vintage-style Fender Synchronized Bridge that provides smooth vibrato. A custom neck plate engraved with H.E.R. artwork rounds out the personalized touches.
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