If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission.
When Fender reached out to Khruangbin‘s Laura Lee and Mark Speer — the wig-donning guitarists of the Texas-based, genre-blurring band — with the opportunity to create brand new, custom versions of their Stratocaster and Bass, it didn’t even cross their mind that they would design instruments that were different than the ones they’ve played on stage for more than a decade.
“I think we literally handed them our instruments and just said ‘Make it look like this,’” Speer tells Variety over Zoom. “It’s just what I’ve been used to. Picking up other guitars I’m like, ‘This feels a little different.’ There’s a distinct clunkiness to the guitar I play and [Fender] was able to accommodate that for me, thank goodness.”
“For us, the most epic guitar that we could put out in the world is the one that we play,” Lee adds. “And so the reason that we like it is because it’s ours.”
Alysse Gafkjen
Alysse Gafkjen
The storied guitar manufacturer, who has created custom instruments for everyone from Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton to George Harrison, is still going strong in partnering with contemporary musicians. Most recently, they’ve partnered with Anderson.Paak, who released a custom Player II Telecaster and Brad Paisley on a restored version of a 1967 Telecaster.
In the 1940s, Fender revolutionized the industry with the release of the Telecaster (the first mass-produced solid-body electric guitar), the Stratocaster and the Precision Bass. So, for Lee and Speer, widely respected in the industry for their distinctive playing style on electric guitar and bass, respectively, the collaboration made perfect sense.
While Speer thought the process of recreating his Strat — “verbatim,” as he says — would be relatively easy, he realized during the process that one of his favorite aspects of his guitar was the outcome of a manufacturing mistake when it was first made in the early 2000s. ‘”Well, I like it like that,’ he recalls telling the Fender design team. “So it needs to be that.’”
The result is the Mark Speer Stratocaster, featuring an Aged Natural ash body, custom-wired DiMarzio Pro Track pickups and a vintage-style synchronized tremolo. Packed with a Custom “C” neck, jumbo frets and minimalist aesthetic, it’s tailored for Speer’s expressive tone and fluid, psychedelic playing style.
The Strat, which Speer has fondly compared to a DJ console in its ability to change EQ, is at the core of Khruangbin’s genre-bending style. “That’s what the guitar is able to do for me,” he says, noting its influence on the very deep jazz-like qualities to the brighter, pluckier tones you hear in Khruangbin’s music. “I’m used to it. I don’t really like playing on other guitars. I’m sorry to say, but I just like this one and I know how this paintbrush works.”
Lee, meanwhile, found her musical sensibility through her bass, which she’s had since 2009. When she began the recreation process with Fender, she wanted it to feel as approachable to new players as she felt when she first began playing. “It’s a really easy, it’s not too complicated,” she says of the Fender release. “It’s comfy and I hope that it’s warm to people.”
The Laura Lee Jazz Bass arrives in a Vintage White finish with matching headstock and gold pickguard. Built with DiMarzio Ultra Jazz pickups, concentric volume/tone controls, and a Custom “U” neck, it’s a playful, precision-crafted instrument that reflects her minimalist, dub-inspired approach.
Aside from essentially creating new replicas of their worn-in instruments, another non-negotiable for the pair was making sure their custom six-strings would only be released in limited quantities. “I don’t want to just have a bazillion guitars that look just like mine flooding the marketplace,” Speer says. “I know some people make heavy changes to their signature model but that is my guitar. It would be weird to have everyone have my guitar.”
Of course, if you’re fast enough, you can get your hands on Lee and Speer’s exact Fender Strat and Bass. Shop the limited-edition guitars below: