Following Fender's debut release with a South Korean artist last month, the brand – fresh from announcing a new CEO – is also rolling out the first-ever Fender signature guitar designed and built with an artist from mainland China.
The firm's latest signature Stratocaster is a collaboration with “all-round musician,” singer and songwriter Li Ronghao – a key player in the Mandopop music scene.
Li is best known for hit songs such as Li Bai, Model, Young and Promising, and Dark Horse – as well as his role as a coach on Sing! China [a popular Chinese singing competition series].
The guitar – and the Strat specifically – has not only proven to be an indispensable tool in Li's songwriting and storytelling, but also a loyal companion for over three decades.
“Collaborating with Fender to launch my first signature guitar is like a dream come true,” comments Li.
“This guitar is our attempt to translate the idealism accumulated over years of creating and performing – regarding tone, feel, and aesthetics – into a tangible instrument. I hope everyone who plays it can feel the joy and freedom brought by playing and creating music.”
The Fender Li Ronghao Stratocaster aims to integrate the artist's signature guitar tone with his unique aesthetic, offering an alder body with a highly textured vintage shell pink finish and a red tortoiseshell pickguard, a maple neck with a 1965 “C”-shaped profile, and a flatter 12-inch radius rosewood fingerboard with 21 medium-jumbo frets.
Other specs include vintage-style single-coil neck and middle pickups that promise to deliver “high frequency and solid low frequency, with full midrange tones,” and, intriguingly, a Gotoh HB-Classic humbucker at the bridge that promises to “greatly expand” the guitar’s tonal range.
The six-saddle vintage-style synchronized tremolo bridge and vintage-style tuners continue to honor the guitar's overall classic vintage style. And, in true signature model fashion, the headstock bears Li Ronghao's engraved signature on the back.
Speaking about this breakthrough release, incoming Fender CEO and current President of Fender APAC, Edward ‘Bud’ Cole, says, “Li Ronghao has established a unique musical benchmark in the Mandopop music scene through his meticulous approach to songwriting, seamlessly transcending genres.
“This instrument is not only another exquisite masterpiece in Li Ronghao’s musical journey but also marks the beginning of a new chapter for Fender to further connect with Chinese artists and consumers.”
The Fender Li Ronghao Stratocaster is available now through Fender China’s e-commerce channels and authorized dealers.
Last October, Fender strengthened its ties with the Chinese market by opening its first Artist Showroom in Shanghai.
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