Fender has lifted the curtain on its latest Artist Series electric guitar – a dreamy signature Stratocaster for rock, pop and metal innovator Juanes.
At first glance, the Colombian guitar star’s flagship Fender model looks to be an immensely classy instrument, mainly thanks to the heavenly, never-before-seen Luna White Satin finish that has been strapped to the alder body.
Specifically, the finish – as Juanes told Guitar World in an upcoming interview – was employed to give the Strat a more personal touch: “Luna is the name of my oldest daughter, so for me there’s this extra special meaning,” he says.
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To that end, Juanes developed his Strat with two clear objectives in mind: to create something new, and to build a guitar he could connect with.
“I wanted to create something new and special that I had a personal connection to,” he says. “I’m very proud. It’s such a beautiful guitar… I’m so happy to be part of the Fender family.”
“Beautiful” is perhaps an understatement, with the Luna White body lining up alongside an uber-clean maple neck and fretboard, which feature a Deep C profile that gets fuller further up the neck and a compound 10”-14” radius.
Other functional appointments include a two-point Synchronized tremolo with a pop-in arm, 22 medium jumbo frets and Fender Deluxe tuners.
But this beauty isn’t just about aesthetics, and the Luna White finish isn’t the only spec that sets it apart from the rest of the Strat catalog. Rather, the model also comes loaded with a custom-voiced 12dB mid-boost circuit added for “addictive, crunchy harmonic bliss”.
Accessed through an S-1 switch on the master volume control, the circuit can be tweaked via the second tone knob, which serves as the boost output level control. That leaves just one master tone pot and a five-way blade selector to mention.
Also custom-voiced are the pickups. Arranged in an HSS configuration, two Custom Juanes Ultra Noiseless single-coils sit next to a Custom Juanes Alnico II humbucker, all three of which are tasked with achieving “clear tones and note distinction” to accommodate Juanes’ style.
Ultimately, the Luna White stunner is a testament to Juanes’ preference for streamlined guitar rigs.
“I like going straight into the amplifier when I can, or might just use one pedal here and there,” Juanes tells Guitar World. “But I decided that having a boost on my actual guitar could come in handy, especially when I’m playing shows. I have everything right here in my hands and it’s all very clear for me.”
Not only that, the six-string marks a significant full-circle milestone for the artist himself: “My relationship with Fender began when I was living in Colombia,” he told Fender. “I decided to sell everything I had to buy my first Fender guitar and I came to the United States and recorded my first album.
“And today, I can say that we have a Juanes Stratocaster in Luna White. It's a dream. I can't believe it, I'm very happy.”
The Juanes Stratocaster is available now for $2,299, and a portion of each sale will go to the guitarist’s Mi Sangre foundation, which “empowers new generations and fosters a culture of peace in Colombia and beyond”.
Head over to Fender to find out more.
