“During Covid I took an Olympic Pearl White body, took apart one of my signatures, and made the first prototype”: Fender honors influential worship guitarist Lincoln Brewster with a new-look signature Strat – and it’s even more desirable than his first
Brewster was told his desired Olympic Pearl White finish had never been done in nitrocellulose lacquer before – but it became a reality for his second signature Stratocaster
(Image credit: Fender)
Fender has rekindled its relationship with influential worship electric guitar player Lincoln Brewster for another signature Stratocaster.
The key difference here is the finish: Olympic Pearl White lacquer is drafted in, replacing the original’s metallic vibe. It’s certainly a more accessible finish, and that's exactly what Brewster was going for.
As for what prompted the cosmetic twist, Brewster explains, “When the original came out, we decided to go with gold because it was kind of like, ‘Yeah, that’s your thing.’ I had always felt like the goal was really just to make a super great guitar that would work for as many people as possible.
“I understood that for some people, gold wasn’t for them, and I love Olympic White. It’s probably my second fave color. Then I saw the Olympic White with the pearl on it, and I was just blown away.”
From that point on, Brewester endeavored to bring that aesthetic to his own guitar – and even made a Frankenstein Partscaster to make it a reality.
“During Covid I took an Olympic Pearl White body, took apart one of my signatures and put it together, and made the first prototype,” he goes on. After sending a picture of the guitar to the Fender team, Brewester was then informed the color had never been done in nitrocellulose lacquer
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Apart from that, the spec sheet looks mighty familiar. An ash body is paired with a Soft V maple neck that accommodates a 9.5”-14” compound radius, 22-fret fingerboard. Hardware-wise, there’s a two-point tremolo with bent-steel saddles and a pop-in arm.
Other throwback-inspired specs that are lifted from the previous Brewster model include vintage-style tuners and a one-ply Eggshell pickguard that offsets against the Olympic Pearl.
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(Image credit: Fender)
(Image credit: Fender)
In terms of tone, Brewster has once again called upon his tried-and-trusted trio of single-coils: a DiMarzio Area 61 in the bridge, and a pair of DiMarzio Area 58s in the middle and neck.
These are wired to a pretty versatile control layout that utilizes an onboard active boost, activated by a push/pull volume knob, and a custom mid-boost parameter dictated by the first Tone knob. The master volume also has a treble bleed.
So, ultimately, it’s a pretty sleek vintage-meets-modern build, which carries all the class of a ‘50s-era Strat with some notable functional, hardware, and tonal upgrades that help give this workhorse a serious injection of power.
(Image credit: Fender)
The neck heel, for example, also has Fender’s own contour to help promote easier upper fret playing, while the DiMarzios promise “vintage tones with zero hum.” To that end, the demo video does a darn good job of showcasing the guitar’s tonal power (and Brewster’s stellar playing).
The Lincoln Brewster Strat is available now for $2,499.
Matt is a Senior Staff Writer, writing for Guitar World, Guitarist and Total Guitar. He has a Masters in the guitar, a degree in history, and has spent the last 16 years playing everything from blues and jazz to indie and pop. When he’s not combining his passion for writing and music during his day job, Matt records for a number of UK-based bands and songwriters as a session musician.
