Fender have just released 2 new models to their extensive lineup of guitars. This time they pay homage to the creative talents within the group Khruangbin: A Mark Speer Limited Edition Stratocaster and a Laura Lee Limited Edition Jazz Bass.
Khruangbin’s music is a stunning mix of psychedelia, soul, rock and country with all of Mark’s smooth, reverb-drenched riffs and melodies played on a single guitar: his original Fender Stratocaster.
The specs on the new Fender signature Stratocaster are:
- Select Ash body with see through finish
- Custom “C”-shaped maple neck
- 7.25″-radius maple fingerboard with jumbo frets
- Dimarzio ProTrack neck and bridge pickups, vintage voiced 70’s single coil pick up for the middle position
- Graphtech saddles and string trees for improved tuning stability
- Custom white appointments
Mark’s smooth and nuanced style is further enhanced by the use of flat wound strings combined with the Graphtech saddles. Unusually, Mark had jumbo frets installed in a 7.25” radius fretboard for easier bends with minimal fretboard drag. (Although he admits initially it was more about just making the frets last longer when they were starting out!)
The pickups allow for that classic Strat. feel in the middle position, while the Dimarzio ProTracks provide a noiseless floor to Mark’s textural playing in the neck and the bridge positions. Mark admits he initially wired the neck pick up ‘wrong’ but under time pressure for a looming gig had to leave it as it was. He was subsequently captivated by the resulting tone and happily left things as they were!
Mark states that the neck and middle pickup positions together offer up a “brittle, Teisco, Sears sound that is not typical of any Strat”. Whereas the bridge delivers a “clean, clear high gain bridge pickup”
Speer adds, “[Fender guitars and basses are] in every genre all across the world. They’re not nostalgic, they’re not futuristic – they’re all those things”.
Available now. RRP: $2499 Aud. Inc. GST.
Link to the Guitar and Bass Youtube review: https://au.fender.com/products/limited-edition-mark-speer-stratocasterEach model is available in 3 gauge sizes: light gauge, medium gauge, and heavy gauge premium birch, as well as a durable poly synthetic.
Laura Lee’s warm, pulsing, and inventive basslines have propelled Khruangbin albums into the Top 40 in the U.S. and even higher around the world. Armed with a Jazz Bass, her unique playing style mixes classic-era basslines with funk, soul, country, and surf rock to create something completely distinctive and raw.
Finished in a classic vintage white with stunning chrome appointments, this bass is an eye-catching instrument tailored to meet Laura Lee’s aesthetic design choices. Loaded with DiMarzio® Ultra Jazz™ pickups, this bass has deep lows, percussive highs and rich harmonic overtones that help define Laura Lee’s sound. Vintage-style concentric volume/tone knobs for each pickup allow complete control over your sound. The Custom “U”-shape neck is topped with a rosewood fingerboard with a 9.5” radius and 21 jumbo frets, providing a comfortable, unique feel just like Laura’s bass.
With its classic Jazz Bass controls, chrome hardware, and upgraded DiMarzio pickups – this bass will help you stand out on any stage or studio.
Donald “DJ” Johnson, Jr. is an American drummer, producer, and songwriter best known as the groove behind Khruangbin, the Houston-based trio known for blending funk, soul, surf rock, and global influences into their unique sound.
DJ’s drumming style is all about feel and restraint—never flashy, always locked in. He plays a compact jazz kit that helps keep things tight and mellow: a 3×13 Diamond Drum Co. maple snare, a 14×14 Gretsch floor tom, and a 14×20 Gretsch bass drum. His cymbals are simple but effective—14″ CB Percussion MX series hi-hats and an 18″ Meinl Byzance Dark crash.
On stage, DJ sometimes adds subtle keyboard lines using a Yamaha Reface, which he plays left-handed. He also uses his own signature drumsticks from Promark. One cool detail: he usually doesn’t use a click track when recording, which adds to the laid-back, organic vibe that’s become a big part of Khruangbin’s signature sound.
