As part of a limited release, Fender debuts the Fender Custom Shop Limited Edition Ariel Posen Stratocaster. The collaboration, the first between Fender and Posen, marks the introduction of the guitarist's own signature Stratocaster.
Shop the FCS Ariel Posen Stratocaster
Ariel Posen, guitarist, songwriter, and slide extraordinaire, has made waves in recent years with his masterful handling of six strings. This mastery brought Posen to collaborate with the Fender Custom Shop for his very own custom-designed Stratocaster. The guitar in question, a model limited to one hundred pieces released worldwide, comes together as a striking blend of vintage sensibilities, timeless musicality, and modern experimentation.
"It was just really important to me for this project to kind of experiment until we found the thing that made sense." - Ariel Posen
The Limited Edition Ariel Posen Stratocaster features an extensive lineup of custom-designed features alongside a series of standby quality Fender Custom Shop specifications. This all begins with a two-piece select roasted alder body and a quartersawn AA flame maple neck. The roasted alder body, inspired by a Jazzmaster owned by Posen, acts as a veritable sonic engine off which the rest of the instrument's musical experience can bloom. A AAA rosewood fingerboard lands alongside the flame maple neck with twenty-one Jescar Vintage Upgrade frets that facilitate fast moves from higher to lower registers, whether playing with or without a slide.
Posen's Stratocaster comes equipped with an incredibly unique electronics setup. Onboard, two Tim Shaw-designed Custom Ariel Posen AP-90 pickups land to drive the sonic engine of this instrument forward. Designed to balance the cleans of Posen's personal Custom Shop Jazzmaster and the biting essence of Soapbar P-90s, the pickups on the Ariel Posen Stratocaster are truly unlike anything seen on a Custom Shop model before. The sound of this limited edition Strat is met with the playability of a bone nut, vintage-style tuning machines, and a six-saddle hardtail Stratocaster bridge. Small yet impactful additions to this whole equation include cupcake volume and tone knobs and Caballo Ferreo Stratocaster wiring.
"Experimentation is what keeps the creative world going. I preach it, we always need and want more originality and people just doing their thing, so it's really important to focus on what you do and really lean into your flaws, really lean into your strengths, and block out all the other noise." - Ariel Posen
As a highly customized and personalized look at Stratocasters from one of modern guitar's main maestros, the Fender Custom Shop Limited Edition Ariel Posen Stratocaster is a masterful take on an iconic instrument.
