With everything from an Evangelion Telecaster, to an Indigo Dye Stratocaster and Tele, to the futuristic Miyavi signature Tele, Fender's Japanese division has created some truly fascinating spins on classic Fender instruments in recent months.
Now, Fender Japan has done it again, with the striking new Final Fantasy XIV Stratocaster.
Tied in with the long-running, enormously popular Final Fantasy video game series, and developed in collaboration with the games' developers, Square Enix, the Japanese-made Strat features, by way of typical specs, a slim Modern C maple neck and a 9.5”-radius rosewood fingerboard with narrow-tall frets.
The pickups, however, are where things begin to get interesting. The guitar's three V-Mod Strat single coils feature a “limit break” option, inspired by Final Fantasy's combat moves. In reality, this means a push-pull tone pot that runs the bridge and middle pickups in series for meatier tones.
The Strat sports an all-black finish, but for translucent sections of blue and purple “crystals” meant to represent the Crystals of Darkness and Light, key thematic elements of Final Fantasy.
Additional visual appointments on the guitar include a numbered neckplate with the Final Fantasy XIV logo and a 12th-fret meteor symbol inlay. The Strat also comes with a vintage-style hardshell case with a Fender/Final Fantasy XIV logo.
The Fender Final Fantasy XIV Stratocaster will be available for preorder starting May 25 in Japan, and late 2021 in the rest of the world, with the guitars arriving in fall 2021 for Japanese customers and early 2022 for customers in the rest of the world. The guitar rings up at $3,499.
For more info on the guitar, stop by fender.com (you have to set your location settings to Japan to see it).
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