Fender Unveils New Sandblasted Strat, Tele

Fender's new Sandblasted Strat and Tele models
(Image credit: Sweetwater)

Fender has unveiled new, limited-edition Stratocaster and Telecaster models with unique sandblasted finishes.

These striking American Performer axes feature the same Yosemite pickups, Greasebucket tone controls and rosewood fingerboards as their counterparts in the series, but are built with transparent-finished ash bodies, which are then sandblasted for a beautiful visual touch.

Aside from their finishes, the guitars are also notable in that they might be one of the last production-line sets of Fenders to feature ash bodies. The company announced in April that it would soon begin phasing the tonewood out of its production-line instruments due to climate change and invasive species-related ash shortages.

The sandblasted, limited-edition Fender Strat and Tele models are available now, exclusively at Sweetwater, for between $1,149.99 and $1,249.99.

The Tele is available in Natural, Daphne Blue and Surf Green finishes, while the Strat comes in a Natural finish.

For more info on the guitars, stop by sweetwater.com.

Fender Sandblasted Tele in Daphne Blue

(Image credit: Sweetwater)
Jackson Maxwell
Associate Editor, GuitarWorld.com and GuitarPlayer.com

Jackson is an Associate Editor at GuitarWorld.com and GuitarPlayer.com. He’s been writing and editing stories about new gear, technique and guitar-driven music both old and new since 2014, and has also written extensively on the same topics for Guitar Player. Elsewhere, his album reviews and essays have appeared in Louder and Unrecorded. Though open to music of all kinds, his greatest love has always been indie, and everything that falls under its massive umbrella. To that end, you can find him on Twitter crowing about whatever great new guitar band you need to drop everything to hear right now.