Fender has unveiled a one-of-a-kind, heavily relic’d version of its Acoustasonic Stratocaster, which was built in the Custom Shop for Hollywood star Brie Larson.
While it’s not the first time Fender has debuted a Master Built Acoustasonic model – that mantle goes to Ron Thorn’s The Trees offset – it is the first time one of the brand’s innovative acoustic-electrics has been treated to a relic’d aesthetic.
The one-off design has also been equipped with an ornate pickguard – again, the first time one has been strapped to an Acoustasonic Strat – which flashes Larson’s initials.
That beat-up finish, meanwhile, is pretty striking for an Acoustasonic Stratocaster, not least because the model has only been around for two years and thus is still in its infancy. Nevertheless, it’s a bold direction, and one that gives it the lived-in look of a vintage instrument.
Fender Master Builder Apprentice Levi Perry was behind the build, and revealed via Instagram that he had constructed the six-string “a few years back”. “The relic was a fun challenge,” Perry said, “finding the balance of acoustic wear and tear, and the forever classic Stratocaster shape”.
Larson – an Oscar-winner who has starred in Marvel’s Captain Marvel – is no stranger to guitar. In recent months, her Instagram page has been used as an outlet for her six-string activities.
In November last year, she wielded H.E.R.’s signature Chrome Glow Fender Stratocaster for a laid-back cover of Taylor Swift’s Blank Space, and has previously donned a Fender Jazzmaster for a rendition of Julia Jacklin’s Pressure to Party.
She’s no stranger to Fender’s Acoustasonic model, either – in fact, it could be argued that the soundhole-equipped hybrid is her go-to guitar. In numerous posts published to her account, Larson can be seen playing her own Acoustasonic Strat, covering pop artists such as Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish and Rosé.
Other guitars seen slung over Larson’s shoulder include a P-90-equipped D’Angelico Excel SS Shoreline – used to cover Ariana Grande’s Be Alright – and Nancy Wilson’s signature Gibson Nighthawk model, which the Heart icon gifted to the actress herself.
