Fender debuts the Steve Lacy “People Pleaser”, a signature Stratocaster with a built-in fuzz circuit

Fender has unveiled its latest signature guitar, the “People Pleaser” Steve Lacy Stratocaster.

A collaboration with pop and R&B star Steve Lacy, who – before he was a chart-topping artist in his own right – first came to the world's attention as the electric guitar player for alternative R&B band The Internet, the Mexican-built People Pleaser indeed lives up to its name with some tasty custom appointments.

You can see Lacy unveil the guitar below, and hear it in action in the demo further down.

The Steve Lacy "People Pleaser" Stratocaster | Fender Artist Signature | Fender - YouTube

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For starters, the Strat is built with an alder body graced with a "Chaos Burst" finish – which offers a subtle twist on the typical sunburst finish – and a deep “C” neck with a 9.5” radius, 25.5" maple fingerboard sporting 21 Narrow Tall frets.

Pickups are a trio of Player Plus Noiseless single-coil units, with the nickel and chrome-finished hardware coming in the form of a six-saddle, vintage-style synchronized tremolo with bent steel saddles, and Fender vintage-style tuning machines.

Exploring the Steve Lacy "People Pleaser" Stratocaster | Artist Signature Series | Fender - YouTube

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Let's get to those custom flourishes though, shall we?

Foremost among the Lacy Strat's unique features is its onboard Steve Lacy Chaos fuzz circuit, which can be activated by an S-1 switch loaded into the second (outermost) tone knob. When activated, users can then use that knob to adjust the effect.

There are some slick visual touches, too – Lacy's original artwork engraved on the neck plate, a reprint of Lacy's signature at the back of the guitar's headstock, a green/blue checker-patterned back plate, and, the coolest visual of them all, a custom "double dice" inlay at the 12th fret.

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“This guitar means so much to me. It’s a full circle moment," Lacy said in a press release. "My first guitar was a Squier Strat. It was the box set that came with an amp, case, quarter inch – the whole nine. Now I have my very own Fender Stratocaster guitar.

“The People Pleaser Strat, in a nutshell, is my dream guitar as a kid when I first started playing and my dream guitar as the guitarist I am today. An ode to the old classic design that Fender is known for, with all the new specs that make a guitar feel like home. I hope everyone gets to experience the feeling of this guitar. I’m excited to see what people make with it.“

The Fender Steve Lacy “People Pleaser” Stratocaster is available now – with a vintage-style hardshell case with a fuzzy green interior included – for $1,399.

For more info on the model, visit Fender.