Fender has partnered with Lexus to produce 100 special guitars. Finished in Structural Blue, the LC Stratocaster is painted in the same color as the Lexus LC 500 Convertible Inspiration Series.
“When we saw the first iteration of this Stratocaster, we couldn’t believe how well it matched the original LC 500 Inspiration Series,” said Vinay Shahani, vice president of Lexus marketing. “It’s amazing to see this partnership come together based on our respective brands’ mutual admiration for one another.”
The shade was inspired by the Morpho butterfly and creates a spectral range that changes depending on the light. It ranges from light metallic blue to deep midnight and while there is actually no blue material on the paint, it looks that way because of of the interference of light. According to Lexus, “layers of colorless materials come together to generate the ultimate color, hence the name ‘structural.'”
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While we all digest the complexities of light, let’s move on to the rest of the guitar, whose neck is hewn from 3A flame maple and finished in high-gloss urethane. The fingerboard, meanwhile, is made of deep-blue polished Richlite, a composite material selected for its tonal properties, structural stability, and resistance to wear and moisture. Fender has also installed a flatter 12-inch radius fingerboard and 22 medium-jumbo stainless steel frets.
The fasteners on the twill carbon fiber pickguard are black button head machine screws, selected for their automotive appearance. The headstock face is finished in Structural Blue with a chrome Fender logo and the custom case is wrapped in carbon fiber textured vinyl with black leather ends, and the Lexus logo is embroidered inside the lid.
“As a deep car enthusiast, this was a fun project to build off,” said Fender’s principal master-builder Ron Thorn. “We went bold with the technical specs to make this model a living Lexus guitar. I can’t wait to see how everyone rocks out to it.”