‘It’s a Full-Circle Moment’: Steve Lacy Partners With Fender for His Very Own Guitar
Written by djfrosty on May 9, 2023
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Steve Lacy has reached a “full-circle moment” in his career. The 24-year-old singer-songwriter, musician and producer has teamed with Fender for his very own guitar.
“This guitar means so much to me. It’s a full-circle moment,” Lacy says in a statement to Billboard on Tuesday (May 10). “My first guitar was a Squier [Stratocaster]. It was the box set that came with an amp, case, quarter inch — the whole 9. Now I have my very own Fender Stratocaster guitar.”
Named after his crowd-pleasing sounds, the Steve Lacy x Fender People Pleaser Stratocaster Guitar ($1,399.99) represents the Compton native’s evolution from indie artist to chart-topping, Grammy-winning music star.
“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,” Lacy continued. “I hope everyone gets to experience the feeling of this guitar. I’m excited to see what people make with it.”
Steve Lacy x Fender People Pleaser Strat
The People Pleaser Strat is designed to craft a range of tones. It features a vintage-style synchronized tremolo with modern upgrades like Fender’s trademarked Player Plus Noiseless pickups and a powerful integrated fuzz circuit, which can create “classic dirty tones ranging from over drive to all out fuzz,” according to a press release from Fender.
The People Pleaser mirrors Lacy’s unique aesthetic with special features such as a green/blue checkered back plate, custom double dice inlay, and a neck plate engraved with Lacy’s original artwork.
“We aimed to design a guitar that not only represents Fender’s unwavering dedication to quality but also mirrors Steve’s distinctive character and individuality,” noted Justin Norvell, EVP of product for Fender. “Steve is a longtime collaborator and fan of the brand, and Fender is proud to introduce one of our most innovative designs to date, which includes a brand-new chaos burst finish, that matches his eclectic personality, and a powerful integrated custom-voiced fuzz circuit, that delivers aggressive distorted tones for howling chords and solos.
To celebrate the launch, Lacy and his signature guitar star in a photo and video campaign filmed by videographer Tino Shaedler and shot by Mason Rose.
See the launch video below.