When H.E.R. graced the stage of the 2019 Grammy Awards, the Grammy-winning guitarist played a show-stopping clear Stratocaster, custom-made by Fender. And that wasn't her first collaboration with the brand. Back in 2017, she was featured in a Fender video about her favorite offset.
Today, Fender is releasing a full-fledged H.E.R. signature model: a stunning Strat with a Chrome Glow finish, anodized aluminum pickguard, and Vintage Noiseless pickups. (If you caught the Emmys this past weekend, you may have seen H.E.R. playing the new guitar during her in memoriam performance of "Nothing Compares 2 U.")
To show off the H.E.R. Signature Strat, the artist filmed a full Fender Signature Session video (see below), where she tackles songs like "Fate," "Sometimes," "Glory," and "Make It Rain"—interspersed with the personal history of her guitar-playing and her inspiration for the signature model.
"I performed at the Grammys in 2019 and we created an acrylic Strat for my performance. And I'd noticed people would say, 'Oh my gosh, I want to touch it. What is it made of? What does it feel like?,'" she says. "When I was creating my own line, I wanted something else that made you want to touch it and look closer and feel it, and it almost makes you want to learn how to play it. I do this thing on my nails all the time—like an iridescent chrome, I have it now—and I really wanted to copy that paint. I love how subtle, but crazy and cool it is. It's totally me."
The H.E.R. Signature Stratocaster is available now for $1,099 USD. Find yours on Reverb here.