Latest news with #MarkSpeer
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9 hours ago
- Entertainment
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Khruangbin's Laura Lee and Mark Speer on Recreating Their Signature Strat and Bass With Fender — But in Extremely Limited Quantities: ‘It Would be Weird for Everyone to Have Our Guitars'
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. When Fender reached out to Khruangbin's Laura Lee and Mark Speer — the wig-donning guitarists of the Texas-based, genre-blurring band — with the opportunity to create brand new, custom versions of their Stratocaster and Bass, it didn't even cross their mind that they would design instruments that were different than the ones they've played on stage for more than a decade. More from Variety Fender's Iconic Stratocaster and Telecaster Guitars Get Rare Discount in Surprise Online Sale Fender Teams With Jack White, Finneas and Blu DeTiger on Signature Guitars, Bass and Amplifier Khruangbin Brings It Back to Basics With the Low-Key Majesty of 'A La Sala': Album Review 'I think we literally handed them our instruments and just said 'Make it look like this,'' Speer tells Variety over Zoom. 'It's just what I've been used to. Picking up other guitars I'm like, 'This feels a little different.' There's a distinct clunkiness to the guitar I play and [Fender] was able to accommodate that for me, thank goodness.' 'For us, the most epic guitar that we could put out in the world is the one that we play,' Lee adds. 'And so the reason that we like it is because it's ours.' The storied guitar manufacturer, who has created custom instruments for everyone from Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton to George Harrison, is still going strong in partnering with contemporary musicians. Most recently, they've partnered with who released a custom Player II Telecaster and Brad Paisley on a restored version of a 1967 Telecaster. In the 1940s, Fender revolutionized the industry with the release of the Telecaster (the first mass-produced solid-body electric guitar), the Stratocaster and the Precision Bass. So, for Lee and Speer, widely respected in the industry for their distinctive playing style on electric guitar and bass, respectively, the collaboration made perfect sense. While Speer thought the process of recreating his Strat — 'verbatim,' as he says — would be relatively easy, he realized during the process that one of his favorite aspects of his guitar was the outcome of a manufacturing mistake when it was first made in the early 2000s. ''Well, I like it like that,' he recalls telling the Fender design team. 'So it needs to be that.'' The result is the Mark Speer Stratocaster, featuring an Aged Natural ash body, custom-wired DiMarzio Pro Track pickups and a vintage-style synchronized tremolo. Packed with a Custom 'C' neck, jumbo frets and minimalist aesthetic, it's tailored for Speer's expressive tone and fluid, psychedelic playing style. The Strat, which Speer has fondly compared to a DJ console in its ability to change EQ, is at the core of Khruangbin's genre-bending style. 'That's what the guitar is able to do for me,' he says, noting its influence on the very deep jazz-like qualities to the brighter, pluckier tones you hear in Khruangbin's music. 'I'm used to it. I don't really like playing on other guitars. I'm sorry to say, but I just like this one and I know how this paintbrush works.' Lee, meanwhile, found her musical sensibility through her bass, which she's had since 2009. When she began the recreation process with Fender, she wanted it to feel as approachable to new players as she felt when she first began playing. 'It's a really easy, it's not too complicated,' she says of the Fender release. 'It's comfy and I hope that it's warm to people.' The Laura Lee Jazz Bass arrives in a Vintage White finish with matching headstock and gold pickguard. Built with DiMarzio Ultra Jazz pickups, concentric volume/tone controls, and a Custom 'U' neck, it's a playful, precision-crafted instrument that reflects her minimalist, dub-inspired approach. Aside from essentially creating near replicas of their worn-in instruments, another non-negotiable for the pair was making sure their custom six-strings would only be released in limited quantities. 'I don't want to just have a bazillion guitars that look just like mine flooding the marketplace,' Speer says. 'I know some people make heavy changes to their signature model but that is my guitar. It would be weird to have everyone have my guitar.' Of course, if you're fast enough, you can get your hands on Lee and Speer's exact Fender Strat and Bass. Shop the limited-edition guitars below: Buy Now $1,499.99 $1,499.99 Buy Now $1,499.99 $1,499.99 Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? 25 Hollywood Legends Who Deserve an Honorary Oscar
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
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Mark Speer's celebrated playing style is due to playing him only one guitar for over two decades
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Genre-blenders Khruangbin may have transitioned from psych-tinged instrumental upstarts to an arena-ready trio with a bulging repertoire and a Grammy nomination to boot – but guitarist Mark Speer still leans on the trusty Stratocaster that has accompanied him from day one (i.e. the past two decades or so): an early 2000s reissue. 'If someone handed me their guitar I'd be like, 'Wow, what a nice instrument,' but I won't sound very good on it,' he tells 'I'm used to mine. I'm not a guitar player – I play that guitar. I've been using that one thing for the whole time. I know exactly where certain notes are going to sing more than others. 'Or if I play here versus here, I can really control the timbre of where things are happening and why – the volume knob, things that I do against the gain structure, it's all part of the voice. Really, it's my voice, right?' Therefore, it comes as no surprise that Speer's recently-announced signature model with Fender is a near-replica of what he plays on the daily – with a '70s Strat pickup sandwiched between DiMarzio Pro TrackTMs, jumbo frets, Graph Tech saddles and string trees, and a Custom 'C'-shape neck with a 7.25' radius – packaged in an Aged Natural finish. 'The guitar is very similar to my main one and that was the whole point,' he adds. 'It also feels the same way. The bit that routes the body out – it was a discontinued way they used to do it. They were very kind to bring that back. I think they just went and found the bit and put it back on the router to make it.' Speaking of signature models, his bandmate Laura Lee has also released her own – marking the first time Fender has simultaneously released a signature electric guitar and bass for two members of the same band.
