Fender has unveiled the Suona Collection, a limited-edition run that offers high-end Thinline versions of its Telecaster, Stratocaster and Jazz Bass.
All three in the series share the same aesthetic. Redolent of yesteryear, these US-made models all come stained in Violin Burst and are given a lick of nitrocellulose lacquer, with matching painted headstocks, black pickguards and the Fender logo rendered in gold. If your tastes in electric guitar skew vintage, these are very easy on the eye.
The three instruments feature similar builds, too. They are semi-hollow, with ash used for the body’s back and sides, and Italian Alpine spruce used for the tops. Black binding on the body tops ties the look together.
There are bolt-on roasted flame maple necks – a deep shade of caramel – carved into modern C profiles. And then there’s the ebony fretboard, which features a tantalising compound radius, running 7.25” to 9.5”, and is notable for having no fretmarkers
Thereafter, we’ve got some variations pertaining to hardware and pickups. The Stratocaster has a custom-designed Suona single-coil pickup at the bridge position and a pair of Custom ’69 Strat single-coils at the middle and neck positions. It has a vintage-style synchronised tremolo unit, and vintage-style tuners.
We’ve got another mix-and-match affair with the Telecaster. Its Suona custom-wound pickup is matched with a Twisted Tele single-coil. It shares the vintage-style tuners of the Strat, but has the classic three-saddle Telecaster bridge, with compensated brass saddles to enhance intonation.
Finally, the Jazz Bass is equipped with a pair of custom Suona single-coil pickups, and has a HiMass vintage bridge to provide a solid foundation and boost sustain.
Other little details in the series include the Suona-branded heel plate.
The Suona Collection is available now, with the Suona Stratocaster and Telecaster priced £2,799 / $2,999, and the Suona Jazz Bass priced $2,899 $3,099.
These are just part of Fender’s epic summer release, with the US gear titan also announcing a comprehensive expansion of its California series of acoustic guitars and acoustic bass guitars, the Fullerton series of ukuleles, which come equipped with an onboard preamp to make them stage-ready, and all offer something different to your common or garden variety uke with Strat, Tele and offset Jazzmaster body shapes.
Those looking for a cheap guitar are in luck, too, with all new Paranormal models coming to Fender’s budget Squier brand. There are also some all-new electric guitar pickups for upgrading the one you already own, including a signature Noiseless Strat set that was developed for session ace Michael Landau.
See Fender for more details.
