Kenny Wayne Shepherd’s New Strat

AUSTRALIAN GUITAR EDITOR MATT DORIA CATCHES UP WITH KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD FOR AN EXCLUSIVE IN-DEPTH LOOK AT HIS NEW SIGNATURE MODEL FENDER STRATOCASTER.

Okay, so the guitar that Kenny Wayne Shepherd’s holding in that picture isn’t his new 2020-model Stratocaster – the guitar itself is so brandspanking-new that at print time, Fender didn’t have any available photos of him holding it (they do now, of course – head online to see Shepherd in action rip out on it). After a closed-doors debut at NAMM earlier this year, Shepherd has finally unveiled his his latest pièce de rèsistance – the culmination of over two arduous years’ work shoulder-to-shoulder with the legendary luthiers at Fender in effort to create one of the most stunning Artist Series guitars to date.

Complete with a Fender-first translucent Sonic Blue finish, the 2020 Kenny Wayne Shepherd Stratocaster in a major step up in spec from his original ‘08 model, featuring enhanced pickups (still custom-voiced to Shepherd’s inimitable tone, of course), five-position switching, 21 jumbo frets, and a new chambered ash body for unforgettably vibrant, first-in-class tones. It’s exactly the kind of guitar an artist like Kenny Wayne Shepherd – with nine solo records (three platinum-certified) and a slew of sold-out world tours under his belt – could boast owning with genuine pride.

And in a Zoom call to Australian Guitar HQ (because y’know, social distancing and all that), genuine pride is exactly what Shepherd gushed over his new Strat. With the axe in hand, noodling away as he waxed lyrical on its state-of-the-art specs, Shepherd is beyond stoked on the final product of his and Fender’s unrivalled dedication.

And when you get your own hands around its ‘60s-style maple neck, you will too.

What is it about the iconic Stratocaster form that draws you in as a player?

Like with most people, a lot of my heroes played Strats, so I naturally gravitated towards the instrument for that reason. Buddy Guy, Stevie Ray Vaughn… All these guitarists that I looked up to played Strats, so I was like, “Well, that’s the guitar I need to go and check out!” And then once I started playing one, it was just like… Y’know, the ergonomics of the Stratocaster are just about as perfect as a guitar could get, in my personal opinion.

Everything is placed perfectly for my style of playing and my approach to the instrument – the knobs, the pickup selector, the contours of the body… Everything just feels right. From the first moment I got my hands on my very first Stratocaster, I knew it would be my companion for the rest of my life.

The specs on this new signature model are a solid progression on from your 2008 Strat. How did you want to kick things up a notch on this one?

The main thing about this guitar is that we’re going from a Mexican-made Strat to one that’s made in America. The Mexican Strat is a very fine instrument, don’t get me wrong, but y’know, it’s a significant step up in quality and components and craftsmanship. So I wanted the guitar to reflect that. Rather than just be a continuation of the last guitar, I wanted this one to kind of stand on its own, have its own identity.

The premium quality is reflected both in the appearance of the guitar and the sum of its components, but for the most part, the specs on this guitar are just different. It has a 7.25-inch radius as opposed to the 12-inch radius on the 2008 model. The neck on this one is a bit milder shaped, too – it’s not quite nearly as thick. The pickups have been improved upon, too… I think the only thing we’ve carried over from the last model is the Graph Tech saddles, but just about everything else has been upgraded and improved upon.

What does the chambered ash body add to the playing experience?

Well, the chambered option makes the guitar significantly