Fender Artist Series Cory Wong Stratocaster, Sapphire Blue Transparent

Fender Artist Series Cory Wong Stratocaster, Sapphire Blue Transparent Overview

This is the long-awaited signature Stratocaster model from Fender and acclaimed guitarist, composer and producer Cory Wong. This guitar is part of Fender’s Artist Series and celebrates Cory Wong’s crisp, tasteful & captivating playing style, which became renowned alongside leading funk group Vulfpeck. There’s no doubt that the Cory Wong Stratocaster stands out from the pack, with a heavily modified spec that’s a tribute to Cory’s favourite Strat.

Funk Machine

Whilst the Fender Artist Cory Wong Stratocaster is a versatile beast and can handle practically any style with ease, it nails Cory’s distinctive funk tone.

At the core of Cory Wong Strat’s tone is the Alder body, which has a full, well-rounded natural voice with a slight upper-mid emphasis that helps it to stand out in a band mix. The body features sculpted contours and a scaled down size that’s slightly smaller than a traditional Stratocaster. This makes the guitar comfortable to play, easier to handle and great to use for extended performances.

The icing on the cake is the gorgeous Sapphire Blue Transparent satin lacquer finish - the same one found on Cory’s famous original Strat.

Ultra Slick Playability

Providing extra spank and note clarity is the Maple neck, which is topped with a Rosewood fretboard and 22 Medium Jumbo frets. The neck features a subtly modified headstock shape, a smooth Satin Urethane finish, a 10" to 14" compound radius and a slick American Ultra Modern “D” profile.

The fingerboard’s compound radius is more rounded at the lower end for easier chording and gradually flattens out as you go higher up, facilitating effortless lead passages at the dusty end. Combine this with the rolled edges and you have a guitar that boasts exceptional playability.

Crisp Funk Tone

Cory Wong has kitted out his signature Stratocaster with his signature Clean Machine single-coils, which were developed with Seymour Duncan. The Bridge is equipped with a punchy Clean Machine Custom Stack Plus, which provides an extra kick when you need it. These custom pickups deliver the iconic Strat chime you know and love as well as the potent funk quack that Wong has become known for.

Another standout feature of this guitar’s electronics is the push/pull pot on Tone 2 that bypasses the 5-way switch and instantly takes you to Cory’s go-to Strat setting - Position 4. Unlike on a standard Strat, Tone 2 controls the bridge instead of the middle pickup so you can tame the high-end a lot easier.

Deluxe Hardware

The Cory Wong Stratocaster is no slouch when it comes to hardware either, with its vintage-style 6-screw synchronized Tremolo bridge and deluxe locking tuners. These premium machine heads cater for this Strat’s rock-solid tuning stability and make string changes a breeze. As an added bonus, you also receive a special Cory Wong hair tie, which you can use to mute the tremolo springs and achieve Cory’s rhythm tone, a rubber straplock washer set for keeping your strap secure and a custom neck plate.

Whether you’re a fan of Cory Wong & Vulfpeck or just love a top-notch Stratocaster, this is one that you need to play. With its stunning Sapphire Blue Transparent finish and killer spec, the Fender Artist Cory Wong signature is bound to put a smile on any Strat fan’s face.