Fender Ariel Posen Stratocaster: $6k Limited Run
3,0 / 5,0 | 
The Ariel Posen Stratocaster from Fender’s Custom Shop is pretty expensive, but will it sound as good as the price tag? This limited run of only 100 guitars looks a little exclusive.
Ariel Posen Stratocaster
The new Fender Custom Shop Ariel Posen Stratocaster comes in a Lake Placid Blue finish, and it has had the relic lacquer finish applied to the two-piece select roasted alder body. This siganture model has a quartersawn AA flame maple 1969 “U” shape neck and round-laminated rosewood fretboard, and is modelled on a 1960s style Strat.
It has a 6-saddle hardtail bridge and is aimed at Posen’s slide playing and so has a unique set of pickups.
AP-90 pickups
The pair of AP-90 pickups are a major departure from the traditional 1960s Stratocaster formula and are designed with Tim Shaw, which means they sound sond very nice.
They are described by Fender as offering a ‘nuanced warmth and clarity of a vintage Jazzmaster neck pickup and the powerful midrange bite of classic soapbar bridge pickup’. Which could be marketing hype, or they could genuinely be something a little different and new.
I don’t know if they will be for everyone, but they are certainly odd looking in this guitar. The custom Caballo Férreo wiring control layout consists of a single volume and tone control with cupcake knobs and a three-way toggle switch.
It has a 3-ply parchment pickguard, vintage-style tuning machineheads, a bone nut, and an American Vintage ’59-’64 string tree (whatever that is supposed to be).
Included Accessories
It ships with the Rock Slide Ariel Posen signature brass slide, some Dunlop Ariel Posen picks and certificate of authenticity. I’m not sure this all adds up to the official price tag, but then I’m not ever going to buy such a specific guitar for this amount of money, as I’m not insane.
Verdict
A bit of an ugly duckling, however I am sure it sounds nice. But the price tag is way too high for maost sane guitar players.
It costs €6,799 at Thomann . Only 100 units will be produced worldwide, making this Strat a strictly limited edition model for fans of Ariel Posen.
Official MSRP – $6000 / £5699 / €6799
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5 responses to “Fender Ariel Posen Stratocaster: $6k Limited Run”
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What is a Caballo Férreo wiring?
It seems to be a single master volume, single master tone with a 3-way switch and custom cap values.
Have not heard of this guy before. Interesting
Not me either. Maybe we all can get our own custom instruments made by Fender? I have some crazy ideas. So Fender, this is your chance, I’m waiting for mail from you
[Cut to the Oprah studio]
YOU get an artist signature!
YOU get an artist signature!
YOU get an artist signature!
EVERYBODY GETS AN ARTIST SIGNATURE!
The trend of giving every Tom, Dick and Harry an ‘artist signature’ was started by the minor brands looking for relevance and cheap PR. And now Fender and Gibson have jumped off the original Artist Signature train and onto that bandwagon. It’s no longer a mark of a legend, honouring a long and distinguished career in music.
But at the end of the day, more choice for players, and the ability of fans to have an association with their favourite artist, can only be a good thing in itself (even if it is has devalued the original concept).
The only time I do get a bit annoyed is when a brand introduces an artist model for someone more well known for their use of Fender, then adds marketing material suggesting the artist may have played Fender on stage, but actually really loved and preferred to play the guitar he was very rarely seen using. I’m looking at you and your Hendrix V nonsense, Gibson.
One which made me laugh was when a very minor brand did lots of PR and targeted YouTube placement for their latest artist model, with guff that said it took years of development and consulting with players. It was an almost carbon copy of a Strat. Lads it took you five minutes on a photocopier. Well, not literally but you get my point.