Guitar Journal: LEGO Olivia Rodrigo, Fender Cafe & Relic Decals!
A week of LEGO, Coffee, and Relic Stickers?
This week, we look at some bizarre guitar-related news from the past week, including the new LEGO Editions Olivia Rodrigo collection, which includes a guitar amongst the five new kits! Next, we look at the new Fender Cafe in Tokyo’s trendy Indie Music Hub. Finally, we check out some relic guitar stickers(yes, you read that correctly)!
Guitar Journal
LEGO Editions Olivia Rodrigo
Celebrating different chapters of Rodrigo’s career spanning SOUR, GUTS, and her latest album, you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love. This collection features buildable details inspired by her songs, performances, and signature style.
There is a guitar kit, so if you want to encourage your kids towards playing, this could be a way to introduce them to playing. The LEGO Stratocaster kit a few years ago was one way to go, but now you have another one to entice the kids to get involved in music.
Five LEGO Brick Sets
Fans can choose from five display-worthy sets, which include Olivia Rodrigo’s Vinyl, Concert Moon, Secret Storage, Dual Guitar, and Flower Bouquet. These new sets launch on August 1st, 2026. I’m guessing fans will love them, so maybe will anyone into the little plastic bricks.
I haven’t purchased myself any LEGO since the classic ’80s Space series as a child, so this release isn’t really aimed at me, but I can see it being a bit of fun for parents to build with their children.
Minifigures
Each set comes with exclusive Olivia Rodrigo minifigures based on her most popular stage outfits, complete with two interchangeable facial expressions.
As a bonus, the builds themselves hide clever Easter eggs inspired by her lyrics, music videos, handwritten notebooks, and iconic tour moments.
Fender Cafe Shimokitazawa
Fender Japan has officially launched Fender Cafe Shimokitazawa, marking the legendary guitar brand’s very first standalone coffee shop. It seems like the Japanese market always gets the cool end of Fender, and so it makes perfect sense that they would open a Fender-themed coffee shop.
Caffeine Fuelled Music
Located in the Tokyo Shimokitazawa neighbourhood famous for its thriving indie music scene, the cafe opened its doors on July 3. While you can’t order a Stratocaster with your flat white, the entire space is packed with clever, on-brand nods to guitar culture.
The guitar theme carries right over to the menu, offering a creative lineup of music-inspired treats. For drinks, customers can sip on a Stratocaster rose latte, a Telecaster maple latte, or a cup of their signature coffee blend, appropriately named First Set. If you are looking for a full meal, the kitchen serves up rock-ready dishes like the Six Strings Burger and Chicken Overdrive Rice.
This isn’t Fender’s first venture into coffee. The brand already operates a successful in-shop cafe inside its Tokyo flagship store, which opened in 2023. This new Shimokitazawa location, however, takes its music-and-caffeine concept entirely solo.
Relic Guitar Stickers?
South Korean company Dame Guitars has released a set of relic guitar stickers which simulate the exposed, raw wood sticking out under the finish of your guitar.
Genius or Ridiculous?
I am stuck; are these genius or just ridiculous? On the one hand, they sound daft; however, you can achieve that ‘road warrior’ aesthetic for around $6 (9,500 South Korean Won) and not ruin a perfectly good guitar.
Plus, you don’t have to spend thousands extra for a Murphy Lab or Custom Shop relic job, which many players do to achieve this look. These are designed as temporary decals, so if you grow out of the relic look, then you can remove them without actually damaging your favourite guitar.
The official images look fine, though I have yet to see any high-resolution photos, and the ones on the company site look a little generic.
So, when will we see Fender or Gibson create their own official relic decal sets? Surely it is now only a matter of time.
Let me know your thoughts in our comments section below. Are these a yay or a nay?
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