As part of guitar manufacturer Fender’s long tradition of making limited edition signature guitars, Houston trio Khruangbin is the latest to be among their coveted collaborators, with a new guitar and bass guitar available. The news comes ahead of the band’s final A La Sala tour dates, which resumed today in New York and will run through the rest of the summer.
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The “Limited Edition Mark Speer Stratocaster®” and “Limited Edition Laura Lee Jazz Bass®,” each $1,500, mark the first time a band received a signature guitar and signature bass at the same time, a considerable feat against the context of Fender’s 80-year history.
Both guitars are back in stock after selling out when they were first released.
“This guitar is the easiest way for me to get the musical idea from my head, out into the world,” said Mark Speer, one-third of Khruangbin. “I know this thing inside and out, the sounds it can make, and the textures I can achieve. It’s like becoming really familiar with your paintbrush.”
Khruangbin (Bassist Laura Lee, drummer Donald “DJ” Johnson Jr., and Speer on guitar) has enjoyed a meteoric rise in recent years that joins the cult following they’ve garnered since their beginning, in large part thanks to songs like “Texas Sun” blowing up on TikTok and other platforms.
However, their fusion of world funk and psychedelic jazz, among many other genres, has been in top form since the beginning, making them one of the leading faces in their sphere.
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The collaboration comes in celebration of the 10-year anniversary of their debut album, The Universe Smiles Upon You, which spawned mainstays in their live shows like “White Gloves” and “People Everywhere (Still Alive).” That album continues to influence other artists and bands looking to make primarily instrumental music at a time when using vocals sparingly is rare.
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“A lot of the features on my bass look vintage, but they function in a modern way,” said fellow member Laura Lee. “We’ve been trying to cultivate our music to feel classic and timeless, really. To me, the look and feel of this instrument is the same — it just sounds better the more you play it.”
Considering Khruangbin is a dynamic band that cannot be pinned down to one specific sound, the guitar and bass were made to reflect their experimentation. Balancing a look reminiscent of the trio’s retro influences while maintaining an upgraded, modern system, the guitars are the kind of collaboration that takes into account what makes Khruangbin such a special group.
See the full Khruangbin Collection on Fender’s website.
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Khruangbin 2025 Tour:
June 20 – Highmount, NY – Mountain Jam Festival
June 21 – Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE Outdoors #
June 22 – Rothbury, MI – Electric Forest Festival
June 24 – Shelburne, VT – Ben & Jerry’s Concerts on the Green #
June 27 – Boston, MA – The Stage at Suffolk Downs #
June 28 – Hartford, CT – The Capitol Groove Festival
June 29 – Portland, ME – Thompson’s Point #
August 6 – Oslo, Norway – Oya Festival
August 7 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Syd for Solen
August 8 – Gothenburg, Sweden – Way Out West Festival
August 10 – Helsinki, Finland – Flow Festival
August 15 – London, United Kingdom – Gunnersbury Park^^
August 16 – Hasslet, Belgium – Pukklepop
August 17 – Biddinghuizen, The Netherlands – Lowlands Festival
August 19 – Cologne, Germany – Tanzbrunnen
August 21 – Paris, France – Rock En Seine
August 24 – Halifax, United Kingdom – The Piece Hall
August 26 – Istanbul, Turkey – Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu Open Air Theatre
August 27 – Istanbul, Turkey – Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu Open Air Theatre
September 12 – Louisville, KY – Bourbon & Beyond Festival
September 14 – East Aurora, NY – Borderland Festival
September 20 – Richmond, VA – Iron Blossom Festival
# With John Carroll Kirby
^^ With TV On The Radio
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