Farida and former Fender Master Builder John Cruz launch the limited-run JC-1
The Chinese brand's first John Cruz design is a 60-piece S-style run with custom-wound single-coils, a blend control and a dedicated Cruz Custom Shop.
· Edited by Peter Luha
Credit: Guitar World
Farida has unveiled the JC-1, the first guitar created with former Fender Custom Shop Master Builder John Cruz. Guitar World reports that the model followed 273 days of development and marks a significant step for the Chinese manufacturer, which built a dedicated Custom Shop for Cruz.
The JC-1 uses a two-piece alder body, a Canadian maple neck with Cruz's "JC Comfy C" profile and a rosewood fingerboard. Its three custom-wound single-coils feed a five-way selector, master volume and tone controls, plus a blend control that can combine neck and bridge pickups in the outer switch positions.
Only 60 guitars are planned. Guitar World also reports a suggested price of $1,989 from Farida's Instagram, making this a limited but commercially available collaboration rather than a one-off showpiece.
Credit: YouTube
Why it matters
A former Fender Master Builder joining a Chinese manufacturer is a notable cross-market move, and the JC-1 gives that partnership its first concrete product.
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