Richie Kotzen teases a baby-blue Stratocaster for 2027

Richie Kotzen has shown a baby-blue Stratocaster and hinted that 2027 could bring “exciting news,” giving players an early look at what may become another Fender signature model. The guitar appeared in an official Kotzen social post highlighted by Guitar World on October 23. It has a blue finish over a figured top, a maple fingerboard, gold hardware and a three-single-coil layout associated with Kotzen’s long-running DiMarzio-equipped Strats.

The instrument is still a teaser rather than a confirmed production launch. Guitar World describes it as a one-off custom build and reports that Kotzen asked for a neck slightly slimmer than the famously substantial profile on his current signature Telecaster. No model name, final specification, price, production location or release date has been announced by Fender, so the visible appointments are the clearest information available for now.

Fender’s existing Richie Kotzen Stratocaster provides useful context. That production model uses an ash body with a flame-maple top, a thick C-shaped maple neck, a 12-inch fingerboard radius, 22 jumbo frets, gold hardware and three custom DiMarzio single-coils. After years of being associated mainly with the Japanese market, the model received a wider international rollout in 2025 in transparent red- and white-burst finishes.

A blue version could therefore be either a fresh colorway, a revised specification or simply Kotzen’s personal instrument. The important detail for players is that the prototype appears to retain the formula that distinguishes his signature guitars: figured woods, gold hardware, a maple playing surface and direct, high-output single-coil tones. Until Fender names the guitar and publishes specifications, Kotzen’s post remains an early signal rather than an orderable product.