This Fender Stratocaster is made entirely from agave plants
Guitar builder teams up with Jose Cuervo Tradicional tequila for sustainable electric
Fender is no stranger to alternative materials for its most iconic electric - after all, who could forget 2015's cardboard Strat? - but for 2017, the California guitar co has partnered with tequila brand Jose Cuervo Tradicional to build a Stratocaster made entirely from the agave plant.
All traditional wood elements are replaced by agave plant, including the body, 21-fret neck and fingerboard, resulting in a body weight of around 6.5 pounds.
It's finished off by Fender hardware, a custom-engraved neck plate with Jose Cuervo inscription, and hand-wound Fat '50s pickups.
The whole guitar took over 30 hours to design and build, while five days were spent agave stalk harvesting and guitar sealing, so don't expect agave to usurp alder any time soon.
Jose Cuervo Tradicional has previously built agave car parts with Ford, and collaborated with surfer Gary Linden on a 100% agave surfboard.
What form will the humble Strat take next? Answers on a sustainably sourced postcard, please.
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Mike is Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com, in addition to being an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict. He has a master's degree in journalism, and has spent the past decade writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as a decade-and-a-half performing in bands of variable genre (and quality). In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock under the nom de plume Maebe.
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