Top-class Tribute to Michael Landau’s Iconic “Coma” Strat
Few guitars are better deserving of the Fender Stories Collection treatment than Michael Landau’s legendary “Coma,” a ’59 Strat that’s spent the last 40 years recording with famous artists in music history. The Michael Landau Coma Stratocaster is Fender’s exacting replication of Michael’s favorite Strat in its current state, sporting all the twists, tweaks, and modifications it’s received over the years. This guitar’s resonant alder body, rosewood slab-topped maple neck, and Vintage Synchronized Tremolo are all straight out of the late ’50s Fender guidebook, but that’s where the tradition ends. Under the hood, the Michael Landau Coma Stratocaster boasts an HSS pickup configuration of Custom-voiced Noiseless Strat pickups and a CuNiFe Wide Range humbucker, ready to tackle any studio situation. Moreover, the well-worn thin nitrocellulose satin finish perfectly mirrors the original half-stripped Dakota Red color that the original Coma wears. Simply put, the Fender Stories Collection Michael Landau Coma Stratocaster is a lovingly crafted tribute to one of the most masterful players in guitar history.
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Studio-ready HSS Pickup Configuration
A glance at Michael Landau’s extensive studio credits reveals a wide variety of iconic musicians ranging from pop starlets to country crooners to rock legends. Suffice it to say, he requires a guitar that can cover just about any genre or studio situation. Luckily, the Coma comes equipped with an incredibly versatile HSS configuration of pickups, custom voiced to Michael’s highly refined taste. The neck and middle position both feature Custom Landau Ultra Noiseless Single-coil Strat pickups to capture all the bell-like highs and round, thumpy lows of a vintage Strat, only without the slightest hint of hum. For more aggressive applications, the Custom Landau CuNiFe Wide Range Humbucker dishes out a raw, full-range power that retains a single-coil-like level of definition.
40 years of mods and tweaks
The Michael Landau Coma Stratocaster’s rock-solid Vintage Synchronized Tremolo gives you classic Strat dive and shimmer. Still, you’ll notice something different about the guitar’s tremolo cavity — it’s a wide-open Floyd Rose route! Coma has seen many, many mods throughout the years, and considering that Michael lived through a period we at Sweetwater like to refer to as the “glorious ’80s,” the mod makes perfect sense. In other words, a seasoned studio musician unable to dive-bomb and squeal would have been severely disadvantaged during that era. However, the guitar now wears a more vintage-correct trem unit, but still proudly displays its double-locking battle scars.
Fender Stories Collection: Michael Landau’s “Coma"
Michael Landau is one of the most recorded guitarists in music history, spanning work with Michael Jackson and Miles Davis to Pink Floyd and Faith Hill. His weapon of choice for the past 40-plus years of studio sessions? A highly modified 1959 Stratocaster, dubbed “Coma.” When Michael first acquired Coma at age 16 in a musty L.A. pawn shop, the guitar was already highly modded. Michael admirably continued that trend over the years, tinkering and adjusting Coma’s specs for maximum studio efficiency. The Fender Michael Landau Coma Stratocaster is a stunning re-creation of Michael’s iconic instrument in its current state, with all the scars, mods, and adjustments it’s acquired along the way!
Fender Stories Collection Michael Landau Coma Stratocaster Electric Guitar Features:
- Inspired by “Coma,” the Michael Landau’s highly modified ’59 Stratocaster,
- Resonant alder body with a satin nitrocellulose finish to mirror Coma’s well-worn feel
- Maple neck in a custom Landau “C” shape designed after Coma’s carve
- Slab rosewood fingerboard in a vintage-correct 7.25-inch radius and studded with narrow-tall frets
- Dual Custom Landau Ultra Noiseless Single-coil Strat pickups in the neck/middle position for classic Strat sparkle and chime with no hum
- Bridge position Custom Landau CuNiFe Wide Range Humbucker delivers all the clarity of a Fender single-coil but with full-range humbucker power
- Vintage-style Synchronized Tremolo, with a full Floyd Rose route beneath it
- Includes a Coma sticker set, a Coma pick tin with limited edition Michael Landau picks, a custom strap, and a Coma-embroidered hardshell case
