Ritchie Kotzen is teasing an all-new signature Stratocaster. After fans had to wait years for the global rollout of his main guitar, it seems this new model will follow in its wake pretty soon.
It was way back in the mid-’90s when Kotzen, who had stints in Poison and Mr Big, first worked with Fender, releasing a signature Strat and Tele as Japan exclusive models. The Strat was only made available to the rest of the world last summer, so perhaps Fender is now making up for lost time.
And it could be Kotzen’s best signature yet. The stunning blue Strat looks to have a flame maple top, maple fingerboard and gold hardware – it’s a real looker.
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“For everyone who’s been asking about my blue Strat, 2027 might bring some exciting news,” he says via an Instagram post. “And while we’re at it, don’t be surprised if you see me back on a few stages next year. Stay tuned…”
It’s a double whammy tease, then. Kotzen has spent a chunk of 2025 and ‘26 touring with Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith, in support of their second collaborative album together.
Speaking about the Strat, which he says is Baby Blue in color, Kotzen told Guitar World that it was a special one-off build, complete with DiMarzio pickups. It doesn’t look like it will be a one-off for much longer.
“They used a really nice piece of maple for the neck,” he says. “It almost looks like birdseye and it’s not quite as chunky as the Telecaster [the other guitar he took on the road for the Smith/Kotzen shows].”
A few commenters on his Instagram post also like the guitar’s colorway to his eyes – maybe that was intentional.
Elsewhere, Kotzen has revealed the one factor that stopped him from joining Nine Inch Nails – a decision Trent Reznor didn’t enjoy making – while Smith has outlined the key differences and similarities between their playing approaches that make their surprise collaboration a success.
