The Fender Michael Landau Coma Stratocaster in Coma Red recreates one of session guitar legend Michael Landau's most recognisable instruments: his heavily modified 1959 Stratocaster affectionately known as “Coma.”

Built around a '59-style alder body with a satin nitrocellulose lacquer finish, it combines a Custom “C” maple neck and 7.25" radius slab rosewood fingerboard with an unusual HSS pickup configuration. Custom ML Ultra Noiseless Strat pickups occupy the neck and middle positions, while a Custom ML CuNiFe Wide-Range humbucker provides additional power and depth at the bridge.

This pre-owned example is presented in Very Good Condition, showing some cosmetic wear consistent with careful previous ownership while remaining fully functional. Serial number ML00214. A hardcase is included.

At A Glance

Key Detail	Information
Brand	Fender
Model	Michael Landau Coma Stratocaster
Series	Artist Signature / Stories Collection
Finish	Coma Red
Fingerboard	Slab Rosewood
Pickup Layout	HSS
Condition	Pre-Owned, Very Good Condition
Serial Number	ML00214
Included	Hardcase
Main Appeal	Hot-rodded vintage-style Strat inspired by Michael Landau's original “Coma”
Best For	Rock, fusion, blues, session work, alternative and effects-heavy playing

Condition Overview

Very Good Condition

This Fender Michael Landau Coma Stratocaster is presented in Very Good Condition.

Under the Fair Deal Music grading system, Very Good Condition means the guitar shows some cosmetic wear consistent with careful previous ownership while remaining fully functional.

It is worth noting that this model is intentionally designed with an unusual, aged-looking aesthetic inspired by Landau's heavily modified original guitar. The faded Coma Red finish, artwork and modification-related details are fundamental parts of the factory design rather than conventional damage.

What's Included?

✔ Fender Michael Landau Coma Stratocaster
✔ Hardcase

✘ No Additional Accessories Included

Condition Notes

• Very Good overall condition
• Cosmetic signs of previous use
• Factory Coma-inspired faded aesthetic
• Hardcase included
• Serial number: ML00214

No specific faults, repairs or aftermarket modifications are recorded.

Fair Deal Quality Control Assessment

This pre-owned Fender Michael Landau Stratocaster has been inspected and assessed by the Fair Deal Music team before being offered for sale.

Our checks include:

• Neck ML Ultra Noiseless pickup tested
• Middle ML Ultra Noiseless pickup tested
• Bridge ML CuNiFe Wide-Range humbucker tested
• 5-way pickup selector checked
• Master volume tested
• Tone controls checked
• Output jack tested
• Neck condition assessed
• Slab rosewood fingerboard inspected
• Frets checked
• ClassicGear tuning machines assessed
• Vintage-style tremolo checked
• Saddles and bridge hardware inspected
• General playability assessed
• Hardcase checked for basic usability

Service / Setup Work

All pre-owned guitars at Fair Deal Music are checked for setup and general playability before leaving the shop.

Key areas assessed include:

• Action
• Neck relief
• Fret condition
• Intonation
• Tuning stability
• Pickup operation
• Electronics
• Tremolo setup
• Hardware
• General playability

Minor setup movement can naturally occur during transportation due to changes in temperature and humidity.

What Makes The Michael Landau Coma Stratocaster Special?

The Coma Stratocaster is far more than a conventional artist-signature Strat. Fender recreated the constantly evolving 1959 Stratocaster that Landau has used throughout much of his career, retaining evidence of its long history of pickup changes, hardware experimentation and modification. Even the body incorporates a Floyd Rose route, despite the production guitar currently using a traditional six-screw synchronized tremolo.

Its pickup combination is equally distinctive. Two custom ML Ultra Noiseless Strat pickups preserve clear, articulate Fender-style neck and middle sounds, while the CuNiFe Wide-Range bridge humbucker adds a much broader and more powerful voice. The result reflects the versatility expected from a guitarist whose career has moved effortlessly between studio sessions, rock, blues, jazz and fusion.

Key Features & Benefits

Custom ML CuNiFe Wide-Range Humbucker

The bridge position uses a specially voiced Michael Landau CuNiFe Wide-Range humbucker, providing a bigger, fuller response than a traditional Strat bridge single coil while retaining clarity and definition.

Custom ML Ultra Noiseless Pickups

The neck and middle positions use custom-voiced Ultra Noiseless Strat pickups, providing familiar Strat-style sparkle and dynamics while significantly reducing traditional single-coil hum.

Custom “C” Maple Neck

Fender developed a dedicated Custom “C” neck profile for the model, pairing it with a traditional 7.25" radius fingerboard to reproduce the feel Landau wanted from his working Strat.

Slab Rosewood Fingerboard

The slab rosewood fingerboard is a key late-'50s/early-'60s Fender-style feature and contributes strongly to both the appearance and feel of the guitar.

Vintage-Style Tremolo With Cold-Rolled Steel Block

The six-screw synchronized tremolo uses bent-steel saddles and a cold-rolled steel block, retaining traditional Strat operation and feel.

Factory Floyd Rose Route

One of the model's most unusual details is the Floyd Rose routing in the body, reproduced because Landau's original Coma Strat had previously been fitted with a Floyd Rose during one stage of its long modification history.

Comparison Against Popular Alternatives

Michael Landau Coma Stratocaster vs Standard HSS Stratocaster

A conventional HSS Strat normally pairs standard Strat neck and middle pickups with a compact bridge humbucker. The Coma uses a much more unusual CuNiFe Wide-Range bridge pickup together with custom Noiseless singles, giving it a distinctive voice and visual identity.

Michael Landau Coma vs Michael Landau 1963 Stratocaster

Landau's 1963 signature model is a more traditional three-single-coil Custom Shop Strat with vintage-inspired construction. The Coma reflects his heavily modified working instrument and offers considerably broader HSS tonal capability.

Coma Stratocaster vs Fender American Professional II Stratocaster HSS

The American Professional II HSS is built as a modern general-purpose professional Strat. The Coma combines vintage-style neck dimensions and tremolo hardware with highly specialised artist-designed pickups and details recreated from Landau's original instrument.

Who Is It For?

Session guitarists – The broad HSS tonal range makes it particularly effective when one guitar needs to cover several different roles.

Fusion players – Excellent clarity, dynamic response and powerful bridge tones suit technically demanding clean and driven playing.

Rock guitarists – The CuNiFe bridge humbucker adds substantially more weight than a conventional Strat bridge pickup.

Blues players – Neck and middle positions retain the touch-sensitive, expressive qualities expected from a Stratocaster.

Michael Landau fans – This is one of the most detailed production tributes to the constantly evolving guitar closely associated with Landau's career.

Players who want something genuinely different from a standard Strat – The unusual pickups, body routing, artwork and hardware make the Coma immediately distinctive.

Suitable Genres & Applications

Particularly well suited to:

• Fusion
• Rock
• Blues
• Blues rock
• Jazz-rock
• Alternative
• Pop
• Funk
• Soul
• Progressive rock
• Session work
• Studio recording
• Live performance
• Effects-heavy rigs
• Clean rhythm guitar
• Lead guitar

Why Choose An HSS Stratocaster?

An HSS Strat expands the traditional Stratocaster format by replacing the bridge single coil with a humbucker.

This provides greater output and midrange weight for overdrive, rock rhythm and lead sounds while keeping the familiar neck and middle pickup voices that make a Strat so useful for clean and lower-gain playing.

The Coma takes that concept further by using a Wide-Range CuNiFe humbucker rather than a conventional humbucker, creating a bridge sound that retains notable clarity while providing considerably greater scale and authority than a traditional Strat single coil.

Story & Context

Michael Landau is one of the most respected session and touring guitarists of his generation, with a recording career spanning decades and work alongside artists including James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Michael Jackson, B.B. King, Rod Stewart and many others.

One of the most important instruments throughout his career has been a modified 1959 Stratocaster nicknamed “Coma.”

Landau acquired the guitar when he was young and continued modifying it as his playing and equipment requirements changed. Over the years it carried different pickups, electronics, bridges and hardware, including a period with a Floyd Rose tremolo.

Fender's Stories Collection Coma Stratocaster recreates the guitar in its more recent form while deliberately preserving evidence of those previous modifications.

The faded Coma Red finish, distinctive artwork, HSS electronics and even the unused Floyd Rose body route all contribute to a signature model that tells the story of an evolving working instrument rather than simply copying an untouched vintage Stratocaster.

Technical Specifications

Specification	Details
Product Type	Solid Body Electric Guitar
Brand	Fender
Model	Michael Landau Coma Stratocaster
Series	Artist Signature / Stories Collection
Serial Number	ML00214
Finish	Coma Red
Body Shape	Stratocaster
Body Material	Alder
Body Specification	'59-Style
Body Finish	Satin Nitrocellulose Lacquer
Additional Body Routing	Factory Floyd Rose Route
Neck Material	Maple
Neck Construction	4-Bolt
Neck Profile	Custom “C”
Neck Finish	Satin Nitrocellulose Lacquer with Gloss Headstock Face
Fingerboard Material	Slab Rosewood
Fingerboard Radius	7.25" / 184.1mm
Scale Length	25.5" / 648mm
Number of Frets	21
Fret Size	Narrow Tall
Nut Material	Bone
Nut Width	1.650" / 42mm
Position Inlays	White Pearloid Dot
Pickup Configuration	HSS
Neck Pickup	Custom ML Ultra Noiseless Strat
Middle Pickup	Custom ML Ultra Noiseless Strat
Bridge Pickup	Custom ML CuNiFe Wide-Range Humbucker
Controls	Master Volume, Tone 1, Tone 2
Switching	5-Way Blade
Bridge	6-Saddle Vintage-Style Synchronized Tremolo
Bridge Mounting	6-Screw
Saddles	Bent Steel
Tremolo Block	Cold-Rolled Steel
Tuning Machines	Fender ClassicGear
Pickguard	4-Ply Tortoiseshell
Hardware Finish	Nickel / Chrome
Neck Plate	Custom Coma Artwork, Serialized
Included	Hardcase
Condition	Pre-Owned, Very Good Condition

Power Requirements

No battery or external power supply is required.

The Custom ML Ultra Noiseless pickups and CuNiFe Wide-Range humbucker operate without a user-replaceable battery and connect to an amplifier, pedalboard, modeller or audio interface using a standard 1/4" instrument cable.

Fair Deal Music Verdict

★★★★★ 5/5

The Fender Michael Landau Coma Stratocaster in Coma Red is one of the more interesting artist-signature Stratocasters Fender has produced.

Its combination of a vintage-radius slab rosewood neck, custom Noiseless single coils, CuNiFe Wide-Range bridge humbucker and six-screw tremolo gives it a fascinating mixture of vintage feel and hot-rodded versatility.

The deliberately unconventional details—including the factory Floyd Rose route—also make sense once the history of Landau's original guitar is understood.

Presented in Very Good Condition and supplied with a hardcase, this is an excellent choice for players looking for an unusually versatile Strat with a genuine connection to one of the most respected session guitarists of the modern era.

Why Buy Pre-Owned From Fair Deal Music?

Buying pre-owned can provide access to distinctive artist models and specifications while offering strong value compared with purchasing new.

Every pre-owned guitar at Fair Deal Music is individually assessed before sale so its condition and included items are clearly represented.

Why Buy From Fair Deal Music?

When you buy from Fair Deal Music, you're choosing one of the UK's most established, independent family run music retailers since 1987.

Fair Deal Music is Birmingham's largest independent music store, combining a major showroom with nationwide ecommerce and decades of experience buying, selling and part-exchanging new, used and pre-owned musical equipment.

When you buy from us, you benefit from:

• Family-run independent retailer established in 1987
• Birmingham's largest independent music store
• 6,000+ Trustpilot reviews
• Expert musician-led advice
• Extensive experience with Fender and premium pre-owned guitars
• Pre-owned instruments individually assessed
• Competitive prices on leading music brands
• Secure ordering
• Fast UK delivery
• Large Birmingham showroom
• Friendly support before and after purchase

Trade In. Trade Up. Save More.

Your existing guitar could help towards the cost of this Fender.

Fair Deal Music buys and part-exchanges guitars, basses, amplifiers, effects, keyboards and a wide range of other musical equipment.

Contact our team for a no-obligation valuation and find out what your existing gear could be worth towards this Fender Michael Landau Coma Stratocaster.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Michael Landau?

Michael Landau is an internationally respected guitarist known for an extensive session career alongside his solo and band work, with credits spanning major pop, rock, blues and fusion recordings.

What is “Coma”?

“Coma” is the nickname given to Michael Landau's extensively modified 1959 Fender Stratocaster, which has been one of his principal working guitars for decades.

Is this a conventional HSS Stratocaster?

Not quite. It uses two Custom ML Ultra Noiseless Strat pickups with a Custom ML CuNiFe Wide-Range humbucker at the bridge, giving it a much more specialised electronics package than most HSS Strats.

What is CuNiFe?

CuNiFe is a magnetic alloy historically associated with Fender's original Wide Range humbuckers. It contributes to the distinctive clear and open response associated with modern Fender CuNiFe Wide-Range designs.

Does it have a vintage fingerboard radius?

Yes. The slab rosewood fingerboard uses a traditional 7.25" radius.

What frets does it use?

It has 21 narrow-tall frets, providing more fret height than strict vintage fretwire while retaining a comparatively narrow profile.

What is the neck profile?

Fender specifies a dedicated Custom “C” profile for the Michael Landau Coma Stratocaster.

Why does the body have a Floyd Rose route?

Landau's original Coma Strat was modified repeatedly and was fitted with a Floyd Rose during one period of its history. Fender recreated the routing even though the current specification uses a vintage-style synchronized tremolo.

Does this guitar currently have a Floyd Rose?

No. It uses a 6-screw vintage-style synchronized Stratocaster tremolo with bent-steel saddles and a cold-rolled steel block.

Are the neck and middle pickups traditional single coils?

They are Strat-style pickups but use Fender's Ultra Noiseless technology, reducing the hum normally associated with traditional single coils.

Is it suitable for high-gain playing?

Yes. The Wide-Range bridge humbucker gives it considerably more authority for overdrive and higher-gain sounds than a conventional SSS Stratocaster.

Can it still produce traditional Strat sounds?

Yes. The neck and middle pickups retain clear, articulate Strat-style tones, while positions four and five provide particularly familiar Fender territory.

Does it require a battery?

No user-replaceable battery is required.

Does it come with a hardcase?

Yes. A hardcase is included.

Is the hardcase the original Coma-embroidered Fender case?

The guitar is supplied with a hardcase. No claim is made regarding original factory case specification unless separately confirmed.

Can I request a closer look at this individual guitar?

Yes. Our Request a Video Demo service is ideal if you would like to see the Coma Red finish, distinctive artwork and individual condition in greater detail before purchasing.

Can I part-exchange another guitar against it?

Yes. Fair Deal Music considers trade-ins and part exchanges across a wide range of guitars and other musical equipment. Contact our team for a no-obligation valuation.