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The Latest Breaking News from the Fender Custom Shop

“There are no limits. It’s basically: how long will it take and how much is it going to cost?” Behind the scenes at the Fender Custom Shop – where anything goes, and heritage and innovation go hand in hand

Nearly 40 years on from the Custom Shop’s inception, its creations are more ambitious than ever. Master Builder Paul Waller and Director of Product Development Chase Paul give us a guided tour

Guitar World

“I of course fully endorse ANY mods done to any of my designs, let alone from the great Hammett”: Kirk Hammett orders up custom Thinline version of Jack White’s Fender Triplecaster – and gets one for White, too

Jack White's been giving out his Triplecaster to all and sundry and now Hammett returns the favour, with a "cool mod" that White hopes will duly upset Telecaster purists

MusicRadar

“With Mammoth, I play an EVH prototype built by Chip Ellis at the Fender Custom Shop. Only 2 exist!” Bassist Ronnie Ficarro on taking Wolfgang Van Halen’s studio sound to the stage

Ronnie Ficarro explains the nuances of pick playing, why tone can make or break a band, and how he stumbled upon slap bass for Mammoth’s latest single

Guitar World

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“Some of the most ambitious custom shop guitars I’ve ever seen”: These are the gear releases that have caught my eye this week – and the essential launches you might have missed

New drops from JHS Pedals, Fender, Victory, and more that need to be on your radar this week

Guitar World

“This isn’t just an Artist Signature model – it’s a glimpse into what could have been, had this concept made it to production”: Fender and Brad Paisley introduce the 1967 ‘Lost Paisley’ Telecaster

This limited edition Tele resurrects a unicorn finish and applies it to a top-tier vintage build featuring Seymour Duncan pickups and Glaser G Bender

MusicRadar

“The humbuckers give it so much power and such a wide variety of tones while the destruct button really sets it apart from just about any other Tele”: Fender unveils the Mike Campbell “Red Dog” Telecaster

The Red Dog is one crazy beast, with an SHH pickup configuration, a Bigsby, and a Destroy circuit that applies a whopping boost

MusicRadar

“Intricate finishes, exotic tonewoods, and immaculate details”: 12-string Telecasters, baritone offsets, and diamond-laced Strats headline the Fender Custom Shop's awe-inspiring 2025 Prestige Collection

Featuring half-a-dozen Strats, a pair of Teles, a Meteora, and a rare Performer model, all handcrafted, the Prestige Collection aims to represent the best of the best from the vaunted Fender Custom Shop

Guitar World

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“Right up there with the most iconic Fenders of all time… A ton of work went into this one”: The Fender Custom Shop unveils $20,000 replica of John Frusciante’s 1962 Strat, forensically replicating every ding and dent of the RHCP guitarist’s original

Masterbuilt by Paul Waller, featuring pickups hand-wound by Abigail Ybarra and an Ilitch Electronics onboard hum-cancelling system, Frusciante’s Stratocaster is the Custom Shop at the height of its powers

MusicRadar

“He didn’t just work here – he lived and embodied the spirit of the brand”: Mike Lewis, the head of Fender’s Custom Shop – an industry legend who played with Chuck Berry and toured with the Rolling Stones – has passed away

From sideman to session player, retailer and 30-year Fender employee, Lewis worked on everything from the firm’s amps to revamping Gretsch and launching the first mass-produced humbucker Strat

Guitar World

“He didn’t just work here; he lived and embodied the spirit of the brand”: Mike Lewis, legendary head of the Fender Custom Shop, has died

Lewis had toured with Chuck Berry and the Rolling Stones, and owned a guitar store before joining Fender in 1991, and his attention to detail was such that he once gave a '59 Gretsch an actual MRI and CAT scan

MusicRadar

“These guitars represent the pinnacle of excellence, blending innovation with the rich heritage of Fender”: The 2024 Custom Collection is a tour de force of high-end guitar design from the Big F Custom Shop

It's that time of year again when the Fender Custom Shop starts showing off with premium tonewoods, top-tier pickups, and epic relic jobs, and finish options to die for

MusicRadar

“A limited-edition collection showcasing the rich heritage and legacy of this incredible instrument”: Fender continues its 70th Anniversary Stratocaster celebrations with ultra-luxurious Custom Shop drop

2024 is set to be a year of celebratory releases for the Big F, which has continued to mark the Strat's milestone with five new Custom Shop creations

Guitar World

Fender’s Custom Shop turns loose the Masterbuilders on the unique, exquisite and eco-friendly California Streetwoods Collection

With tone woods sourced from Street Tree Revival, these one-of-a-kind builds make for one the most intriguing collections Fender’s Custom Shop has ever assembled

MusicRadar

Disneyland-salvaged wood and guitars that literally smell as good as they look: Fender goes big on sustainability for unique California Streetwoods collection

Wild tonewood selections head-up the Custom Shop’s newest Masterbuilt range, which was created in partnership with Street Tree Revival

Guitar World

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How Jeff Beck sparked Fender’s first Graffiti Yellow finish – and the Strat Plus design that helped revive its ’90s fortunes

One of the Fender Custom Shop’s first ever builds, owned and played by Beck, is up for auction. With it comes a tale of the guitar legend’s influential role in the firm’s ’90s output

Guitar World

Bush’s Chris Traynor got the Fender Custom Shop to make him a baritone version of Keith Richards’ Micawber Telecaster

Traynor and Gavin Rossdale have revealed their touring rigs and there are some sweet low-end options besides the Rolling Stones homage, including budget Squier, Fender and fretless baritones

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