The series is comprised of a stunning arsenal of bespoke instruments.
Fender’s Custom Shop have pulled out all the stops today and unleashed the 2021 Prestige Collection, debuting twelve custom instruments made by some of the finest luthiers working today.
Each instrument in the Prestige Collection is handcrafted by one of the Custom Shop’s coveted Master Builders, and seeks to convey both the personal flair of each luthier and the exquisite build quality afforded by the Fender Custom Shop.
Summary
- The 2021 Prestige Collection features twelve custom made models, including Telecasters, Stratocasters, Jazzmasters, P Basses and a hybrid Marauder / XII Electric.
- All instruments are crafted by the Fender Custom Shop’s Master Builders.
- Each instrument featured in the collection can also be purchased from the Fender Custom Shop.
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Yuriy Shishkov: Leaves of Tears Stratocaster
Embedded with a smattering of diamonds and diopside stones with a silver wire inlay surrounding the body, the Leaves of Tears Stratocaster is certainly one of the more opulent models to feature in the 2021 Prestige Collection. It also boasts gold hardware and a luxurious quilt maple Purple Burst top, while its lipstick tube pickups and sleek aesthetic just scream out class.
Scott Buehl: Acrylic Jazzmaster
A translucent model that functions as Master Builder Scott Buehl’s first-ever acrylic offset, this Jazzmaster features a flame maple neck and ebony fretboard for a striking contrast, while Josefina hand wound pickups making for a guitar that sounds just as good as it looks. Listen to Buehl run through the unique construction process of this one below.
Dale Wilson: Tapestry Telecaster
A collaborative effort between Master Builder Dale Wilson and LA-based visual artist Pamelina, the Tapestry Telecaster places an eye-catching graphic atop of a flame maple / swamp ash body with a hint of burst around the edges of the guitar. It also boasts a flame maple neck and Josefina hand wound OBG and Twisted Tele pickups for a tone that’ll cut through in any live scenario.
Jason Smith: Custom ‘60s P Bass Special
Touted as a celebration of the 70th anniversary of the P Bass and a tribute to ye olde Western ghost towns, the Prestige Custom ’60s P Bass boasts a roasted pine body reclaimed from an old elevator in Minnesota, complete with nail and bolt holes. It’s also loaded with a set of Josefina PJ pickups and a tooled leather hand-painted pickguard, and features a slimmer headstock commonly found on old school Tele basses.
Carlos Lopez: Double Neck Marauder
The whackiest model to be featured in the Prestige Collection, the Double Neck Marauder combines two curios from Fender’s past – the Electric XII and Marauder – and places them into one double-necked beast, complete with an ash body and quarter-sawn maple necks. The guitar was created in collaboration with Paul Frank and features Curtis Novak-built pickups with on-off slider and kill switches, making for a guitar that’s capable of producing some wildly versatile tones.
Kyle McMillin: Custom Burled Redwood Strat
Taking design cues from resin art, the Custom Burled Redwood Strat sees Master Builder Kyle McMillin draw upon furniture and woodworking techniques to craft a visually stunning double-humbucker Stratocaster. With a book-matched redwood top, two-piece roast ash body and AAAA flame maple neck, the guitar also features two Curtis Novak GTX humbuckers with tortoiseshell tops – honestly, this thing deserves to live in the Louvre.
Todd Krause: Box Top Tele
Influenced by the traditional methods used to build a speaker cab, the Box Top Tele features an alder body with a AAAA Birdseye maple top and Honeyburst finish that’s fused into the body with a box joint. Other features include a roasted AAA flame maple neck and hand wound Josefina OBG and Twisted Tele pickups, while the contrasting woods used on the guitar’s body give it a sweet checkered look.
Greg Fessler: Tamo Ash Tele
Complete with a luxurious figured Tamo Ash top and back, this Greg Fessler-made Telecaster boasts two Seymour Duncan Vintage P90s and a AAA roasted Birdseye maple neck. Considering Tamo Ash is no longer available on the market, it goes without saying that this Telecaster is a bit of a rare beast, and look like an absolute dream to play.
Chris Fleming: Jazz Telecaster
An amazing tip of the hat to the archtops of old, the Chris Fleming Jazz Telecaster features a spruce top with a chambered mahogany body, as well as a mahogany neck and Brazilian rosewood fretboard. It’s also fitted with a custom-made Fender Jazz Tailpiece and a Tilted Snake headstock as well as a lone neck humbucker and volume control, and is said to be one of the last instruments Fleming will make prior to his retirement this year – and what a way to go.
Vincent Van Trigt: Custom Flamingo Sunset Tele
Featuring artwork by Ian Ward, the Custom Flamingo Sunset Telecaster puts a colourful twist on the Tele by transporting it straight to Happy Hour with its summery design. It features cocktail bar fretboard inlays and a matching painted headstock, as well as a roasted ash body and custom wound Josefina ’63 pickups.
Paul Waller: Sugar Surprise Strat
This Stratocaster sees the Fender Custom Shop teaming up with LA artist Pamelina for another unique design, with its paisley Sugar Skull artwork being luminescent under dark light and providing it with a sweet 3D appearance. It’s also modelled on the specs of a 1963 Strat with an Oval C-shaped neck and roasted alder body, with Josefina hand wound Texas Special single coils allowing access to a bevy of classic tones.
Dennis Galuszka: Custom ‘62 Precision Bass
Encapsulating the appearance of a lone dead tree standing tall in a forest, Dennis Galuszka’s Custom ’62 Precision Bass features the artwork of pyrography artist Madeline Hanlin upon its body. It plays host to a typical alder body and maple neck with split-coil single coil pickups, while a dead tree design also adorns the fretboard of the instrument.
Check out the 2021 Prestige Collection in full over at the Fender Custom Shop today.
