Even if you’ve never heard of Brent Mason himself, there’s every chance you’ve definitely heard him on record. With over five decades of experience in the industry and more than 1000 albums under his belt, he’s considered as one of the most respected Nashville session guitarists ever, and is a mean player to boot.
Featuring an ash body with a C-shaped maple neck and fretboard, the Stories Collection Brent Mason Signature Telecaster is based on Mason’s own 1967 model that he initially acquired in the 1980s, which had been stripped of its finish and resprayed with grey automotive primer. Despite the whacky paint-job, Mason took a liking to the instrument, and heavily modified it to suit his own needs on the session circuit.
Loaded with a Seymour Duncan mini humbucker in the neck position, a red Hot Stack in the middle and a Vintage Stack in the bridge position, the Brent Mason Telecaster is abundant in tonal versatility, handling both clean and gritty tones with ease. These pickups are controlled by a three-way selector switch, master volume and push/pull tone control, with the middle pickup having its own independent volume control.
Fender’s latest offering is also fitted with a unique Glaser Bender system, which lets players grapple their instrument to bend either the B or G string in a manner similar to a B-Bender for some pedal steel-inspired bends. Elsewhere, the model features locking Sperzel tuners and Dunlop strap locks, and is painted with a Primer Grey satin lacquer finish to stay true to Mason’s original.
For those with a bit more coin, there’s also 60 limited Custom Shop run of these models built by Master Builder Kyle McMillin, which features all the scrapes, scuffs and scratches of Mason’s own guitar. Hear the Telecaster in action below.
