2018 Fender Custom Shop Prestige Collection

Go Inside the 2018 Fender Custom Shop Prestige Collection

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The Prestige Collection, on display at the 2018 NAMM Show, pushes the limits of guitar building every year.

Photo: Mark Keraly

Each year at the NAMM Show in Anaheim, Calif., the master builders in the Fender Custom Shop showcase some of their finest work in the Prestige Collection, a group of guitars and basses that are truly design marvels.

2018’s edition was no different, as each of the models proved to be breathtaking.

“The Prestige Collection is the foundation of the Fender Custom Shop,” said Fender Custom Shop Vice President of Product Development Mike Lewis. “It’s really what we’re all about – continually pushing the envelope of design innovation and craftsmanship to create one-of-a-kind playable works of art.”

Among this year’s Prestige Collection is a massive nine-necked guitar made by Master Builder Paul Waller and a Pinball Telecaster created by Master Builder Yuriy Shishkov using parts and materials from a vintage pinball machine.

Get a closer look at Fender’s 2018 Prestige Collection below.


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Jason Smith’s California Mission PJ Bass is an homage to the California Missions lining the coast of the Golden State. The inspiration for this came from his son studying the California Mission Trail in school, which led to a summer vacation trip up the coast of California to see all 21 missions. This bass is inspired by the San Francisco Mission in particular, as Smith was drawn to the hand-painted pattern of the ceiling and ceiling beams. Featuring a reclaimed roasted pine body and roasted maple neck, this bass has a very warm, resonate tone, reminiscent of a vintage bass. The hand-painted body and position markers on the neck show brush strokes, which give the bass a one-of-a-kind look and style. With its unique features, the California Mission PJ Bass will appeal to bassists wanting something different and to anyone interested in California history.

Dale Wilson’s Buckeye Burl Top Tele pairs a buckeye burl top with a lightly flamed mahogany body and Ivroid-bound mahogany neck. This high-end natural wood guitar features an open sound with a Curtis Novak gold foil pickup in the neck position.

Greg Fessler’s Australian Myrtle Tele was born from a unique piece of Blackwood that Fessler had never heard of before. Ideal for figured wood aficionados and players alike, this guitar features P-90 pickups, a vintage Strat hardtail bridge and AAAA roasted flame maple neck with a Blackwood fingerboard.


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Dennis Galuszka’s The Boardwalk Telecaster is for beach and wood-lovers alike. Inspired by some reclaimed redwood from the Santa Cruz pier, the guitar features a perfectly matched roasted maple neck, as well as a carving of an old weathered boardwalk on the top, by V. Lee Cabanilla.

Yuriy Shishkov’s Prehistoric Telecaster features a body and fingerboard are made from nearly 5,000-year-old, Jet Black “Bog Oak” – coming from a tree that grew before the Egyptian Pyramids were built. This wood was submerged in the swamp for thousands of years, getting a Jet Black color because it’s one step away from becoming coal. The Telecaster also features a custom tailpiece, making it even more of a unique instrument.

Todd Krause’s Fire Pit Stratocaster is inspired by the glowing embers of a campfire. This guitar includes several custom features, including the color, a highly figured quilt top and “roasted” flame maple neck-ideal for players that favor a modern look with vintage sound.


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(L to R)

John Cruz’s Custom Hand Tooled Paisley Leather Tele_ builds on the resurgence of paisley designs. Cruz was inspired by friend Dru Whitefeather to create a leather guitar. Something new and unique to the Fender Custom Shop, the guitar features a leather covering, paisley design and custom inlay work that will surely appeal to collectors, artists and players.

Paul Waller’s Prestige 9-Neck Guitar features nine popular pre-CBS models and scales Fender produced before 1965. Necks featured include those from a four-string mandolin, Mustang, Jaguar, Telecaster, Stratocaster, Jazzmaster, Bass VI, Jazz Bass and Precision Bass.

See more from the Fender Custom Shop here.

Contact Conner about Custom Shop  connor@napervillemusic.com

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