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HISTORICAL FACTS: The custom shop | History Defined

“A lot of people say, ‘I can draga guitar behind my car and then sell it for that price.’ It’s like, ‘OK, go do itthen!” In the court of the Master Builders – Fender’s Custom Shop gurus spill the secrets of their trade

With Fender’s Custom Shop nearing its 40th anniversary, we catch up with two of its most sought-after Master Builders, Austin MacNutt and Andy Hicks, to talk Teles, Jazzmasters, mods and more

Guitar World

The Seymour Duncan Custom Shop just released a stunning hand-wound replica an OG humbucker from the dawn of the high-gain era

This 50th Anniversary release sees the Duncan Custom reverse-engineered and offered as a signed, limited edition set with a hand-wound '59 neck humbucker

MusicRadar

“When I was a child, I had a poster on my wall of BB King playing his signature Lucille… I just wanted to be a part of that world”: Gary Clark Jr channels the King of the Blues for limited edition Gibson Custom Shop collab

The 21st-century blues king pays dues to his hero with a stunning limited edition Cobra Burst ES-355, fresh from the Custom Shop

MusicRadar

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“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

“The big thing was the neck shape that Clapton wanted. We made about a dozen neck samples for him to play”: From Slowhand’s Strat to “tongue-in-cheek” relics, this is the hidden history of the Fender Custom Shop

Fender’s Custom Shop had a precarious start in the mid-1980s, but the story of its formative years is full of big ideas, some bizarre instruments, and a queue of famous guitarists

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 our in-house pickups, we’ve now got real control of how our guitars sound”: PJD Guitars founder Leigh Dovey on the evolution of the UK’s most exciting electric guitar brand

The return of one of our favourite PJD models and a decade and a half of UK guitar-making needs a bit of a celebration. We pop a cork with PJD’s founder, Leigh Dovey

Guitar World

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“This is the way Leo would be building guitars if he were still alive. In our eyes, G&L is more ‘Fender’ than Fender actually is”: How G&L Guitars is carrying on the legacy of Leo Fender

G&L director of sales Steve Araujo on the other brand that Leo Fender built, and the innovations that have made it a favorite of A-list pros such as Jerry Cantrell

Guitar World

“We tried to capture the heart of what a Gibson Custom guitar is, and I think we really have done it”: Epiphone expands and upgrades its flagship Gibson Custom collab with eight stunning vintage-inspired electrics

Gibson USA pickups, rosewood 'boards, Vintage Gloss finishes, 3D scanned neck profiles– the Les Pauls, Firebirds, ES-335 and SG of the Inspired By Gibson Custom range might be Epiphone's best yet

MusicRadar

“Everyone in the Custom Shop pushes one another to test the boundaries of their creativity and technical skills”: Fender Custom Shop ditches dry January with a cocktail-inspired guitar collection – and it’s a uniquely potent mix

With keenly spec'd Sub-Sonic Teles, Strats, Esquires and Strat Thinlines, the Cocktail Collection blends the artistry of fine guitar-making with the vibrant aesthetics and spirit of classic cocktails

Guitar World

“I was doing a gig, I dropped the pick, and I was drunk. I was afraid if I bent over to pick it up, I'd fall. So I played the rest of the show without the pick and started to really like it’”: What Jeff Beck told his friend Joe Perry

Beck’s guitars are up for auction this week

MusicRadar

“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

“Bernie went into the studio with a host of guitars – but ended up using this £125 Squier for 95% of the sessions. It was one of the best Strats he ever played”: Inside the Bernie Marsden guitar auction – featuring rare Strats and a Greeny-esque ES-335

An epic collection of the former Whitesnake member’s guitars, amps and other highly collectable gear has just gone under the hammer – and we got up close and personal with his prized possessions

Guitar World

“Ronnie Wood has a ’55 hardtail Strat and that one was incredible. And then Nile Rodgers’ Hitmaker Strat – that one’s incredible”: Fender’s Master Builders on what makes a good Stratocaster – and the best Strats they’ve ever played

As two of the Custom Shop’s best luthiers, there are few people in the world better qualified to talk Strats than Waller and MacNutt. They share the secrets behind the truly special ones – and the mods that could revitalize yours

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“It is going to become a hangout place, a destination, and I truly want to make it the most welcoming place in music”: Cesar Gueikian on what guitarists can expect at the Gibson Garage London

Live music, a gallery, everything Gibson under one roof and a made-to-measure Custom Shop service. The Gibson president/CEO tells us why the new London Garage is an immersive experience retail experience like no other

Guitar World

NAMM 2024: “We like to build special basses just for NAMM that show off what we're capable of. What we love to do”: Spector’s USA Custom Shop is here to inspire your own custom bass build – and, as they tell us, “we love new challenges”

Check out some of the Custom Shop candy available from Spector’s top US luthiers

MusicRadar

Watch Tom Morello and Slash battle for six-string supremacy as they perform Interstate 80 live for the first time

Morello welcomed the Guns N' Roses rock icon onstage at Graspop, and pitched his Shining Path Telecaster against Slash's custom-ordered Les Paul Custom

Guitar World

Warren Haynes’ favorite Allman Brothers Band Gibson Les Paul “legally” can’t even be called a Les Paul – and was once destined for the garbage

The guitar, which features a number of manufacturing errors, was rescued by Haynes during a trip to the Gibson Custom Shop

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