McSwain guitars

McSwain guitars, functional art

Never heard of McSwain guitars? Neither did I. No wonder; McSwain guitars is a very small, private Los Angeles USA based company, founded by Stephen McSwain. No mass production; McSwain guitars are all "Custom Shop ordered" built. His guitars are a mix between art and guitar, or as McSwain himself calls it: functional art.
It's difficult to describe the guitars built by Stephen McSwain as there is no standard range or series of guitars. You have to take a look at McSwain guitar pictures to get an idea of the individuality of each McSwain guitar. To confirm the unique, "arty" character of his guitars, Stephen McSwain creates his functional artworks in his so called "laboratory" (instead of an ordinary workshop), a converted garage in the heart of Los Angeles.

mcswain guitar body

McSwain guitars, owned by the happy few

McSwain guitars are no ordinary looking guitars; they just scream for attention, and maybe that's why there are some, not so ordinary, guitar players around, who are in the possession of a McSwain guitar. Some of the names: Slash, Tak Matsumoto, Steve Vai, Steve Jones and Tommy Lee. McSwain, on his website, pictures the guitars he built for his clients and tells about the the building process.

The first guitar McSwain built. (carved faces in the wood), carries no. 001, and is owned by Steve Vai. One of McSwain's latest projects was a surprise gift from a couple of friends, for Duff McKagan. This guitar was built in collaboration with "Chrome hearts", and is loaded with Chrome Hearts sterling silver crosses and pluses.

It appears that the building process of one McSwain guitar can take up to several weeks, so production, in term of numbers is limited, which makes these McSwain guitars very rare. Original, second hand McSwain guitars can't be found. Fretted Americana , linked as "friend" on McSwains website, has a "Budweiser" McSwain 2011 on sale for 10.000 USD; it's the only McSwain guitar for sale, as far as I know. Fretted Americana has information about the number of guitars Stephen McSwain produces: less than twenty-five guitars per year.

mcswain guitar headstock

MacSwain by OLP and Cort

With prices starting at 5000 USD, and the fact that McSwain produces less than twenty-five guitars per year, his guitars are only available for a few lucky guitar players / collectors. There are other options though. McSwain collaborated with Cort Guitars and OLP Guitars, to put some models in the market with the McSwain Guitars authentic look and feel, factory made, at affordable prices.

OLP Guitars, Officially Licensed Products, produced replicas of famous models from other guitar builders. OLP guitars were built in China, with hardware and electronics (probably) made in Korea and doesn't exist any more. Fore some period, McSwain Tin Top / Machinery and Anarchy models were manufactured by OLP. These McSwain / OLP Tin Top (metal) top guitars can easily be found on the internet. They are for example listed on Ebay for prices around 300 USD (used) and 650 USD (new).

In 2011, Cort Guitars came out with the McSwain Gasoline 1 and Motor Oil 1 electric guitars, inspired on the McSwain Fuel Guitar, based on vintage gasoline and oil drums. The main difference between the McSwain Gasoline 1 and Motor Oil 1, besides the graphics on the guitars, is the way the neck is mounted to the body.

The Cort McSwain Gasoline 1 has a set-in neck, and the Cort McSwain Motor Oil 1 comes with a bolt-on neck. Both Cort McSwain guitars share the same (aged) hardware and a black satin finish.
At present, Cort Guitars only offers the McSwain Gasoline 1 with ClassicRocker pickups.
Next to the Cort McSwain electric guitar models, Cort produced the McSwain Motor Oil 2 and Gasoline 2 acoustic guitars with Cort piezo pickup. These acoustic electric McSwain Corts can't be found anymore on the Cort website.

mcswain guitar fuel

McSwain miniature guitar (as seen in Guitar Hero 5)

Guitar Hero 5, released in 2009, featured several McSwain Guitar models. To celebrate, Stephen McSwain decided to offer a limited edition of miniature McSwain's, modeled after the originals, and the ones featured in Guitar Hero 5. A must have for McSwain and Guitar Hero 5 fans.

These McSwain miniature guitars can be obtained at bigcartel.com, a shopping cart for artists. Four Miniatures were for sale; the Flame, Anarchy, Machine and Life McSwains. The Flame miniature is sold out, and as a result, the McSwain miniature Collection is sold out. The miniatures available are on sale for 29.99 USD; a mini price for an authentic McSwain mini guitar!

mcswain guitar

McSwain Guitars

Trussart guitars

Trussart guitars; all steel hollow body

In my last post I wrote about "metal top" guitar builder Zemaitis, and the Greco Zemaitis. When surfing the internet for metal top guitars, I stumbled upon a full metal guitar, built by James Trussart. So there's more than just a metal top. Like the Zemaitis, James Trussart puts a lot of craftmanship in the unique building process and the different finishes of his guitars; they are stunning! 

trussart steelcaster ganja

James Trussart, Rust-O-Matic

James Trussart is a Los Angeles USA based guitar builder. In the USA, Trussart's name is well established, but in Europe, Trussart guitars are relatively unknown. Trussart guitars almost have a cult status in the USA, and lot's of famous guitar players / bands (for example: Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam, Aerosmith, ZZ-Top, The Black Growes) have been pictured with one of Trussart's guitars. James Trussart primary works with metal as the base material for the hollow bodies and the headstocks of his guitars. To make his guitars look and feel like a vintage instrument, the metal is for a period of time exposed to the elements and then treated to stop the "rusty" process. As shown on the pictures, the metal bodies, as well as the pickguard or headstock are imprinted or engraved. The Trussart bodies finally are sanded and clear satin coated.
The only wood used on a full metal body Trussart guitar can be found in the neck / fretboard, where the common woods like Maple, Rosewood, and Ebony are used, and in the wooden block mounted under the bridge of a Trussart guitar.

trussart steeldeville barbwire

The full metal body Trussart guitar models

In contrast to the progressive, unique building technique and the material used, The Trussart guitar models are far from unique; as far as I can see, all full metal body Trussart models can be reduced to Les Paul and Telecaster copies. The Les Paul shaped Trussart goes under the name Steeldeville, and the Telecaster shaped Trussart carries the name Steelcaster. Trussart also offers the Steelcaster  in a DeLuxe version with one F-hole in the body. The attraction of the James Trussart guitar can really be found in the techniques and materials used, and in the perfection of the finish and sound, rather than in the shape of the instrument!

trussart steelcaster roses

The metal top Trussart guitar models

Apart from the full metal bodied Trussarts, James Trussart also builds metal top guitars. Metal top guitars are less rare than full metal body guitars. The Trussart Steeltop, Les Paul shaped, can well be compared with an original Zemaitis (also in price...). The other Trussarts steel tops, the Steelmaster and Steeltelemaster, and the Steelx have, like the Trussart Steeltop, a chambered wood body, and a recessed steel headcap. 

trussart steeldeville china

Hardware on the Trussart guitars

At present, Trussart guitars are equiped with Arcane Inc. pickups and single coils. Arcane Inc. was founded in 1990 by Rob Timmons and is located in California USA. All Arcane pickups are hand wound, and are considered one of the best in the industry. Arcane (Rob Timmons) is also a consultant for guitar companies who are searching for better tone and the best pickups for their guitar. I'm not sure in what year the relation between them was established; I read a review about a Trussart guitar from 1995, and they were talking about Seymour Duncans. Anyway, all reviews I read about James Trussart guitar, state that the Trussart guitar sounds incredible.
As for the rest of the hardware, Trussart plays safe: Tune-O-Matic bridges, optional Bigsby Tremolos, Kluson Tuners, nothing weird, all gear used by premium guitar builders!

James Trussart Guitars

Arcane Inc. Pickups

Agile guitars

Agile guitars

Nothing beats an original Les Paul, Telecaster, Stratocaster or PRS-model guitar. I'm sure that most guitarists, when asked, prefer the real deal. Problem is that Gibson's, Fenders and PRS's don't come cheap. For starters on the guitar market, or guitar players with a smaller wallet, there are lot's of alternatives. 

The "big" guitar brands have their budget lines, for example Epiphone for Gibson and Squier for Fender, but more interesting are the "clone" builders. They build the popular guitar models, often for a fraction of the price of the original, and this market is huge, ranging from "cheap" Chinese build guitars to the most expensive handmade custom "clones". One of the guitar brands offering budget guitars is Agile guitars. Agile guitars runs an impressive line of models, with flavours for everyone.

agile guitar

Agile guitars by Rondo Music

Unlike "normal" guitar builders, Agile guitars are build, commissioned by "Rondo Music", a USA (Claremont) based music store, established in 1959. Besides the Les Paul and PRS styled Agile's, Rondo Music also sells SX, Telecaster and Stratocaster shaped guitars. As a result, Agile Guitars aren't sold by other guitar sellers. Rondo Music sells their Agile guitars only through the internet, with a focus on Ebay selling.

Besides Agile guitars, there are lot's of guitar stores who sell a line of guitars, which they have produced under there own name or brand. Agile differences with these "store brands" offering a very extensive line of models and finishes. All major guitar models / clones are in Agile's catalog, from standard factory to custom guitars, and some more. Agile guitars are produced in Korea.

agile guitar

Agile guitars, the AL models

As said, Agile guitars runs a very extensive range of models. One of the most reviewed Agile guitar on the internet is the Les Paul styled AL series. Agile's from these series are considered to compete with the standard Epiphone les Pauls. The luxery Agile AL 3000, top of the line within the Agile AL series, should even compete with entry level Gibson Les Pauls.

This Agile Al 3000 features an ebony fretboard, triple bindings and Alnico pickups. Specifications not to be ashamed of for a 450 USD priced guitar. The entry level Agile AL 2000, priced around 200 USD is also Korean build, and according to different reviews on the internet, offers great value for the money. Within the Agile AL series, there is an almost unlimited choice in colors and finishes, compared to the entry level Epihines and Gibsons.

agile guitar

Agile guitars, the Septor, Interceptor and Intrepid models

Surprisingly, Agile guitars manages to offer 7, 8, 9, 10 and even 12 string guitars for incredible competitive prices. The Intrepid 8 string for example, is available for only 499 USD. More strings, more money.

The Agile Septor, Interceptor and Intrepid guitars all offer more than 6 strings, and like the Agile AL series, lots of colors and finishes can be chosen. All the Agile Septor, Interceptor and Intrepid models are PRS / Strat, modern and radical styled guitars.

agile guitar

Agile guitars, custom shop

Every four or five months a year, Ronde Music opens their Custom Shop for new orders. In the Agile Custom Shop, you can have your guitar build from the ground up to your specifications. Here also, Agile's prices are a fraction of the prices you pay for Custom Shop guitars from the major brands.

Anyway, if you have the time, and you are unknown with Agile guitars, take a look at the Agile guitars on Ebay or at Rondo Music. I'm sure you will, like me, be surprised by the specifications and prices.

agile guitar

PRS Dragon, "dragon" inlay fretboard

PRS Dragon, Series I, II, III and 25th anniversary

Some guitars are considered to be "art", and actually, there are guitars which can be found in museums. In this case it's not about playability, but it's all about craftmanship and design, guitars built by masterbuilders with the skills of an artist / designer.
One of those guitars to be considered "art" is the PRS Dragon with it's design and inlay of the fretboard.

prs dragon series I fretboard inlay closeup

PRS, founded in 1985 by Paul Reed Smith, has the PRS Dragon exposed in the Smithsonian, the National Museum of American History. Also the PRS Dragon is supposed to be in the collection of the MOMA, the Museum Of modern Art, but I can't find any information about that on the MONA website. The guitars were donated by PRS, and it gave a boost to the collectability of the PRS Dragon. From here, the success of PRS Guitars started.

The PRS Dragon is handbuilt, in the early years of PRS Guitars, and is considered to be far more superior than the guitars built in the PRS factory, which was established in 1995.

prs dragon series II

PRS Dragon, Series, building years and limited numbers

Like most collectible guitars from a Custom Shop or (PRS) Private Stock, the limitation of numbers built is essential. The PRS Dragon is no exception. The PRS Dragon is not as rare as "single pieces", but still rare and expensive enough to be collectible. Most PRS Dragon's will be in private collections.

The PRS Dragon Series I was built in 1992, limited to 50 Dragon's.

The PRS Dragon Series II was built in 1993, limited to 100 Dragon's.

The PRS Dragon Series III was built in 1994, limited to 100 Dragon's.
The PRS Dragon 25th Anniversary, limited to 100 Dragon's.

PRS Dragon, fretboard / neck inlay

Obvious, the fretboard "dragon" inlay is the main feature of the PRS Dragon series I, II and III. The work is done by hand, which takes a lot more time than the modern method, using computer controlled cutting machines and duplicating devices to automate the series production. The fretboard inlay of the PRS Dragon series I, II and III is crafted by hand, so every fretboard of the Dragon in each serie is kind of unique.

I'm not sure if the inlay of the PRS Dragon 25th anniversary also is crafted the "old fashion way". Probably the fretboard inlay on this PRS Dragon is done by "Pearl Works", who does all the inlay work for PRS, computer driven.

*****

The dragon inlay on the fretboard of the PRS Dragon Series I is made of 201, small pieces of abalone and turquoise mother of pearl which results in a 2 color dragon on a dark rosewood fretboard.

prs dragon series I fretboard inlay
 

The dragon, crafted in the fretboard of the PRS Dragon II, is my favourite dragon inlay within the PRS Dragon Series. I especially grave the shiny abalone wings of the dragon. This dragon is made of 218 pieces of gold, coral, abalone, malachite, onyx and mother of pearl.

prs dragon series II fretboard inlay



The PRS Dragon III, the last of the original PRS Dragon Series has the most extensive dragon inlay. No less than 238 pieces of gold, red and green abalone, mother of pearl and real mammoth ivory were used for the dragon!

prs dragon series III fretboard inlay

The PRS Dragon 25th anniversary has a new designed multi material dragon inlay in the fretboard, which includes 300 pieces of 20 different materials in 8 colors, difficult to describe, but the image tells it all.

prs dragon 25th anniversary fretboard inlay

*****

The PRS Dragon is in every way a very desirable and collectable guitar. Apart from the dragon neck inlay, the rest of the guitar is first class too. The top of the PRS Dragon is made of "bookmatched" superior wood, and as every PRS, lots of attention goes to the finish and details.

How does it sound in real? I don't know! My local guitar stores don't have the PRS Dragon in stock, so I never had the opportunity to see and hear the PRS Dragon myself..  PRS wants every guitar to sound like a perfect blend of a Gibson Les Paul and a Fender, and I'm sure the PRS Dragon, with "PRS Dragon" humbuckers sounds great. However I can't imagine taking this guitar from the wall and playing the delicate fretboard!

PRS Dragon III Video

Below is a video of the PRS Dragon III, posted on Youtube by guitarist  Tony McKenzie who runs a wonderful website and who actually owns the PRS Dragon III. He presents the guitar, but, like expected, this PRS Dragon III is unplayed. It's all about the fretboard!

Fender CS Indian Stratocaster

Fender CS Indian Stratocaster

From the hands of Fender Custom Shop Senior Master Builder Marck Kendrick comes this stunning piece of work, the Fender CS (Custom Shop) Indian Stratocaster.

Like the Fender CS Birdflower and the Fender CS Chris Craft Esquire Boat Art LE (sold!), this Stratocaster is also for sale at the German Music Store. From time to time I take a look at their site to see if they have new "Custom Shops". As they are the largest music store in Europe, they have the funds to aquire the most beautiful and expensive guitars, like this CS Stratocaster. This Custom Shop guitar is not a new item, but it sure deserves a closer look!

fender cs indian stratocaster neck

fender cs indian stratocaster output and knobs

 

The Fender CS Indian Stratocaster has a transparant finish with, airbrushed on the body, a very detailed indian head. It's a masterpiece; the feathers from the headdress expand over the pickguard, and like the indian's hair, it seems like they actually are arranged on top of the Stratocaster's body.

The back of the body, including the cover for the electronics, is decorated with feathers and a bleached wild west animal skull.

Another detail of the Fender CS Indian Stratocaster is the inlay of the same animal skull and feathers in the neck. The output and the three knobs are just clean chrome, a nice contrast to the full decorated CS Stratocaster. I haven't seen a lot of these cool clean chrome knobs on guitars, but I really like them a lot.

Last but not least, the humbuckers almost have the same "woody" color as the pickguard, and here also, the paintbrush expands. The Fender CS Indian Stratocaster is packed with these little details.

I took the liberty of using the pictures of the Fender CS Indian Stratocaster from the Musicstore  website, these images are great, and they show all the wonderful details of this CS Strat. Musicstore sells the CS Indian Stratocaster for just under 10.000 Euro. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find more specific technical information.



fender cs indian stratocaster  full back



fender cs indian stratocaster body

 

Fender CS Indian, 2 Stratocasters and 2 Telecasters

One of the reasons I like to post about CS guitars like this, is the fact that most of the (Fender) Custom Shop guitars are built in small numbers, or "one piece", and after they are sold, it's difficult to get information and pictures once these CS guitars are removed from the sellers website. Also many of these limited Custom Shop Fender's can't be found on the Fender website anymore.

Senior Master Builder Mark Kendrick from the Fender CS built 2 Indian Stratocasters and 2 CS Indian Telecasters.
The German Musicstore aquired 1 Indian Stratocaster and 1 Indian Telecaster.



fender cs indian stratocaster back




fender cs indian stratocaster full body

 

Stolen Fender CS Indian Telecaster

When searching for more information about the Indian Stratocasters and Telecasters, I found the Musicstore announcement about the theft of 50 Custom Shop guitars in the of night the 1st and 2nd of december 2007. Among these stolen exclusive CS's was the Fender CS Indian Telecaster!

The complete list of the stolen CS guitars :  http://video.musicstore.de/diebstahl/index_EN.html
The theft in 2007 was all over the news and on the forums on the internet, but I can't find any information about recovery, so I assume these CS guitars are still "missing". The reward for the recovery of the stolen CS guitars was set on 30.000 Euro, or at least 5000 Euro for the recovery of a single guitar! 

fender cs indian stratocaster headstock

fender cs indian stratocaster neck plate

 

Les Paul Slash Appetite

 


slash appetite les paul body and humbuckers

 

Les Paul Slash Appetite

In addition to my post about the Gibson and Epiphone Slash Signature Les Paul, here's another Les Paul, which has been dedicated to former Guns N'Roses lead guitarist "Slash".

This Les Paul is named after the "Appetite for Destruction" album from Guns N'Roses.

Les Paul Slash Appetite, by Gibson, Custom Shop and Epiphone

Both Gibson and doughter Epiphone have the Slash Appetite Les Paul in their collection.  Gibson is the premier brand, but as the price of the Gibson Slash Appetite, as all Gibsons, is fairly high, for the avarage Slash fan and guitar player, the Epiphone Les Paul Slash Appetite is an affordable (but not cheap) alternative.



slash appetite les paul body and neck



slash appetite les paul humbuckers and tailpiece



Next to the Gibson factory built Slash Appetite Les Paul, the Gibson Custom Shop also built 2 series of the Les Paul Slash Appetite, one VOS (Vintage Original Spec.), and one aged serie. The Gibson Slash Appetite, and the Slash Appetite Custom Shop are currently out of production, but can still be found on Ebay and music stores, if you do a good search, for incredible (Custom Shop) prices; Slash is popular, and so are the Slash Les Pauls.

The Epiphone Les Paul Slash Appetite is according to the Gibson / Epiphone website still in production. Due to the limited numbers of Gibson and Epiphone Slash Appetite guitars produced, they are hard to find. 



slash appetite les paul knobs



slash appetite les paul knobs and finish





 Slash Appetite Les Paul, limited numbers produced, no bargains!

Gibson offers exclusivity with the Slash Appetite Les Paul. Like the signature models, Gibson produced the factory and the Custom Shop Slash Appetite LP's in limited numbers.

At first, Gibson set the numbers for the factory Slash Appetite Les Paul at a maximum of 600, but later another run of 600 guitars was done, bringing it to a total of 1200 Slash's Appetite LP's out of the Gibson factory.

The Gibson Custom Shop Slash Les Pauls are more exclusive; the Vos (Vintage Original Spec.) serie Slash Appetite Les Paul is limited to 300 guitars, and the Custom Shop hand aged Slash Appetite Les Pauls are limited to 100 pieces.

To my surprise, Gibson's "budget" doughter Epiphone also limited the amount of Les Paul Slash Appetite's.
Their maximum is set to 3000 guitars. That explains why not only the Gibson Slash Appetite LP's are very hard to find, but also the Epiphone Slash Appetite Les Paul is not available on every corner.



slash appetite les paul headstock

 


slash appetite les paul humbucker

 

Seymour Duncan Slash Alnico II Pro humbucker

Since 2010, Gibson and Epiphone Slash Signature Les Paul's are equiped with the Seymour Duncan Slash Alnico II Pro humbuckers so it's no wonder the Slash Appetite Les Pauls also come with these Seymour Duncan Slash humbuckers, as they produce Slash's lead guitar sound.

The Alnico II Pro humbuckers on the Slash Appetite LP's are "Zebra", black and white styled, without covers. I think they look great on this guitar in combination with the "Appetite Amber" finish of the body.

I'm not a real big fan of a "sunburst" finish, so I prefer the looks of the Slash Appetite above the looks of the Slash Signature guitars.

Somebody wrote on a Les Paul forum that instead of buying a Slash Les Paul, you could as well buy a Standard Les Paul and upgrade the guitar with the Seymour Duncan Slash Alnico Pro II humbuckers to get the same sound, for a fraction of the price. When it's just about the sound, I think he's right. If you not only want the sound, but also the exclusivity, Slash's name need to be on the guitar.



slash appetite les paul finish





slash appetite les paul switch



Les Paul Slash Signature



les paul slash signature body



Les Paul Slash Signature (with Fishman powerbridge)

Again I spotted an electric guitar with an acoustic pickup. This time it's a Les Paul Slash Signature, on which I least expected a piezo pickup. It seems there are more of these guitars than I thought there would be.

As probably everybody knows, Slash, former lead guitarist of Guns N' Roses is addicted to the Gibson Les Paul. Slash is one of the "billbords" for the Gibson Les Paul, so it's no wonder Slash, Gibson, and doughter Epiphone, worked together, to all benefit from the Les Paul Slash Signature models.




Les Paul Slash Signature by Gibson and Epiphone

According to the very informative website slashparadise.com, Slash gave his signature to a total of twelve Les Paul Slash Signature models; three from Gibson USA, five from the Gibson Custom Shop, and four from Gibson's doughter Epiphone.

Their cooperation started in 1990 and is still going on. The (Gibson and Epiphone) Les Paul models are one of the most sold guitars, and I'm sure the Slash Signature gave the Les Paul sales an extra boost.



les paul slash signature full body



Les Paul Slash Signature, Seymour Duncan Alnico Pro II(Slash) and Fishman Powerbridge

As far as I know, all Gibson Les Paul Slash Signature's are equiped with Seymour Duncan Alnico Pro II humbuckers. Since 2010 the Les Paul Slash Signature comes with the Alnico Pro II Slash APH-2 humbuckers, which reproduces the tone of Slash's studio guitar.

What for me makes this guitar particularly insteresting is the fact that the newer built Slash Signatures are also equiped with the Fishman Powerbridge for acoustic Piezo sound.
From the outside the Gibson Les Paul Slash Signature with Fishman Powerbridge can be recognized by the extra switch between the volume and tone knobs, for blending the acoustic and electric sounds.

The combination of a Slash Les Paul with Alnico Pro II humbuckers and an acoustic pickup system like the Fishman Powerbridge seems a bit strange. Hardrock and metal combined with acoustic tones in a Slash Les Paul?

I wonder if potential buyers of the Gibson Les Paul Signature need the acoustic tones of the Fishman Powerbridge, for Slash's hardrock and metal sound, and appreciate this piece of technique in this specific guitar, where it's all about producing the tone and sound of Slash's Les Paul as close as possible. Isn't that the power of a signature model?




les paul slash signature headstock

  


les paul slash signature back



Epiphone Slash Les Paul, with Alnico Pro, without Fishman powerbridge

If, with a smaller wallet, a Slash is wanted, and a piezo is not needed, there is an alternative.

Epiphone also offers a Slash Les Paul "Signature" Standard Plus Top with Alnico Pro humbuckers, but without the Fishman Powerbridge for a fraction of the price of the Gibson Les Paul Slash Signature!



epiphone les paul slash body and neck



Fender Chris Craft Esquire Boat Art Limited Edition

Fender Chris Craft Esquire Boat Art Limited Edition

 

Fender Chris Craft Esquire Boat Art Limited Edition

"When love and skill work together, expect a masterpiece.".

This famous quote from the leading English art critic and thinker of the Victorian era, John Ruskin states what Chris Craft, builder of premium yachts and boats stand for;  the quote is written on their website.

Chris Craft and also Fender, especially the Fender Custom Shop, are  USA icons. John Ruskin's quote might as well be on the Fender website. Both company's have a long history, and they stand for craftsmanship and dedication. In the Fender Chris Craft Esquire Boat Art Limited Edition, Fender and Chris Craft blend together in a remarkable Telecaster.

Fender Chris Craft Esquire Boat Art Limited Edition

Like the Fender Birdflower, The Fender Chris Craft Esquire Boat Art Limited Edition was presented on the NAMM 2011 Show. These Fender Custom Shop guitars are one of a kind, demonstrating the skills of the Master Builders of the Fender Custom Shop. The Fender Birdflower comes from the hands of Yuriy Shishkov and the Fender Chris Craft Esquire Boat Art Limited Edition is one of John Cruz's masterpieces. 

Fender Chris Craft Esquire Boat Art Limited Edition

Not only the Fender Chris Craft Esquire Boat Art Limited Edition Telecaster was crafted by John Cruz, he also made two sublime extra's, a model Chris Craft boat, and a matching Morris & Holmberg guitar case. The neck plate of the guitar is engraved with the signature of John Cruz.

Both the Fender Birdflower and the Fender Chris Craft Esquire Boat Art Limited Edition are at this time still for sale at the German Musicstore; the Birdflower for a stunning 45.000 Euro, and the Chris Craft Esquire Boat Art Limited Edition for 8.569 Euro.

Update: According to the Music Store website, the Chris Craft Esquire Boat Art Limited Edition they had in stock, is sold.

More information about the Fender Chris Craft Esquire Boat Art Limited Edition ?

The Fender Chris Craft is a "Limited Edition", so there should be a certain number of guitars produced, or they have been produced for a certain period. I found different webshops who have the Fender Chris Craft Esquire Boat Art Limited Edition on sale, but I can't find how many were in the run. Another question is who initiated the original design, John Cruz, or was the Chris Craft company involved? If you have more information (maybe you are one of the lucky owners) about the Fender Chris Craft Esquire Boat Art Limited Edition, please leave a comment!

Fender Chris Craft Esquire Boat Art Limited Edition

Features FENDER Chris Craft Esquire

• Master built by John Cruz 
• 12/4 "quartersawn" Mahogany body 
• Urethane finish 
• 4/4 Mahogany neck 
• ´59 Esquire "C" Shape, 9.5" Radius 
• Nitro finish 
• White Binding 
• 6100 Dunlop Jumbo frets 
• Neck plate engraved "John Cruz Signature" 
• Nautical Symbol Inlays 
• Custom Shop Logo in 12th fret 
• Vintage 63 Tele Bridge 
• Vintage Kluson Mechanics 
• Morris & Holmberg guitar case

George Harrison Duo Jet, Tribute and Signature by Gretsch



George Harrison and his Gretsch Duo Jet

George Harrison and his "first decent guitar", the Gretsch Duo Jet

Lately I've been reading a lot about George Harrison, the lead guitarist from the legendary Beatles, and his guitars. As a fan of the Dutch "Egmond" guitars, I was surprised to hear that the first guitar George Harrison bought, actually was an Egmond. After this acoustic guitar, George obviously obtained more guitars. One of his favourites was the 1957 Gretsch G6128T.

 

George Harrison's  "ol' black Gretsch"

It's clear that George Harrison (25 february 1943 - 29 november 2001) was, within the Beatles, the guitarman. He was not the songwriter, but the real guitarist, who was grazy about guitars.

After playing some cheap second hand guitars, like the already mentioned Egmond, George in 1961 bought his first, as he said, "decent guitar" , the Gretsch 6128 Duo Jet, from a cab driver, former merchant seaman Ivan Heyward, who bought the guitar new in New York in 1957. The Gretsch replaced the Futurama George was playing on until then. George paid 70 Pound of the asking price of 90 Pound, and left an "I.O.U" on the back of the customs receipt. Ivan claims he never received the remaining 20 Pound.

George Harrison Cavern Club Liverpool 1962 Gretsch 6128T Duo Jet

George played the Duo Jet from 1961 to 1963. It was in that period his main guitar, and he used the Duo Jet in the early Beatles years, performing mostly in the Cavern Club in Liverpool and in the Star-Club in Hamburg. Also his Gretsch Duo Jet can be heard on the first Beatles album, "Please please me".

Although George was crazy about his Duo Jet, he replaced and retired the guitar in 1963. George stayed loyal to Gretsch, performing on with the Country Gentleman 6122, brown Walnut finish, and the Tenessean. George gave the G6128T Duo Jet to his German friend Klaus Voormann, but about 20 years later Voormann returned the guitar to George Harrison.

The Gretsch G6128T-GH, George Harrison Tribute and Signature.

In 2011, 10 years after the dead of George Harrison, when Gretsch wanted to honour George with a tribute and a signature model, it had to be the first guitar he was so proud of, the Gretsch Duo Jet G6128T.

The G6128T-GH Tribute is an exact replica of  George's original Duo Jet, made in the Gretsch Custom Shop. Only 60 pieces are manufactured, set at a price of 20.000 USD! Every detail has been duplicated from the original guitar as Gretsch got George's Duo Jet from the UK for the project. I suppose some die hard fans must have been excited; all George Harrison Tributes have been sold.

George Harrison Gretsch Duo Jet G6128T-GH

The G6128T-GH Signature can be found in the Gretsch Professional Collection, and can be recognized by the George Harrison signature on the truss rod, set at a price of 5.000 USD.

 

George Harrison Gretsch Duo Jet G6128T-GH headstock



George Harrison Gretsch Duo Jet G6128T-GH body

Some nice information, including a video about the making of the G6128T-GH Tribute, and all specifications about the George Harrison Duo jet Tribute and Signature can be found on the Gretsch website.
These guitars surely share some wonderful history, and as all signature models, also the ones build by others, they attract the real fans; and there you pay the price.

The ol' black Gretsch Video

Some nice detailed shots of George Harrisons's original ol' black Gretsch. From this original Duo Jet, every detail has been duplicated to create the George Harrison Duo Jet G6128-GH Tribute.