Article Two - The Fender Custom Shop "One-offs"; "Art Guitars"; and, "Catalog Models"




Introduction

This series of articles is intended to serve as an introductory guide to non-vintage collectible Fender Stratocasters. Bear in mind that suggesting that one model is more or less "collectible" than another is a matter of opinion, as is virtually everything connected to the topic of collecting. The lists below, and those to follow, are based upon my perception of what the "collecting community" feels are the instruments worthy of inclusion at this particular moment. Opinions will vary, and while good arguments could be made for and against every aspect of these lists, they provide a starting point for discussion.

Part One considers instruments built by the Fender Custom Shop (none of which has yet achieved vintage age). Part Two considers the classification of non-vintage collectible production model Stratocasters.

Fender Custom Shop Stratocasters, Article Two

In Part One, Article One, I discussed the "A" List, "B" List, "C" List and Short Run Models. This article, Part One, Article Two, takes a look at the "one-offs", "art guitars", and "catalog models".




One-offs

I categorize the Custom Shop one-offs into three groups: historics; creatives; and, special orders.




[One-off Historics]


The "historics" are one-offs inspired by an historical Stratocaster model, such as, the '56 Stratocaster, '60 Stratocaster, '65 Stratocaster, etc. I say "inspired" because although they are sold with names such as "Fender '56 One-off NOS Strat", they are often not intended as exact reproductions of that year's model. Instead, they will have been "inspired" by a particular year, but often feature modern updates, such as finishes not available on the original model, modern pickups and electronics, etc.


Most one-off historics come in one of these "Time Machine" varieties: New Old Stock (NOS), Closet Classic (CC), Relic, or Super Relic. NOS and Relic seem to be the more popular versions.


Note: historic one-offs are not necessarily "one-of-a-kinds". They are made one-at-a-time, but there is no limit to how many one-offs have been or will be made of a particular historic. It is possible that an historic one-off could also be a one-of-a-kind, there is simply no guarantee of that status.


As of the writing of this article (October, 2003), you can see a fairly good representation of historic one-offs in the Music Zoo company's Fender Custom Shop inventory.




[One-off Creatives]


Almost anything goes in this category, and you're much more likely to own an actual "one-of-a-kind" Custom Shop Stratocaster in this group. The creatives are not connected to an actual historical model and demonstrate a creative flair by the Custom Shop builder (usually a Custom Shop Master Builder).


The best places to see examples of the creative one-offs are the annual Custom Shop Calendar, the NAMM shows, and various Custom Shop guitar vendors (such as Virtual Vintage Guitars that offers both historics and creatives). Some of the creatives are very close to being categorized as "Art Guitars", discussed below. The only reason some of the more artistic creatives are not considered an Art Guitar (by this writer) is that the instrument does not feature the artwork of anyone other than the Master Builder. A Custom Shop one-off that features the artwork of someone like Pamelina H. would be put in the Art Guitar category.


One of my favorite one-off creatives is the gold sparkle "Doublecaster" from Master Builder Art Esparza, featured on the Virtual Vintage Guitar web page (as of October, 2003).




[One-off Special Orders]


You can have the Stratocaster of your dreams. The Master Builders of the Fender Custom Shop will make it to your specifications. Find a Fender Master-Built Dealer, give them a deposit, and you're on your way. (You can find a Master-Built Dealer on the Fender website).


There have been some truly amazing special order one-offs. The problem, from a collecting point of view, is that most of them are not well known -- they go right from the Custom Shop into the hands of the buyer not to be seen again until (and if) the buyer eventually puts them on the market.




Art Guitars


I define Custom Shop "Art Guitars" as those bearing the artwork of someone other than the Custom Shop builder. Regardless of how artistic or creative the instrument might be, if produced solely by the Master Builder, I would categorize it as a one-off creative rather than as an art guitar. Some will disagree, and you can probably find some Master Built instruments that were the sole creation of the builder called an "Art Guitar" in publications such as the annual Fender Calendar, but that's not how I would categorize them.


I separate the art guitars into two groups: in-house and celebrity.




[In-house Art Guitars]


The best known in-house Custom Shop artist is Pamelina Hovnatanian, normally referred to as Pamelina H. I am working on an article about Ms. H. and will not go into great detail about her here, but every collectible Stratocaster enthusiast is very familiar with her work. She has had a hand in just about every famous non-vintage collectible Strat: the Harley, the Playboy, the Monterey, and many, many more. This makes some models, such as the three just mentioned, hybrids that fall into two categories, such as the "A" List and Art Guitars. However, when categorizing an instrument as an in-house "Art Guitar", I usually reserve that designation for Master Built one-offs bearing the artwork of someone like Pamelina H.


Examples of in-house art guitars would be the "Dragon with Mermaid" Stratocaster designed by artist George Amicay, built by Custom Shop Master Builder John English, with painting by Pamelina H. and relief carving by George Amicay; and, the "Regina Del Mar" Stratocaster featuring work by the same two artists.


Note: by "in-house" I do not mean the artist is necessarily a Fender employee. Most are freelance artists who contract to work on various instruments for the Fender Custom Shop.




[Celebrity Art Guitars]


The Fender Museum has been active in charitable fund raising events and has produced guitars for charitable auctions "decorated" by various celebrities. In 2002, Fender sponsored the "Heart Strings: Making Music, Creating Hope" event. Stratocasters painted, decorated, "customized", or whatever you want to call it, by many well known celebrities, including the likes of Eric Clapton and Dustin Hoffman, were produced and auctioned on eBay. Similar events have taken place since. Not many of these instruments circulate in the collecting market, so it's difficult to say what level of interest they will eventually have with collectors.


In 2002, Fender, in conjunction with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, participated in an event called "GuitarMania". Various well-known (celebrity) artists painted eight-feet long Stratocaster-looking instruments that were then auctioned off with the proceeds going to the United Way. The Custom Shop has since then replicated some of those art instruments and produced fully functional Stratocasters bearing the artwork of the original. These functional replicas are mostly the work of artist Pamelina H. They were introduced at the 2003 Winter NAMM show and were, and may still be, in very limited production.




Custom Shop Catalog Models


Generally speaking, it's too soon to say what impact the Fender catalog Custom Shop guitars will have on the collecting community, although some collectors, especially those in Europe, have shown a strong interest in particular catalog models, such as the 1965 NOS Time Machine. There is also growing interest in the U.S. in the "Cunetto" Relics (Cunetto Relics are those Custom Shop Relic Stratocasters made at Vince Cunetto's shop under contract with the Fender Custom Shop from 1995-98).


Interest has also been shown in the Custom Shop artist models, especially in those that have been discontinued. It should be noted, that "Artist Models", also known as "Signature Strats", are made by both the Custom Shop and the non-Custom Shop Fender production line. But again, it's too soon to tell which models might have a significant impact on collectors.

Part Two of this series will discuss non-vintage standard and limited edition production models (non-Custom Shop instruments).