December 30, 2003
Fender Custom Shop Pays Tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan
Press Release
December, 2003
One of the greatest guitarists of all time, Stevie Ray Vaughan, was and forever will be remembered for his soulful music, his revolutionary playing style and for his distinctive, beat-up Fender® Stratocaster® guitar. Affectionately known as “Number One”, this guitar in Stevie’s hands helped bring Texas blues to the forefront of popular music in the 1980s, and together, Stevie and “Number One” inspired a new generation of musicians both young and old to pick up a Stratocaster and try to recreate some of their magic.
In honor of the legendary guitarist and his guitar, the world renowned Fender Custom Shop is proud to announce that in January of 2004, it will offer a Limited Edition Stevie Ray Vaughan Tribute Model “Number One” Stratocaster Guitar. These guitars have been commissioned to the Custom Shop by the estate of Stevie Ray Vaughan, and only 100 replicas will ever be built.
Recently, a team from Fender comprised of Richard McDonald, George Blanda, and Mike Eldred visited guitarist Jimmie Vaughan in Austin, Texas, to “dissect” his brother’s guitar, and to scientifically record its every aspect—from measuring the output of each of the three single-coil pickups and the tension of their copper wire, to digitally weighing each piece of wood and hardware, to measuring the body and neck shapes and their contours, and to using calipers to measure every nick, scratch and wear mark on the guitar.
“We will be able to painstakingly reproduce ‘Number One’ in every way, shape and form,” says Eldred. “But it’s a labor of love. Just about every guitarist today has been influenced by Stevie’s playing in some way, and not only is it an honor to be a part of this project, we’re thrilled to be able to offer replicas of this historical guitar.”
Adds Eldred, “Just about the only thing we won’t be able to reproduce is Stevie’s playing ability … mojo not included!”
Master Builder John Cruz of the Fender Custom Shop will handcraft each of these Tribute Models, and each of the guitars will feature the exact same specifications found on the original “Number One”, including the body weight, neck shape, hardware, and pickups. Moreover, the distinctive well-worn finish on the entire guitar will be recreated on the Tribute Model, utilizing the Custom Shop’s famous “relic-ing” processes.
The Custom Shop Limited Edition Stevie Ray Vaughan Tribute Model “Number One” Stratocaster will be made from hand selected Alder with a highly distressed 2-Tone Sunburst lacquer finish. It will have a gold left-handed tremolo bridge and gold hardware, along with a 1-ply black pickguard adorned with the initials “SRV”.
This very special instrument will be made on a per-order basis in a Limited Edition of only 100 guitars globally, and will never be reproduced by Fender again. The Fender Custom Shop will have the first guitar made in the run on display at their booth at this winter’s NAMM show, where they will begin taking orders for the guitars.
Click HERE for large, detailed images of the Fender Custom Shop Stevie Ray Vaughan Tribute Stratocaster.
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Published December 30, 2003 12:38 PM.