Fender are making a habit of building new gear from old materials. At Winter NAMM in January, they announced a (very, very) small batch of amplifiers that were constructed from wood salvaged from the legendary USS Consitution warship. Now they have announced the limited edition Front Row Legend Esquire line.
Built by Fender Custom Shop Master Builder Yuriy Shishkov from 100-year-old Alaskan yellow cedar, the wood has been reclaimed from the original bench boards of none other than the iconic Hollywood Bowl amphitheatre.
Fender have just announced the Custom Shop Front Row Legend Esquire, made from 100-year-old Alaskan yellow cedar reclaimed from the original Hollywood Bowl bench boards.
From the Fender website:
“From its humble beginnings as a makeshift stage to its now-legendary status as one of the best concert venues in Southern California, the Hollywood Bowl is part of the rich tapestry of Hollywood history.
This natural outdoor amphitheater has hosted performances by some of the most well-known and respected artists of every musical genre; from Frank Sinatra to Jimi Hendrix and everyone in-between, the Hollywood Bowl has been bathed in pure musical magic for decades.”
The guitar’s design is based off the single-pickup Esquire – the precursor to the Telecaster. It features a 60s-style “Oval C” shaped quarter-sawn maple neck, 7.25″-radius fingerboard and vintage frets, an original-spec Broadcaster bridge pickup, oxidised brass hardware and push-pull volume pot for additional tonal flexibility.
All of the artefacts from the salvaged boards have also been preserved, every crack, splinter and rusty bolt hole. An ultra-thin satin finish will preserve the look of the wood in its original condition.
Every guitar also has a different original “seat number” on the top of the body, so each is truly unique.
Check it out on the Fender website. The Front Row Legend Esquires are fetching a hefty $12,000 US (around $15,000 AUD).
