fender custom shop
"rangers guitar"
masterbuilt by greg fessler
SPECS.
- Modified '55 Strat neck profile with '69 headstock
- Game used NY Rangers hockey puck inlay
- Josephina handwound '55 pickups
- Roasted '55 Body
- Blue Ice Metallic over Hot Rod Red Relic
- Cutoff Tele bridge with RSD Saddles
- Master Volume, Master Tone
- Blasted Anodized Pickguard
BACKSTORY
Madison Square Garden is one of those magical places in NYC where you could genuinely feel the excitement from a crowd. The time period starting in mid 2013 (with Eric Clapton's Crossroads) and ending in mid 2014 (with the Stanley Cup Finals), marked a landmark year for The Garden. I was already in the process of planning my next Fender Custom Shop build and I only knew the direction was vintage. I wanted a 1955 Strat that could tell story just by looking at it, but it needed to look funkier than what we were used to. Obviously, the Rangers became that story.
We took a '55 profile, beefed it up a bit, and had it inlayed with game used NY Rangers hockey pucks. The pucks add the hockey element without distracting you from the stunning wood grain. For the body, Greg Fessler expertly removed layers of the Ice Blue Metallic to get Hot Rod Red to shine through, as if it was naturally worn by overuse. He was careful not to expose any of the roasted woodgrain on the body.
The parts were meticulously selected and relic'd to look abused like the body. With some elements, it looks like the guitar was repaired with the wrong parts, or upgraded with something different. I always liked the look of guitars that look improvised, like Billy Gibbon's found object guitars or EVH's Frankenstein, and they were a major infulence.
It was further enhanced with autographs from Henrik Lundqvist and Mark Messier through Stiener Sports. Then, for the last piece, Beth Freeman made the custom western strap as a nod to the Rangers' namesake story. I love that her straps look traditional western until you look a bit closer. The strap was just a cherry on top of the whole package. Maybe I'll have the case covered in goalie pads or something. Maybe someday...
- Modified '55 Strat neck profile with '69 headstock
- Game used NY Rangers hockey puck inlay
- Josephina handwound '55 pickups
- Roasted '55 Body
- Blue Ice Metallic over Hot Rod Red Relic
- Cutoff Tele bridge with RSD Saddles
- Master Volume, Master Tone
- Blasted Anodized Pickguard
BACKSTORY
Madison Square Garden is one of those magical places in NYC where you could genuinely feel the excitement from a crowd. The time period starting in mid 2013 (with Eric Clapton's Crossroads) and ending in mid 2014 (with the Stanley Cup Finals), marked a landmark year for The Garden. I was already in the process of planning my next Fender Custom Shop build and I only knew the direction was vintage. I wanted a 1955 Strat that could tell story just by looking at it, but it needed to look funkier than what we were used to. Obviously, the Rangers became that story.
We took a '55 profile, beefed it up a bit, and had it inlayed with game used NY Rangers hockey pucks. The pucks add the hockey element without distracting you from the stunning wood grain. For the body, Greg Fessler expertly removed layers of the Ice Blue Metallic to get Hot Rod Red to shine through, as if it was naturally worn by overuse. He was careful not to expose any of the roasted woodgrain on the body.
The parts were meticulously selected and relic'd to look abused like the body. With some elements, it looks like the guitar was repaired with the wrong parts, or upgraded with something different. I always liked the look of guitars that look improvised, like Billy Gibbon's found object guitars or EVH's Frankenstein, and they were a major infulence.
It was further enhanced with autographs from Henrik Lundqvist and Mark Messier through Stiener Sports. Then, for the last piece, Beth Freeman made the custom western strap as a nod to the Rangers' namesake story. I love that her straps look traditional western until you look a bit closer. The strap was just a cherry on top of the whole package. Maybe I'll have the case covered in goalie pads or something. Maybe someday...
P.S.
There are actually two of them. Music Zoo did a reorder, but they made it a bit more traditional. No hockey puck inlay, full roast, and smaller peghead. It still looks like a Ranger guitar to me! I hope the owner of R98786 isn't an Islanders fan, or maybe I do. It might be funnier.
Email me if you have the twin, I'm curious to know where it ended up.
Email me if you have the twin, I'm curious to know where it ended up.