Fender Custom Shop Esquire Telecaster Chartreuse Green Sparkle w/ Tweed HSC – Used

This guitar is a pretty early Fender Custom Shop Esquire built in 1993 by Fred Stuart! Its signed by Fred under the pickguard with a 1/08 which most likely means number 1 in a run of 8 guitars as Fred had left Fender in 2001. It was originally purchased new at Mannys Music in NYC at a bit of a discount by the original owner who has it here on consignment as it had slipped from its hanger in the store and hit the corner of the guitar by the jack causing a ding in it. The ding had been touched up years ago and looks ok for its age. There is other wear and signs of use and some mild discoloration to the finish but nothing horrible … it looks more like a light to medium relic to me. It comes with a Gator tweed hardshell case. A very cool guitar with the right amount of mojo, inside and out!

Fender Custom Shop Founding Master Builder Fred Stuart

Fred was determined to work for Fender, eventually getting hired during the establishment of the Custom Shop in 1987. During that time, the Shop — literally an operation started up in Michael Stevens’ garage in Corona, California — was in its infancy. “We really worked hard in the early days to get it off the ground and keep it off the ground,” Fred recalled. “It was a team effort… the fact that I got to be on the team — it’s like winning the Super Bowl.” During his time at the Shop, he became a Senior Master Builder, working on projects such as the Telecaster Bajo Sexto, the 40th Anniversary Telecaster and a replica of a “Snake Head” Telecaster.

Still and avid guitar, mandolin and dobro player, Stuart also runs his own shop where he winds and makes pickups, as well as building, restoring and relicing guitars, with a client list that includes Jimmy Page, Billy Gibbons and others.“