OPEN BY APPOINTMENT ONLY

Fender Custom Shop Master Built Ron Thorn Custom Thinline Relic – Mocha / 2020 Fender Online 2020 Custom Shop Event

Serial Number: RT0218
Weight: 7 lbs 8 oz
Very few luthiers in the world will get to call themself a Fender Custom Shop Master Builder, which is a title that is reserved for the best in the bolt-on biz. To say that they are Fender’s equivalent to a Navy Seal wouldn’t be a bad analogy… And then there is Ron Thorn. A man with super-hero-level luthiery talent that inspired Fender to create the position of “Principal Master Builder” just for him. In their storied 75 year history, this is a first.

Long before being tapped for his current role within Fender Musical Instruments Corp, he built instruments as ‘Thorn Guitars’ and achieved a cult following. All it takes is a quick Google search to reveal countless forum threads singing his praises. It took just a brief moment with this guitar to realize that the hype he’s created is real and well deserved. If Ron Thorn is on the job, a very special instrument will be the outcome.

 
This Western themed Tele Thinline is much more than just another Custom Shop spin on one of Leo’s iconic designs, much more than it’s Mocha stain and tooled leather pickguard… It would take a real Fender connoisseur to point out Ron’s subtle touches, but the execution and improvements will be more than apparent to the hands and ears of any player. 

Thoughtful design is one of Ron’s calling cards and a great example is his decision to remove the string posts from the Bigsby B-5’s string bar and drill out the holes to create what we would refer to as a string-thru Bigsby. Not only does this make restrings a breeze, but it offers a substantial improvement in tone as it’s acoustic volume and resonance are substantially improved upon. Sometimes, you can have your cake and eat it too. 

One may notice that the F-hole has been carefully repositioned as well, this is due to the rearrangement of the innards to provide a more stable mounting location for the Bigsby. This is subtle, but something that was done so well it could go unnoticed. This increases stability and gives the Bigsby the most sturdy mounting point possible. 

And the rest? All classic Fender love! The electronics package entails a hand-wound ’51 Nocaster bridge pick-up and one of the newly refreshed (and excellent) CuNife Wide-Range humbuckers residing in the neck position.

For Fender collectors or Tele Thinline fans that might be looking for the guitar to rule them all, this one-of-one Ron Thorn Master Built piece is not one to sleep on! And while we hate to gush and admit our fan boy-dom here, we are big fans of on all things Thorn. We are ecstatic to offer this instrument through our store – Please reach out with any questions!

This particular instrument was on display at the first ever 2020 Online Fender Custom Shop Event. We were lucky enough to acquire this show piece for Eddies’s Guitars.

Other specifications include:

  • Body Material Ash 2-Piece
  • Neck 60 Style Oval “C” Shape .790″ @ 1st Fret/.940″ @ 12th Fret
  • Fret Narrow Tall 6105
  • Fingerboard Radius 9.5″ – 12″
  • Neck Material Maple Roast Birdseye 3A
  • Fretboard Material African Blackwood
  • Width at Nut 1.650″
  • Neck Pickup Wide Range HB Cunife
  • Bridge Pickup HW 51 Nocaster    
  • Pickup Switching Modern Wiring 3 Way Switch
  • Pickguard Leather Tooled
  • Controls Master Volume, Master Tone
  • Hardware Finish Nickel/Chrome
  • Custom Ron Thorn modified String-Thru Bigsby B-5
  • Tuning Machines Fender/Gotoh® Vintage Style Machine Heads
  • Case Black Hardshell Case
  • Master Built By: Ron Thorn
  • 7 lbs 8 oz
  • #RT0218

For more information on the Fender Custom Shop Master Built Instrument, please contact us.

 

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$11,000.00

APPOINTMENTS ONLY
PLEASE CALL: 314-274-9571

Out of stock