In terms of ubiquity, the Fender Telecaster’s no-nonsense simplicity has, in many respects, made this guitar more successful than its older sister — the Stratocaster. The Telecaster is at home in any musical genre from Don Rich’s country to Muddy Waters’ blues, Joe Strummer’s punk, and John 5’s metal.
Of course, much of that is due to the raw utility of its form, but it’s also because the Telecaster has gone through many mutations. In the ’70s, the semi-hollow Telecaster Thinline was the hype for those who wanted to add more air to its sound, and punk and later alt-rock bands clamoured for the brawnier response of the humbucker-equipped Deluxe models. In 2009, Fender introduced the Custom Shop Cabronita Especial, which was available with one or two TV Jones Classic pickups and became a hit with acclaimed pickers such as Keith Urban and John Mayer.
The Telecaster Thinline is a Telecaster with body cavities. Designed by German luthier Roger Rossmeisl in 1968, it was introduced in 1969 and updated with a pair of Fender Wide Range humbucking pickups, Bullet truss-rod and 3-bolt neck fixing in 1972.
The design was originally an attempt to reduce the weight of the solid-body Telecaster guitar, which had become ever heavier throughout the 1960's due to the dwindling supply of the light ash wood Fender had formerly used. The f-hole and reshaped pick-guard are the most apparent visual clues to its construction.
The Fender Custom Shop began in 1987, under the supervision of then-CEO Schultz. The initial staff comprised only two Master Builders. The primary intent of the Fender Custom Shop was to create instruments in the tradition of Leo Fender and his staff at the original Fender facilities in Fullerton, CA, accommodating famous endorsers and other discerning players who wanted the accuracy, detail, and quality—as well as customisation and personal touches. To go even a step further the the Master built guitars were introduced to face the challenge of the boutique luthiers and to provide high end customers with a fully custom made guitar based on the client’s specifications.
A Fender Master-Built guitar is built from start to finish by a Master Builder.
There are several Master Builders in the Fender Custom Shop as well as a number of "regular" builders. A "regular" Fender Custom Shop guitar is built by the "regular" builders and are known as "Team Built" guitars.
One of the famous Fender Master builders is John Cruz.
John Cruz came to Fender in 1987, joined the Custom Shop in 1993 and became a Master Builder in 2003. Being a guitarist and understanding what a great guitar should look, feel and sound like has always been a top priority for him. Custom guitars are his passion, and he is the man behind several famous Custom Shop instruments, including the replica of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s famous “Number One” Stratocaster guitar, the Jeff Beck Esquire Relic (as used with the Yardbirds), the replica of Yngwie Malmsteen’s famous “Duck” Stratocaster, the John Mayer Limited Edition Black 1 Stratocaster and many others.
John has built fantastic guitars for players such as Doug Aldrich of Dio and Whitesnake, Dave Amato and Bruce Hall of REO Speedwagon, Mick Mars of Mötley Crüe, Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi, Bono of U2, Duff McKagan of Guns N’ Roses and Velvet Revolver, Ike Turner, Brad Whitford of Aerosmith, Jeff Beck, John Mayer and countless others. Furthermore, his meticulous work was essential to all aspects of the initial Custom Shop Relic® guitars and basses, and he initiated the Custom Shop’s quality assurance program.
This guitar was Master-built for Jeff Kollman by John Cruz at the Fender Custom Shop. It has a special serial number for obvious reasons, being J.K.001.
The guitar has great sustain and desired feedback with the semi hollow body. It has the 6000 fret wire (same as Yngwie’s custom strats) and TV Jones pickups.
Jeff used it a lot in film and TV sessions. He used it on two songs of the Pervadelic CD: “I Like Mommies” and “Bright & Beautiful”. He used it also on the Silence In The Corridor solo disc on the song "The New Nightmare” and “Time And The Inevitable”.
Jeff Kollman in Jono Browns studio with the guitar
Jeff Kollman live with the guitar
