Instrument manufacturer Fender have unveiled a new
addition to their range with the unique Fender Front Row Legend Esquire which
has been created from the bench boards once used in the Hollywood Bowl.
Fender Custom Shop Master Builder Yuriy Shishkov
captured and distilled that mojo, adding a healthy infusion of Fender’s
timeless style and history with the incredible Front Row Legend Esquire. This
guitar is crafted from 100-year-old Alaskan yellow cedar reclaimed from the
original bench boards that have been resonating with the sounds emanating from
“The Bowl” since 1919.
The heritage of the Front Row Legend Esquire doesn’t
stop with the wood; its design is based on the legendary single-pickup
precursor to the Telecaster. This guitar has the same punchy tone and snappy
attack that vintage Esquire guitars are known for, but with the added touches
only a Masterbuilt guitar can have. Vintage enthusiasts are sure to love
everything about this guitar from its ‘60s-style “Oval C”-shaped quartersawn
maple neck, 7.25″-radius fingerboard and vintage frets, to its original-spec
Broadcaster bridge pickup, oxidized brass hardware and push-pull volume pot for
additional tonal flexibility.
The wood’s original patina, with its cracks, bolt
holes and scratches is preserved, and the boards were hand-selected for the
coolest and most distinct markings. Every guitar also has a different original
“seat number” on the top of the body, so each is truly unique. An ultra-thin
satin finish is then applied to preserve the look of the wood in its original
condition. Hold a piece of history in your hands and join the ranks of the
legends that have graced the Hollywood Bowl’s stage with the Front Row Legend
Esquire.
Priced at US$ 12,000 the Fender Front Row guitars have
been constructed using reclaimed cedar wood and include a neck constructed from
one-piece quarter sawn maple.
