2006 Fender Custom Shop John English Masterbuilt 50s Stealth Esquire Relic

2006 Fender Custom Shop John English Masterbuilt 50s Stealth Esquire Relic

Fender first dreamed up the “stealth” idea with the Fender Marauder of the mid-sixties, but it never made it past the catalog shoot. Fast forward to the modern age; as advances in technology made the B-2 bomber possible, similar advances in “stealth technology” pickup design have brought Leo Fender’s Marauder vision to full fruition; bringing a wonderful mixture of Strat and Tele tones. The Masterbuilt 50s “Stealth Esquire” electric guitar from the Fender Custom Shop was designed by one of its most revered Master Builders “ the late John English. This is a limited run of 100 worldwide!

This amazing electric guitar has an ash body finished in vintage blonde, a 1-piece quartersawn maple neck, and fretboard with black dot position markers. Other features on the 1950s Fender Masterbuilt guitar include Fender/Gotoh vintage style tuning machines and an original style Tele bridge with three brass saddles. In addition to the guitar’s bridge pickup are two “stealth” custom, hand-wound single-coil pickups hiding under the 1-ply black pickguard. Controls include master volume and tone controls, and a 5-way selector switch.

Appointments on the Fender Custom Masterbuilt 50s “Stealth Esquire” include aged nickel/chrome hardware, an “ash tray” bridge cover, white switch cover, special “Custom Built John English Fender U.S.A.” stamp on back of the headstock, and a neckplate engraved with “English” on it. The Custom Shop Heavy Relic finish treatment shows natural wear and tear of years of heavy use, nicks, scratches, worn finish, rusty hardware and aged plastic parts. The Fender guitar comes with a vintage case and a limited edition certificate.

Produced in Limited quantities, each Fender guitar in the Master Design Series is a personal vision of one of the Fender Custom Shop’s Master Builders. It could be a classic recreation or variation, a souped-up hot rod or something totally off the wall. Each run of these Fender electric guitars feature a quantity Master Built by the Master Builder who designed it, and a run built by the Fender Custom Shop’s Team Builders.

The Fender Masterbuilt 50s “Stealth Esquire” are among the most sought-after electric guitars on the market; indeed, many are considered “instantly collectible.”