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Post subject: My Story: Handcrafted Fender "Thinline" Stratocast
Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2008 10:58 am
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I'll start by introducing myself. My name is Brian Green and I am a all around Fender enthusiast. Back in 02' I was a part of a program at my local high school in Corona California, Centennial Highschool. I believe the name of the program was the "Fender Build Your Own Guitar" program that was available to a select few industrial arts education students. Greg Schultz ran this program at the school and worked with employees at the Fender guitar factory to obtain free resources for building these guitars. To this day I look at this program as one of the most inspirational educational programs in my life. You didn't just build a guitar, which is an accomplishment in its own; for me I discovered the value of setting goals and accomplishing these goals.

I love semi-hollowed body electric guitars. There is so much beauty and craftmenship that is plainly visible through these guitars. I had a thing for Thinline Telecasters but the problem with a telecaster is the body shape just wasn't my style. The Telecaster to me symbolizes traditionalism and a more country/folk side to music which I do delve into but my true passion is progressive rock and rock 'n' roll. Don't get me wrong a telecaster can rock out and explore the depths of the musical universe like any other Fender Electric guitar, but body shape is very important to me and the image I want to put out to an audience. This is the thought process that led me to the concept of a thinline stratocaster. Though I'm sure I am not the first to have had an idea like this but if you think about - seeing a hollowed body stratocaster is kind of a unique find.

Here are a few pics of my guitar:

Image

After completion of this guitar Greg Schultz had it sent out to the LA County Fair where it picked up first place and the California State Fair where it picked up an honorable mention. Tragically, while the guitar was out touring the fairs my sister Jamie Green passed away at the young age of 23. This sent my family and I into a great depression resulting in a family relocation to my parents hometown, Gulfport MS. It took some time to get over the pain of losing my sister and at the time of her death I had started on plans for another guitar to be built for my senior year. I took all my materials with me in my relocation to Mississippi however the highschool I attended did not have a woodshop so my project hit a crashing halt. I planned on building the new guitar and dedicating it to her memory but with the lack of funds and building resources I decided to just dedicate the original guitar to her. I hold this guitar close to my heart and it has got me through the years and now it is time to put the guitar away.

It's a great guitar, lightest electric guitar I have ever played. However, don't forget that this was the first guitar and only guitar I have ever built - its craftmenship is seriously lacking that of a real Fender Custom-built Stratocaster.

To the Custom Shop Master Builders:

I signed an exclusive rights contract with Fender upon admission into the program for the design of my guitar. Everything about the guitar is Fender's property. Is it possible for the Fender Custom Shop to recreate this guitar? If so, how would I go about doing this?


Thanks,


Brian Green


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Post subject:
Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2008 11:50 am
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Thanks for sharing this story.

Sorry to hear about your sister's passing.

It looks like you did a great job on the guitar.

Do you have a website documenting the building process?

Perhaps the good people at Warmoth would build you a body like it.
They do a thinline tele and a hollow strat already.

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Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2008 12:09 pm
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No there was no documentation of the building process. I even lost the blueprints in one of my many moves. I could recreate a blueprint if I ever needed to though, the body shape was created from a template of a 62' reissue stratocaster. I saw the warmoth hollowed stratocaster body and it looks similar but there are many important differences. If I were to recreate this guitar myself or have the custom shop recreate it I would require it to be a branded with the Fender logo because I am religious about my guitars and growing up in Corona makes me a believer in Fender :P. Thanks for reading and enjoying the story if you'd like to hear what the guitar sounds like drop me a line at Brian_Green06@yahoo.com - i'll reply with attached sound clips.


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Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2008 1:55 pm
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I put together this doubleneck last year. I also wanted the Fender logos on it, so I bought a couple Fender Standard Stratocasters for their necks. The body is a Warmoth.


Image

It's easy enough to find Fender necks on the secondary market :!:

I bet Warmoth could easily convert one of their hollow strat bodies to be more like that of a "proper" thinline.

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My other guitar is a Strat.

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