Announcing the 2017 Range of Exotic Limited Edition Fender Guitars

Alongside the release of Fender’s 2017 American Professional series of guitars and basses,comes the exciting announcement of the Limited Edition Fender Exotic Collection, offering familiar shaped guitars but made from unique woods, such as rescued mahogany, shedua, Malaysian blackwood and reclaimed pine.

Make no mistake, these are highly limited edition models that are only available to a very small number of shops. So without further ado, let’s take a look at the new Fender Exotic Collection.

The 2017 Limited Edition Malaysian Blackwood Telecaster enhances the traditional Telecaster style with the elegant look of a Malaysian blackwood top. The new limited-edition guitar features two JP-90 single-coil pickups and is topped by 22 narrow-tall frets and a 9.5” radius maple fingerboard that is ideal for most playing styles. Other features of the model include a custom string-through-body short-plate bridge that features compensated brass saddles, a Limited Edition neck plate and a hardshell case.

The 2017 Limited Edition Shedua Top Stratocaster tempers the traditional Strat sound with the rich tone and warm look of an okoume body with a shedua top. The limited-edition model has many of the same features as the new American Professional series, such as the brand-new V-Mod single-coil pickups, a treble-bleed tone circuit and the new, and positively received modern “Deep C”-shaped neck profile. The limited-edition Shedua Top Stratocaster also includes narrow-tall frets and, as with all of the Exotic Collection, it comes with a Limited Edition neck plate and hardshell case.

The only bass in the collection is a Limited Edition American Professional Jazz Bass that combines modern features with a stunning figured maple top to create an instrument that looks as beautiful as it sounds. As with the American Professional series basses, it features brand-new V-Mod single-coil Jazz Bass pickups, a slim “Modern C”-shaped neck and 20 narrow-tall frets that provide comfortable playing feel and perfect intonation. Other features include a four-saddle HiMass Vintage string-through-body bridge with nickel-plated brass saddles, a Limited Edition neck plate and a hardshell case.

A slight departure from Fender’s traditional tone wood choices, the 2017 Limited Edition American Professional Mahogany Stratocaster brings about the distinctive Strat sound with the rich tone and look of mahogany. As with all the Strat guitars in the Exotic collection, this limited edition Stratocaster model features three of Fender’s brand-new V-Mod single-coil pickups, a new treble-bleed tone circuit and new modern “Deep C”-shaped neck profile and narrow-tall frets. We love the exquisite quilted look of the finish on this model and we know that it won’t hang around for long.

The next model in the collection is a beautiful American Elite Mahogany Tele Thinline. This model features a single Noiseless single-coil Telecaster bridge pickup and a ShawBucker Special Wind humbucking neck pickup (coil-splittable via the S-1 switch) for noise-free, high-output tone. One of the standout features of the mahogany Telecaster is the unique Elite Suspension Bridge that has a screwless mount which increases the vibration transfer providing wonderful amounts of sustain. Another unique feature is the compound-profile neck that sports a 9.5”-14” compound-radius maple fingerboard, 22 medium jumbo frets, a Limited Edition neck plate and a hardshell case.

One of the more intriguing highlights of the Exotic series is the American Professional Mahogany Tele Deluxe Shawbucker, which is made from rescued Hurricane Mitch Honduran Mahogany, meaning that it already has a few stories to tell, even before you take it on tour. As the name suggests, this model features a pair of specially voiced Shawbucker pickups which were designed by pickup guru Tim Shaw.This is certainly one of the most exciting Telecaster Deluxes that we have seen in years thanks to the combination of the story of the wood, the pickups and the 22 narrow-tall frets along the 9.5 inch radius maple fingerboard and mahogany neck with satin urethane finish back with gloss headstock face.

To round off the collection and to give a respectful nod to the first guitars made by Leo Fender, there’s a few guitars in this collection that have Pine wood bodies.

Fender’s original prototype instruments were fashioned from pine and now, with the 2017 Limited Edition American Vintage ’59 Pine Stratocaster, the company has come full circle. The new limited model features three American Vintage ’59 single-coil Strat pickups, 21 narrow-tall frets and a 9.5 inch-radius maple fingerboard that is ideal for most playing styles. The model also includes a Limited Edition neck plate with a laser engraved logo on the headstock and a hardshell case.

The 2017 Limited Edition American Professional Pine Telecaster contains body wood that began its functional life over 100 years ago as part of the Buckstaff Furniture Company’s facility in Oshkosh, Wisconsin (nicknamed Sawdust City for its links to the timber trade). before it was reclaimed, cooked and fashioned into a beautiful instrument. The new limited-edition model also features a single American Vintage ’64 Gray-bottom single-coil Tele pickup, a Lollar Charlie Christian single-coil neck pickup, 22 narrow-tall frets and a 9.5”-radius maple fingerboard. The new model also features a three-saddle string-through-body Tele bridge that features compensated brass saddles. The model also includes a Limited Edition neck plate with a laser engraved logo on the headstock and a hardshell case.

Last but not least, the new Limited Edition American Professional Pine Jazzmaster is truly unique, thanks to its grain, knotholes and imperfections. As with all of the new American Professional series Jazzmaster guitars, this model features a pair of V-Mod single-coil Jazzmaster pickups, 22 narrow-tall frets, a 9.5”-radius maple fingerboard and an improved tremolo and bridge that incorporate a screw-in arm and brass Mustang saddles.

Please note that due to the unique nature of the wood and these guitars, the wood grain of the guitars that we have in stock might not match those pictured above. However, we can say for sure that these new Fender guitars are truly special and well worth a trip to our shop in Poole, Dorset to see for yourself.

Because it would be too exciting for us to be able to handle if they all arrived at the same time, these guitars will be arriving over the course of the year, below is a schedule of when they will be available for collection (although we will be taking pre-orders in advance), it is also worth noting that because only a very limited number of these are being made, only one of each guitar will be available!

2017 Ltd Edition Malaysian Blackwood Telecaster 90, Natural - April
2017 Ltd Edition SheduaTop Stratocaster, Natural - May
2017 Ltd Edition American Professional Jazz Bass FMT, Aged Cherry Burst - June
2017 Ltd Edition American Professional Mahogany Stratocaster, Violin Burst - July
2017 Ltd Edition American Professional Mahogany Tele Deluxe Shawbucker, Crimson Red - August
2017 Ltd Edition American Elite Mahogany Tele Thinline, Natural - September
2017 Ltd Edition American Vintage '59 Pine Stratocaster, Natural - October
2017 Ltd Edition American Professional Pine Telecaster, Natural - November
2017 Ltd Edition American Professional Pine Jazzmaster, Natural - December