£8,500.00
Sale price
£8,500.00
Regular price
Taxes included.
Shipping calculated at checkout.
1997 Ex-Will Ray Fender Custom Shop Signature Telecaster Artist Proof, Masterbuilt by Fred Stuart
This 1997 Fender Custom Shop Will Ray Telecaster was owned by Will Ray himself. It is one of only three known artist proofs hand-built by Master Builder Fred Stuart during the development of Will Ray's signature model. The three were finished in Ultramarine Blue, Cadmium Orange and neon green, each with gold leaf applied over the colour, and Ultramarine Blue is the colour Fender went on to choose for the production guitar. Fred Stuart's initials are on the neck, with the body dated April 1997 and the neck November 1997.
The Will Ray Story
Will Ray is a Telecaster specialist and B-bender player, best known as one third of The Hellecasters alongside Jerry Donahue and John Jorgenson. Fender gave him two signature models in the late 1990s, the Japanese-built Jazz-A-Caster and the Custom Shop Mojo Tele. This guitar dates from the development stage before production began, and having been Will Ray's own instrument, it is about as close to the source as a Will Ray Fender gets.
Build & Features
Fred Stuart was one of the Fender Custom Shop's Master Builders through the 1990s, and his hand-built Telecasters are highly regarded by collectors. This one has an alder body finished in Ultramarine Blue, with gold leaf applied in a bold tiger-stripe pattern front and back. The birdseye maple neck carries a rosewood fingerboard with pearl skull inlays, and the matching birdseye headstock bears Will Ray's signature and "WR" logo.
Twin Jazzmaster-style pickups sit in a cream pearloid pickguard, and the guitar is fitted with the Hipshot Will Ray Helle-Bender, a B-bender engraved with his name. It gives pedal steel-style bends on the B string and was central to Will Ray's sound. A Fender Custom Shop USA neck plate completes the build.
Condition
In pristine, close to new condition, with no flaws and frets like new. It has been set up with Elixir 10-46 strings and comes with its original case.
Highlights
- Ex-Will Ray, owned by the artist himself
- One of only three known Fender Custom Shop artist proofs for the Will Ray signature model
- Masterbuilt by Fred Stuart, with his initials on the neck
- Ultramarine Blue with gold leaf tiger stripes, the colour chosen for the production model (the other proofs were Cadmium Orange and neon green)
- Alder body, birdseye maple neck, rosewood fingerboard with pearl skull inlays
- Birdseye maple headstock with Will Ray's signature and "WR" logo
- Twin Jazzmaster-style pickups and cream pearloid pickguard
- Hipshot Will Ray Helle-Bender, central to his playing
- Body dated April 1997, neck dated November 1997
- Pristine condition, frets like new
- Original case
Specifications
- Builder: Fred Stuart, Fender Custom Shop
- Year: 1997 (body April 1997, neck November 1997)
- Body: Alder
- Finish: Ultramarine Blue with gold leaf tiger stripes
- Neck: Birdseye maple
- Headstock: Birdseye maple, Will Ray signature and "WR" logo
- Fingerboard: Rosewood with pearl skull inlays
- Pickups: Twin Jazzmaster-style
- Pickguard: Cream pearloid
- Bender: Hipshot Will Ray Helle-Bender
- Neck plate: Fender Custom Shop USA
- Strings: Elixir 10-46
- Case: Original hardshell
- Provenance: Ex-Will Ray
