Fred Stuart's Unique 'Surf and Skateboard' Fender Jazzmaster

1999 Fender Surfin' Jazzmaster (Fred Stuart).

The epitome of a surfing guitar… this one-of-a-kind Jazzmaster weighs just 7.00 lbs. and has a contoured solid ash body. The top and back of the body is finished in Cadmium Yellow wash and then hand-painted with a 'Surf & Skateboard' theme using various shades of red, blue, green and white acrylic and then sealed with several coats of clear lacquer. One-piece 'uber-flamed' birds-eye maple neck with a nut width of just over 1 5/8 inches, a scale length of 25 1/2 inches and a very comfortable medium-to-thick profile. Rosewood veneer fretboard with 21 original medium-to-thin frets and inlaid clay dot position markers. Large headstock with Fender 'Spaghetti' logo in gold with black trim, "Jazzmaster" in black beside it, and "With Synchronized Floating Tremolo" and four patent numbers and one design number in black in two lines below it. "Offset Contour Body Pat. Pending" decal at the ball end of the headstock. Single "butterfly" string tree with metal spacer. On the back of the headstock is Fred Stuart's Fender Custom Shop decal and the serial number "FS0777" in black. The neck is stamped "4 JUN 99C" and the neck pocket and underneath the four-bolt neck plate both have "RELIC" stamped in blind. The heel of the neck is signed in pencil by Fred Stuart. Individual 'no-line' Kluson Deluxe style tuners with oval metal buttons. Four-bolt Fender "Custom Shop USA" neck plate. Two grey-bottom Jazzmaster pickups with outputs of 7.99k and 7.87k. Clear plexiglass pickguard with thirteen screws, also hand painted by Fred Stuart (on the underside) to match the acrylic design on the top. Two controls (master volume, master tone) plus three-way pickup selector switch and jack socket on the treble side of the pickguard. Transparent red plastic 'Stratocaster' style control knobs. Jazzmaster bridge with six individually adjustable saddles and integrated Jazzmaster tailpiece and tremolo. Complete with the original tremolo arm with matching transparent red tip and the original bridge cover. This wonderfully light and unique piece of musical art is in near mint condition with just some very light finish checking. Housed in the original 'Road Runner' three-latch, rectangular black hardshell case with gray plush lining (9.25).

This Custom Painted Jazzmaster was built and painted by Fred in 1999, and was featured in three art exhibits including one at the Riverside Art Museum. It sports a very cool surf/skateboard theme.

Complete with a letter of authenticity from Fred Stuart which reads:
"Re: A brief explanation of the art work on the Jazzmaster guitar (#777). I intended it as a sun and surf motif. The guitar was a project that I did for a number of small gallery, and museum exhibits that were surf and skateboard themed. The artwork is painted with acrylic, and the pickguard is clear plexiglass and reverse painted. I grew up in the 50s and 60s and was influenced by surf music and custom car culture, as well as the psydelic art and music of the period. This piece was an attempt to capture some elements of all of these cultures, and thought that the Jazzmaster was a good canvas for this. Fred Stuart"

Whilst at the Fender Custom Shop, Fred Stuart was responsible for many guitars featured in the Fender Custom Shop Gallery including: The Egyptian Tele, The Moto Strat Set, The Danny Gatton Doubleneck, The Aztec-Mayan Telecaster, The Buck Owens Tele, The Resonator Tele, The Double Bender Telecaster, The Right-Hand/Left-Hand Stratocaster, The Horseshoe Tele, The Celtic Tele, The Rhinestone Strat, The La Riata Tele, The Deco-Pearl Danny Gatton Telecaster, The Checkerboard Bajo Sexto Telecaster, The Velvet Elvis Telecaster and The 50th Anniversary Fender Electric Spanish Guitar and Amp Set.

ps. This unique Jazzmaster only uses the conventional 'lead' circuit - I asked FS why he had not used the standard second (rhythm) circuit… his answer (which makes perfect sense) is that 1). Most players rarely use the 'rhythm' circuit and 2. FS wanted the pickguard to be as free of controls as possible in order to show off the surf & skateboard design to its maximum.