"One-Off Master Built by John Cruz for the January 2014 NAMM Show"
Fender Custom Shop Double-Neck Telecaster / Electric Xll Amber Burst

2014 Fender Custom-Shop Double-Neck Telecaster/12 String Thinline (John Cruz)

This one-of-a-kind double-neck Telecaster / Electric Xll weighs 12.30 lbs. and is a one-of-a-kind instrument specially designed and built by Master luthier John Cruz - which he started in October  2013 and completed for the January 2014 NAMM Show. The guitar features a beautiful asymmetrical single-cut, semi-hollow thinline body with a two-piece, book-matched, highly flamed Bostogne Walnut top with a single 'f' hole on the bass side, a two-piece African Okume Mahogany back and African Okume Mahogany sides. The top is bound with a single thick layer of pearloid. Both of the necks are hand-carved from solid African Okume Mahogany and have 'slab' Indian Rosewood fretboards. The Telecaster neck has a wonderfully thick profile (similar to a '68 Tele Thinline) and a nut width of 1 11/16 inches. The Electric Xll neck has a very comfortable medium-to-thick profile and a nut width of 1 11/16 inches. Both have a scale length of 25 1/2 inches and 21 medium-thin frets with inlaid pearloid 'Chevron' position markers, with at the 12th fret "Fender" inlaid in red & "Custom Shop" inlaid in silver. The Telecaster headstock face has "Fender" and "Telecaster" inlaid in gold. The Electric Xll 'specific-shaped' headstock face has "Fender" inlaid in gold. Both necks are "C" shaped and have a 12 inch radius, 6015 frets and have individual 'single-line' Fender [Kluson] Deluxe tuners with oval 'tiger-eye' buttons. The Telecaster headstock has a single butterfly string tree with no spacer, and the Electric Xll headstock has an eight-hole "bracket" string guide. On the back of the Telecaster headstock is a small black 'Chevron' decal with "JC2405 / John Cruz". On the back of the Electric Xll headstock is a small black 'Chevron' decal with "John Cruz". Each neck with a four-bolt neck plate engraved with "John Cruz" over the Fender Custom Shop 'Chevron'. The Telecaster with a single-coil, hand-wound  "Twisted Tele" pickup encased in a gold-plated metal shell in the neck position with an output of 5.94k and a single-coil, hand-wound 'Broadcaster' style flat-pole bridge pickup with 'copper base' and a huge output of 9.94k in the bridge position. The Electric Xll with two gold-plated "TV Jones" Super'Tron pickups with outputs of 3.98k, and 4.81k. Two controls (one volume, one tone) plus three-way 'Tele' style pickup selector switch with gold-plates switch tip and a three-way neck selector switch on the bass horn. Telecaster gold-plated, knurl sided control knobs with domed-tops and Custom Shop 'Chevron'. Telecaster combined bridge assembly with three gold-plated saddles and Tele base. Electric Xll with two, specific-shaped, grooved three-saddle bridges on a height-adjustable base with a stop-bar tailpiece. All hardware gold-plated. This unique guitar is in mint (9.50) condition. Housed in its original Fender Custom Shop, three-latch, rectangular brown suede hardshell case with brown leather ends and brown plush lining (9.50).

Complete with the original Fender Custom Shop certificate of authenticity which states "#434 Double Neck Telecaster / Amber Burst / 921-5000-215 / One-Off / Master Built by / John Cruz / Okume Body w/ 4A Bastogne Walnut Top / Quartersawn  Maple Neck w/Dark RW Fretboard / Large "C" Shape Neck / 12" Radius, 6105 Frets / RSD Tele Bridge / Custom 12-String Tele Bridge / H/W Broadcaster PU / HW Twisted Tele Neck PU / w/TV Jones PU's on 12-String / $21,000 MSRP" and also the original Fender Custom Shop order/specification sheet dated "10/22/2013".

This one-off, double-neck Telecaster from Fender Custom Shop was masterbuilt by John Cruz. one of the shop's premier craftsmen. A very unique instrument, it's a 6/12 doubleneck with an Okune body and 4A Bastogne Walnut top (Bastogne is one of the rarest varieties of Walnut), The 12-string has TV Jones humbucking pickups while the 6-string uses Twisted Tele single-coils. This is the only double-neck 'Thinline' that we have ever seen - it was built specially for the January 2014 NAMM show.

Bastogne Walnut is a rare, natural occurring hybrid between California English Walnut and Claro Walnut that is found in northern California. It can vary greatly in color but is usually a rich dark brown similiar to Claro Walnut.   It often has nice streaking like Claro Walnut and can have curl, fiddleback or crotch figure. It is a very strong, heavy wood and is the densest of all walnuts.  It takes long to dry but is not as difficult as claro walnut.  It has good working properties which are similar to claro walnut. Because it is so rare, Bastogne walnut is highly prized for making fine furniture, tonewood and gunstocks.

This exceptional double-neck guitar was the only one ever built with these features…

About John Cruz: John Cruz came to Fender in 1987, joined the Custom Shop in 1993 and became a Master Builder in 2003. Custom guitars are his passion, and he is the man behind several famous Custom Shop instruments, including the replica of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s famous “Number One” Stratocaster guitar.

Cruz also built the limited-run Moto guitar and amp sets, worked on the ’49 Woody amp project and developed all production processes for the Rory Gallagher and Muddy Waters tribute guitars. Further, his meticulous work was essential to all aspects of the initial Custom Shop Relic guitars and basses, and he initiated the Custom Shop’s quality assurance program.

Cruz has built fantastic guitars for players such as Doug Aldrich (Dio, Whitesnake), Dave Amato and Bruce Hall (REO Speedwagon), Mick Mars (Mötley Crüe), Richie Sambora (Bon Jovi), Bono (U2), Duff McKagan (Guns N’ Roses), Ike Turner and Brad Whitford (Aerosmith)