Does anyone remember this article/feature from Guitarist magazine (late 90s/early 00s)?

Loobs

Think I'd prefer the Super-Sonic

Loobs

Philly_Q said:

I wonder if Dominic Hilton still has that guitar?

Did some snooping, couldn't find anything on him online. 

Keefy

Loobs said:

Philly_Q said:

I wonder if Dominic Hilton still has that guitar?

Did some snooping, couldn't find anything on him online. 

There is a writer named Dominic Hilton who now lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

https://thecritic.co.uk/author/dominic-hilton/
https://muckrack.com/dominic-hilton/articles
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/author/dominic-hilton/

guitars4you

Slightly off subject - but two odd ball guitars for JohnJorgenson that have influences from different Fender Guitars as per your blue sparkle wonder featured earlier in the post

@keefy - thanks for the dates - I have a host of old Guitarist Mags so will dig those out to re-read those articles 

Keefy

guitars4you said:

Slightly off subject - but two odd ball guitars for JohnJorgenson that have influences from different Fender Guitars as per your blue sparkle wonder featured earlier in the post.

...

Are they in your current stock Mark?

horse

Loobs said:

. Half Jag/half Strat

 A Strag?

guitars4you

Keefy said:

guitars4you said:

Slightly off subject - but two odd ball guitars for JohnJorgenson that have influences from different Fender Guitars as per your blue sparkle wonder featured earlier in the post.

...

Are they in your current stock Mark?

I sold a Tele style version about 10 years ago and never seen one in the flesh since

My error on the above - The Tele style was for Will Ray - Called a Jazz A Caster - Sold then for £1200 ish

Never seen a John Jorgensen Strat style

So no not my stock

guitars4you

https://reverb.com/uk/item/3480515-fender-will-ray-jazz-a-caster-telecaster-1997-98-gold-leaf

@Keefy - Here is a link to one on Reverb - quirky gold leaf finish

They did a limited edition Eric Clapton Strat with this finish a while ago as well - https://wildwestguitars.com/electric/fender-cs-todd-krause-masterbuilt-clapton-gold-leaf

RustySpanner

Yup, remember this very well. 

A younger me thought the Super-Sonic was about the coolest production guitar I'd ever seen. 
Loved Dominic's custom build, but remember being astounded that he'd spent far, far more than the deposit on my first house. 

Guitarist magazine was hugely influential;
My first electric was a Squier Tele Custom II, purely based on their review. 
I even phoned them up and spoke to a member of the editorial team who reassured me it would be a great choice as a first guitar. 
I still have it and play it regularly. 

Great thread, thanks folks. 

Strat54

Philly_Q said:

Strat54 said:

I've impressed myself remembering that it was a Gene Baker build. @Philly_Q Go spec that guitar today and you can add on another £3k. Gene alone would have built that guitar too from the raw materials up, not like today now that a lot of the work is done by assistants to the Masterbuilders. 

Yeah, I'm sure you're right.  My custom-specced Strat only cost £2,700 five or six years ago, but it's not Masterbuilt.

I didn't remember Gene Baker being a Fender builder.

Yep, Buddy Guy's Polka-dot Strat was one of his builds. John Suhr was a masterbuilder too before setting up on his own. Most of the good guys left when Mike Eldred took over from John Page and the bean counters made them share out building tasks and up production numbers seven-fold...$$$$.

axisus

So .... am I the only one that really likes it?

Big thumbs up from me, I'm keeping the scans!

Keefy

axisus said:

So .... am I the only one that really likes it?

...

Yes. Yes you are.

DrBob

axisus said:

So .... am I the only one that really likes it?

Big thumbs up from me, I'm keeping the scans!

I think it’s a infinitely more interesting than the seemingly endless stream of relic Strats & Teles that constitute the bulk output of the Fender Custom Shop

Philly_Q

WezV said:

Loobs said:

The pickguard is pretty cool somehow. Half Jag/half Strat. Also the Super Sonic was over £550 back in 1998! Jeez

No, it was rrp £550 in 97, Street prices of about £450... then I remember it being sold off at about £200 by the end of 98

@WezV well remembered! 

I've just looked mine up - bought (new) for £179.99 in August 1998.  Sold four years later for £175.00.  That's practically a profit!

WezV

DrBob said:

axisus said:

So .... am I the only one that really likes it?

Big thumbs up from me, I'm keeping the scans!

I think it’s a infinitely more interesting than the seemingly endless stream of relic Strats & Teles that constitute the bulk output of the Fender Custom Shop

Exactly the sort of stuff I like seeing from the custom shop.   It's not my idea  of the ideal spec, but I didn't order it.

Things like this in Guitarist indirectly led to me looking into partscasters and eventually building my own stuff... since the CS was out of my price range

Philly_Q said:

WezV said:

Loobs said:

The pickguard is pretty cool somehow. Half Jag/half Strat. Also the Super Sonic was over £550 back in 1998! Jeez

No, it was rrp £550 in 97, Street prices of about £450... then I remember it being sold off at about £200 by the end of 98

@WezV well remembered! 

I've just looked mine up - bought (new) for £179.99 in August 1998.  Sold four years later for £175.00.  That's practically a profit!

Was yours the blue one?  If so you did well as I remember the white and black being about £180 but the blue and silver being £20 more.   

Keefy

WezV said:

DrBob said:

axisus said:

So .... am I the only one that really likes it?

Big thumbs up from me, I'm keeping the scans!

I think it’s a infinitely more interesting than the seemingly endless stream of relic Strats & Teles that constitute the bulk output of the Fender Custom Shop

Exactly the sort of stuff I like seeing from the custom shop.   It's not my idea  of the ideal spec, but I didn't order it.

...

I realise I completely missed the point with my earlier ‘meh’ comment. The guitar wasn’t built to make me happy, it was built to the exact specs of Dominic Hilton, and he was clearly well chuffed with it.

Funkfingers

guitars4you said:

Slightly off subject - but two odd ball guitars for JohnJorgenson that have influences from different Fender Guitars as per your blue sparkle wonder featured earlier in the post

PEDANTRY CORNER
The gold sparkle guitar is a signature model for Jorgenson's Hellecaster colleague, Will Ray.

Philly_Q

WezV said:

Philly_Q said:

WezV said:

Loobs said:

The pickguard is pretty cool somehow. Half Jag/half Strat. Also the Super Sonic was over £550 back in 1998! Jeez

No, it was rrp £550 in 97, Street prices of about £450... then I remember it being sold off at about £200 by the end of 98

@WezV well remembered! 

I've just looked mine up - bought (new) for £179.99 in August 1998.  Sold four years later for £175.00.  That's practically a profit!

Was yours the blue one?  If so you did well as I remember the white and black being about £180 but the blue and silver being £20 more.   

Yes, it was the blue one!  It was nicely made but I remember all the hardware and electronics looked and felt really cheap - let it down a bit.