Summer NAMM 2019 is hosting a wealth of new signature models from Fender and other companies under its umbrella. Ranging from '80s-throwback axes made for a legendary shredder to a beautiful Aztec Gold Strat for a modern worship player, there's something in this signature lineup for everybody.
Fender Signature Releases
Fender is going big for Summer NAMM in Nashville this year, having already unveiled the Vintera series, new Class D power amp versions of beloved all-tube circuits, and six new effects pedals in its ever-growing effects line. Now, two more signature guitars are joining the mix: the Britt Daniel Telecaster Thinline and Lincoln Brewster Stratocaster Signature.
Britt Daniel Signature Telecaster Thinline
Created in collaboration with the Spoon singer-songwriter and guitarist, the Britt Daniel Signature Telecaster Thinline is set for a September release, priced at $1,999 USD.
It features a semi-hollow ash body with a characterful f-hole, finished in Amarillo Gold lacquer, and married to a one-piece "Deep C" maple neck. The neck features a 9.5-inch radius fingerboard and medium-jumbo frets.
The signature Thinline Tele is outfitted with pickups from Fender's Custom Shop and includes an S-1 switch that allows players to instantaneously toggle between series and parallel pickup wiring. It also features Fender's ClassicGear tuning heads and an electro socket output jack.
Lincoln Brewster Signature Stratocaster
If unfamiliar, Lincoln Brewster is a contemporary Christian musician and worship pastor who first gained popularity in the 1990s as a session guitarist. In his current station, he's the senior worship pastor at Bayside Church in California.
His signature Stratocaster model features an ash body finished in Aztec Gold lacquer and married to a "Soft V" maple neck with a compound-radius fingerboard featuring 22 medium-jumbo frets.
It's outfitted with DiMarzio Area 58 single-coil pickups in the neck and middle position, a DiMarzio Area 61 pickup in the bridge, and also features a two-point tremolo with bent-steel saddles and a pop-in arm. The guitar's onboard active boost is a unique feature that's activated by the push/pull volume control, and players can also use the Tone 1 knob to control its custom mid-boost.
The Lincoln Brewster Signature Stratocaster is set to be released first, hitting the streets next month for $1,990.99 USD.
Jackson Signature Releases
Jackson also unveiled a handful of new signature models on the SNAMM 2019 floor in Nashville, including some new finish options for its existing Adrian Smith models, a new iteration of the Misha Mansoor Pro Series Juggernaut, and two new iterations of David Ellefson's X Series bass models.
Misha Mansoor Pro Series Juggernaut HT7P
First up is the new signature model made in collaboration with Misha Mansoor, the lead guitarist and founder of metal band Periphery. The new HT7P variant of the signature Pro Series Juggernaut features seven strings and a 26.5" scale length.
Its basswood body with poplar burl top is married to a bolt-on caramelized maple neck with graphite reinforcement, a 20-inch radius, a wrap-around heel with an oiled back finish, and luminous side dots. The Black Burst Burl-finished model is also outfitted with Mansoor MM1 pickups.
The new Misha Mansoor Pro Series HT7P Juggernaut is available now for $899.99 USD.
David Ellefson Concert Bass CBXM
Budget-conscious low-enders also have reason to celebrate, as both of Jackson's signature models with Megadeth bassist David Ellefson have now been made in the affordable X Series format.
The Concert Bass CBXM IV is retailing for $699.99 USD, while the five-string Concert Bass CBXM V cab be had for $749.99. Alike in more ways than not, both models feature a poplar body with upper and lower contours, married to maple neck with 12- to 16-inch compound radius maple fingerboards. They both also feature heel-mount truss rod thumbwheels.
You can hear Ellefson himself play both models in the video above. To learn more about Ellefson's approach to his instrument, check out this bass clinic video we made with him and Anthrax's Frank Bello.
EVH 5150 Series Standard and Deluxe
More than any other player, Eddie Van Halen made the Peavey 5150 amp a household name for hard rock and metal players. In the 2000s, Eddie started his own EVH line under Fender, and since then, has been making his own name-brand 5150 amps.
At Summer NAMM 2019, EVH is launching the 5150 Series guitars, in both Standard and Deluxe models. The superstrat-style axes are both reminiscent of the types of guitars that grew popular after Van Halen's rise and Eddie's deification as a guitar god, complete with the "hockey stick" headstock.
The Standard, which has a MSRP price around $1,240 USD, features a basswood body,, quartersawn maple neck in a modified "C" shape, with a 12"-16" compound fretboard radius. The satin finish is available in a green Matte Army Drab, Rocket Red, or Primer Gray.
The Deluxe has an MSRP around $1,380, with the principal difference being the quilted maple body top, which is available in a Tobacco Sunburst or Transparent Blue Burst finish. You can hear both guitars in action in the video above.
Fender Custom Shop Signature Models
Custom Shop Phil Lynott Signature Precision Bass
In honor of the 50th anniversary of Thin Lizzy’s formation and what would have been their beloved frontman’s 70th birthday, Fender is rolling out a Phil Lynott Signature Precision Bass intended for the most ardent of fans.
Limited to a production of 60 models and built by master builder John Cruz, this Custom Shop signature spares no expense in faithfully recreating the same instrument Phil plucked on. A two-piece select ash body and black nitrocellulose lacquer finish are complemented by a rift-sawn, oil-finished maple neck, period-correct 7.25” radius fretboard, and premium appointments like a '78 P-Bass split coil pickup. Oh, and don’t forget that mirrored pickguard and bridge.
Added bells and whistles include a custom anvil case, leather strap and wristband, and even a pair of mirrored aviator sunglasses. The price tag clocks in at $1,465, so you might have to trade in an emerald or two if you want to get your hands on one.
Custom Shop Stevie Ray Vaughan Signature Stratocaster Relic
They say legends never die, and if the number of Stevie Ray Vaughan signatures is any indication, the bluesman is alive and well in the memory of today’s players.
The newest addition to the family, the Signature Stratocaster Relic, is actually a freshly aged rendition of NOS from the Custom Shop’s SRV model. In addition to the top-shelf components—like a triple stack of Custom Shop Hand-Wound Texas Special pickups and lefty synchronized tremolo—the Signature Strat Relic sports a Faded 3-Color Sunburst lacquer finish over a two-piece alder body.
The guitar will retail for around $5,750 and be a welcome addition to the collection of any blues fan.