A gorgeous gem from my private collection...

... here we have a super cool Fender Custom Shop “Danny Gatton” signature blackguard Telecaster from 1991/early 1992. This guitar is part of the first 60 pieces built and commercialised by the Fender Custom Shop from 1991 to early 1992 and this is really one of the very first: the neck of this Tele was made by Fender Neck Guru Herb Gastelum and completed on March 27, 1991.

It’s an extremely limited run: back then, Danny Gatton was in person at the Fender factory when they released that batch to play and inspect them, and bend the pickup switch, as he did on his personal guitars.

-       RARE first year - first batch - Danny Gatton Signature

-       ULTRA RARE signature made on the pickguard by Danny Gatton himself.

-       UNIQUE handwritten letter from Danny Gatton on the back side of the Certificate Of Authenticity

-       COMPLETE history of this guitar, certified and handwritten by Jay Monterose himself, Danny Gatton's personal technician until his death…

Jay Monterose, Gatton's personal technician, states that Danny Gatton took this guitar, brought it into his garage, and played it extensively to compare it with his original Telecaster. When he finished, he was very pleased with the quality of the instrument; so he took a marker, signed the pickguard, and wrote a letter on the back of the COA. Jay Monterose says: “that’s the most beautiful signature I’ve ever seen of Gatton”. So he put a special transparent plexiglass pickguard to preserve and protect it...

What else to say after this introduction?

Well, the Joe Barden pickups sound amazing and are stock with the guitar. The instrument is also very lively, vibrant and plays effortless. The body is a  masterpiece handcrafted by master builder Jay Madore. The see-through blonde finish reveals the beauty of the grain of this swamp ash.

The neck is arrow straight; truss rod works perfectly. Herb Gastelum made a great job with it... There are two small scratches on the fretboard (indicated by the white arrows in the last photo). One of these was repaired personally by Luca Cesaroni, owner of Cloe Guitars, who also performed a pro setup.

Clearly an amazing unique guitar! Comes with its original tweed case, case candy, the handwritten letter from Jay Monterose in which he tells the story of this guitar, and the original Certificate Of Authenticity signed by John Page, on the back of which Danny Gatton wrote a letter about this guitar and signed it (see photo). 

SPECIFICATIONS

Super low serial number (#00051), one of the first 60 pieces built;

lighter and thinner high gloss finish than the later production;

lightweight super figured ash body made by Master Builder Jay Madore;

maple neck made by Fender Neck Guru Herb Gastelum;

50’s style U neck profile;

Joe Barden pickups;

Cubic Zirconia side dot markers;

original C.O.A.;

The guitar also comes with a handwritten letter from Jay Monterose himself, in which he briefly tells the story of this extraordinary Tele. He writes:

"Harlan, just a note to define a brief history of Fender “Danny Gatton” model Telecaster guitar ser. # 00051.

I purchased this guitar from Washington Music Center as it was the first one available after the first 50 guitars were sold thru Zavarella’s Music in the early 1990’s.

I presented this instrument to Danny G. his home garage where he played the guitar and it met his nod of approval as we examined all the store bought productions guitars to make sure Fender was doing their job.

Danny liked this guitar, the body wood is unique as it has interesting figure and it’s light in weight and has great tone for this production run.

Danny’s opinion was this is a candidate to be preserved as the only N.O.S. Gatton and put away for that purpose. It’s been lovingly stowed for the years since he played it. And it has the best signature of any pickguard Danny ever signed well, it was for me. And we were the best of friends and still are!

Good luck with this great guitar. The “best” Gatton model in existance”….

Jay Monterose

In 1988 Monterose accepted Gatton's offer and returned to Maryland:

 “Gatton called me up and said, “You know, when I didn’t have a job, couldn’t make a dime and bring groceries home for my family, you hired me and we built cars. Now I’m paying you back—I need you as a guitar tech to come on the road with me as my right-hand man.’ ”

In 1990, Gatton’s legendary virtuosity inspired Fender to produce a Gatton-model Telecaster through its California-based custom shop. According to John Grunder of the Fender Custom Shop, “Gatton had specific criteria that Fender had to include before he would endorse the guitar.” These include inclusion of the stainless bridge with angled saddles, special knurled knobs, bodies made from swamp ash, a vintage neck shape, pickups made by local craftsman Joe Barden, and cubic zirconium position markers. Although Fender and Gatton reached an agreement on the signature model, Fender chose not to include the bridge and knobs made by Monterose, preferring to manufacture its own copies of his work.

Photos are an integral part of the description. Take your time to look at them, because they speak better than any words. I got more than 40 HD photos; every single detail has been captured. Do not hesitate to contact me, I’ll be happy to show you all of them !

Because of the remarkable value of this guitar, I am willing to personally transport the instrument to major European cities. Just give me a call or contact me and we can work on it.

Info at +393313755120

* * * SAME DAY SHIPPING !!! * * *

I ship from Italy. That means NO Customs duties to all EU Countries!

I'm knowledgeable of what I'm selling and I've made every effort to represent this item accurately. I am confident that the future owner will not be disappointed.

Should you have any questions, comments, and/or concerns regarding the shipment and/or the item please do not hesitate to contact me.