Country guitarist extraordinaire Brad Paisley is something of a Telecaster icon, especially when it comes to the distinct pink Paisley Teles produced by Fender in the late '60s. While his main ax is an original '68 Fender Paisley Tele known as "Old Pink," his guitar collection includes a wide selection of other paisley-styled guitars, most of which were built by luthier Bill Crook.
Like original Fender Paisley Teles, Crook's instruments are made by applying a sheet of printed paper to the body and covering it with a clear sealant. It's a detailed process that Crook has improved upon and perfected over his years of working with Brad.
Most recently, Mr. Paisley brought Crook a '68 Tele he bought from Chicago Music Exchange with an old, ugly black refin. The plan was to strip the old paint away and refinish the guitar with a paisley pattern.
As Brad put it in an Instagram post earlier today, "So many people tore off Paisley paper, it’s time to put some on one instead."
Lo and behold, as Crook began to strip away the black paint, an original, still-intact Fender paisley finish was waiting underneath. Needless to say, both Crook and Paisley were shocked by the development and immediately changed their plans for the guitar.
As Crook explained on his Facebook, "The original plan was to strip it and do a relic pink paisley that didn't look like 'ole pink.' Now the plan is to try to save the paper and refinish it."
From here, Crook plans on restoring the original paper and paint as best he can, while keeping everything in line with the age of the guitar. "After repairs to the paper I will paint the sides and age it to be appropriate for the wear on the neck," he posted on Facebook. "Just depends on what Brad wants. He's the customer and it is his guitar."
Update: Mr. Crook has completed the work on this restoration project. You can see final finished product on this post on his Facebook page.