The world is becoming a more and more eco–friendly place, and that consciousness has certainly found its way into the musical instrument industry. Companies like Wallace Detroit Guitars make instruments exclusively with reclaimed wood from its city's buildings, and bigger brands like PRS have released limited edition models with a similar mission.
These kinds of projects are not just cool from a sustainability perspective, but also for the fact that off the bench, they already come with a unique vibe and history.
This is especially the case with Fender's new, limited edition Front Row Legend Esquire line. Made in Fender's Custom Shop by Master Builder Yuriy Shishkov, these special Telecasters are built to order using 100–year–old Alaskan yellow cedar from the Hollywood Bowl's original bench boards.
Since its official opening in the summer of 1922, the Hollywood Bowl has spent almost 100 years hosting some of the biggest acts of every decade. Louis Armstrong, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Grateful Dead, the Beach Boys, and Black Sabbath are just a smattering of the talent that has graced the Bowl's stage, and now, you can own a functional piece of its history.
Shishkov maintained the characteristics of each piece of bench board that he used, with all of its original scratches, cracks, and bolt holes. The top of each guitar will also feature the original seat number.
We know that these guitars will be extremely limited and will fetch $12,000 a piece, but we have yet to find out how many orders the Custom Shop is accepting.