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PETETOWNSHENDPROTOTYPESTRATOCASTER
The rif f em peror has been m istreating m any guitars during his lengthycareerwiththeWho,startingwithRickenbackers,thenSG Specials,aGretsch6120andDeluxeLesPauls.Butsince1989and the25thAnniversarytour,Petehaschosentheultimatetool,the absolutefunctionalguitar,theonethatwilneverbetrayitsowner eventhoughhetreatsitverybadlynightafternight:theStratocaster. AndnotjustanyStrat:hehasfaleninlovewiththeEricClapton
e Townshendtookitoutonstage,itsmainfeaturebeingthenoiseless LaceSensorpickups.
Logicaly,FendereventualyoferedTownshendtocreatehisown signaturemodel,andthisiswhenthisprototypewasborn.This guitarisoneoftwomadebackin2007bytheFenderCustom Shop to set tle the specs for the signature m odel before going into production.Manyspecsremainfrom theClaptonmode,including theTorinoRedfinish,theLaceSensorpickupsandthetwo-point vibrato.Townshend’smodificationsincludelockingtunersanda
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model,a guitarthatonly came outa yearbefore
n pickupsthroughthesameoutput,withitsownvolumecontrolnext tothevibrato.
Townshendplayedbothprototypesonstageandfoundtheother one’sneckprofilemoretohisliking.Therefore,hesenthatoneback totheCustom Shop,whereitwaskeptbyMikeEldred,whoranthe placeatthetime.
Almosttenyearslater,in2016,theFenderCustom Shopfinal lydida limitededitionofthePeteTownshendsignaturemodel,verycloseto thatprototype,theonlydiferencebeingtheman’ssignatureonthe headstock.TheWhomanhasdefinitelybeenconsistentovertime.
Price£25,000
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piezo pickup thatcan be blended with the magnetic
