I missed this introduction during the NAMM show in January, but Fano Guitars have created a new model called the GF6. You might notice that this model bears more than a slight resemblance to Fender’s Starcaster model from the 70s. In fact, the GF6 name is an homage to the designer of the Starcaster, Gene Fields. I really dig the look of this model, and it has a few features that set it apart from many of the semi-hollow body guitars on the market. Instead of the maple laminate construction of models like the ES-335, the GF6 features all solid-wood construction with a variety of wood options (alder, maple, mahogany, korina, and swamp ash). The back and sides are a carved out solid block of wood fitted with a carved solid top. Pickup options are P90s, humbuckers, or filtertrons. Additionally, one of the things that makes the GF6 so interesting to me is that it has a 25.5″ scale length unlike many of the Gibson-inspired semi-hollow guitars.

I haven’t played a Fano guitar before, but I’ve heard a lot of good things about them. They are handmade by a small team as part of the Premier Builders Guild in California. I’m not sure about the 7.25″-9.5″ compound radius, so I’m looking forward to playing one of these. They are just now shipping to dealers, so they are not very widely available yet. If you’ve played on of these or another Fano guitar before, I’d enjoy hearing your thoughts about it.

The Fender Custom Shop is introducing the Eric Clapton “Brownie” Stratocaster, modeled after Clapton’s famous two-tone ’50s sunburst Strat. The guitar is limited to a 100-piece run and will be made available at Guitar Center Platinum stores on March 21, 2013. Some people don’t like these kind of tribute models, but I think they’re an interesting way to pay homage to classic guitars and guitarists.

Clapton himself seems impressed by the reproduction:

I’m not sure if this is specifically NAMM related, but PRS Guitars announced the news this month that they are reintroducing the Custom 22:

Reintroduced for 2013, the Custom 22 is a classic workhorse with all the tones you’ve come to expect from your PRS and a distinctive, musical, warm midrange. Along with its standard features – maple top, mahogany back, mahogany or rosewood 25” scale length Pattern or Pattern Thin neck, and rosewood fretboard – the Custom 22 and 24 are now both offered with the choice of 57/08 pickups or HFS treble and Vintage bass pickups wired for a redesigned 5-way blade switch, which offers a unique dual humbucker option.

I used to own a Custom 22, and it was and is one of the best made guitars I’ve ever owned. I only sold it to purchase another PRS. I’m glad to see that they’re reintroducing it.

This is an interesting new guitar from Fender: the Vince Ray Voodoo-Bucket 300CE:

You get skulls and skeletons, motorcycles, black cats and serpents, demons and witches, disembodied hands beating bongos from hell, fortunes told and spells cast, stars, flames, headstones and more. In short, you get the mind of Vince Ray himself embodied in a 500-instrument run of guitars that look they jumped straight out of the previews from some drive-in B-movie nightmare.

Speaking of acoustics, Fender seems to be really ramping up their acoustic guitar production with the introduction of a new Acoustic Custom Shop:

(Press Release)

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.  (January 22, 2013) – Fender is thrilled to announce its all-new Fender Acoustic Custom Shop, located in New Hartford, Conn. Operated by Fender’s most experienced guitar luthiers, the Fender Acoustic Custom Shop is committed to delivering the highest levels of acoustic guitar craftsmanship.

New from the Acoustic Custom Shop are the Pro Custom Series and Master designed models, which include the TPD-1 Dreadnought,TPDCE-1 Dreadnought, Traditional Triple-”O” Custom Shop Designed, and Newporter™ Custom Shop Designed.

The Pro Custom Series includes the TPD-1 Dreadnought and TPDCE-1 Dreadnought, which feature a solid Engelmann spruce top and solid mahogany back and sides, a convenient cutaway on the TPDCE-1, scalloped “X” bracing shifted forward for more traditional tone, a mahogany neck with soft “V”-shaped profile and dual-action truss rod, 20-fret ebony fingerboard with bone nut and mother-of-pearl inlays, bone bridge saddle and pins, a nitrocellulose lacquer finish, and Fishman® electronics on the TPDCE-1.

Part of the Master Designed Series, the Traditional Triple-”O” Custom Shop Designed and Newporter™ Custom Shop Designed feature a striking solid Carpathian spruce top, forward-shifted scalloped “X” bracing and solid figured walnut matched back and sides. The models’ two-piece neck in figured curly maple has a soft “V” profile with comfortably rolled edges, 10″ radius ebony fretboard, bone nut and a traditional three-on-a-side headstock (Stratocaster® headstock on the Newporter Custom Shop Designed).

Another nice new guitar from Martin: Martin 000-17SM:

Resurrecting the look of our early Style 17 guitars, the 17 Series features a shaded gloss Sitka Spruce top, mahogany back and sides, and tortoise brown binding. The 000-17SM features a tight, 12-fret body and vintage slotted headstock for a truly one-of-a-kind instrument.

I’m a big fan of 000-sized guitars, especially ones that feature mahogany. Add in a slotted headstock, and I’m really interested. I think this model looks really nice.

Martin is introducing a new John Mayer signature model: the John Mayer 00-42sc Custom Signature Edition:

John Mayer and C.F. Martin & Co. were happy to join forces once again to create a new version of the “cowboy guitar” – the 00-42SC John Mayer Custom Signature Edition. Conceived as a direct follow-up to the successful 00-45SC John Mayer Stagecoach Edition that was produced in extremely limited quantity in 2012, this new model was created to be a more affordable option to collectors and Mayer fans alike.

“More affordable” is relative, as the MAP on the new model is still in the $8,000 range. However, it is nice to see them bringing the model to more people.

Filmmaker Tim Edwards takes an inside look at Collings Guitars with his new documentary “Instrumental” (2010). The 12 minute film takes us into the heart of Collings’ culture, touching on everything from Bill’s inspiration to build his first guitars to his success as an internationally recognized luthier. Exclusive interviews with shop employees and Collings loyalists give insight into Bill’s determination to build the world’s finest guitars and mandolins.

I can’t help it. I love videos like this.

Fender have recently introduced a new lineup of guitars in their American Vintage Series. From their press release:

Fender’s American Vintage series introduces an all-new lineup of original-era model year guitars that bring Fender history and heritage to authentic and exciting new life. With key features and pivotal design elements spanning the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s, new American Vintage series instruments delve deep into Fender’s roots—preserving an innovative U.S. guitar-making legacy and vividly demonstrating how many of the most desirable instruments of the past can be expertly recreated in look, feel and sound.

The American Vintage Series has long presented some of Fender’s best-selling guitars (their early-’80s introduction, in fact, was one of the first signs that Fender was “back” as the CBS era ended). Today, Fender has boldly cleared the slate to make way for a fresh American Vintage series with new features, new specs and the most meticulous level of vintage accuracy yet. Rather than just replacing the previous models with different ones, the entire vintage-reissue concept has been completely and comprehensively re-imagined—restoring original tooling dies, voicing new pickups, reformulating vintage colors and more—based on actual vintage guitars designers tracked down to ensure even greater accuracy.

All the new American Vintage Series guitars feature thick and slim necks with profiles and edges carefully re-sculpted to reflect even greater period-correct authenticity, with both maple and rosewood fingerboards, vintage-style frets and bone nuts; all-new vintage-style pickups wound to period-correct specs and sound to accurately reflect specific model years, and even specific periods within specific model years; retooled pickguards, parts and hardware designed to accurately reflect specific model years (and again, even specific periods within specific model years), and standard and custom-color finishes re-formulated for even greater period-correct authenticity.

The new guitars are the American Vintage ’56, ’59 and ’65 Stratocaster^® models (’56 model also in left-handed version), American Vintage ’58 and ’64 Telecaster^® models (’64 model also in left-handed version), American Vintage ’65 Jazzmaster^® and American Vintage ’65 Jaguar^®. Also, the American Vintage ’52 Telecaster returns to the fold (in right- and left-handed versions) with body, neck and pickups refined with the best features—tones, curves, perimeters, radii and more—from a handful of extraordinary ’52 Telecaster specimens examined by Fender craftsmen.

The following video shows the new models and has some great vintage scenes:

When John Mayer released his album Battle Studies, he played a televised album release show at the Beacon Theatre in New York. On the track “Perfectly Lonely”, Mayer played a Telecaster that I had never seen before. I later found out that it was a Fender Custom Shop La Cabronita Especial. At the time, no regular production model of the guitar was available. Fender heard the requests for an affordable version of this guitar, and they have introduced a Mexican-made Cabronita Telecaster:

A guitar with a lot more attitude, the Cabronita Telecaster rocks a highly distinctive take on a classic design and spits out fiery, full-voiced Tele tone from two sharp new Fideli’Tron™ humbucking pickups. Other premium features include an alder body (ash on White Blonde model), comfortable modern C-shaped maple neck with a 9.5” radius and 21 medium jumbo frets, single-ply pickguard and single control knob (volume), and a string-through-body hardtail bridge with six cast saddles. Available in Three-color-Sunburst, Black and White Blonde.

The black one looks pretty nice to me: