As one of the main attractions of any Fender Custom Shop guitar, tonewoods play an enormous role in the overall playability and personality of your unique Custom Shop experience. Your tonewood, the cut of wood that makes up the body, can come in several shapes and forms. Fender Custom Shop has no shortage of interesting woods, both familiar and exotic, off which to build your own Custom Shop piece. There's plenty of ingredients to consider in this Custom Shop gumbo, so let's not waste any time and let's talk tonewoods.
TL; DRThe tonewoods on Fender Custom Shop guitars play relatively large roles in the physical feel of the whole instrument. When designing a Fender Custom Shop, you have the option from more traditional Fender tonewoods like alder and ash to okume and mahogany. Quilt and maple tops offer extra options for customization. Relic finish aging styles range from untouched to heavily worn and create unique visual and tangible experiences for each Fender Custom Shop guitar.
Tonewoods
As a main component of the guitar’s physical form, a guitar’s tonewood (or body wood) will play a prominent role in the overall feel and tone*. You might already have a general idea of how you'd like your Custom Shop to carry and sound, so to home in on those specific qualities and help paint a picture of the different qualities tonewoods can provide, let's talk about the woods Fender Custom Shop offers.
It is pertinent to mention that, for instance, while alder and ash are different tonewoods, their effect on the overall tonal output of a guitar is relative. If you’re looking to change the sound of a guitar more noticeably, you likely have to turn to its pickups.
Alder
You know it, you love it. Alder is a classic among classics when it comes to body woods – and for good reason! Fender has relied on alder for decades for their electric guitar bodies due to its bright and balanced tonal qualities. If you've ever picked up a Fender guitar, there's a great chance you've held an alder body. Fender notes alder for its pronounced upper midrange and excellent sustain – two qualities that go hand in hand with Fender's classic, single-coil pickup tonality. Alder's focused frame of mind makes it an excellent pick for consistency in sound. What's more, alder also features large, charming, swirling grain patterns and a medium-bright color.
Ash
If there ever were a sister tonewood to Fender's alder, it's ash. Ash also has a storied history with Fender guitars and can commonly be found among Custom Shop guitars. This tonewood can be found on Fender bodies spanning decades due to its strength and density. With these two qualities, ash plays with a sturdy midrange and solid low end. Think of ash as the yang to alder's yin, if you will. Where alder reaches higher, ash dips lower. Ash also holds a particularly resonant quality that contributes to its stardom as a tonewood along with its darker and wider grain patterns.
Pine
As we move into the more obscure Fender body woods, we get into a little bit of Fender history. Pine was actually used by Fender back in the early '50s for its light weight and clear, resonant qualities. Since then, it's been phased out in favor of alders and ashes, but still retains that stamp of authenticity for its time in the Fender limelight. Pine carries a similar balance to alder and is, yet again, is notably lighter in weight. It is also characterized by its more subtle grains and bright, creamy color, making it a perfect pick for thinner or transparent body finishes.
Okume
Alright, now we're really going off-roading. Straying from the beaten path, Fender Custom Shop also offers okume as a tonewood. Known for its warm sound and shallow, geometric figured grain patterns, okume plays an excellent role for Custom Shop crafters looking to take the road less traveled.
Mahogany
You might see mahogany play the tonewood role on some other guitars. Mahogany's qualities make it an excellent body wood – dense, dark, and complex, mahogany is the anti-hero Fender tonewood you never knew you needed. On top of that, mahogany's tonal qualities bring out a great midrange bite that can result in some outward tonal shaping. Mahogany also carries with it smooth, shallow grain patterns that add that extra visual flair.
Roasted Alder, Roasted Ash, and Roasted Pine
How do you like 'em? Brown? Crispy? Toasted? Burnt? The Fender Custom Shop takes a step further with its tonewoods with roasting options for their alder, ash, and pine. Heat-treating woods, torrefaction, is a common process among electric and acoustic guitar manufacturers that bakes out imperfections in tonewoods. This process balances out the tonal profile of the wood while accentuating grain patterns and darkening the overall color. Turn to these roasted options if you're looking for consistency in tone and richness in aesthetics.
Quilt and Flame Top Tonewoods
For fans of dazzling maple grain patterns, quilt maple is a beautifully figured wood with evenly spread layers of grain. Laying across a guitar's top like a gorgeous, soft sheet, quilt maple works well with transparent body finishes that allow for the grain patterns to shine through.
AA and AAA Flame Maple Top
When talking about flame maple, players commonly refer to the wood's intricate graining patterns. These tiger-stripe-like patterns create a complex labyrinth of crosshatches across the wood to impart some great visual texture. AA and AAA differ in their density of this crosshatching. AA flame maple's crosshatches are a bit more spread out and loose where AAA flame maple's crosses are notably tight and dense. Wherever your preference lands for looser or tighter tiger striping, AA and AAA flame maple have you covered.
Spalted Maple
If you're looking to give your Custom Shop a more rugged look, check out spalted maple for its top wood. Spalted maple gives a guitar a more lived-in and experienced look by its darker grain patterns and captivating figured lines. The wood doubles in strength and tonal crispiness to compound on any Custom Shop creation.
Maple Burl
This highly figured maple is used in Fender Custom Shop Artisan models with gorgeous, figured swirls that create a knockout visual presentation.
Koa
You probably know this tropical tonewood from its starring role in premier acoustic instruments. Koa, known for its bright, chiming, and articulate qualities, can be built onto a Custom Shop guitar. This tonewood matches its brightness and balance with a dazzling color and long, prominent grain patterns that make it a star of a tonewood both audibly and visually.
Zircote
Known for its prominent, brown striping and crisp high end sound qualities, zircote plays with a distinctly fast attack. This tonewood matches deep coloring with tonal cleanliness and pairs with alder and ash bodies wonderfully. If you're looking to make a true statement out of your Custom Shop creation, zircote might be the way to go.
Cocobolo
Like zircote, cocobolo offers a dynamic and prominent set of grain patterns with deep coloring. Contrasting zircote's dark brown with a rich red, cocobolo shares qualities with zircote as highly compatible with alder and ash bodies. If you're in the market of building a truly dynamic body to stack up and stand tall, cocobolo might be the call.
Finish Aging Styles
Now for one of everybody's favorite parts of any Fender Custom Shop piece – the finish. Fender Custom Shop offers a wide spectrum of finish types ranging on a "relic" scale. If you're new to the Custom Shop and "relic" guitars in general, the Fender Custom Shop offers a scale of wear and tear to their finishes that ranges from untouched to heavily worn. These do come down to a matter of taste with each individual finish job carrying its own quirks, so let's run down the finish lineup for the Fender Custom Shop.
Time Capsule
The lightest Custom Shop finish, Time Capsule combines the Fender Custom Shop's original "No Buff" NOS (New Old Stock) Flash Coat Lacquer finish with a Closet Classic hardware finish job. As we move up the "relic" ladder, you'll see more drastic relic jobs, but for now, this relatively untouched finish job acts as a great starting point or as a great pick for players looking to keep things untouched, like a brand new guitar.
New Old Stock
The Custom Shop takes pride in Fender history – so much so that their New Old Stock (NOS) finish treatment is designed to capture the essence of vintage Fender instruments as if they weren't vintage at all! This treatment's all-lacquer finish looks untouched by the hands of time or players, like you went back in time and bought it yourself.
Closet Classic
So, here's our first log flume drop of relic finish treatments. As a distinct step up from New Old Stock, Closet Classic finishes simulate the paint checking and surface area scratches that would naturally come from decades of age. Think of this by its namesake, this guitar was kept in the proverbial closet and is only now ready to shine – natural age and all.
Appetite for DestructionAs we get into the more destructive relic finishes, it is worth mentioning that, even though its appearance might suggest otherwise, all Custom Shop wear is purely aesthetic. The Fender Custom Shop does great work in simulating worn hardware, damaged bodies, and aged electronics, however, all Fender Custom Shop guitars are fully functioning and playable no matter their appearance.
Deluxe Closet Classic
There's always that one guy who diligently takes care of everything about his guitar. For that hypothetical guy, we have thanks for his contribution to the Deluxe Closet Classic finish! Deluxe Closet Classic is an offshoot of Closet Classic, where the guitar in question is largely untouched except by the wears of time itself. Natural hardware oxidation, natural finish checking, natural discoloration of plastics, everything about this finish treatment is as nice as one could keep it over decades.
Journeyman Relic
Maybe this hypothetical guy hands off his guitar to someone else, maybe that new owner is a more active player than our hypothetical guy. What this might result in is our next stage, the Journeyman Relic finish. Unlike each finish job before it on this list, this is the first guitar to definitely have spent some time outside its case. Journeyman Relic captures the essence of more hands-on playing both around the house and at the occasional weekend gig. The Journeyman's finish is still taken care of but certainly has the classic signs of wear and love – finish checking, worn hardware, maybe a tasteful chip down under the finish.
Relic
Ready for another drop? Fender Custom Shop Relic finish treatments really show the instrument's hypothetical age. The authentic, worn-in age Relic finish treatments exhibit imply a legacy of travel, gigs, and time under spotlight. There's plenty of love to see with a Relic finish treatment from worn down lacquer to charming dings and dents.
Heavy Relic
As we get into Heavy Relic, let's talk about some realities of being a musician: Ships are safest in the harbor, but that's not what ships are for. Heavy Relic finish treatments get into the world of the gigging musician. Maybe along the way, the guitar's been dinged against the banister on the stage's stairs, maybe it's taken a spill in the parking lot. In any instance, Heavy Relic finishes show the sturdiness Fender guitars are known for and the love players put into them through practices and performances.
Super Heavy Relic
Our last stop on this finish extravaganza is Super Heavy Relic. Cards on the table, Super Heavy Relic showcases some truly extreme wear. Fender Custom Shop Super Heavy Relic finishes capture the true unique elements and intricacies of guitars put through their paces and personalized. You might find a Custom Shop Super Heavy Relic finish treatment that exhibits some deep lacquer scraping or perhaps some tasteful dents in the tonewood. Your next Super Heavy Relic Fender Custom Shop guitar might even have two finishes altogether, one on top of the other! A Super Heavy Relic finish might not be for the faint of heart, but isn't that part of what makes it so thrilling?
Questions?
We know how important a Fender Custom Shop's body wood and finish can be to a custom-made piece. Because of this, we're always ready to talk shop on woods, tops, finishes, and anything else, honestly! Reach out to us here at Russo Music anytime if you have any questions about anything Fender Custom Shop.
