The Ultimate Axe for a Highwayman and Honky-tonk Hero
No musician better represents the lonesome, on’ry, and mean edge of outlaw country than Waylon Jennings. For over 50 years, “Hoss” championed a rough-and-ready, idiosyncratic country sound — and he did it all with his iconic leather-bound Telecasters in tow. The Fender Custom Shop’s Limited-edition Masterbuilt Waylon Jennings Telecaster Relic is a meticulous tribute to Waylon’s #1 1954 Tele, built to the highest standards by Master Builder David Brown and designed with input from the Jennings family. From the single banjo tuner to the iconic black-and-white hand-tooled leather casing to even the nicks on the fingerboard, this guitar is essentially a perfect snapshot of how the instrument would have appeared during Waylon’s iconic 1970s era. With 70 models available worldwide, only the most die-hard fans will get a chance to own this museum-grade testament to Hoss’ immeasurable influence on the world of country music — we only get one model, so make sure to call your Sweetwater Sales Engineer now to secure the ultimate 6-string tribute to the king of outlaw country!
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Low-E banjo tuner with two pitch presets
One of the unique features of the Fender Custom Shop Limited-edition Masterbuilt Waylon Jennings Telecaster Relic is the banjo tuner found on the low-E string. Waylon was quite a fan of tuning his low E string up and down for a B-Bender-like effect — a difficult trick to pull off, as it’s very easy to overshoot or undershoot the right note! To make things a bit easier, Waylon had a 1:1 ratio banjo tuner installed on his Teles, with two thumbscrew stops to limit the travel of the string between two chosen notes. This feature allows you to instantly swap between standard, Drop D, or any other alternate low E tuning you like with pinpoint accuracy.
Capture the tone that defines outlaw country
Ever the sonic innovator, Waylon Jennings experimented with several sets of pickups in his #1 Tele over the years. Needless to say, the modern, high-output pickups it hosts are a far cry from the vintage-style single-coils it originally featured. To capture the sonic soul of Waylon’s 1970s heyday, the Limited-edition Masterbuilt Waylon Jennings Telecaster Relic is actually a blend of two of Waylon’s leather-clad Teles, taking the looks and neck from his #1 and the electronics from #2. The Custom Shop Hand-wound ’51–51 Blackguard pickups found in this guitar perfectly mirror the tone and vibe of Waylon’s #2 Tele, packed to the brim with cutting treble twang, growling lows, and a remarkably defined character.
A Blackguard at heart
It may wear a flashy outlaw country coat on the outside, but under all that leather lies the Blackguard bones of a truly special 1954 Telecaster. From the remarkably resonant 2-piece ash body to the chunky 1-piece quarter-sawn maple 10/56 “V” neck, the Fender Custom Shop Limited-edition Masterbuilt Waylon Jennings Telecaster sports all the hallmarks of Leo Fender’s earliest Telecasters. This guitar even sports a period-correct Butterscotch Blonde finish that’s appropriately aged before being placed in its leather cover — an unprecedented attention to detail, resulting in a truly museum-grade showpiece of an instrument.
Are you sure Hoss done it this way?
While Waylon Jennings’ black-and-white leather-bound Telecasters are an indispensable part of his outlaw country legacy, where did he uncover the idea to cover his 6-string in a leather sheathe? In fact, the idea came from his backing band, the Waylors, who — in a story that sounds like a verse in a classic outlaw country tune — had a local bartender dress up a disheveled 1954 pawn shop Tele as a gift for their frontman.
The Fender Custom Shop Limited-edition Masterbuilt Waylon Jennings Telecaster is an immaculate aesthetic re-creation of that very guitar, exactly as it would have looked during Waylon’s late 1970s heyday. Gorgeous white-colored floral patterns, intricate top and back stitching, and even an engraved metal plate with the words “To Waylon from the Waylors” are present. Fender Custom Shop Master Builder David Brown worked directly with Waylon’s son and fellow musician, Shooter, to capture every detail of the original instrument. The result is a nearly indistinguishable replication and a true museum-worthy showpiece.
Fender Custom Shop Limited-edition Masterbuilt Waylon Jennings Telecaster Relic Electric Guitar Features:
- An exacting tribute to Waylon Jennings’ iconic #1 Telecaster, built by Fender Master Builder David Brown with input from the Jennings family
- Blends the looks of Waylon’s original 1954 leather-bound Telecaster with the electronics of one of his later Telecasters to provide a snapshot of how the guitar would have looked in the late 1970s
- 2-piece select ash body, complete with a period-correct aged Butterscotch Blonde finish hiding under the leather cover
- Immaculate tooled leather replication of the design on Waylon’s guitar, crafted by master leatherworker Cody Hixon of Great Point Custom Leather
- Fender Custom Shop Hand-wound ’50-’51 Blackguard pickups capture the twang and growl that defined Waylon’s greatest hits
- 1-piece quarter-sawn maple neck in a chunky 10/56 “V” profile
- 21 vintage-tall frets in a traditional 7.25-inch radius
- Era-accurate ’51–’54 Tele bridge with brass barrel saddles for extra tonal warmth
- 5 Schaller M6 chrome-plated die-cast tuners, with a banjo tuner on the low-E string with 2 pitch presets
- Expertly aged from head to toe to mirror Waylon’s original guitar
- Also includes a beautiful tooled leather strap and custom western-tooled leather case
