Fender Custom Shop Limited El Mocambo Matched Set Masterbuilt Ron Thorn (2022)

In 1948 Toronto restaurateur Joe Brown opened a restaurant and dance hall on Spadina Avenue. He named it after his favorite restaurant, the Mocambo in California. He hung an imposing 22-foot sign on the front of the building, a huge palm tree with the neon-lit lettering “El Mocambo” under the white lights of the moonlit leaves. A few decades later El Mocambo was converted into a Rock 'n' Roll venue and it wasn't long before this location became the place to be for musicians such as the Rolling Stones, Jimmy Hendrix, Muddy Waters and Stevie Ray Vaughan. El Mocambo was the place to play. For many up-and-coming artists a performance under the legendary neon palm tree was a sure sign that they had made it. One of the many guests to experience this historic venue was Fender Principal Masterbuilder Ron Thorn. A Toronto native, he has been present at several of the most prestigious shows at El Mocambo, including Edgar Winter and Jeff Healey. And after the club was renovated in 2014 and the new owner gave parts of the historic floorboards and rafters to the Fender Custom Shop, Ron was naturally delighted to make 25 Stratocasters and 25 Telecasters from the 300-year-old white pine. Thorn thought about giving the guitars a yellow-green finish, but after seeing the woods he decided he would let the incredible grain speak for itself. With Josefina handwounds from the 60s, African blackwood fretboards and Canadian maple necks, as well as gold mother-of-pearl inlays including a palm tree on the fretboard, the vibe of the legendary era is paid homage to. In addition, the two extremely resonant guitars are outstanding and lightweight players with the super comfortable “1959 D” neck profile, a 9.5'' fingerboard radius and the fast 6100 frets ensuring the very best playability. In keeping with the iconic history that is immediately noticeable in the guitars, these are clearly Rock guitars, as Ron emphasizes. This is ensured by a “Handwound 69” on the neck of the Strat, a “Handwound Vintage 65” in the middle and a “Handwound Texas Special” on the bridge. A “Handwound Twisted Tele” was installed on the neck of the Tele and a “Handwound Texas Special” on the bridge. The highlight of the extensive case-candies, including leather straps with club logo, “El Mocambo” pin, posters and a live DVD, are certainly the cases themselves, which have been designed in neon green and yellow in the club's colors and feature the characteristic palm tree logo on the front. And to make every collector's heart beat faster, this is a “matched” set, i.e. a pair that comes to its future owner with two consecutive serial numbers. Whether player or collector, this incredible set should not be missed...

• Including original cases, certificates, spec sheets, case candies
• Weight: 3370 (Strat), 2980 (Tele)