After the recent release of the Fender American Acoustasonic Jazzmaster, Master Builder Ron Thorn has unveiled his latest luxurious creation, which is inspired by the guitar’s offset body – The Trees.
Named after the blend of lavish woods used in the making of the model, The Trees is composed of three separate types of premium tonewoods, all of which have mythological status and historically exclusive origins.
The body, for instance, is made out of Stradivarius spruce, which originates from the Musical Woods in the Italian Alps. For centuries, this area was off limits, with Antonio Stradivari himself handpicking the trees that he would use to craft what Thorn describes as "some of the world's finest stringed instruments".
After a storm ripped through the area, the wood was briefly made available again, with Thorn crafting his Offset Custom Shop from one of the uprooted spruce trees.
Paired with the spruce is a highly figured bookmatched mahogany top, taken from the mythical "Tree". Felled by axe in 1965, this prized piece of wood was recovered from a ravine by a saw mill owner in 1980, who discovered its unique characteristics after cutting it into four sections.
Used in the '80s and '90s by boutique acoustic guitar makers, the wood was soon revered all around the world and quickly hit mythological status – Thorn claimed he's had this specific piece stashed away after Fender purchased a single piece two years ago.
The luxury doesn't end there, with the guitar also sporting a sinker mahogany neck, which came from a piece of wood that remained waterlogged for 75 years, before being retrieved, dried and milled.
To cap off the ornate instrument, Thorn has included an ebony bridge, a 12" ebony fretboard, and an intricate leaf-inspired inlay design, composed from a number of wood species. A spruce Fender logo is also embossed on the headstock.
Said Thorn, “This was a once in a lifetime opportunity for me to build this instrument, the pinnacle in my career.
“Like all Master Builders, we’ve all come across a special piece of wood or two to stash it away in our work areas, waiting for the right opportunity to turn it into a unique guitar. In this case, it was three special pieces of wood.
“As soon as I heard we were about to launch a new model of the Acoustasonic, the Offset shape, I immediately coupled together these pieces of wood in my mind, and felt that the end result would be an instrument worthy of such amazing timbers.“
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