Fender Custom Shop announces Pine Cone Stratocaster

NAMM 2015: Check out this eye-popping model from the Fender Custom Shop, dubbed the Pine Cone Stratocaster. On paper that doesn't necessarily sound too exciting, at least that is, until you realise its actually based on the priceless jewelled Fabergé 'Pine Cone' egg and is inlaid with some 550 diamonds.

Hardware is fashioned from 18ct gold and hand-engraved, while the body is fashioned from a single-piece of maple, with a rather stunning piece of bird's eye maple selected for the neck. Not that you're interested in the tonal qualities at this stage...

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Browse the gallery to read Fender's full commentary and press release on the Pine Cone Stratocaster

PRESS RELEASE: SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (January 22, 2015) – The Fender Custom Shop is proud to announce Senior Master Builder, Yuriy Shishkov’s latest masterpiece – the handcrafted “Pine Cone Stratocaster” guitar modeled after the antique “Pine Cone” Easter Egg made by Fabergé in 1900.

PRESS RELEASE: This exclusive one-of-a-kind guitar features 550 high-quality diamonds, 10 feet of 18 karat gold adorning a flawless single-piece maple body and exhibition grade bird’s eye maple neck.

PRESS RELEASE: The body artwork design was created in a 3D format and projected onto the guitar before it was hand-carved to produce the sphere surface effect of an egg.

If all the scales on the guitar were extended beyond the instrument’s contour, they would create a perfect “egg” shape.

PRESS RELEASE: The blue hand-stained “multi-composite” finish was specially invented for this particular guitar to recreate the “egg-like” appearance.

PRESS RELEASE: The guitar’s hardware was hand engraved; the knobs and switch tip were custom designed at the Fender Custom Shop and crowned with diamonds.

In addition, the “Fender” logo on the headstock is made of 2mm gold plated solid silver; the fingerboard comes complete with inlaid diamonds and 10 feet of 18 karat gold ribbon wire inlay, and is finished with a gold-plated nut.

PRESS RELEASE: The “old stock” pickups were hand-wound by legendary Fender Custom Shop pickup winder, Abigail Ybarra, and feature “encapsulated” pickup mounting, a never before seen technique that eliminates additional routing and leaves more “real estate” surface on the guitar’s body for additional artwork.

PRESS RELEASE: The “Pine Cone” Stratocaster will be accommodated with an authentic limited edition Fabergé Easter “Pine Cone Egg”.

Both the guitar and the egg have matching serial numbers (0074). Like the original antique egg, it has a surprise miniature “Elephant” inside. In addition, the egg has been signed by Maison Tatiana Fabergé.

The guitar comes complete with a custom carrying case, a hand-tooled blue leather matching design custom strap and lighted display case.

For more information, go to www.fender.com/custom-shop/.