NAMM 2022: Vintage Guitars' 'The Boss' channels Bruce Springsteen’s go-to Tele

(Image credit: Vintage ProShop)

The 2022 NAMM Show is just around the corner, taking place from 3-5 June, and Vintage Guitars will be showcasing its ProShop Unique line, leading with an unofficial nod to Bruce Springsteen's faithful Telecaster which originally cost him $180, with its ‘The Boss’ T-style electric - retailing at £1,399.

If you haven’t come across Vintage’s ProShop Unique line yet, we’ll go back a bit. Essentially, this is Vintage’s custom shop - a proving ground for ideas and concepts which could see the light of day as full releases.

The guitars start life as standard Vintage production models, before they’re put in the hands of Vintage’s ProShop luthiers for modification and reimagining to create one-off guitars.

Vintage The Boss — (Image credit: Vintage)

In the case of The Boss, Vintage’s description makes no mention of the blue-collar songwriting hero, but there’s plenty of suggestion starting with the unmistakable name, and pointing out that it looks like it’s spent years being “Worn in the USA”.

The guitar is based on a Vintage V52MRBS, an affordable T-style guitar that has also formed the basis for Vintage’s ProShop ‘Brown Sugar’ model.

Here, though, the Butterscotch finish has been removed to reveal the ash wood grain underneath then finished with an Amber coat to give it the tobacco smoke-stained look.

The neck and hardware - swapped for a set of Wilkinson WJO7CR E-Z Lok tuners and a Gotoh GTC201 bridge - have also has been aged, and a Bakelite scratchplate fitted to complete the ageing.

But it’s all for show if the tone doesn’t match the visuals, so Vintage’s team have fitted a pair of Bare Knuckle ‘The Boss’ single coils which it says gives a fat, powerful, chiming tone thanks to the pickups’ high output and extended low and high frequency voicing.

The Boss is just one of many hot-rodded ProShop Unique guitars that the company has already begun to unveil. Each ProShop Unique comes with a Vintage-branded luxury gigbag, ProShop leather strap, pick tin, t-shirt and pro Shop certificate of authenticity. For more information and to find your nearest dealer, visit Vintage’s website.

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Stuart has been working for guitar publications since 2008, beginning his career as Reviews Editor for Total Guitar before becoming Editor for six years. During this time, he and the team brought the magazine into the modern age with digital editions, a Youtube channel and the Apple chart-bothering Total Guitar Podcast. Stuart has also served as a freelance writer for Guitar World, Guitarist and MusicRadar reviewing hundreds of products spanning everything from acoustic guitars to valve amps, modelers and plugins. When not spouting his opinions on the best new gear, Stuart has been reminded on many occasions that the 'never meet your heroes' rule is entirely wrong, clocking-up interviews with the likes of Eddie Van Halen, Foo Fighters, Green Day and many, many more.