PROFILE
SRVLENNY
simulated headstock
repair
doubles as a
cigarette holder
custom maple neck
from Billy Gibbons
non-standard
strap buttons
neck plate etched
with SRV’s name and year
five springs loaded
stock inertia block
ubiquitous SRV
style decals
Guitar Center. Each of these Master Built
guitars will be sold to customers for $17,000
– less than the $24,000 commanded for the
popular, limited edition Blackie reissue.
demand would be for this type of guitar.
Now we’re just honing that and trying to
accommodate our growing business,”
Doyle says.
When asked about how the exact distribu-
tion numbers were determined,
Michael Doyle, V.P. of Product
Marketing for Guitar Center
recalled trying to figure out an
appropriate number for their
first reproduction, Clapton’s
335, also purchased at the
Crossroads Auction in 2004.
Eventually settling on 175 units,
the guitar sold out in a weekend.
Guitar Center added ten units
specifically marked for online
distribution at guitarcenter.com
for subsequent reissues such
as Clapton’s “Blackie” which
sold out in seven hours.
“It started as an educated
guess a few years ago,
from what we thought the
Based on early looks at the Lenny reissue,
this offering looks to repeat that first-week-end sellout these Guitar Center offerings
are known for. Builders at the Fender
Custom Shop have been meticulous in recreating this piece of guitar history. Utilizing
an entire team of Master Builders, these
guitars will feature everything from the
customized maple neck, originally a gift
from ZZ Top guitarist, Billy Gibbons, down
to the cigarette burns on the headstock
and a faded Mickey Mantle autograph on
the back.
Of course, as with any reproduction of a
road-worn guitar, there are limitations to the
project. The headstock, which was originally
broken off and glued back on, is simply cut
to simulate the break, since actually performing the breaks would have a structural
impact on the guitar. Likewise, when the
pickguard on Lenny was originally pulled
off, there was years of grime and sweat on
early 1900s-style
mandolin body inlay
Mickey Mantle’s autograph,
April 1985
20 PREMIER GUITAR DECEMBER 2007
