Guest Luthier - Mike Eldred, Fender Custom Shop, March 16, 2010 10 - 2 Pacific

Evan Skopp · 03-04-2010, 12:46 PM

Guest Luthier – Mike Eldred, Director Sales and Marketing, Fender® Custom Shop

Tuesday, March 16, 2010. 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM Pacific Time.

Mike Eldred began building guitars in 1979 at Charvel® Manufacturing in San Dimas, California (later to be called Jackson® / Charvel). He was the first employee Grover Jackson hired, and worked on Randy Rhoads’ guitars and many other artists including Gary Moore, Allan Holdsworth, Jeff Beck, and Edward Van Halen. After eight years at Charvel Jackson, Mike left to work at Yamaha® Musical Instruments. There, he was in charge of the Guitar Service Department and eventually became the Guitar Product Manager and the Guitar / Bass Artist Relations Manager, working with John Patitucci, Nathan East, and Billy Sheehan among others.

In 1994, Mike left Yamaha to tour as guitarist with Lee Rocker, rockabilly double bassist from the Stray Cats. Mike recorded three CDs with Lee before leaving to devote more time to his growing family. Fender Custom Shop Manager John Page called Mike in 1996 and offered him a position as Shop Supervisor. When Page left Fender, Mike became the Fender Custom Shop Manager. Mike eventually worked his way up to his current position as Director of Sales and Marketing for the Fender Custom Shop, where he works with artists, develops new products, helps organize trade shows, and is responsible for positioning and market development of the Fender Custom Shop.

One highlight of Mike's career at Fender came when he had the opportunity to travel to the Experience Music Project (EMP) in Seattle to inspect and document Jimi Hendrix’ famed White Stratocaster® played at Woodstock. Every aspect of the guitar was documented and Mike hand-built four “clones” of the instrument which were detailed down to each scratch and ding.

Another highlight for Mike was going to Austin, Texas along with Fender’s Richard McDonald and George Blanda, to document Stevie Ray Vaughan’s #1 Stratocaster as well as Jimmie Vaughan’s personal guitars to be replicated by the Fender Custom Shop.

“Working for Fender and the Fender Custom Shop is a dream job for somebody like me who still plays and has been around building guitars for most of my life,” says Eldred. “I still get to build stuff every once and a while, and the whole team are really focused on our mission of building the best that Fender can build.”

Make sure to mark Tuesday, March 16, 10:00 AM Pacific on your calendars now for this special live Q&A session with one of the musical instrument industry’s most important players.

Fender, Stratocaster, Charvel and Jackson are registered trademarks of FMIC with which Seymour Duncan is not affiliated.

J Moose · 03-04-2010, 12:55 PM

Now that's pretty sick!!!

Right on!

daemon barbeque · 03-04-2010, 01:04 PM

Oh man, this is going to be hot!
big Jackson fan here!

cakire82 · 03-04-2010, 01:08 PM

This is so cool!!!

the guy who invented fire · 03-04-2010, 01:10 PM

WOW...Mike is the man!!!

This is gonna be very cool!

XSSIVE · 03-04-2010, 01:18 PM

as a Charvel addict with quite a bunch of them in my collection and others in my past this is VERY cool to see happen!

-Mike

B2D · 03-04-2010, 02:57 PM

WOOOO!!!

I was hoping this series would pick up after NAMM. Thanks a million, Evan!

tc · 03-04-2010, 05:22 PM

There is a god.

jmh151 · 03-04-2010, 07:32 PM

AWESOME!!!!

Now we just need Mike Shannon and possibly Grover Jackson

Got_tone? · 03-04-2010, 07:37 PM

It's been a while since we've had one of these threads and this is the perfect way to restart them. Great work, Evan.

Diego · 03-05-2010, 05:57 AM

Awesome! Thanks Evan!

Desert · 03-05-2010, 10:23 AM

Excellent!!

Very much looking fwd. to this, as I have known who he is for a long time.

scottish · 03-05-2010, 10:29 AM

this is awesome.

Luís · 03-05-2010, 02:39 PM

Excellent.

ImmortalSix · 03-05-2010, 08:01 PM

Can't wait, great pick!

B Bent · 03-08-2010, 09:25 AM

This is VERY exciting! Thanks SD and Fender for this cool opportunity!

DrNewcenstein · 03-12-2010, 05:39 AM

Warn Mike ahead of time that he better dust off his memories of Randy's guitars, because he's seriously going to be brain-picked about them

blueslegend8 · 03-13-2010, 06:38 PM

SICK! hope he's ready for this, cuz I am.

JOLLY · 03-13-2010, 07:03 PM

I must be blind as a bat. I can't believe I just noticed this thread.

crusty philtrum · 03-15-2010, 04:59 AM

AH ! I knew it ....he was one of the two guys at Fender responsible for creating the Rory Gallagher Tribute Strat .....

http://www.stratcollector.com/newsde...es/000248.html

03-04-2010, 01:04 PM	#3
daemon barbeque Zuhahahaologist Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Feeling the Mistral Age: 34 Posts: 9,092	Re: Guest Luthier - Mike Eldred, Fender Custom Shop, March 16, 2010 10 - 2 Pacific Oh man, this is going to be hot! big Jackson fan here! __________________ www.myspace.com/daemonbarbeque

03-04-2010, 01:08 PM	#4
cakire82 Cake Mire Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: MA, USA Posts: 1,905	Re: Guest Luthier - Mike Eldred, Fender Custom Shop, March 16, 2010 10 - 2 Pacific This is so cool!!! __________________ "We live thinking we will never die. We die thinking we had never lived. Cut it out." - Jason Becker "The Only Thing That Is Constant Is Change" - Heraclitus House of Jackson, Charvel, ESP, BC Rich, Dean etc.. Fans. Come and Join us!

03-04-2010, 01:10 PM	#5
the guy who invented fire Fuzzy Guitars Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Just follow the sound of FUZZ Posts: 15,221	Re: Guest Luthier - Mike Eldred, Fender Custom Shop, March 16, 2010 10 - 2 Pacific WOW...Mike is the man!!! This is gonna be very cool! __________________ ...using transistor powered boxes to make small tube amps sound HUGE...

03-04-2010, 01:18 PM	#6
XSSIVE OCDologist Join Date: May 2004 Location: Long Island, NY Age: 29 Posts: 6,478	Re: Guest Luthier - Mike Eldred, Fender Custom Shop, March 16, 2010 10 - 2 Pacific as a Charvel addict with quite a bunch of them in my collection and others in my past this is VERY cool to see happen! -Mike __________________ www.XSSIVEguitars.com ... www.1320DesignCompany.com

03-04-2010, 07:32 PM	#9
jmh151 Mojo's Minions Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 3,069	Re: Guest Luthier - Mike Eldred, Fender Custom Shop, March 16, 2010 10 - 2 Pacific AWESOME!!!! Now we just need Mike Shannon and possibly Grover Jackson

03-04-2010, 12:46 PM	#1
Evan Skopp Administrator Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Santa Barbara, California, USA Posts: 3,696	Guest Luthier - Mike Eldred, Fender Custom Shop, March 16, 2010 10 - 2 Pacific Guest Luthier – Mike Eldred, Director Sales and Marketing, Fender® Custom Shop Tuesday, March 16, 2010. 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM Pacific Time. Mike Eldred began building guitars in 1979 at Charvel® Manufacturing in San Dimas, California (later to be called Jackson® / Charvel). He was the first employee Grover Jackson hired, and worked on Randy Rhoads’ guitars and many other artists including Gary Moore, Allan Holdsworth, Jeff Beck, and Edward Van Halen. After eight years at Charvel Jackson, Mike left to work at Yamaha® Musical Instruments. There, he was in charge of the Guitar Service Department and eventually became the Guitar Product Manager and the Guitar / Bass Artist Relations Manager, working with John Patitucci, Nathan East, and Billy Sheehan among others. In 1994, Mike left Yamaha to tour as guitarist with Lee Rocker, rockabilly double bassist from the Stray Cats. Mike recorded three CDs with Lee before leaving to devote more time to his growing family. Fender Custom Shop Manager John Page called Mike in 1996 and offered him a position as Shop Supervisor. When Page left Fender, Mike became the Fender Custom Shop Manager. Mike eventually worked his way up to his current position as Director of Sales and Marketing for the Fender Custom Shop, where he works with artists, develops new products, helps organize trade shows, and is responsible for positioning and market development of the Fender Custom Shop. One highlight of Mike's career at Fender came when he had the opportunity to travel to the Experience Music Project (EMP) in Seattle to inspect and document Jimi Hendrix’ famed White Stratocaster® played at Woodstock. Every aspect of the guitar was documented and Mike hand-built four “clones” of the instrument which were detailed down to each scratch and ding. Another highlight for Mike was going to Austin, Texas along with Fender’s Richard McDonald and George Blanda, to document Stevie Ray Vaughan’s #1 Stratocaster as well as Jimmie Vaughan’s personal guitars to be replicated by the Fender Custom Shop. “Working for Fender and the Fender Custom Shop is a dream job for somebody like me who still plays and has been around building guitars for most of my life,” says Eldred. “I still get to build stuff every once and a while, and the whole team are really focused on our mission of building the best that Fender can build.” Make sure to mark Tuesday, March 16, 10:00 AM Pacific on your calendars now for this special live Q&A session with one of the musical instrument industry’s most important players. Fender, Stratocaster, Charvel and Jackson are registered trademarks of FMIC with which Seymour Duncan is not affiliated. __________________ Evan Skopp, VP Business Development & Artist Relations Seymour Duncan / Basslines / Antiquity / Duncan Designed / Benedetto Pickups and D-TAR Follow Me on Twitter

03-05-2010, 05:57 AM	#11
Diego Mojo's Minions Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Santiago, Chile Age: 25 Posts: 3,638	Re: Guest Luthier - Mike Eldred, Fender Custom Shop, March 16, 2010 10 - 2 Pacific Awesome! Thanks Evan! __________________ · Ibanez SZ320 / Screamin' Demon bridge. · AllParts Strat / Toneriders Pure Vintage pickup set. · Squier Strat / JB bridge. · Roland Cube 60.

03-05-2010, 10:23 AM	#12
Desert Tone Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: near the border Posts: 173	Re: Guest Luthier - Mike Eldred, Fender Custom Shop, March 16, 2010 10 - 2 Pacific Excellent!! Very much looking fwd. to this, as I have known who he is for a long time.

03-05-2010, 08:01 PM	#15
ImmortalSix John Mayer's Mankini Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: The Commonwealth of Virginia Posts: 12,433	Re: Guest Luthier - Mike Eldred, Fender Custom Shop, March 16, 2010 10 - 2 Pacific Can't wait, great pick! __________________ My Music Review Blog My YouTube Channel

03-08-2010, 09:25 AM	#16
B Bent Vibroluxologist Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Mr. Ray Charles wrote a tune about my beloved state being on his mind. Age: 29 Posts: 7,387	Re: Guest Luthier - Mike Eldred, Fender Custom Shop, March 16, 2010 10 - 2 Pacific This is VERY exciting! Thanks SD and Fender for this cool opportunity! __________________ I get weak in the knees at the sight of a vintage Fender amp!

03-12-2010, 05:39 AM	#17
DrNewcenstein Mojo's Minions Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 3,249	Re: Guest Luthier - Mike Eldred, Fender Custom Shop, March 16, 2010 10 - 2 Pacific Warn Mike ahead of time that he better dust off his memories of Randy's guitars, because he's seriously going to be brain-picked about them

03-13-2010, 06:38 PM	#18
blueslegend8 Toneologist Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: appalachia Age: 23 Posts: 758	Re: Guest Luthier - Mike Eldred, Fender Custom Shop, March 16, 2010 10 - 2 Pacific SICK! hope he's ready for this, cuz I am. __________________ "The only two things in life that make it worth living is guitars that tune good and firm-feeling women."__Waylon Jennings. "Sic Transit Gloria...Glory Fades"

03-13-2010, 07:03 PM	#19
JOLLY Tennessee Titan Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Middle Tennessee Age: 43 Posts: 29,305	Re: Guest Luthier - Mike Eldred, Fender Custom Shop, March 16, 2010 10 - 2 Pacific I must be blind as a bat. I can't believe I just noticed this thread. __________________ *Jazz/Jazz, 59/59, Pearly Gates/Pearly Gates, Alnico II Pro/Alnico II Pro, Custom Custom/Pearly Gates, Duncan Custom/59, JB/Jazz, Phat Cat/Phat Cat* *Some Of My Songs And Riffs* My Guitars And Gear

03-15-2010, 04:59 AM	#20
crusty philtrum Ultimate Tone Slacker Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Melbourne Australia Posts: 2,784	Re: Guest Luthier - Mike Eldred, Fender Custom Shop, March 16, 2010 10 - 2 Pacific AH ! I knew it ....he was one of the two guys at Fender responsible for creating the Rory Gallagher Tribute Strat ..... http://www.stratcollector.com/newsde...es/000248.html __________________ Lumbering dinosaur (what's a master volume control?)

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode