Guitar of the Month 2011
January: Fender Cumberland River Floodwater Lucite Esquire
This Lucite guitar—Luci for short—is unlike any Fender-produced instrument ever made. It was conceived for NasH2O, a set of auctions to benefit Nashville musicians without resources and insurance who lost their instruments in the spring 2010 flood, and was filled with floodwater from Nashville’s Cumberland River. Despite being filled with water, the guitar is fully functional—though heavier than a standard guitar—and stocked with Fender’s ‘50s reissue neck and hardware. It features a ‘50s reissue one-piece maple neck with “skunk stripe” truss rod fill, 7.25" fretboard radius with vintage-style frets, vintage-style tuners, vintage Tele bridge pickup with ‘50s style cloth wiring, vintage volume and tone setup with Greasebucket tone circuit, a reverse control plate (a common Nashville modification), and an ashtray bridge cover.