Fender Custom Shop The Complete Diamond Collection
Regular price
$250,000.00
The Fender Custom Shop Diamond Collection has been the Crown Jewel in my personal guitar collection since I started receiving the guitars in 1994. Several of the guitars in the Diamond Collection have gone on to be some of the most sought after and recognizable Strats on the collectible market and all of them have a bevy of cool things to celebrate. So here is the complete story on my favorite Custom Shop Collection of all time!
The Diamond Collection marked the beginning of the Fender Custom Shop showing off true pieces of Art in guitar building. It was the early 1990’s. Fender wanted to show the guitar community that they could build more than just a working man's guitar. They wanted to show off a collection of builders that not only could build the perfect Fender guitar, like the pre-CBS era guitars, but also take things to the next level and deliver true pieces of art.
Fender went to a select number of dealers around the country & offered them to become a “Diamond Dealer”. Each dealer would receive 2 of the Diamond edition guitars per year. A total of 6 models were created. The first 2 were released in 1994.
The Fender Diamond Collection consists of 6 guitars and they arrived in the following order...
- Harley Davidson Strat
- Playboy Anniversary Strat. "Marilyn Monroe”
- Aloha Strat in honor of Freddie Tavares
- 40th Anniversary Strat. In honor of the 40 years of the Strat
- 50th Anniversary Strat in honor of the 50th anniversary of Fender (video coming soon!)
- Jimi Hendrix Monterey Pop Festival Stratocaster
The Music Gallery was one of the very first Diamond Dealers. It marked the beginning of Fender Custom Shop as we know it today. As the owner of the Music Gallery since 1974, I am very proud to say that The Music Gallery has remained a Fender Custom Shop dealer since becoming one of the first Diamond dealers. All 6 of the collection has been kept here at the Music Gallery in their cases routinely maintained by George MacPhail.
Because many of these guitars were co-branded with other industries ( Harley Davidson, Playboy Enterprises, and the Hendrix Foundation ) many were given to those companies. Only the guitars built for Diamond dealers had a special addition on the headstock of the guitar. It was the signature Custom Shop Logo V with an actual diamond inlaid. All the guitars were built with the same diamond inlay. Only the Diamond Dealer guitars had the extra special logo to show it was shipped to one of the special dealers.
Most, if not all of the Diamond Dealers at that time, sold these guitars as they were made, shipped, and received. I decided to keep them as a set. I considered these guitars to be quite special and I still do! After all, these are truly collectible, unique Fender Custom Shop guitars. True pieces of art.
Please take a look at all the pictures of each Guitar as there is plenty to appreciate about each one! If you have any questions please feel free to call or write me.
The Diamond Collection you see here is being offered for sale. These guitars have rarely been out of their cases & played, except to be oogled over ever so often at special Fender Events that we've held at the shop over the years. Every little item that these guitars were shipped with is included, including the scent of Patchouli Oil on the Hendrix Monterey Strat. Too cool!
Check out this Playlist with quick demos of each of the Fender Diamond Collection Guitars!
The Music Gallery
(847) 432-6350
Musicglry@gmail.com