When Leo Fender crafted his first solid-body electric guitar – the Telecaster – in the early 1950s, he didn’t just create an instrument; he sparked a revolution in music. Since then, Fender has become synonymous with the electric guitar, shaping genres and equipping icons with its unmistakable tone and constant innovation.

Fast-forward to now, and that legacy continues to evolve. Cue Fender’s new American Professional Classic range. picks up the thread and pulls it forward, refining a golden-era blueprint for a new generation of players. Crafted in Fender’s legendary Corona, California, factory, the collection pays homage to eight of the brand’s most iconic models – Stratocaster, Telecaster, Hotshot Telecaster, Jazzmaster, Jaguar, Precision Bass, Jazz Bass, and Mustang Bass. The result: timeless silhouettes re-tuned for today. Crafted by skilled artisans, the line blends decades of tradition with modern design, offering a clarified, punchy sound and supremely playable feel – while maintaining all the embedded hums, twang, and soul that make them so beloved.

Painted in subtly worn-in classic finishes – like a ‘Faded Black’ inspired by a vintage Clash tee – each model is imbued with contemporary features, such as smoother Modern ‘C’ necks for easy movement and newly designed Coastline pickups that deliver clarity and grit.

To go deeper, we caught up with Austin MacNutt, one of Fender’s Master Builders shaping custom instruments for the brand’s most devoted players. From his most ambitious builds to the American Professional Classic’s design tweaks, MacNutt talks us through the design process, the details, and why Fender’s sound continues to resonate – from practice rooms to stadium shows.

Alex James Taylor: Hey, can you start by walking me through the process of crafting a custom guitar – where it begins, where it ends, and how long it usually takes?
Austin MacNutt: The process starts depending on where the order comes from – sometimes a dealer reaches out directly, or sometimes it’s a customer going through a dealer. Either way, the dealer facilitates the order, and I’ll receive a sheet called the Traveller. That document includes all the specs and information I need. Sometimes it’ll say “Contact before build,” which I actually prefer as that gives me a chance to speak directly with the customer to find out what kind of music they play, which guitars they’ve liked in the past – just to make sure we’re aligned on what they want and how to get there.

Because it’s a custom shop, the builds can range from completely wild and unique to something more traditional, like a ’62 Strat. If it’s a more unusual build, I’ll start sourcing specific woods. For something standard, I’ll handpick the wood based on what suits the project. Once everything’s lined up, we start the build. A standard Strat-type guitar typically takes around four months, give or take. I manage the entire process from start to finish – right down to hand-delivering it to the shipping department. So from that first customer call to the final handoff, it’s a one-on-one, personal experience.

AJT: Do people ever bring in parts from old guitars and ask you to build around them, or do you always start from scratch?
AM: We always start from scratch. Sometimes people base a build on an older guitar, or they want specific measurements from something they own, but the guitar itself is built entirely new.

“I manage the entire process from start to finish – right down to hand-delivering it to the shipping department.”

AJT: What’s the most ambitious or niche build you’ve ever worked on?
AM: I always go back to the Alligator project [points to a custom Strat with an alligator sticker]. That was by far the most ambitious build. Nothing about it was standard – it was a fully custom design with tons of detail work. The kicker is that we didn’t just make one, we did a run of 100. That level of customisation – repeated 100 times – was intense but super rewarding.

Lately, I’ve also been working on a lot of set-neck guitars, which is something a little different for Fender. It’s a more involved process compared to the traditional bolt-on necks we’re known for. It’s still very much a Fender build, but with a new twist that makes it exciting.

AJT: And how long have you been at Fender?
AM: A little over four years now.

AJT: But you’ve been building guitars much longer?
AM: Yeah, I started when I was seventeen.

AJT: Do you remember your very first build?
AM: Yeah, I still have it and still play it. It was a Telecaster, but I modified the bottom horn to resemble Jerry Garcia’s Tiger guitar. It had a quilted maple top, three P-90s – because more P-90s is always better – mahogany body. That was my first real project, built when I was in guitar-building school.

AJT: How long did that take you?
AM: Six months.

AJT: Do you find that trends in music influence what people ask for when it comes to custom builds – do you see different specs come in and out of fashion?
AM: Definitely. It’s not always obvious in the moment, but when you look back, you can spot the shifts. Right now, relic-style guitars are still hugely popular – I’d say 80 percent of what I build is aged in some way. But I’ve also noticed more demand for high-performance features: two-point tremolos, more humbuckers. I think a lot of that has to do with the age of the customers; people who grew up during the shredder-era now have the means to order custom instruments, and that shows in the specs they want.

“People who grew up during the shredder-era now have the means to order custom instruments, and that shows in the specs they want.”

AJT: Can you tell me about the new American Professional Classic models – what sets them apart?
AM: It blends vintage aesthetics with modern upgrades. You’ve got the classic look and feel that Fender is known for, but with a few improvements: slightly hotter pickups, upgraded hardware, rolled fingerboard edges for comfort. So it still looks vintage on stage, but it plays with more modern precision. It’s really a merging of both worlds.

AJT: When you’re building, do you listen to music or prefer silence?
AM: Both – it depends on the task. For more repetitive stuff, like fretwork or sanding, I usually put on some music. But when I’m working on something really detailed, I like quiet so I can stay focused.

Shop the American Professional Classic range here.