RON THORN
Meet one of the world’s most skilled guitar-makers and inlay artists, whose exceptional creations are some of the best and most imaginative designs the Californian “hot-rod shop” has to offer
The boutique guitar world is rife with specialists: those who do modern set-neck fusion machines, or down ’n’ dirty rock warriors, or presentation guitars with exotic woods and elaborate inlays, or hot-rodded bolt-necks. Ron Thorn does all of the above, and more – and he nails everything he touches with a rare blend of precision and soul. No wonder Fender’s Custom Shop made him Principal Master Builder.
As well as the talent and unfettered creativity he brings to the Custom Shop, Thorn also has impressive statistics. No prior Master Builder has come into the ranks from outside Fender since the inception of the institution at the hands of co-founding Master Builder Mike Stevens. Plus, to our knowledge, none has built as many guitars while an independent maker as Thorn did prior to his move to the Custom Shop (some 800 in total), while also maintaining a business as one of the world’s most renowned inlay artists.
It would also be safe to say that none honed their chops making guitars that diverged so widely, even radically, from the traditional Fender formula. A 24-fret, set-neck double-cut with carved bookmatched top in flamed koa, multicoloured Koi inlaid into its ebony fingerboard, abalone
