Masters from the Fender Custom Shop in Prague: We’re Glad We Can Build the Most Beautiful Guitars in the World

Asked how their European “guitar shop tour” has been so far, Austin answers without hesitation: “It’s great, everyone is very kind and friendly.” No wonder, Andy Hicks and Austin MacNutt immediately strike you as enthusiastic, likeable guys who love their work, which for many of us surely qualifies as a “dream job.” Austin, in a plaid shirt and leather hat, smiling broadly, seems the embodiment of friendly, optimistic America; Andy, thanks to his look, quickly gets a question from the audience about whether Robert Plant is his idol. After just a few questions, it’s clear they are true masters of their craft.

I can’t resist asking whether, in their workshop, they ever produce an instrument that simply doesn’t play well despite all the care in building it. Can these masters really keep every aspect of the process under control to ensure every instrument is great? “If I could do that, I’d probably be the most famous guitar maker in the world,” Andy laughs. “We work with wood, it’s an organic material, and we can never have one hundred percent certainty. Rarely, an instrument just doesn’t sound right. Or you have two guitars made at the same time using exactly the same process, and one simply plays better...” Austin adds: “There’s always a little bit of what you’d call magic. Sometimes a guitar shows up that has a special charm, something extra. It’s always an adventure.” Andy concludes: “What we do have one hundred percent under control is which guitar we send out. We never let an instrument leave us unless we’re satisfied with it.”

The audience then asks about choosing materials for these top instruments. “The Fender Custom Shop has its own warehouse and team that handles wood procurement, separate from other Fender factories. The very best pieces then go to us, the Master Builders,” Andy explains. “Sometimes real rarities show up, I once built a guitar from several-thousand-year-old wood from New Zealand...” He adds that they, of course, care about sustainable sourcing. But when asked about wood prices, he smiles and shakes his head: “I have no idea, the finance department handles that. Austin and I just get to do the fun part.”

While Andy answers questions, Austin takes a genuine interest in admiring a beautiful, hand-made bass guitar, shyly shown to him by a young musician. Both men seem as comfortable connecting with people as they are with wood, frets and pickups. How do Master Builders usually communicate with their clients? “It’s very diverse,” Andy says. “Some just send us their requirements and that’s it. Others are very involved, and the building process takes place in close dialogue with the musician, which is often really interesting.”

“Have you ever built a guitar for Eric Clapton?” someone in the audience asks. Andy bursts out laughing: “Clapton only wants Todd Krause...” referring to his colleague among the Fender Master Builders. “Apparently, he knows exactly what Clapton needs,” he adds. “Some artists only want guitars from a specific builder, someone they can call whenever they want a new instrument.”

I introduce my last question by saying, “I’m convinced the Fender Stratocaster is the best electric guitar design ever created,” with which both masters enthusiastically agree. I ask whether they think another equally iconic design could still be created. “The Stratocaster, designed by Leo Fender in 1954, was so good, so perfect, that it paralyzed other manufacturers for many years from even trying to improve it,” Andy replies. “I’m glad that recently we’re seeing bold new designs and electric guitar models, so it’s possible something could one day surpass the Strat. But we’re not there yet. For now, I’m just happy I get to build the most beautiful guitars in the world.”

Now, Czech musicians also have the chance to commission a guitar directly from Andy, Austin and their fellow Fender Master Builders. “The cooperation with Fender and the presence of Custom Shop Master Builders in Prague takes Czech guitar collecting to a whole new level. We’re the only point on the map of the former Eastern Bloc where you can order an instrument exactly the way global stars do,” says Štěpán Drábek, head of the Custom Shop division at Kytary.cz.

If you’re considering something like this, I can confirm from Monday’s event that your new guitar would be built by people with real passion and true masters of their craft. But don’t forget to order in time, Austin’s answer to whether they sometimes build a guitar just for fun says it all: “Only very rarely. We have about a two-year backlog of orders! And I feel guilty if I build a guitar without an order, knowing people are waiting for theirs.” Some things, however, are worth waiting for, and beautiful instruments from the Fender Master Builders Shop definitely belong in that category.