Two pieces, built as one, and sold as one. Kyle Keesler of K5 Design drew the Chimayo motif and did the leather work on the guitar, and the same motif carries across the faceplate of the Two-Rock that came in with it. The Fender build sheet carries his name and a "call before build" note against it, which is what a genuine collaboration looks like on a Fender work order rather than a finish option ticked from a list.
The guitar was four years on order. Andy Hicks masterbuilt it. A '52 Telecaster underneath, heavy relic'd, two-piece ash, 21 frets on a plain-grain maple neck in a 52 "U" at .860" and .920", 7.25" radius, vintage-upgrade 45085 fret wire. Recon stone inlays. Falcon jewelled knobs.
The electronics are where it stops being a '52. The neck position is routed for a humbucker and carries a CuNiFe Wide Range, and the bridge is a hand-wound Crushed Blackguard Tele. That pairing is the guitar: a Wide Range's thickness and clarity at the neck against a blackguard bridge pickup, in a body finished as an art piece. It comes in the Fender Custom Shop tweed case.
The amp is tobacco suede over head and cab, chrome corners, a silver control panel, and a grille cloth carrying the same weaving motif in red, turquoise and black. Underneath the cosmetics it is the Silver Sterling Signature, which came out of nearly a decade of work after the original Sterling. 150 watts from four 6550s, switchable to 75, with a sixth 12AX7 running as a cathode follower. The half-power switch is not a compromise setting; Two-Rock built the scaling so the amp keeps its character at either setting.
The High and Low Cut are seven-position rotary filters rather than simple tone controls, which is where the amp's reputation for sitting exactly where you want it in a mix comes from. The FET and the tone stack bypass are both foot-switchable. Tube-driven analog spring reverb with its own Send and Return, a passive effects loop, speaker outputs at 4, 8 and 16 ohms. The head is 24" wide and 51 pounds, and the matching 2x12 comes with it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALMLBAWYeWo
SPECIFICATIONS
BODY
FENDER HEAVY RELIC '52 CHIMAYO TELECASTER
Masterbuilder: Andy Hicks
Design and artwork: Kyle Keesler, K5 Design
Serial: R135183
Body: Ash, 2-piece
Body Finish: Heavy Relic lacquer
NECK
Neck: Maple, plain grain
Neck Finish: Medium Tint nitrocellulose
Neck Shape: 52 Style "U" (.860" 1st, .920" 12th)
Fingerboard: Maple
Fingerboard Radius: 7.25"
Frets: 21, Vintage Upgrade 45085
Nut: Bone, 1.650" width
Truss Rod: 50's
Inlays: Recon stone, narrow spacing
Headstock Decal: Vintage Silver Fender Tele
ELECTRONICS
Neck Pickup: Wide Range Humbucker, CuNiFe, Relic
Bridge Pickup: Hand-Wound Crushed Blackguard Tele
Controls: 51 Nocaster, Relic
HARDWARE
Bridge: Tele 51-54, Relic
Tuning Keys: Vintage with Fender logo, Relic
Pickguard: Custom brass, turquoise patina
Neck Plate: Vintage Tele, Relic
Knobs: Falcon jewelled
Hardware: Chrome/Nickel
CASE
Case: Fender Custom Shop Strat/Tele Tweed
AMPLIFIER
TWO-ROCK SILVER STERLING SIGNATURE 150W CHIMAYO WITH 2x12 CAB
Serial: #395/22422
Power Output: 150 watts, switchable to 75
Power Tubes: (4) 6550
Preamp: 6th 12AX7 cathode follower
Controls: FET, Gain, Treble, Middle, Bass, High Cut, Low Cut, Reverb Send, Reverb Return, Master, Presence
Filters: 7-position High and Low Cut rotary
Footswitchable: FET and Tone Stack Bypass
Reverb: Tube-driven analog spring, with Send and Return
Effects Loop: Passive
Power Switch: High/Low
Speaker Outputs: 4 ohm, 8 ohm, 16 ohm
CABINET
Covering: Tobacco suede, head and cab
Grille: Chimayo motif
Trim: Chrome corners, silver control panel, silver-skirted knobs
Cabinet: Matching 2x12
Cabinet Speakers: 2 x 12" Two-Rock TR12
Head Dimensions: 24"W x 13"H x 10.75"D
Head Weight: 51 lbs
