Fender has partnered with John 5 to release not one, but three new signature guitars.
An avid Tele fanatic who has played the Big F’s famed single-cut for the majority of his career, John 5 is no stranger to signature Telecasters.
He got his first, a black/chrome beauty, back in 2004. Most recently, he was honored with the Ghost in 2023 ahead of Motley Crue’s stadium tour. Between those, John 5 also released a Tele with a Bigsby, and one inspired by 1970s Tele Deluxe.
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Oh, and let’s not forget all his Squier signature models. He’s had two of those – one in black/chrome, and another in Frost Gold.
You get the picture. John 5 can’t get enough of his Teles. And so, it seems appropriate that his unbridled passion for the model has continued momentum with the launch of three new additions to that lineup.
By our count, that makes him the most decorated Tele signature artist of all time. Nine Fender and Squier models in total.
Granted, none of them reinvent the wheel. They all look like John 5 Telecasters. Spec’d like them, too.
First, you have two Indonesian-made standard-run models. The Ghost is inspired by the all-white model he’s often seen playing, while the Phantom embraces a darker aesthetic with a black-on-black finish. Both make their long-awaited return to the Fender shelves.
Completing the range is a Custom Shop Phantom, which follows the same blueprint as the Indonesian model but heavily ups the ante with a US build.
Those first two models both feature nyatoh bodies and C-shape maple necks, as well as a pair of DiMarzio D Activator humbuckers and a signature neck plate.
(Image credit: Fender)
The Ghost has an Arctic White finish accented by those red pickup bobbins, red binding, and red control tips. There’s also a 9.5” radius maple fretboard with red dot inlays, and a six-saddle hardtail bridge.
On the other hand, the Phantom has a Black finish, with a flatter 12” radius ebony board. There’s also a Floyd Rose double-locking trem, black speed knobs, and black hardware. Both models get color-matched headstocks and a three-way toggle switch.
So, yes, everything you’d expect from a John 5 Telecaster. The Custom Shop Phantom, however, has a more premium two-piece select alder body with Ultra Contours, a Modern C profile maple neck, and a 10”-14” compound radius flat-laminated ebony fingerboard.
It keeps the DiMarzio D Activators of the other models, as well as the Floyd Rose. Of course, you get the color-matched headstock and signature neck plate, too.
“I don’t know if the Telecaster picked me or I picked it. I was so drawn to that shape,” John 5 says. “Ever since I was little, Fender was always just the pinnacle, the greatest, and I just wanted nothing more to have the best guitar for me and have the people enjoy it as well.”
Speaking to Guitar World earlier this year about his love for Telecasters, John 5 revealed his first encounter with the iconic model came from an unlikely source.
The John 5 Ghost and Phantom models are available now for $1,299. The Custom Shop Phantom is priced at $6,000.
Visit Fender for more.
