Fender Custom Shop

In 1994, singer/songwriter Sheryl Crow was just about to embark on her first tour as "new" solo artist when most of her band's equipment, including her own Custom Telecaster, was stolen. The band quickly acquired new gear, and Sheryl's backup guitar became her main instrument. When the band performed at the Backyard in Austin, Texas, a fan who had read about the stolen gear approached Sheryl with a slightly used 1959 Fender Custom Telecaster, suggesting it as a suitable replacement for her stolen instrument.

The young lad explained to Sheryl that the guitar had belonged to his mother, a fan who had lost her battle with breast cancer, and that he thought it should continue to be played. Touched, Sheryl accepted the instrument, and it remains one of her favorite guitars to this day. The instrument was brought to the Fender Custom Shop in 2011 and recreated in meticulous detail. When the first replica was sent to Sheryl, in fact, she immediately mistook it for the original. The original 1959 Custom Tele went home, and Sheryl has used that first replica ever since.