free tiki mug from Fender

First the Shag tiki Telecaster last year ...

http://www.fenderusa.com/store/hulamug/noflash.html

OK, you have to buy $55 worth of stuff from the Fender online store to get the mug ... but it's still pretty cool.

FYI, Freddie Travares was one of Fender's prime movers in the glory days of the '50s, hugely influencial in product design and development. By all accounts a super-nice guy, he also was a great player, particularly on the steel guitar - that's him playing the initial acending swoop on the Looney Tunes theme. Some years ago, the Fender Custom Shop did a FT commemorative Stratocaster with a metal body that was acid-etched with Hawaiian scenes like a National resonator guitar ... too cool.

Good info Tweedtone, on my favorite subject - steel guitar. Freddie Tavares was born in 1913, in Maui. In 1937, played broadcasts of Hawaii Calls radio show with Harry Owen's Royal Hawaiians, then came to LA with the band and recorded extensively and backed some of the greats like Bing Crosby and Dorthy Lamour. Freddie played all the ukulele parts on Blue Hawaii with Elvis.

In 1953, he began working with Leo Fender designing and building guitars, pedal steel guitars, and electric bass guitars.

tweedtone, thanks for the head's-up on this!

That wasn't hard getting to $55 at all. Besides some great guitar shirts, they also have a shirt with a Shag Tiki playing guitar and an awesome shirt with artwork from a 1960's ad of a guy playing guitar while surfing.

Ummm...I think I'm missing something here. Where do you see or find a reference to "Shag" or is 'shag' a term for something guitar-related by Fender?

On 2004-10-12 10:30, SugarCaddyDaddy wrote:
Ummm...I think I'm missing something here. Where do you see or find a reference to "Shag" or is 'shag' a term for something guitar-related by Fender?

Here ya go: Shag Goes Electric T-Shirt

On 2004-10-12 10:30, SugarCaddyDaddy wrote:
Ummm...I think I'm missing something here. Where do you see or find a reference to "Shag" or is 'shag' a term for something guitar-related by Fender?

For the Cali NAMM (music gear trade show) last year, Shag codesigned some beautiful custom guitars:

https://tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=2628&forum=1

On 2004-10-12 10:14, Tiki_Bong wrote:
Good info Tweedtone, on my favorite subject - steel guitar. Freddie Tavares was born in 1913, in Maui. In 1937, played broadcasts of Hawaii Calls radio show with Harry Owen's Royal Hawaiians, then came to LA with the band and recorded extensively and backed some of the greats like Bing Crosby and Dorthy Lamour. Freddie played all the ukulele parts on Blue Hawaii with Elvis.

In 1953, he began working with Leo Fender designing and building guitars, pedal steel guitars, and electric bass guitars.

More Fender steel guitar trivia - the very first Fender steels were made out of oak but they switched to maple because people would take the oak ones home and after a couple of months, they'd be oozing sap all over the place cuz the wood hadn't been sufficiently dried out.

Thanks for the tip on the tiki mug, dude! Tomorrow's my birthday and I can see a tiki mug coming my way ...

I played on a bill with Dick Dale about 9 or 10 years ago. One of the most fun gigs ever!

Ha ha, I was thinking of starting a topic on this when I came across the mug offer on Fender's site. I saw it and thought two of my worlds are colliding! Tiki and Fender.

It's a nice ploy to get me to buy more from them. Though that is not a problem as I was getting some info from the Fender site about my latest purchase, my birthday present guitar. I think it's a nice gesture, a good prop for Freddie. The Custom Shop Strat they did is one of the more collectible/sought pieces CS produced.

A Dick Dale gig huh? Cool.

Ok, I see the Shag shirt, but I was actually referring to the mug. Does it say Shag somewhere or that he designed it?

Thanks.

Hey SCD, I think he is just referring to the fact of tiki stuff fender has done. First was shags guitars then shirt, and now non-shag tiki mug. I guess the they tiki too. Just a thought I had when reading this.

Yep, just commenting on the global tiki awakening. :)

Speaking of Fender Stats,

I'm selling the Strat I used in my previous life of full-metal shreader for a reasonable price to anyone interested.

It's a 1979 American-made, skunk-striped maple neck with 3 Seymore-Duncans. Hard-shell case.

PM me.

Sorry about the confusion SCD. Net-Tiki is absolutely correct.

First Shag did these custom paint jobs for Fender:

(Thanks Luckydesigns for originally posting this picture)

Then the T-Shirt that Unga posted. I'm not sure if Shag has done anything else for Fender.

The mug that they're currently giving away is not Shag, but you gotta love that they're keeping with the Tiki theme.

Interesting note: I placed my order yesterday and it's already scheduled to be delivered today. :D

Okay... this is one big ass mug. I would say it holds at least 30 ounces! I might have to buy some more shirts from Fender to get another one.

Gotta a pair of mugs coming my way. I really dug the SHAG t-shirt and last night I showed it to my wife. The next thing I know she pulls out the credit card and says Happy Birthday. I tried going further by trying to get her to open the jazzmaster page but no luck. Maybe when I turn 40, I'll have the guitar of my dreams. I'll toast Tiki Central with the 1st drinks out of the mug. This is my favorite site I visit by far. It is so full of fun.

On 2004-10-14 12:55, polynesian posh boy wrote:
Gotta a pair of mugs coming my way. I really dug the SHAG t-shirt and last night I showed it to my wife. The next thing I know she pulls out the credit card and says Happy Birthday. I tried going further by trying to get her to open the jazzmaster page but no luck. Maybe when I turn 40, I'll have the guitar of my dreams.

Congrats and Happy Birthday to ya!

If you're into DIY guitar-building, I heartily recommend Warmoth necks and bodies:

http://www.warmoth.com/

I've got three Telecaster variants I build from Warmoth parts and they're as good or better than anything I could afford from Fender.

Thanks for the Warmoth info but I am not a luthier. I do have a Di Pinto Galaxie Custom that I really enjoy playing and it is stronger sounding in my mind than the Jazzmaster. Kinda a cross between the strat and the Jazz. I just love that Jazzmaster sound and one day I will get one. Gotta get the real mojo. American made. I am so tired of all the Japanesse repos. They look nice but at closer inspection all the hardware is inferiorly made and they don't end up sounding as well as the American. Cool band name Tweedtone, the Vodkanauts. And keep surfin' musically. Surf is the best music ever conceived.

Okay, who else ordered the "Fly Boy" shirt?

On 2004-10-14 17:42, Raffertiki wrote:
Okay, who else ordered the "Fly Boy" shirt?

... Hugh Hefner?

Okay - so this might date me, I met Freddie once at a gig one of my friends was doing. He is so awesome and his guitars have made history. Too cool to even hold a Fender guitar and but also to have the master teach me a few notes.

On 2004-10-15 12:42, kuuipo wrote:
Okay - so this might date me, I met Freddie once at a gig one of my friends was doing. He is so awesome and his guitars have made history. Too cool to even hold a Fender guitar and but also to have the master teach me a few notes.

To quote Christopher Walken's The Continental character on SNL:

WOW-EEE-WOW-WOW!

Very, very cool.

Forrest White's Fender: The Inside Story is a great read for detail-obsessed geeks like me and it has a number of annecdotes recounting Freddie's gracious nature.

Sorry to say, I'm selling off the very mug from this post. Posting here in case there's anyone that missed it back in 2004 and is still interested.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/-/121851942378?