Fender recently announced the addition of Kyle McMillian and Ron Thorn to the esteemed list of Master Builders in its prestigious Fender Custom Shop.
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The appointments come at an opportune time forFender recently announced the addition of Kyle McMillian and Ron Thorn to the esteemed list of Master Builders in its prestigious Fender Custom Shop.
The appointments come at an opportune time for Fender, which is poised for continued growth. Sales remain strong for fretted instruments, and the ever-increasing demand for Fender Custom Shop guitars could only be satisfied by bringing on some of the greatest luthiers to the company’s Master Builder team.
Thorn brings decades of expertise in guitar luthiery; namely inlay work, to the Fender Custom Shop. His relationship with Fender stems from his wildly successful inlay business, Thorn Inlay, which has been the sole inlay provider for the Fender Custom Shop since the mid-90s.
McMillian brings fifteen years of musical instrument experience to the Custom Shop. A Fender employee for 15 years, McMillian also recently finished a five-year apprenticeship under Principal Master Builder, Yuriy Shishkov, where he worked on nearly 1,000 guitars with the esteemed builder.
Guitar World recently spoke with Master Builders Kyle McMillian and Ron Thorn about their new roles at Fender and more in this new interview.
Congrats on your new positions. I guess the first question to ask would be, what's it like working for Fender?
Kyle McMillian: Working for Fender is an absolute honor. They have the greatest reputation and the finest instruments, for both players and collectors. I'm still beside myself that I have the honor of being a Master Builder.
Ron Thorn: The same goes for me. I've only been doing this a short while, but the amount of pride flowing through me is unbelievable. I've loved the product for decades, and to be part of the team is really a dream come true.
What do you think makes Fender guitars so special?
Thorn: They