Custom paint specialist Bonvillain Design Studio is auctioning off a one-of-a-kind Tele for charity
The unique Tele, painted by David Bonvillain, is his first offered for public sale, following work for the likes of John Mayer, Steve Vai, Yvette Young and Mark Morton

Bonvillain Design Studio is offering a one-off custom-painted Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster for auction, in a bid to raise money for the charity Hearts & Horses.
Painted by founder and career guitar tech David Bonvillain, the instrument is the first he has offered for public sale.
Although he only started his custom studio last year, Bonvillain was previously Kerry King’s guitar tech and already has a pretty impressive client list, having produced instruments for Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, John Mayer, Bob Weir, Jen Majura, Mark Morton and Yvette Young, among others.
The Hearts & Horses auction guitar is essentially a refinished Fender American Ultra Luxe Telecaster – the big F’s ultimate slimline, high performance machine. However, Bonvillain has made a notable tweak, swapping in the neck from a 2013 US Select Series Tele. He notes this essentially makes it the sister model of an instrument he produced for Lamb Of God man Mark Morton.
Finally, as with most of Bonvillain designs, the paint job incorporates a blacklight element, meaning certain elements will really pop-out under UV light.
In a post on Instagram, Bonvillain comments:
“This guitar was made special for a local charity here in northern Colorado – Hearts & Horses Therapeutic Riding Center… Given the theme/charity – I tried to keep it a little on the western and traditional side. (Well… maybe not the Blacklight action, but otherwise kinda traditional). They are a great charity and if you’ve been wanting one of the guitars I make – this one is tax deductible…”
Get The Pick Newsletter
All the latest guitar news, interviews, lessons, reviews, deals and more, direct to your inbox!
A post shared by Bonvillain Design Studio (@bonvillain_design_studio)
A photo posted by on
The auction runs until October 2, closing at 9:45 p.m. MST. Head to the auction site to bid on the Hearts & Horses Bonvillain Telecaster.
Matt is Features Editor for GuitarWorld.com. Before that he spent 10 years as a freelance music journalist, interviewing artists for the likes of Total Guitar, Guitarist, Guitar World, MusicRadar, NME.com, DJ Mag and Electronic Sound. In 2020, he launched CreativeMoney.co.uk, which aims to share the ideas that make creative lifestyles more sustainable. He plays guitar, but should not be allowed near your delay pedals.

“It’s becoming harder and harder to see why one guitar made of two lumps of wood bolted together with some basic electrics and hardware can cost $5,000, while one like this is a 10th of that price”: Shergold Masquerader SM11 Standard review

“We care as much about this product as the guitars we’ve been building for over 35 years”: James Tyler Guitars will become more affordable than ever as the boutique builder announces China-made JTG Series