Fender Custom Shop Master Builder Vincent Van Trigt has shared a snap of his latest creation – a true-to-life replica of Buddy Guy’s “holy grail” polka dot Fender Stratocaster, which he built for full-time actor, part-time rocker Jason Momoa.
In a post on Instagram, Van Trigt offered a close-up look at the electric guitar, along with a cryptic caption that read, “One of my favorite badasses (on land and sea) reached out and told me he’s a BIG Buddy Guy fan, and asked if we could build his holy grail guitar.
“A smoked out, beat up polka dot Strat as if Buddy played it in blues bars since the ‘50s,” Van Trigt continues. “We reached out to Buddy, he approved and here is the result. Can you guess who the customer is?”
The comment section was flooded with hopeful individuals who thought they had identified the mystery recipient, though guesses of John Mayer, Joe Bonamassa, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Ronnie Wood and Mike McCready all proved to be incorrect.
So, how do we know that the six-string is destined for Momoa’s hands? Thanks to some expert sleuthing, of course, which surmises the “land and sea” hint as a nod to Momoa’s role as the DC superhero, Aquaman.
Oh, and Jason Momoa himself commented on the post. That sure helped.
“All hail Buddy Guy, Vince,” he responded. “This is beyond epic. You have done it. Congratulations. You’re the badass.”
What’s more, Guy himself also commented on Van Trigt’s meticulously crafted recreation of his Strat, saying, “Looking good, guys. Play the hell outta that thing, Jason Momoa!”
True to Guy’s observation, the guitar – which sports a rough-and-ready, heavily worn black finish with white polka dots – does indeed look very good. No official spec sheet from Van Trigt has been released, though the Master Builder did say more pics and a full blueprint will be posted soon.
Momoa’s love for all things guitar is no secret – last year, he spent a week jamming with Primus’s Les Claypool at the bass legend's Claypool Cellars winery, and sat down with Slash to discuss the GNR man’s Gibson Slash Collection.
More recently, during an appearance on GQ’s YouTube channel, the Game of Thrones star named a battered, Bigsby-equipped Gibson Les Paul Goldtop as one of 10 things he couldn’t live without, saying he always travels “with a lot of instruments”.
In fact, it’s not even the first time Momoa has requested a custom build from Van Trigt, who, for the actor’s 41st birthday, built him a custom Fender Precision Bass.
