QUESTION
I was visiting a friend this weekend and he had an American made Fender Baja Sexto Baritone guitar. He bought it he said around 1991 This is an incredible guitar looks like a tele with a along neck . Do you ever see these and do they still make them. I searched everywhere on the next today and cannot find any for sale.
REPLY
Wow nobody has asked about these in years. I forgot all about this model. Well I will tell you these are cool as hell guitars and I have not had one for sale since 1994 . I was Lucky enough to get a few of these from a famous band that fender original made them for and i believe fender only made them from the custom shop for a year or two. I will be honest I do not have any production totals or when they actually started making them.
The baja Sexto was a Fender telecaster with a long neck plain and simple / the ones i had were in a the standard butterscotch finish with black pickgurd and maple necks. At the time I owned a recording studio and this was a cool addition to the arsenal and everyone who visited the studio was amazed with the guitar and it was a great conversion piece as well. I cannot tell you on how many recording we used it . you can really get creative with this beast.
If my ,memory is correct the fender custom ship in japan may have reissued these or there was a knockoff model around. The fender custom shop japan has always done a nice job so if i remember they re good instruments also. since then fender has issued a baritone guitar in the shape of a jaguar but let me tell you not even close to how cool the original telecaster Baja Sexto was.
I can understand why perhaps Fender did not continue this model . The fact that it is a baritone guitar limits its market share and in reality how many people really need one. So from a shear business standpoint it is understandable on the decision made. But the guitar junky in all u=of us always wants these gems for our collections and creative glimpses. True we are not the marketing force they need to survive but never the less we are real and we buy guitars!!! So I feel fender should offer this gem in there custom shop and let the few in the know enjoy the instrument.
The bad news is i have not has one for sale in over 20 years and have not seen any for sale in any private collection either. The fact is those that have them keep them and use them and cherish them. My advice is to write or call fender custom shop and for all I know they may eve have an old one lying around they are dying to sell.one of the employees may even have one I would say that is your best bet .If you have any further questions please feel free to e mail me at THE PARTS DRAWER just fill out the questionnaire and i will answer within 48 hours.
Jim Pasch