MEET THE BUILDER: ANDY HICKS

“The guitar is – outside of my family – the most important thing in my entire life.” This is the ethos of Andy Hicks, father, musician and Fender Custom Shop Masterbuilder. Hicks has been working in the Custom Shop for four years now, but his journey began when he was just a kid.

“Picking up a Stratocaster for the first time when I was 12 years old changed my life,” Hicks enthuses. “I was not aware at what degree it was changing my life, but I knew even then that it was changing me.” The intensity of his connection to the guitar at such a young age blossomed exponentially as he discovered a natural knack for modding the instrument he loves. He explains, “I started making guitars initially as a hobby, when I was in college, just a way of getting tones and things out of guitars that I wanted to get. I didn’t have money to pay somebody to set up guitars and do pickup swaps and parts replacements that I wanted to experiment with, so I was tinkering.”

Tinkering turned into professional training at the renowned Guitar Craft Academy and led him into a career building instruments and parts for Jackson, Gretsch, James Tyler® and ultimately Fender’s Custom Shop.

For the uninitiated, the Custom Shop is where musicians head when they need to have a guitar or bass built to their exact specifications, down to the very last detail. It’s where you go to have the instrument that only exists in your imagination made into a reality. In Hicks’ words, “Custom Shop is the Dream Factory. You come to us with your dream guitar and we’re going to make that dream come true.”

Hicks’ philosophy to building guitars is rooted in a space that exists between two opposing forces: a loyalty to tradition and a dedication to experimentation. He is incredibly protective of Fender’s near 80-year legacy but as an inveterate tinkerer and a bit of a rebel, he’s always looking to try new things, be it novel pickup configurations or wiring ideas that haven’t been done before.

One of Hicks’ favorite Custom Shop creations is the Limited Edition Masterbuilt Dave Murray Stratocaster, which he created for the legendary guitarist for Iron Maiden, a band he adores. “It’s a surreal experience to receive a phone call and be asked if you want to make a guitar for your favorite guitar player ever,” he says. “What’s absolutely insane is seeing photos of him on my social media feeds every day, of them on tour, and I can see my little signature decal – it’s like part of my soul is onstage with my favorite band every single night.”

For Hicks, it comes down to a very simple reason why he does what he does: “Guitar is the best. Music is the best.”

Check out the video above to find out more about Andy Hicks, then head here to learn about the Custom Shop and start building your dream guitar.