Guitar Luthier John Page and the Story of 016, Part One

by Staff.

Modern Guitars columnist John Page writes about the birth of a new piece of electric guitar functional art in The Story of 016, Part One. Page, who co-founded the Fender Custom Shop and who has been a leading proponent of how and why the contemporary electric guitar can serve a dual role as both working instrument (functional) and the source of visual pleasure (art), has pursued a career in fine art after leaving Fender, creating a number of successful art gallery-level wood-based sculptures. After a hiatus from guitar building, Page re-entered the field in 2006 with his completely hand-built custom line, the P-1.

The Story of 016 discusses how Page's new twist on the P-1 incorporates his love of both finely built custom guitars and fine art. The client who commissioned the 016 asked Page if it could somehow serve as both a high-end guitar and a piece of art. "For me," says Page, "this is the best of all worlds, mix my two great passions, guitars and visual art!"

In Part One of the story, the luthier-artist discusses how the creation process flows from concept (incorporating elements of a previously created free-standing sculpture called Woman is the Machine) to pre-build work-up using Photoshop.

Related Links
The Story of 016, Part One
Functional Art (John Page's column on Modern Guitars)
John Page Interview (text and audio)
John Page Guitars

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