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Fender and Jackson Custom Shops welcome new Master Builders Austin Macnutt and Pat Campolattano

The two Custom Shop teams get a little larger.

Austin Macnutt and Pat Campolattamo

Austin Macnutt (left) and Pat Campolattamo. Images: Fender

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Fender Musical Instruments Corporation has welcomed aboard two new Master Builders. Austin Macnutt and Pat Campolattano will join the Fender and Jackson Custom Shops respectively.

Macnutt was born in Canada, and began playing guitar at the age of 10 – no doubt inspired by the presence of his father’s 1963 Custom Color Black Fender Jagaur, which remains in the family to this day. He also began repairing and tinkering with guitars early into his guitar journey.

Austin enrolled at the Guitar Craft Academy in California, and went on to be offered a position at Ron Thorn’s Thorn Guitars, one he held for 11 years.

“To me, it doesn’t get any better than the Fender Custom Shop, and to be able to join the team as a Master Builder is truly a dream come true. It’s a privilege and an honour and I feel extremely proud to be a part of the dream factory,” said Macnutt in a statement. “From the first time I played my Dad’s 1963 Fender Jaguar as a kid, I’ve been a huge Fender fan. It feels like I’ve come full circle from that moment in my youth, strumming my Dad’s Jag, to now be building Fender guitars in the Custom Shop.”

Campolattano’s first exposure to machining and woodworking was as a child when he spent summers in his grandfather’s gunsmithing workshop. He began playing guitar in his early teens, and due to his previous experience with crafting and repair, he found himself drawn, like Macnutt, to the Guitar Craft Academy.

“Having any position in this elite team is a massive honour. The legendary Mike Shannon left an unfillable void, but I will do my part to the best of my ability. After meeting with Mike and everyone here, I knew it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up,” he said in a statement. “The biggest rewards have been education, creative freedom, and the ability to build anything for customers around the world. That’s why I’m here, and I look forward to the future.”

Find out more over at fender.com.

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