HOT ROD TELE

Editor Jamie Dickson embarks on converting his AVRI ’52 Tele reissue into a unique hot-rod Fender with artwork to match

- Jamie Dickson

In the 1950s an American artist known as Von Dutch started a fashion for decorating hot-rod cars with flowing, decorative lines. Referred to as ‘pinstriping’, the technique lies somewhere between pure art, calligraphy and signwriting and has evolved steadily since its inception during the 1950s.

The full name of the originator of the style was Kenneth Robert Howard, a Californian artist who was nicknamed ‘Dutch’ by his family. He later adopted ‘Von Dutch’ as his trade name, developing his pinstriping technique while working in custom motorcycle shops and later applying it to cars and other machinery. If you read our recent feature on Billy Gibbons’ guitar collection (see issue 462), you’ll know that pinstriping has since found its way onto guitars – and looks seriously cool, as demonstrated by Billy’s Lil Red SG, which has a classic white Von Dutch pinstripe over its rich Cherry finish.

Since the seminal work of Von Dutch, pinstriping has evolved in various directions – some ornate and flowing, others stark and minimalist – but anyone with a passion for restoring American cars knows you need the services of a good ’striper if you want to complete an authentic hot-rod build properly. Somerset might seem an unlikely home for such an artist, but that’s exactly where you’ll find the workshop of Pace Frith, one of the best stripers in the country. The son of a hot-rod racer, customiser and restorer, Pace grew up with hot-rod culture in his veins, so when I kicked off a project to build my perfect hot-rod Tele, Guitarist contributor Rod Brakes suggested I should ask Pace if he would consider striping my American Vintage ’52 Telecaster.