Fender Custom shop celebrates Abigail Ybarra's retirement

SFIV1967

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I think that is worth to mention here as Abigail is a total legend in the world of guitars!
Abigail was hired by Leo Fender in 1956 (!!!) and started winding pickups in 1958 !

Posted on May 1, 2013 at 4:32 pm.
Fender Custom Shop Celebrates Abigail Ybarra’s Retirement

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Abby Ybarra with Los Lobos

The Fender Custom Shop is both pleased and wistful to announce that one of its most revered employees, “pickup artist” Abigail Ybarra, is retiring after more than 50 years in the Fender family. In celebration, Fender arranged for multiple Grammy Award-winning band Los Lobos to play at her private retirement party with dozens of her coworkers earlier today.

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Josefina Campos has been apprenticing under Abby Ybarra for the last few years.

Ybarra came to Fender in 1956 and in 1958 began hand-winding and hand-building guitar pickups for the fledgling Southern California musical instrument company (pickups convert string vibrations into electric signals, creating the “voice” of an electric guitar). Ybarra’s hand-wound pickups have been included in Fender’s most popular instruments from the late-’50s to today, and were most likely found on instruments played by legends such as Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Buddy Holly, Stevie Ray Vaughan and countless others. Her pickups have become highly desirable and sought after by artists and collectors alike.

“Abby is one of the many individuals, like George Fullerton, Freddie Tavares and Forrest White, who have set our course as a company and leader in our industry,” said Mike Eldred, Fender Custom Shop Marketing Director. “She has literally ‘set the tone’ for Fender, and we will continue to carry on her legacy in the Fender Custom Shop.”

Over the past three years, Fender Custom Shop Pickup Specialist Josefina Campos has been apprenticing under Ybarra, mastering the techniques that only a half-century of experience can create. Campos, who has been with Fender since 1991, is more than prepared to take the torch from Ybarra’s legendary hands.

“Josefina has been part of the Fender Custom Shop for many years now, and she has spent a good portion of her time winding great-sounding pickups and apprenticing with one of the best pickup builders in the world,” added Eldred. “We are grateful to add her to an extraordinary group of Master Builders, and excited to watch her take her place in Fender’s rich history.”

Josefina Campos-wound pickups are already in great demand, and the Fender Custom Shop is planning to include them in select limited instruments and in custom-ordered Master Built models.

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Source: http://www.fender.com/news/fender-custom-shop-celebrates-abigail-ybarras-retirement/



I saw Josephina last year in Corona, she signs her custom wound pickups with "Josephina" similar like what Abigail did in the past:

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Ralf
 
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walrus

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Great story! I love the idea of calling her a "pickup artist" - not just for the play on words, which is funny, but recognizing that she is an "artist" at her work - nice!

As we have been lamenting in numerous threads regarding Guild employees, people who are skilled at meticulous hands-on work like this, or guitar builders, etc., are a rare breed.

walrus
 

SFIV1967

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Since Josefina is "the next Abigail", here's a quick video (and Abigail sitting in the background!):



Ralf
 
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