There are signature models, and then there’s this: to mark the 20th anniversary of one of the most successful video game series of all time, Fender is releasing the officially licensed Monster Hunter Rathalos Telecaster. Exquisitely crafted, with Rathalos graphics everywhere – a must-have for fans!
Monster Hunter Rathalos Telecaster:
For the older, non-gaming among us, a brief introduction: “Monster Hunter” is a Japanese video game series and one of the most successful ones for 20 years. As the name suggests, you hunt and fight monsters in the role-playing game, improve your equipment, and complete missions. One of the most important characters in the game is Rathalos, the “king of the skies”, a fire dragon you fight.
To the fans: Please forgive me for not going into further detail here and perhaps not quite getting the details of what role Rathalos plays in the game right. After all, this is a guitar! For the 20th anniversary of the series, Fender is releasing a signature guitar for the king of skies: the Monster Hunter Rathalos Telecaster.
I must say, however, that even after extensive research, I was unable to find any visual evidence of Rathalos showing off his guitar skills, so I’m not quite sure how this warrants a signature.
What’s inside?
Let’s stick to what unites us all: our love of guitars. And with the Monster Hunter Rathalos Telecaster, there’s plenty to fall in love with. Visually, Fender has really outdone itself with the Monster Hunter Rathalos Telecaster, with a Monster Hunter emblem inlay and another massive logo on the back. They’ve also painted distinctive feather and flame patterns and the guild mark on the body front. The motif is Lioleus, the fire dragon.
As for the woods, Fender uses alder for the body, rosewood for the fingerboard, and maple for the neck (Modern C profile). Bone Nut, 22 medium jumbo frets, vintage locking tuners, and a 3-saddle vintage-style strings-through-body with slanted brass Barrel saddles (all in black) reinforce the notion that Fender is really knocking it out of the park here. Incidentally, there is also a special edition available only in Japan. This differs slightly in the engraved claw marks on the pickguard.
The pickups used are a Monster Hunter Rathalos humbucker in the neck position and a Monster Hunter Rathalos single coil in the bridge position. It wasn’t immediately clear to me what these pickups are based on, exactly, so it’s a bit unclear how they sound. Who knows, maybe Monster Hunter pickups will usher in a new era of video game core?
How much does the Monster Hunter: Rathalos Telecaster cost and what is included in the scope of delivery?
So far, this unusual signature is only listed by the manufacturer itself, with an MSRP of €2,199.00 or £1,849.00 . Each order comes with a hard shell case and a certificate of authenticity.
More on this signature from Fender
