Winners - Nile Rodgers Hitmaker Tribute

Our Nile Rodgers Hitmaker Tribute is a painstakingly recreated version of that most famous of guitars. Wielded by a legend in the music industry, Nile himself stated that the Hitmaker was described as the 'two billion dollar guitar', such were the amount of hit records it's appeared on. Now, you can own this accurate replica for a fraction of the price it cost to put it together!

About Nile Rodgers

From Rodgers' original band Chic to David Bowie's 'Let's Dance' album, Nile's percussive funk guitar has been the core sound of many music genre's since the 70s. It's not just older styles of music either, this guitar featured on modern hits like Daft Punk's 'Get Lucky' and Avicii's 'Lay Me Down'. The Hitmaker also became a defining sound in hip hop, largely thanks to newer artists sampling classic 70s funk tunes, such as in the Sugarhill Gang's massively influential 'Rapper's Delight'.

The Story of the Hitmaker

Nile picked up his original guitar on a trade-in at a music store in Miami beach and being a huge fan of Jimi Hendrix, opted to strip down and repaint his newest acquisition in the famous Olympic White finish. He added a chrome-plated brass scratchplate, allowing him to light up his audience by reflecting the stage lights back at them. He also got rid of the knurled Strat controls, putting speed knobs on to allow him quicker access for volume swells. He didn't know at the time that this instrument would go on to appear on so many hit records, but Nile believes that it's these modifications that give this guitar its distinctive tone.

Alder Body

The Alder body is one of our own, and has been accurately relic'd to mimic the exact look of Nile's road worn original. Compare it to any pictures of the original and trust us, you'll find it hard to tell the difference! We made sure that the relic was as close to the original as it could possibly be, and it was done by an local expert in relicing guitars, including the neck and all hardware.

Maple Neck

This licensed Fender neck features a maple neck and fretboard, mirroring the same setup Nile uses on his own guitar. It started life with a regular 'C' profile, but has been sanded down to a slim 'C' to match the style of neck on Nile's original. The slim profile ensures those 7th chords are easy to fret and rapid fire single string funk-lines feel effortless. Thanks to being hand rubbed down, the back of neck will feel instantly comfortable from the moment you pick it up, ready to slam dunk the funk.

Custom Shop '69 Pickups

Featuring a trio of Fender Custom Shop '69 Pickups, this guitar has the exact same voicing that has made its mark on so much of music history. Switch this guitar to the neck position and you'll instantly get that iconic Nile Rodgers tone, full of warmth yet punchy and articulate. Nile would frequently augment the core neck pickup sound on his records with the other positions, particularly the 'quack' of positions two and four on the pickup selector. This guitar isn't a one trick pony though, it's easily capable of everything from clean Jazz tones to gritty hard rock riffing.

Hardware

Unusually for a Strat-style guitar, the Hitmaker Tribute fields a hardtail bridge with six stamped steel saddles. The hardtail enhances sustain thanks to increased contact with body, allowing for easy action and intonation adjustments. At the other end of the guitar you have a set of Sperzel locking tuners, ensuring that no matter how hard you whip out the funk this guitar will stay perfectly in tune.

The Nile Rodgers Hitmaker is as true a tribute to one of music history's greatest guitars as you'll find anywhere, even those coming out of a certain Custom Shop. With no expense being spared in the construction of it, everything is period correct and spec'd exactly how Nile has his own guitar, making this your chance to get your hands on your own bit of music history. Best of all, it can be yours for a fraction of it's actual cost thanks to Northwest Guitars Competitions!