At NAMM 2026, exactly three minutes after the show opened, I fell for this guitar. Through its US-based Xotique workshop, the American brand Xotic presents a true marvel, firmly rooted in a Fender Telecaster-inspired register. We were already familiar with Xotic basses and a few guitars, including the Allen Hind Signature models and some XSCPRO-2 from the “budget” series, but obviously this is something else entirely. Californians are incredibly lucky: everything is there, including the best Fender-style workshops (and of course Fender itself) such as Anderson Guitarworks, Suhr, and for several years now Xotic—which, quite frankly, blows Suhr away and seriously challenges the quality of Tom Anderson guitars. With this one-off instrument built for NAMM 2026, the small custom, handmade Xotique workshop of Xotic demonstrates the outstanding quality of their craftsmanship and the insane tonewoods they have at their disposal.

The Xotic Xotique XTC-1 Custom is an absolutely stunning guitar, featuring superb woods and a level of craftsmanship—once again—that puts many competitors to shame. Built with the very best carefully selected woods, this unique XTC-1 crafted by the small American Xotique workshop represents the absolute top tier of the Xotic brand, with every possible option included. The guitar retains the classic Telecaster shape but features an ultra-light alder body topped with a truly insane quilted maple top. The body is finished in a gorgeous Espresso Royale color (or stunning, depending on your point of view) and comes in a New Old Stock finish, meaning no aging. The nitrocellulose lacquer reveals all the wild figuring of the optional 5A quilt maple top.

The neck on this XTC-1 Custom is simply magnificent: 5A Flame Roasted Maple. The 5A figured option is a real bonus for this guitar, with absolutely mind-blowing grain and figuring—no photo can do it justice. With a modern C-shaped neck profile, a 12″ radius, and Jescar 6150 Medium Jumbo frets, the neck feels extremely comfortable and familiar.

Vintage-style Gotoh locking tuners and a Gotoh vintage-style bridge provide outstanding tuning stability and intonation. A set of Raw Vintage TE-1 pickups delivers a powerful tone with real punch, excellent clarity, and a very balanced response. Raw Vintage pickups are a defining feature of the Xotic California Classic series, and on this XTC-1 Custom, their pairing with the selected woods results in a truly unique guitar with absolutely insane tones.

This ultra-light guitar is a real killer and easily holds its own against the very best Californian Custom Shop guitars and high-end production models. It is delivered in a Deluxe ABS hard case.