Fender Toronado

Guitar · Collector's Piece

Mars Music in Meyerland Plaza was my playground. I'd rollerblade there, leave my blades by the front door, and wander around in my socks for hours. Wall of pedals, every amp you could imagine, guitars everywhere. My friends and I all had instruments and we just wanted to see what else was out there in the world. For a kid who loved music, there was no better place to be.

The Toronado was just something I grabbed off the wall because it had two humbuckers and looked cool. That offset body, that silhouette … it got into my head and stayed there. The Toronado was only made for a few years and in two distinct styles. I have the earlier, more iconic one.

I eventually found mine after moving to California. It arrived with some rough touch-up work on the black finish, someone had tried to patch it up over the years and hadn't quite pulled it off. Didn't matter. It was exactly the guitar I'd wanted since I was a kid wandering that store in my socks.

I don't play it much these days. It's more of a collector piece, something I got to pay back my teenage self.