This Fender Custom Shop ’50s Stratocaster is a beautiful masterbuilt instrument that nods to the iconic ’56 Strat with a twist of contemporary performance features, and is a shining example of the Fender Custom Shop’s attention to detail when it comes to crafting vintage-style instruments.
This Strat boasts an unusual roasted alder body, carefully sorted for weight to provide the least heavy instrument possible. The 4A Roasted Flame Maple neck ups this instrument’s aesthetic appeal, creating a striking contrast when paired next to the Faded Shell Pink body and white parchment pickguard. This premium neck material, featured on the fingerboard and headstock, is a single solid piece of maple, showcasing the beauty of this carefully roasted wood.
Cut to a cozy ’60 Style Oval “C” profile, the beautiful dark neck of this Strat features a fingerboard that hosts 21 Medium Jumbo 6150 frets, and is connected to its body with a sturdy 4-bolt connection. The fingerboard offers a 9.5″-12″ compound radius, gently tapering toward the headstock, and features wide-spaced Micarta Black inlays, as well as side dots of the same material.
The sonic heart of this guitar are its electronics, a testament to Fender Custom Shop’s commitment to creating instruments that sound as good as they look. The Handwired Tomatillo bridge pickup delivers a balanced, slightly warmer tone than its counterparts: two Handwired Strat Texas Special in the middle and neck positions. A Fat ’50 Strat 1/2 Blender controls allow for a blend of the neck and bridge pickups in the first position, diversifying the classic Texas Strat tone.
The aesthetics of this beautiful instrument are carefully engineered by FCS, and are highlighted by a Closet Classic finish in Faded Shell Pink. Treated with a light tint Nitro Lacquer, the body boasts tasteful checking, an emulation of a guitar that has aged gracefully over time but been played minimally since its birth in the ’50s, allowing players to feel the originality of an instrument that has recently surfaced after being stowed away for decades. The neck, left “unfinished,” emulates a heavily played neck, a stark contrast the body, and offers a smooth handfeel for quick playing with little friction.
Small, vintage-style details that bring this Strat home include an RSD Strat-style bridge, Vintage tuning machines, a ’56-’58 American Vintage string tree, and ’59 Strat .060 Parchment pickguard. This exceptional instrument comes complete with a Tweed Custom Shop case, because an instrument that boasts so much beauty should come with a case that looks just as good.
- Roasted Alder Body
- 4A Roasted Flame Maple Neck
- ’60 Style Oval “C” Profile
- Handwired Tomatillo Bridge Pickup, Handwired Texas Special Neck and Middle
- Closet Classic Finish in Faded Shell Pink
- Light Tint Nitro Lacquer
- Unfinished Neck
- Vintage-Style Details: RSD Bridge, Vintage Tuning Machines
